Palak Paneer (and how to make paneer)

I made cheese! Wohoo! I love activities where in cooking where i can make the components that you're so used to buying ready made. It adds another level to the care and control you have over a dish. And in this case, paneer is so cheap and so easy to make, I'm sure it, or other home made cheeses, will appear in other recipes down the line.

Palak Paneer is a vegetarian curry using paneer instead of meat, and with spinach as the basis for the sauce. Paneer has a taste and texture similar to firm ricotta (in fact this whole dish rings of cannelloni filling to me); as such, it acts in this dish as a conveyor of the sauce's flavor rather than as a distinct flavoring element of its own.

Happy cheese making!

Lamb Fesenjan - Persian Lamb Stew with Pomegranate & Walnuts

Pomegranate molasses. It's certainly having a little dance across the culinary world at the moment isn't it? Amongst a raft of other vinegars and preserves which seem to be de rigeur at the moment. And i'm a sucker for some fads, and pomegranate molasses is one of them!

But rather than go out and spend $20 on a pretty slender jar of the stuff, it's unbelievably easy to make at home. Pomegranate juice, lemon juice, sugar. Boil to a syrup. The end!

But then you're left over with some. And you scratch your head as to what on earth to do with it beyond a delicious salad dressing. Well! That's where the crafty Persians come into the mix. Bring on the Fesenjan!

This beautiful stew is like no other i've ever eaten. The slight acidity of the molasses reminds me of the tartness of tamarind in a thai curry, or of vinegar in a vindaloo. But it's much more delicate than either, and the bitter nuttiness of the walnuts adds another level of dimension.

Thai Pork Red Curry

So first recipe inspired by my trip to Thailand is this red curry. A lot of the food i had in Thailand, i thought we had pretty good representation of here: pad thais, curries, the Thai salads. But the red curries in Thailand were so much better than what you can get here! Unfortunately it's a lot of work to produce the fresh coconut milk that makes them taste so special, so tinned will have to suffice. Don't use paste from a jar- it lacks the depth and subtlety of character that a fresh paste has.

Beef Massaman

So this will be my last post for a fortnight or so whilst i go on a jaunt to Thailand! Pad Thai here i come! In the spirit of Thai, i thought i'd cook many people's favorite Thai curry, the Muslim derived Beef Massaman. Mild, creamy and sweet, with large chunks of ever-so-tender beef and potato, massaman is one of my favorite curries overall. The addition of a bit of extra tamarind in this recipe adds a little to the complexity of flavour, balancing heat, saltiness and sourness.

On a side note, i also planned on posting the recipe to raspberry and white chocolate macaroons. Unfortunately, my first attempt at these delicious snacks did not turn out so well. I can't get the shells off the baking paper!!!

Murg Makhani - Butter Chicken

I used to love Indian cuisine. I still do, but once upon a time it was miles ahead of any other food as my favorite food to eat. But there was one dish i wasn't a fan of: butter chicken. It was the dish for fussy people, chunks of chicken in what tasted like spiced tomato soup (in fact, some recipes call for tomato soup as the core ingredient). Since then, i have found places that do a good butter chicken. Though it's still not my favorite curry, the recipe below is delicious!

Saoji Curried Lamb Shanks with Aloo Paratha

What better a way to welcome in the cooler months in style than with a rich lamb curry and crisp flaky Indian Breads?

A saoji, a traditional curry of Nagpur, would normally be made with mutton, but seriously the lax guidelines used in Australia to delineate between lamb and mutton mean that unless you're buying it from a reputable butcher, chances are that 'lamb' you're buying is actually borderline mutton. In this case, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. This is not a burn-your-buds sort of curry but rather a rich and hearty one which sticks to the ribs.

A paratha is a flaky Indian flatbread which literally translates to 'layers of cooked flour'. The recipe below is for aloo paratha, or spiced potato paratha. It is easy to make but don't feel confined to the ingredients below, or even to potato. Parathas can contain minced lamb, cheese, herbs, even, as at The Langham Buffet in Melbourne, mini m&ms. (darn, now i wish i made one of them whilst i was at it. Next time!)

Prawn & Tofu Laksa

I think the best part about knowing how to, and loving to cook is the fact that i can make what i feel like eating! Particularly living living close by a market and a supermarket, i generally don't plan my Friday night dinner and cook whatever takes my fancy. And today it was laksa! Laksas vary a lot. This one is very creamy, with a warmth rather than spice, which i prefer to pick up from a chilli garnish. This is a very fresh version, good for a warm evening.

Beef Vindaloo

I'm not someone who goes crazy about hot food. I like it, but i don't crave the spice; i crave the taste behind the heat. And as such, the reason i love vindaloo is not because of the fiery heat that sears your tastebuds, but the sharp tartness of the vinegary sauce cutting through the fatty meat.

Kaju Chicken in Kaala Masala

I lifted the original version of this recipe from a great cookbook i got titled '50 great curries of india'. I can make a decent curry, but i still haven't managed to make a curry that tastes quite as strong and flavour packed as what you can get in any Indian restaurant.

The most important thing in making this dish is to ensure that you blend the ingredients as finely as possible. Failure to do so will result in an unappealing texture, and a visual that suggests the curry sauce has curdled. Not good peeps!

Also, go out and buy some ghee! Ghee is a clarified butter used commonly in Indian cuisine. Because it's clarified it means it has a much higher smoke point than regular butter, but still imparts a flavor to foods that vegetable oils can never match. You can pick up ghee in the international section of a good supermarket. 

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 kg skinless thicken thighs
• 1 head garlic, peeled
• 100gm grated coconut (fresh if you keep it around)
  
• 1 2cm cube of ginger, chopped
• 2 1/2 tbs coriander seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 5 dried chillis
  
• 5 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 200gm raw cashews
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5 tbsp ghee or oil 
• Salt to taste

Method

Heat the oven to 175 degrees and toast the cashews for 10 minutes then set aside.

In a large frying pan free of oil or fat, roast the coconut, garlic, chillis, ginger, and spices for 5 minutes on medium heat.

Add the onions and half of the cashews and saute for a further 10 minutes.

Once cooled slightly, process this mixture. This is the part where you must get the paste as fine as possible.

The above is NOT fine enough!

This is much better. We want smooth peanut butter, not crunchy.

Heat the ghee in a pot on medium heat and add the cashew spice mixture and fry for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken thighs and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add 600ml of water and the conver and leave to cook on a low heat for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid, and continue to cook until the sauce thickens to the desired level.

When close to serving, stir through the remaining cashews.

Serve with safron rice and cachumber.

Curried Carrot & Chickpea Soup

Today it's 36 degrees. What did i decide to cook last night (and therefore have for leftovers today)... soup! I love my soups, but in 36 degree heat, yeah coulda thought that one through a bit better.

Nonetheless this is a soup i whipped up from my head to get rid of the chickpeas in my cupboard. My aim over the next few weeks is to cook stuff that uses what's in my freezer/pantry and doesn't add anything to it.

The culprit: Chickpeas.

I originally used natural yoghurt in this recipe instead of the cream, but found that cream works better in this case. Coconut milk would probably work even better.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup thickened cream
• 500gm carrots
• 1 leek
• 1 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1 heaped tablespoon curry powder
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp Ghee (oil can be used instead; ghee is a clarified animal oil)
  
• Salt and pepper to season

Method

Thinly slice the carrots and leeks.

Heat large pot over low heat; add ghee.

Add the leeks and allow to sweat for 5-10 minutes.

Add the carrots and garlic and turn up the heat to medium. Saute for 5 minutes.

Add chickpeas and curry powder and saute for 2 minutes, stirring powder through the vegetables.

Add the stock, and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Transfer the soup to a blender in batched and puree finely.

Season to taste.

Just before serving, add the cream but be sure not to bring the soup to a boil (save a little bit for garnish)