Crêpes with Sweet Coconut Cardamom Filling (Patishapta)

By Soma Rathore, ecurry.com

Makes 6-8 crepes

Ingredients
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoon  semolina/sooji (cream of wheat)
5-6  tablespoon rice flour
1.5 tablespoon sugar
1.5 cup milk(+ more if the batter is too dense
ghee/melted butter – as much required to make the crepes

Note on rice flour: I usually soak rice for a few hours and grind it into a paste.

For Filling:
3 small green cardamom, the black seeds crushed
2.5 cups grated coconut (freshly grated or frozen)
2 tablespoons raisins or any dry fruits (optional)
1/2 cup milk or half and half
1/3 cup sugar / brown sugar (or to taste)
lightly toasted almonds, flakes or slivers, for garnish

Making the Filling:
Combine milk and sugar and simmer it for a few minutes till the sugar dissolves. Add the coconut, dry fruits (if you are using) and crushed cardamom seeds to the  milk  and cook at low to medium heat till the entire mix starts to thicken, almost like a lump. Do not over dry the filling. This should take no more than 8-10 minutes.  It will further dry as it cools, so the consistency and the texture should be moist mass. Take care not to burn the coconut. Take it out of the pan immediately and let it cool.

If you are using a combination of coconut and khoya or thickened milk,  follow the same procedure as above – add the coconut and the khoya together to the pan. Cook till it is a thick mass.

Or if you using only khoya(use the chikna khoya – the one which is soft and smooth with high moisture content), cook the khoya with sugar and cardamom and milk till it is a pasty mass.

Making the Crêpes
Combine and whisk together all ingredients for the crepes, other than the ghee.It should be lump free, smooth free flowing mix – the consistency should be like the crêpe batter: not too runny but thin enough to move around when swirled in the pan

Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes. Heat an 8-inch non-stick skillet and lightly coat/grease it with ghee. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of the crêpe batter, swirling the pan in a circular motion so that the batter spreads out in a circular shape. Cook the crêpe over low heat until the bottom is pale golden, and the sides are slightly crisp and start to curl, about a couple of minutes.  Carefully slide a spatula under the crêpe and  gently flip it over and cook for 1/2 a minute longer. Do not panic if the first couple do not look as good; as the pan heats and settles, the ones after are going to be alright.

Add about 1.5 tablespoon of filling on the middle of the crêpe and fold towards the middle from each side to cover the filling and so that one side overlaps the other. Set aside. Make rest of the crêpe with remaining batter and filling. Make sure to continue to grease the pan between crêpes. (I use  paper towel  greased with melted ghee and quickly “wipe” the pan with it).

Serve warm or cold. Sprinkle some nuts if you want or have it with a drizzle of cream or condensed milk. Enjoy them for breakfast/brunch,  a sweet indulgent snack as its traditionally done or for dessert.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Recipe courtesy of Shubhra Ramineni, Entice with Spice

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing, a member of the Periplus Publishing Group.

Chicken tikka masala most likely does not need an introduction! Of all the popular chicken dishes served at Indian restaurants, this is my favorite, and so I tried to recreate it at home and have come up with this recipe. This is a two-part recipe: first you need to make the chicken tikka (small pieces of chicken) following the recipe for Chicken Kebabs, then you make the masala—a spiced tomato and onion base that is mixed with heavy cream to give an indulgent taste. You can save preparation and cooking time by cooking the kebabs a day in advance.  I personally enjoy this dish served on a bed of rice with cumin and peas  but you may also serve it with plain rice.  Because of the heavy cream, try to resist making this dish too frequently for your own good!

Serves 3 to 4

Prep time:10 minutes + 1 1/2 hours to make the chicken kebabs (can be done 1 day in advance)
Cook time: 20 minutes
Refrigerator life: 3 days
Freezer life: 1 month

Reheating method: Place the refrigerated or defrosted chicken tikka masala in a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir periodically. A less preferred method is to place the chicken tikka masala in a microwave, cover and stir periodically.

1/2 recipe Chicken Kebabs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
1 onion, diced
1 fully ripe tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
One 1-in (2.5-cm) cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons butter
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup (65 ml) heavy cream
3 tablespoons water

Prepare the Chicken Kebabs, if you have not already done so.

Pour the oil into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. When the oil is heated, add the garlic, ginger and onion. Sauté until the onion is golden brown, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the tomato. Cover the saucepan. Cook until the tomato becomes completely soft and mashed and is combined with the onion to form a coarse paste, stirring every minute or so and lightly mashing the tomato, about 5 minutes.

Add the cumin seeds, coriander, paprika, red pepper, salt, black pepper and sugar. Stir to combine. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. This is the masala (spice base). Transfer the masala (be careful, since it is hot) to a blender and blend until a smooth paste is formed.

Return the smooth paste to the saucepan. Add the cinnamon stick, butter, lime juice, heavy cream and water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Enjoy now or let cool to room temperature and refrigerate or freeze for later!

Lamb Vindaloo Curry

Recipe courtesy of Shubhra Ramineni, Entice with Spice

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing, a member of the Periplus Publishing Group.

Vindaloo is a spicy dish that is common in homes in the western Indian state of Goa. The origins of this dish and its name come from Portugal. In the sixteenth century, when the Portugese came to Goa, they brought pork preserved in vinegar and garlic (vin meaning vinegar, and aloo, from the Portugese word alho for garlic) for their long journey. They also brought chili peppers, and Indians embraced them so well, that they spiced up the original Portuguese dish, and used chilies in some form or another in almost every other Indian dish! Today, this dish is made with meats such as pork, lamb, chicken and shrimp, but lamb seems to be a common favorite. This is the spiciest dish in this book, but if you feel you may not be able to handle the fiery intensity, you may reduce the number of red chili peppers to your tolerance level.  It would also be a good idea to serve with a side of Homemade Plain Yogurt  to calm and sooth your stomach from the fiery peppers!

Serves 3 to 4
Prep time: 10 minutes + 35 minutes to boil the potato (can be done 1 day in advance) + 21/2 hours to make the lamb kebabs (can be done 1 day in advance)
Cook time: 20 minutes
Refrigerator life: 3 days
Freezer life: 1 month

Reheating method: Place the refrigerated or defrosted vindaloo in a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir periodically. A less preferred method is to place the vindaloo in a microwave, cover and stir periodically. If the reheated vindaloo seems too thick, you may add a bit of water to it.

1/2 recipe Lamb Kebabs

1 medium russet potato (about 1/2 lb/250 g), boiled and cooled
5 dried finger-length red chili
peppers, stems removed
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
One 1/4-in (6-mm) cinnamon stick
4 cloves
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 fully ripe tomato, coarsely chopped
3 large garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons peeled and coarsely chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (250 ml) water

Prepare the Lamb Kebabs, if you have not already done so.

Peel the potato and cut into 1-inch(2.5-cm) cubes.

Grind the red chili peppers, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and cloves to a fine powder in a coffee/spice grinder. Set aside.

Pour the oil into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. When the oil is heated, add the onion. Sauté until the onion is very brown (but not black and burnt!), stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.

Process the tomato, garlic, ginger,vinegar and browned onion in a blender until smooth. Add the blended ingredients to the saucepan. Add the ground spices, brown sugar, paprika, turmeric and salt. Stir to combine. Cook for 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently.

The mixture will turn darker in color as it cooks. Add the cubed potato, Lamb Kebabs and water. Stir to combine. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. The dish will have a saucy consistency. Enjoy now or let cool to room temperature and refrigerate or freeze for later! Make sure everyone has a tall glass of water on the table before serving.