Capsicum, Peanut & Besan Sabji

The dry arid regions of gujarat grow little except perhaps green chillies of various sizes. This ingenious sabzi combines pantry staples like peanuts and besan, with these green chillies or capsicum here to create a really delicious sabji. Use different colored capsicums for vibrant dish.

This recipe is from the book Easy indian cooking by Suneeta Vaswani. I highly recommend it for the various sabzis and other vegetarian dishes. More from the same book soon.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chickpea flour(besan)
4 lbs green capsicum or mix of colors
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 tsp coriander pwd
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup coarsely crushed roasted peanuts

1. In a heavy skillet over low heat, toast chickpea flour, stirring constantly to prevent burning until lightly browned and aromatic, 3- 4 minutes . Set aside.
You can put this on the stove over low heat while you cut the vegetables.Parallel processing rocks!!

2. Cut bell peppers into 11/2 inch pieces, discarding stems , seeds and membranes
I also added half an onion for onion crazy H.

3. In a large sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat, Saute peppers until softened.

4. Reduce heat to medium. Add coriander, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, salt and sugar. Mix well. Saute for 2 minutes longer. Sprinkle besan on top of peppers . Do not mix.
The mixture of coriander and jeera is distinctly gujarati - called dhana jeeru powder.

5. Reduce heat to low. Cook, covered until peppers are very soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir to mix. Remove from heat and sprinkle with crushed peanuts if using. Whenever I buy raw peanuts from the Indian store, I roast them in the oven at 425 F for about 8 minutes or until you can smell the peanuts smell and store it. Comes in handy whenever you need roasted peanuts.Here the dish is already seasoned with sugar but I highly recommend the gujju style of finishing vegetables with a pinch of sugar, lemon juice and coriander leaves. Brightens the whole dish.



You can also visit suneeta vaswani at her website
http://www.suneetavaswani.com/

Pear Frangipane with Pate Sucree Tart shell

I was originally making this for AFAM: Pears hosted by Raaga of the The Singing chef for the month of March. I am posting this recipe after she has even finished with the round up! Talk about Indian standard stretchable time:) I wanted to explore frangipane tarts more thoroughly before writing about them.

The frangipane tart in terms of taste was a great contrast of slightly tart fruit with the crisp chewiness of the macaroon like almond filling.

Frangipane in the pastry world is a sweetened almond filling used in tarts and pastries. I was very delighted to discover that it has an Indian connection. Frangipane is the name of a flower, which was originally used to flavor the almond paste.Look familiar?
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I love this flower, called the Temple Tree flower, it has a sweet intoxicating smell which usually denotes summer for me.

For the Frangipane itself I followed this recipe from the Washington Post.For the shell instead of going with the cream cheese tart shell as in the WP recipe, I went for a Pate Sucree ( Sweet Tart Pastry Shell) from the Bakers dozen cookbook.

Couple of important pointers for anyone who might want to attempt this. One is that The frangipane receives equal billing with the fruits. This is not a tart you want to stuff with fruits. The picture I have of my pear tart is actually a good example of what not to do with a frangipane tart. You want give the frangipane enough space to puff up and develop a nice brown crust. A very good example is Spittoon extra's Apricot and Fig Frangipane Tart.

You can substitute the pear with any stone fruit, Apple or Plums being favorite choices. You can also flavor the almond frangipane filling like I did with cardamom or even perhaps nutmeg. I made a Plum filled one as well, but I donot have any pictures because my little daughter really liked it. She polished it off with the ten teeth she has!

This tart shell is perhaps one of the easiest bcause it does not depend too much on the correct mixing of the butter into the flour, which is perhaps the most technical part of forming a good tart shell. So it is good for newbies.

Pate Sucree( Sweet Tart Pastry Shell)
from the Bakers dozen Cookbook.

6 tbsp unsalted butter, cool but not chilled
2.5 tbsp sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of fine sea salt
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1. In a medium bowl, using a hand-held mixer on medium high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light in color and texture, about 2 minutes. Break the egg into a cup, mix it thoroughly with a fork, and measure 2.5 tbsp. Discard the remainder. Beat it in with the vanilla and salt just until blended. Scrape down the bowl. On low speed, add the flour all at once and mix just until the ingredients are moistened. Donot overmix.

2. Turn the dough out onto an unfloured work surface. Quickly finish combining the ingredients by smearing small amounts away from you. Using a bench knife or plastic scraper, scrape up the dough and gather it together. Form into a flat disk about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap. Referigerate until firm, atleast one hour.( The dough can be prepared upto a day ahead, wrapped, and referigerated.)

This dough tends to break, but it is easy to repair.

Pitod/Patod ka Saag

I first ate this Rajasthani specialty at a restaurant called Chokki dhani near Jaipur. I guess because Rajasthan is a desert region it has has many sabzis that are made with staples, the other example being Gatte ki sabji made from besan noodles. Pitod or Patod ka Saag has diamond- shaped pieces made of besan and spices in a spiced yoghurt sauce. Serve with hot rotis or puris. This recipe is from the book Spice box by Manju Shivraj Singh.

Ingredients:
Diamonds:
1 cup water
salt to taste
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cups chickpea flour / besan / patod

Sauce:
2 Tbl ghee or oil
2-3 dried red chilies, broken into pieces
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 med onions, minced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp sliced ginger root
1/2 cup yogurt
salt to taste
1 green chili, seeded and chopped, for garnish
coriander leaves, chopped, for garnish


For the diamonds:
Bring water to a boil. Add salt, cayenne, cumin and chickpea flour. Whisk
these into the water carefully. Cook untill the mixture thickens.
Turn out on a greased plate and flatten with a spatula. When it cools, cut
it into diamond shapes.

This recipe serves 8, You can safely halve the recipe like I did. Even at half, the 1 cup of chickpea flour / besan makes a lot of diamonds. The 1 cup of chickpea took about 1 cup of water. So i think the water proportion in Manju Shivraj Singhs recipe isnt quite right. The besan cooks fairly fast, think five minutes for the total. Of course use a greased thali to pour out the cooked besan. Dont worry if the edges of your cooked besan on the thali are a little raggged. Of course , season the besan well.

For the sauce:
In a heavy saucepan heat oil or ghee. Add red chilies, fenugreek, mustard
seeds, onions and garlic. When browned, add turmeric and sliced ginger, yogurt
and salt to taste. Cook. When it thickens a bit, about 10 min later, add the
chickpea diamonds and simmer for 2-3 min. Garnish with chopped green chilies
and coriander.

Donot dump all the spices in. Do let the mustard pop before you add the cumin and the other ingredients. Actually the Besan / chickpea flour diamonds expand quite a bit in the gravy. So when you add water to your curry remember to take care of that. The second thing is, the chopped onions detract from the smooth taste of the gravy/ curry. Next time i will saute the onions in a little oil and then puree them before adding it to the gravy.

I would also highly recommend topping the sabji with a dollop of ghee before serving. Makes a world of difference.

Serves: 8



THE VERDICT:
With a little bit of finetuning, this recipe is very very delicious. When you are flummoxed by the utter lack of vegetables in your referigerator , like I was, this is a go to recipe. Everybody always has besan right?

Tastes very good with rice too, with a dollop of ghee of course!

Mexican Series#5 Mexican street style Enchilada

Enchilada, what enchilada? The fellow in the photo up there dont look like no enchilada :)In essence this is a tava version of the baked Enchilada.

I always, always make my Enchiladas the other way-Roll em up, top with sauce and plllenty of cheese. Enchiladas meant carb fest: gorge myself on the glorious cheesy goodness. So im glad that this "authentic" Mexican street style Enchilada from Rick Bayless's book Authentic Mexican lets me have my Enchilada and indulge myself with far less guilt( Authentic is as authentic does- Im not sure about authentic, having never been to Mexico but ill take Ricks word for it)

Note the bed of cabbage( at the best of times not my favorite vegetable), the utter and complete lack of cheese ( those two little yellow strings on top dont count) and the mushroom topping(Only two mushrooms for decorum in a photo- You can veg out in the actual plate). More veggies, less cheese- yet complete flavor.

Looks healthy! So when I read the recipe I thought id give it a shot. I used flour tortillas, H. having a complete allergy to corn tortillas.

Ingredients:

A. 12 corn tortillas,preferably dry

B. Sauce Recipe

C. Vegetable Stuffing / Topping( Can use any cooked vegetable topping(potato, carrot) of your choice or use any of the recipes in Mexican series #6 to follow)

D. For the condiments:
1/2 small head cabbage
3 tbsp cider vinegar ( can sub with lemon / lime juice)
1/2 tsp salt
2 thin slices onion
1/2 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco, or other fresh cheese like feta or farmers cheese ( I only had yellow cheddar)


Method:
1. The condiments or garnishes: Slice the cabbage very thinly( or get a packet or chopped coleslaw) and place in a bowl. Mix with vinegar, oil and salt,then toss with the cabbage. Set aside, together with the onion rings and crumbled cheese.
2. Frying the enchiladas: About fifteen minutes before serving, divide the cabbage mixture among 4 plates, spreading it into a bed in the center. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet( I used my Nirlep Non stick Tava). When the oil is hot, dip both sides of a tortilla into the sauce, then lay it in the oil. After about 20 seconds, flip the tortillas over, fry for another 20 seconds, fold in half, then in half again lenghtwise. Lift them out draining as much of the oil back into the pan as possible.
3. Finishing the dish.
Lay 3 tortillas per plate on the bed of cabbage, top with vegetables and the cheese and serve.

VERDICT:
I actually liked this version better, sort of like a different take on roti sabzi.The cabbage was a revelation, crip and tart - it went perfectly with the enchilada. Note to self: always serve enchiladas(baked or otherwise) in the future with pickled cabbage and onions.

Having a timeline for this dish would be helpful
1. Upto a week Before: Make the sauce
2. Upto four days before: Buy the tortillas
3. Two hours before serving: Make the cabbage base, The sabzi topping.
4. Assemble.

The baked enchiladas are convenient because they freeze very well, but if you are making lunch for just yourself this is a great way to have a light but flavorful lunch.

If you do try it with corn tortillas, let me know how it goes.

Mexican Series#4 Red Enchilada Sauce

In the picture: Puffed up ancho chile

I used to buy Enchilada Sauce from the supermarket, but I started looking for alternatives as soon as i tasted it. Call me a curious cat, but I just had to know what the real thing tasted like. A couple of searches on chowhound revealed long and passionate discussions on "real" Enchilada Red Sauce, but all of these discussions had a couple of ingredients in common, Mexican Chiles(Ancho, Guajillos),Garlic, Onions, Cumin and Pepper. Many had flour added to thicken the sauce but I could not stomach that idea.

Finally, I ended up going to my sourcebook, Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless- and I must say his recipe makes a pretty darn good Enchilada Sauce, without flour.This is the first time Ive ended up cooking through an entire book and its been quite a learning experience and the entire Mexican series is from that book.

To those who are short on time, Dont think enchilada sauce, think chutney. When you know what ingredients to throw together and puree - the whole process is a breeze. If you donot have time to toast the chiles as Bayless suggests, just soak the chiles in water and puree with some pre chopped garlic, pepper and cumin.I have taken this route before and It tasted similiar to the elaborate method that he outlines.

Now the mexican style of cooking is similiar to ours, so the recipe below is more of a suggestion rather than a very fixed thing. If you saute onion and garlic and add some tomato to the sauce below it becomes Salsa roja or Western Texas Enchilada Sauce. So do feel free to experiment.

Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe:

4 clove garlic, unpeeled
4 medium dried chiles guajillos
6 medium dried chiles anchos
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
2 cups any poultry broth, plus a little more if needed.
Salt, abt 1 tsp
Sugar 1 pinch if needed

Heat a heavy skillet or griddle over medium then lay the garlic on one side to roast. Tear the chillies into flat pieces and, few at a time, press them against the hot surface with a metal spatula, flip them over and press again; you will see them blister and change color.

( I was too lazy to strip the chillies into flat pieces, I just toasted them whole, they blistered up just fine - Look at the Picture above - Also I halved the quantities of the chiles but kept 4 garlic cloves- Even half the chiles makes a whole lot of sauce. You can buy mexican chiles at your local farmers market, My supermarket carries the goya brand.If you are apprehensive about buying two varieties of chiles that you may not use for other things, try out the recipe with only one chile type- still tastes great)

Dunk into hot water, and soak for atleast an hour, preferably 2 -3 hours. Turn the garlic frequently for 15 min or so, until blackened and soft within. Cool and then peel.

Now remove the stems from the chiles and puree with all the other ingredients.

(You can also add some cider vinegar or lime juice - which i liked - added a little tang to my sauce. While pureeing, you shouldnt add much water. The sauce will be thick. You can adjust the thickness of the sauce adding as much of the soaking water as you like. Adjust salt and sugar according to your taste)

This sauce keeps well for a long, long time in a glass jar in the Referigerator. It has a deep red ochre color that is really alluring.

Stay tuned for the next post on Authentic Mexican Street Style Enchiladas.

Mexican Series#3 Corn Cups

You can have fun with your corn tortilla dough by making easy and beautiful corn cups for great appetizers. This recipe idea is from a book called Hor doeuvres by Erik Treuille and Victoria Blashford Shnell.

Ingredients:
1 recipe Corn tortilla dough
23/4 inch biscuit cutter
Mini Muffin Pan
Oil Spray like pam






















Roll out corn tortilla dough between two sheets of Cling film. Remove top cling film. Cut circles in the rolled out dough with the 23/4" biscuit cutter. Carefully transfer circle of dough to the Mini muffin pan. Spray with pam, Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. In any case, remove before brown. Sometimes, if your circles have different thicknesses, some cups brown before others - so keep an eye on them.

For my daughters birthday I made these in three flavors, cheese, spinach and beetroot. For cheese, replace 1/4rth cup of the masa with Parmesan cheese, for spinach and beetroot - replace the water with pureed spinach and beetroot respectively. The spinach and beetroot affect baking times, so keep an eye on the cups in the oven.

I have seen some versions of this recipe online that used cooked , store bought tortillas. I tried that out, But I felt that those resulted in really inferior quality cups.

Serve these with a gorgeously unhealthy - dare i say it - VELVEETA based dip( Recipe from Epicurious)! and top with fresh tomato salsa. If velveeta makes you queasy, replace the velveeta with a good cheddar cheese + 1/4 cup heavy cream + 1/2 tsp sugar. You wont get the velvety :) texture of velveeta, but it will still taste fierce. I skipped the beer and the refried beans in the recipe and added a lot of jalapeno.

Mexican Series#2 Corn Tortilla

Corn is a basic grain in Mexican cuisine and the Corn tortilla one of its Building blocks. There are problems with commercially bought corn tortillas, for us vegetarians-they might contain lard or animal fat , their thickness is usually atrocious - the mouth swims in the gummy taste of fat and not so tasty tortilla and lastly they are not fresh.

How important is freshness to a corn tortilla? So important that buying the Masa or freshly ground dough is fervently advocated by most people who make the corn tortillas. Most of us cannot obtain freshly ground masa, but i think for those who make rotis, making tortillas is just a change from wheat to corn dough really. Corn tortillas made at home only have two ingredients: Corn masa and water.

You can use your fresh corn tortillas in making tostadas, quesadillas, burritos or even fresh tortilla chips.


Equipment:For someone like me who makes tortillas occasionally, no special equipment is needed. Just use your roti making apparatus plus some cling film or wax paper. You need to buy the tortilla maker only if you make tortillas on a daily or weekly basis.





Tortilla de Maiz:
Yield 15 Tortillas

13/4 cups masa harina ( Look for the MASECA brand in the Hispanic section of your supermarket)
1 cup plus 2 tbsp hot tap water

1. The dough: Mix the Masa harina with the hot water and then knead until smooth, adding more water or more masa harina to achieve a very soft , but not sticky consistency.

Divide into fifteen balls and let rest for half an hour.

2. Heat a large, ungreased, heavy griddle. It is important that your griddle be heavy. I used my light roti/dosa tava and it flopped miserably. I then used my heavy cast iron grill pan to great success.

3. Take one ball of the masa harina between two sheets of clingfilm, and proceed to roll out with your rolling pin ( belan).

4. Put the tortilla on the heavy skillet. If the tava is properly hot, the tortilla should balloon up like a phulka. Now mine did not fluff up, but they tasted just as good! I guess ill need a lot more practice before i achieve that.

5. When browned, remove and wrap in a towel or kitchen cloth. Rest for about 15 minutes , to finish their cooking, soften and become pliable.

Recipe from Rick Bayless: Authentic Mexican

Mexican Series #1 Flour Tortilla

My first introduction to the tortilla was bad. In my innocence, I bought a packet from the nearby American supermarket ( "Wow the supermarket has rotis!"). Heat them up, close your eyes tight and imagine Home and mom and garam garam rotis and then eat - not half as bad. Let them go cold though, hoo boy, its like biting into rubber.

Hand made tortillas, corn or flour are really good. They are soft and melty and are the base for the best enchiladas,quesadillas, burritos and taquitos.Corn flour tortillas dominate most of Mexico while of Maida or Allpurpose flour tortillas are found in Northern Mexico.

Ill begin this series on Mexican food with flour tortillas one of the building blocks of mexican cuisine.

Ive run into a couple of recipes for Flour tortillas(eg. from 30 min Vegetarian Mexican) but they usually duplicate the rubberiness of the supermarket tortilla. Exactly the opposite of what you want to do.

Most books on mexican food I checked always referred back to Rick Bayless and his first book, Authentic Mexican. This recipe for flour tortillas comes from Authentic Mexican, and it makes killer tortillas.Soft and crumbly mmm mmmm....

A note on special equipment: If you already make rotis or parathas, No special equipment is required for Flour tortillas. Just use your rolling pin and some flour to dust the surface and you are good to go.

Wheat flour tortillas Recipe:
(Tortillas de Harina)
From Rick Bayless AUTHENTIC MEXICAN

3/4 pound(2 3/4 cups) all purpose flour
5 tbsp lard or vegetable shortening
3/4 tsp salt
about 3/4 cup very warm tap water

1.The dough: Combine the flour and fat in a large mixing bowl, working in the fat with your figners, until completely incorporated. Dissolve the salt in the water, pour about three fourth of it over the dry ingredients and immediately work it in with a fork, the dough will e in large clumps rater than a homogenous mass. If all the dry ingredients havent been dampened, add the rest of the liquid(plus a little more if needed). Scoop the dough on your work surface and knead until smooth, it should be a medium stiff consistency - definitely not firm but not quite as soft as bread dough.

( Should be roughly like a roti dough consistency, a shade softer).

2. Resting: Divide the dough into 12 portions and roll each into a ball. Set them on a plate and cover with plastic wrap and let rest at least 30 minutes ( to make the dough less springy and easier to roll.

3. Rolling and putting it on the griddle / tava.
Roll out the tortilla like a normal roti.It is best if you use a heavy cast iron tava or else your usual roti tava should do in a pinch. The tava should be hot. After 30 to 40 seconds, when there are browned splotches underneath, flip it over. Bake 30 to 45 seconds more, until the other side is done. Donot overbake or the tortilla will become crisp.

Remove and wrap in a towel.

Cooks notes: For roti makers this is a very easy process. The results are far, far superior to supermarket products, so the time invested yields good results. You can make a stack of these and store them in the referigerator or the freezer. To store in the freezer, first take a baking sheet, and lay out the tortillas in a single layer. After about an hour you can stack them up on top of each other and then put them into a ziplock bag.

Crema de Elote ( Corn Soup) & Jalapeno poppers

Soup recipe from
Rick Bayless: Authentic Mexican
Regional cooking from the heart of Mexico

Yield: About 1 quart, 4 servings
21/2 to 3 cups fresh or defrosted corn kernels
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
11/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups milk, plus a little more if needed
2 fresh chiles poblanos, roasted , peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 cup thick cream or whipping cream
About 1 tsp salt
1/2 cup crumbled mexican queso fresco or feta
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish

1. Prepare corn kernels if using fresh else defrost frozen corn and place in Blender
2. Saute Onion in 2 tbsp buttter until translucent and minced garlic, cook until garlic is done.
3. Add the onions garlic and corn starch to Blender along with the corn. Puree finely. Donot add water
4. Heat two tbsp butter in pan and add the puree. Stir until the mixture is thickened, a couple of minutes.
5. Add the two cups of milk and simmer covered for fifteen minutes.
6.Strain the mixture, remove the fibres of the corn and return the resulting smooth and silky puree to the stove. Add the cream, poblanos, salt and simmer for another ten minutes. Adjust thickness to liking
7. Garnish with cheese, parsley and serve in warm soup bowls.

Cooks Notes: I totally forgot to add the cornstarch and did not miss it in the soup at all. American corn is very sweet and to those who donot like sweet soups, well -beware. I left in some seeds of the poblano for a slight kick and for added measure , seasoned the soup with both black and white pepper. Also added some roasted red pepper, finely diced. Also added some mexican oregano to soup before straining for added flavor.

Jalapeno Popper recipe
Cooks notes: The jalapenos had a beautiful crust, but the pepper stayed raw during the frying. Next time I will slightly steam the peppers before hand.

Stuffed Potato :: Bharwa Aloo

From: The spice Box: Vegetarian Indian Cookbook
by Manju Shivraj Singh


My submission for DK's The Potato Fe(a)st

Ingredients
6 medium raw potatoes peeled
8 tbsp oil, divided
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 medium onions, ground
6 cloves garlic, ground
1 tsp ground ginger root
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cayene pepper
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup yoghurt
salt to taste
1 tbsp raisins
1/2 tsp cloves
a few mint leaves or coriander leaves for garnish


Cut off the top quarter of the potatoes. Keep the tops. Carefully scoop out the center of each potato, using a knife. Save the pulp. Heat 2 tbsp of oil. Add cumin, onions and garlic. Cook till onions are golden.

Add the spices, tomatoes, yoghurt, salt. Cook. When the tomatoes are tender add the raisins and potato pulp. Cook 10-15 minutes more.

Stuff the spice mixture inside the potatoes and cover with the tops of the potatoes. Secure with a toothpick on each potato. Set aside any extra spice mixture.

Heat the remaining 6 tbsp of l and add cloves. Fry 1-2 minutes. Add the potatoes, fry and turn them till they are light brown. Cover with a tight lid and cook until they are tender.
Pour the remaining spice mixture over the potatoes. Garnish with mint or coriander.

Cooks notes: My potatoes did not get as tender just by covering with a tight lid, I added the remaining spice mixture and maybe around 1/2 cup of water to make sure the potatoes ended up soft enough.

Very yummy recipe though.The Raisins really provide a nice contrast to the heavy maasala. Serve with Puris.

Kadai Paneer

From CURRY CUISINE
Ingredients:
1 tbsp ghee or corn oil
1/2 tsp crushed dried chillies
2 red or yellow peppers, seeed and cut into strips
1 red onion sliced into 1/2 inch thick
1 pound paneer cut into batons
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves crumbled
juice of 1 lemon
2 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and julienned

Basic Kadhai sauce:
1/3 cup ghee or corn oil
1 oz garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely pounded
8 red chillies, coarsely pounded in a mortar
2 red onions, finely chopped
2 inch piece fresh ginger root
3 green chilliies
1 pound fresh ripe tomatoes finely chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground garam masala
11/2 tsp dried nugreek leaves
1 tsp sugar( optional)

Method:
To make the sauce, heat the ghee in a pan, add the garlic and let it color. Stir, then add the coriander seeds and red chilies. When they release their aromas, add the onions and cook until they start turning a light golden yelow color. Stir in the ginger, green chilies and tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low and cook until all the excess moisture has evaporated and the fat starts to separate out. Add the salt, garam masala, and fenugreek leaves and stir. Taste and add some sugar if needed.

For the stir fry , heat the ghee in a kadhai, wok or a large frying pan. Add the crushed chillies, pepper strips and red onion. Stir and saute over high heat for under a minutee, then add the paneer and stir for another minute. Add the sauce and mix well. Once everything is heated through check for seasoning, add a touch of salt if required. Finish with the fresh cilantro,fenugreek leaves, and lemon juice. Garnish with the ginger and serve with naan.

Cooks Notes: I like to first saute the paneer in a little oil and then soak it in hot water to make it soft. Because paneer available in the US is not as fresh as it is back home. I also reduced the total number of chilies by half, because it was too hot for me.
NAAN
Ingredients:
2 heaping tbsp caster sugar
2 eggs
12/3 cups whole milk
6 cups all purpose flour
11/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp salt
31/2 tbsp vegetable oil

Donot knead too much or the naan will become stretchy. The best way to have a good naan is not to bake it but broil it. Use a heavy cast iron pan, heat it under the broiler and then place the uncooked naan on the cast iron pan and watch it carefully, it will brown very fast.

Curry Cuisine

1.Laal Maas
Substitute paneer for the meat to make it vegetarian

25-35 dried red chillies
11/2 tsp cloves
51/2 oz ghee or vegetable oil
9 oz plain yoghurt, whisked
2 tsp cumin seeds, roasted
11/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp salt
2 cinnamon leaves or bay leaves
6 green cardamom pods
5 black cardamom pods
21/2 oz garlic cloves, finely chopped
9 oz onions finely chopped
21/4 pound leg of lamb or goat with bones, cubed
3 cups lamb stock
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

Set aside three or four of the dried chilles to use later, put the remainder to soak in half cup waer. Put aside 4-6 of the cloves and 1 tbsp of the ghee.

Mix the yoghurt with the cumin seeds, ground coriander, chilli powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat the rest of the ghee in a heavy based pan. Add the remainng cloves, the cinnamon leaves, and the green and black cardamoms. When they begin to crackle and change color, add the garlic. Saute for two minutes or until the garlic begins to turn golden. Add the onions and cook for 10 min or until golden brown, stirring constantly.

Stir in the meat and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain the soaked red chillies and add to the pan. Continue cooking for 10-12 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and the meat starts to brown slightly. Now add the spiced yoghurt and cook for another 10-12 minutes or until the liquid from the yoghurt has evaporated.

Add the stock or water and bring to a boil, Then cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer until the meat is tender. Adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Do tadka with ghee, reserved cloves and dried red chillies.
Sprinkle with coriander leaves.

2. Plantain curry

South african style Plantain dish.

4 plantains
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 sprig of curry leaves
1 onion, finely chopped
11/4 piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 green chillies
2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves
lemon juice

Steam the plantains for ten minutes. Reserve.Pop mustard,add onions, ginger, curry leaves. Peel the plantains just before grating it into the onion masala. Add salt, turmeric, green chillies. Saute. Top with lemon juice and cilantro leaves. Serve.

Cooks notes: Best served fresh, dries out when referigerated. Tastes sort of like potato poha.

Colettes Birthday Cakes

Reference recipes from Colette Peters
1. Rolled Fondant:
2 pounds confectioners sugar
1/4 cup cold water
1 tbsp unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup white corn syrup
11/2 tbsp glycerine
1tsp flavoring
liquid coloring if desired

Soak the gelatin in the water for five minutes. Melt gelatin over low flame until liquid is clear, add glycerin, corn syrup and flavorings. Add to sugar. Mix with fork until all liquid is incorporated. Knead gently with hands until all sugar is incorporated. Cover well with plastic wrap and keep overnight.

Mix with dye as required. Go slowly, lighter shades can be made darker but not viceversa. Ive used Candy dyes so far, because they are oil based and work very well with fondant. To be specific, Chefmaster and wilton candy dyes. Iam not sure how well water based dyes will work with fondant.

Cooks notes: Could try flavored gelatin next time. For flavor , oils seem to work best, tangerine, orange, lemon. Gives off a nice strong enticing aroma. Although the recipe calls for resting the dough overnight, I have mixed and used fondant immediately - worked just fine. Would love to know the advantages of letting the fondant rest overnight.

To cover a cake with fondant:
Required: A crumb coated cake, fresh buttercream or royal icing, dyed fondant. For a square cake, cover opposite vertical sides first . Then cover the other two sides. It is relatively easy to get straight edges if your cake is straight. However, the overlap is still seen. Usually other people seem to get around this by using decorations to hide the seam.

For any cracks, use white crisco or vegetable oil to smooth over.

2. Royal Icing
2 large egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp water
1 pound confectioners sugar ( 3 3/4 cups)


Combine all ingredients until well mixed slowly. Beat until stiff peaks form. For Stiffer icing add more sugar, for looser icing add more water.

3. Modelling Chocolate
10 ounces Confectionary coating
3 ounces light corn syrup

Melt the coating in a bowl over simmering water. Add the corn syrup, combine and wrap in plastic wrap until cool. It will seem stiff, but will become smoother with the warmth of your hands.

See sample using chocolate chips here http://foodtravails.blogspot.com/2007/09/birthday-cake.html

4. Chocolate Ganache

12 ounces semi sweet choc chips ( 2 cups)
8 ounces hvy cream
2 tsp flavoring

Heat cream until just below boiling point. Add choc and cover five minutes. Stir. Cover Again. After five minutes, whisk until shiny

Devils Food Layered Chocolate Cake

Ive been away from the blog a couple of months now,welcoming the pitter patter of little feet in my life! Every moment since has been a joy and needless to say really hectic. When every moment in life is a celebration, you need cake.

Heres a quick recipe that i baked up for my little ones 3 month birthday( I know, a little- okay a lot over the top).

The Devils Food Layer Cake

To make one 9 inch cake

10 tbsp butter
11/2 cups sugar
3 eggs yolks separated from whites, whites stiffly beaten
2/3 cup cocoa powder dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups sifted cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Recipe adapted from my favorite cake cook book, Cakes.

Cream together the butter and the sugar. Beat the egg yolks well and stir them into the creamed mixture. Dissolve the soda in the buttermilk. Sift together the flour and baking powder, then add the flour to the creamed mixture alternately with the dissolved cocoa and the buttermilk mixture. Add the vanilla extract. Fold in the egg whites. Divide the batter evenly between two buttered and floured layer cake pans. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 30 to 5 minutes or until the top of the cake is springy to the touch. When the cake is cool, proceed to frosting.

For the frosting you can do as I did , use simple butter cream for the moldings and rich butter cream on the cake.The recipes for the butter creams follow.

Simple Butter Cream(Chocolate)
to make about 2 cups butter cream
9 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
41/2 cups confectioners sugar
6 tbsp light cream
11/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 oz unsweetened chocolate morsels( I used ghirardelli)

Beat the butter until it is fluffly. Gradually beat the sugar into the butter, alternately with the cream, until the sugar is absorbed. Beat in the vanilla extract. To flavor with chocolate, melt the chocolate morsels in a double boiler, cool slightly and fold it into the prepared butter cream. The butter cream should be of spreading consistency. If it is too thin beat in a little more sugar, if it is too thick , beat in a little cream.

Rich Butter Cream ( Chocolate)
to make 2 cups butter cream

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
5 egg yolks beaten
1/2 lb butter, softened
1 tbsp vanilla extract

3oz chocolate
Stir the water and sugar together in a saucepan set over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the liquid comes to a boil. Let this syrup boil without stirring until its temperature reaches 217 - 220 F on a candy thermometer. If you donot have a candy thermometer you can eyeball it by putting the hot syrup in a bowl of cold water and checking to see if small threads form. Remove syrup from the heat. Whisking vigorously, or using a electric beater, pour the hot syrup into the egg yolks and continue to beat until the mixture is cool, light and fluffly. Donot forget to beat vigorously or you will end up with scrambled eggs! Cream the butter until it is very soft, then beat the butter and the vanilla extract into the yolk mixture until the mixture is shiny and firm enough to spread.

some tips: I have found that it is best if you have two or three sets of beater blades, cooled in the freezer and waiting so you can work without having to wash, and more importantly without warming your beater blades. Always use a drop or two of lime juice with your egg whites.

Bon Appetit!

Ajanta Regional Feasts of India

1. Alu aur Sem ki Fali ( Green beans with Potatoes)
3 tbsp oil
6 to 8 garlic cloves, grated
1 pound green beans in 2" pieces
1 large potato cut similiar to the beans
1 spoon turmeric
3 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp mango powder
salt to taste

2. Sabzi Rangarang
Oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
6-8 cloves garlic
1 green chile pepper
1 inch ginger
2 medium onions finely chopped
3 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp mango powder
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cumin poder
2 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp salt
3 medium tomatoes chopped
2 medium potatoes diced
2 carrots in 1/2" slices
11/2 pounds cauliflower florets
1/2 pound green beans

3. Hara bhara kabab
2 slices white bread
1 cup spinach coarsely chopped
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup cilantro
4 medium potatoes
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ajwain seeds
green chile pepper to taste

4. Khumb jahanara
2 tbsp oil
8 to 10 medium cloves garlic
1 green chile
1 inch med piece ginger
2 medium onions
3 medium tomatoes
11/2 tsp salt
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder
4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
3 tbsp chickpea flour
3/4 pounds shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup ground cashews

Heat the oil in a saucepot. When hot, add garlic , green chile and ginger. Saute for abt 30 seconds. Add onions and saute over med high to high heat for about 12 min, until translucent. Add chopped tomatoes, salt and all the spices. Cook for abt five minutes.

Add chopped spinach, stir and wilt.

Puree.

Add chickpea flour, mixing throughly with a whisk to make sure the flour does not become lumpy. Add mushrooms. Partially cover and cook another 10 min. Add whipping cream and ground cashews. Mix thoroughly and remove from heat.

5. Achari Baingan
2 pounds long eggplans
1 tsp salt
oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 inch piece ginger
8 medium cloves garlic
2 medium onions chopped
4 medium tomatoes chopped
salt to taste
3 tsp coriander powder
11/2 tsp turmeric
11/2 tsp red chilli powder
crushed chile peppers

6. Bhendichi Bhaji
Bhindi with potatoes and mustard seeds

7. Masala Bhat( Rice with Goda Spice Mix)
2 tbsp oil
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp cloves
4 bay leaves
2 cups basmati
4 cups water
11/2 salt

Goda Spice Mix
Mix together, toast and grind
1/4 cup shredded coconut
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 dry red chile
1/4 cup cashew pieces sauteed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

8. Goanese Green Pulav

2 tbsp oil
2 tsp caraway seeds
1 large onion
1 pound green beans trimmed
1/2 cup green peas
11/2 cups basmati rice
2 cups water
1 tsp turmeric
2 - 3 sticks cinnamon
6 bay leaves
1 cup coconut milk
salt to taste
whole peppercorns
1/2 cup roasted cashew pieces

9. Vendeka Masala Pachadi
5 tbsp oil
11/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 dry red chillies
11/2 medium onions finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
2 tsp coriander pwd
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
11/2 tsp red chilli powder
11/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup yoghurt
1/2 cup ground cashews
curry leaves
2 pounds okra

Make the sauce and add sauteed okra to the sauce.

10. Bheh khumbi aur matar( Lotus root Mushrooms and peas in a caramelized onion sauce)
11/2 pounds lotus root
3 tbsp oil
2 inch piece ginger
4 medium onions , thinly sliced
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
3 tsp mango powder
2 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
1 cup green peas
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms

Boil lotus root. Heat oil, add ginger , saute onions until brown. Add all the spices and salt and reduce heat and stir fry for abt 10 min. Add the sliced lotus root, peas and mushrooms and stir fry another 5 minutes.

Spiced Fruit Kabobs

1. Spiced Fruit Kabobs:
Pineapple and Plums
Unsalted Butter
Confectioners Sugar
Lime Juice

Tandoori Kabob:
Tandoor Masala
Yoghurt
Salt Chilli Powder
Mushroom, Red / Yellow Bell Peppers, Paneer, Onion.

2. Vietnamese Corn Fritters

1.25 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs beaten
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
grated rind of 2 limes

3. Zucchini Drops
3 small zucchini
olive oil for frying
1 small onion grated
1 clove garlic
parsely
salt & garlic
egg

VegetableSoups

1. Herb and Garlic Broth(Aigo Bouido)
Big head of garlic
6 sage leaves
2 bay leaves
2 thyme sprigs
2 parsley branches
sea salt & Pepper
Olive oil

Put 5 cups water in a soup pot over a high heat. Separate the garlic cloves, peel them and add them along with the herbs and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and cook, covered for 20 minutes, then strain into a clean pot or simply remove the herbs leaving the pearly garlic cloves if you wish. Season and add Olive oil. You can now enjoy this as a broth or use it as the base for a soup.



2. Rustic lentil soup with spinach
11/2 cups lentils
Olive Oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 carrot finely diced
1 red bell pepper - roasted peeled chopped
2 tbsp parsley
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp mustard paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 bay leaf
water
Stock
Hefty bunch of spinach chiffonade
Chopped mint or parlsey for garnish
red wine vinegar to taste

Warm the oil in soup pot. Add onion, carrod, red pepper and parsley. Cook over medium heat , stirring now and then, until the onion is softened and starting to color. Add the garlic, then stir in the tomato paste and mustard, working both into the vegetables and cooking until theres a film on the bottom of the pot. Pour in the wine, scrape up the pan juices, then simmer until partially reduced after a few minutes. Drain the lentils and add them to the pot with the bay leaf and water, using the larger amount if the lentils were soaked only briefly. Bring to a boil, then reduce the ehat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for 30 minutes. Add salt and cook until lentils are soft. Add spinach chiffonade and serve.

3. Lentils with pounded walnuts and cream

2 cups lentils , soaked
2 - 4 tbsp butter
1 onion finely diced
1 bay leaf
water
salt & pepper

for walnuts:
1 plump garlic clove
1/3 cup walnuts lightly toasted
1/2 cup cream
parsley

Drain the lentils, melt butter in pot, add onion and bay leaf and cook over medium high heat for 5 min. Add lentils and cook until soft. Pount garlic in a mortar with pinch salt, add walnuts and start working them into a paste. Add cream a tsp or so at a time, which will make it easier to break down the nuts. Serve soup in soup plates and add walnut cream, parsley and pepper.

4. Cream of barley soup

1/3 cup barley
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 large or 3 medium onions diced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 large leek
1 large carrot
1 large garlic clove
sea salt
1 cup sour cream

to finish:
1/3 cup barley
1 leek white part julienned
2 tbsp butter
mushrooms thinly sliced for garnish

Cover the soup barley with water and soak. Heat olive oil and butter in soup pot until foaming. Add onion and oregano, give a stir and cook for 5 min. Then add the leek , carrot and garlic. Cook for 10 min more until glaze forms on bottom of pot. Drain barley and add it into the pot along with 6 cups water. Cook until soft and puree the soup with sour cream until smooth. Return soup to the pot , taste for salt and season with pepper.

Rinse the remaining barley and cook until tender. Simmer the leek in salt water until tender, drain and toss in a little butter. Saute mushrooms in butter. Serve barley soup with the added barley grains, mushroom and leek.

5. Avocado soup with herbs, slivered radishes and pistachios

2 cups low fat buttermilk
1 cup yoghurt
1 large avocado
1 cucumber
1 large garlic clove
sea salt and fresh pepper
3 slender scallions, white parts and a little green finely minced
2 tbsps chopped dill
1 tbsp snipped chives
1 tbsp minced marjoram or oregano
1 tbsp minced tarragon
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 chile
zest and juice of one lime
bit sweetner

to finish: finely sliced chives and chive blossoms
thinly slivered radishes
dill, mint and cilantro sprigs
1/2 cup shelled pistachios

Puree the buttermilk, yoghurt, avocado and a quarter of the peeled cucumber in a blender until smooth, then pour it into a bowl. Mash the garlic with 1/2 txp salt and stir it into the puree along with the scallions, herbs, chile and lime zest. Season to taste with salt, pepper, lime juice and sweetner if needed. Seed and finely dice remaining cucumber and add to soup. Cover and chill.
Finish with chives, radishes, herbs and pistachios

Pies & Pastries

1. Chocolate Bavarian Cream
2 oz Unsweetened baking chocolate 2 inch piece vanilla bean 1 cup milk 3 large egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar salt 1tbsp unflavored gelatin 1 cup heavy cream whipped

Combine vanilla and milk in a saucepan and gently heat the milk until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, stirring to prevent a skin from forming on the surface. Remove the pan from the heat. Beat the egg yolks lightly in the top part of a double boiler set over simmering water, or in a heavy 1 quart saucepan over low heat. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add a dash of salt. Then gradually add the hot milk . Stir and cook the custard until it coats a metal spoon. Remove the custard from the heat. Strain the custard into a bowl and stir in the softened gelatin and the chocolate. Cool the cream over the ice beating to prevent a skin from forming on the surface. Fold in the whipped cream .

2. Cheese and Water cress puffs:
1 bunch watercress
1 cup milk
2 eggs beaten
2 tbsp melted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
2-3 tsp fresh chopped parsley
salt & Pepper
firm goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425 F. Blend all ingredients, place a chunk of cheese in middle and bake for 15-20 min until risen and golden in muffin pan.

3. Rosti:
1/4 cup butter
8oz onion finely chopped
1 pound potatoes, grated soaked in cold water
4 eggs beaten
salt and black pepper
goats cheese for garnish.

Cook onions in olive oil, combine everything else. Fry.

Recipes from Neelam Batra

1. Okra with baby tomatoes

2 pounds young okra
oil
1 small onion , sliced finely
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp mango powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
20-25 colorful cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup cilantro.

Fry Okra until golden. Remove. Cook onion with masalas and onion. Add Tomatoes and cook in pan until skin begins to separate. Add the fried okra , season with salt, top with cilantro and serve. Makes a very colorful party dish.

2. Peas, carrots and Potatoes

2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 green chillis
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes
1 cup cilantro
3 cups peas
2 cups yough carrots in slices
3 small potatoes in 6 wedges
1 tsp mango powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
3 tbsp chopped cilantro

3. Naan
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 large egg
1/2 cup smooth yoghurt
1/2 cup warm milk
4 cups maida
3 tbsp butter at room temp
1/2 tsp salt

Mix egg, yoghurt, milk. Make the yeast bloom in the warm water. Combine all with butter and flour. Ferment until double in volume. Roll and broil until browned. Optional topping, nigella seeds, sesame. Brush with water and ghee when in oven.

4. Dal Makhani
1 cup black urad dal
2 tbsp dried pinto beans ( substitute rajma)
3 cups water
1/4 cup split yellow chickpeas
1 tbsp mustard /peanut oil
10 small dried red chilli
1tbsp garlic
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp asafetida
2 tbsp ginger
1 cup cilantro
6-7 cups water
salt
tomato paste
1/2 cup milk / cream
butter
1/2 tsp garam masala

Soak all beans overnight. In oil in pressure cooker, add red chilli, garlic - fry until garlic is golden. Stir in cumin seeds, coriander, cumin , asafetida, ginger, cilantro and fry for another minute. Add beans and cook in pressure cooker with adequate water. Simmer, add tomato sauce and cream / milk. At the very end add garam masala and garnish with cilantro.

From Curries to Kebabs Madhur Jaffrey

1. Stuffed Vegetable Curry ( Aku Shaak)

4 tbsp chickpea flour

2 tbsp roasted ground peanuts

2 tbs dessicated coconut

1 tbsp grated ginger

4-5 cloves crushed garlic

11/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies

2 tsp salt

1.5 tsp cayeene pepper

1.5 tsp ground turmeric

2 tbsp jaggery

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2 tbsp ground coriander

2 tbsp ground cumin

olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice

6 small round eggplants

4 tomatoes

4 onions

1/2 tsp whole brown mustard seeds

1/4 tsp asafetida

4 dried hot red chillies

3 medium boiling potatoes

1/2 cups grated tomatoes

1 green pepper, seeds removed and cut into small squares

Put the chickpea flour, peanuts, coconut, ginger, garlic, green chillies, salt, cayenne pepper, turmeric , jaggery, cilantro, coriander and cumin into a bow. Mix. Add 1 tbsp of oil and rub it in. Add the lemon juice and 1-2 tbsp of water to get a crumbly paste.

Cut deep crosses in the bottom of the egglplants , onions and tomatoes. Stuff with mixture.

Pour enough oil into the bottom of a pan to line it with abt 1/16th of an inch and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, put in the mustard seeds, asafetida and red chillies. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, put in the potatoes. Stir for 30 seconds. Cover and cook for 3-4 min. Carefully put in the onions and eggplants in to the pan, cut side up. Cover and continue to cook over medium high heat for 7-8 min. Uncover and add abt 4 tbsp of water. Jiggle and move the vegetables around gently. Cover it with lid and cook for around 15 min. Put in tomatoes, scatter pepper pieces, grated tomatoes, remainder stuffing and cook for 20-25 min until done.

2. Mushrooms and Cilantro Curry

5 tbsp oil

2 medium sticks of cinnamon

2 smallish onions finely chopped

3 fresh green chillies

1 cup plain yoghurt

salt

2 pounds medium mushrooms

1/4tsp ground cloves

1/4tsp ground cardamom

2 packed cups cilantro

3 tbsp hvy cream

Pour oil into a wide heavy lidded pan and set over med high heat. When the oil is hot put in the cinnamon. Stir add onions and chillies. Stir and fry until onions are golden brown. Take the pan off the heat and add the yoghurt and salt. Return the pan to the heat and cook , stirring until all the yoghurt is absorbed and you can see oil at the edges. Put in the mushrooms, adnother 3/4 to 1 tsp salt, cloves, cardamom and cilantro. Stir, reduce heat to low, cover and cook gently for 10-15 min, stirrring now and then. Remove lid and boil off some liquid. Add cream if desired and serve.