Green Masala Mattar Paneer

90 Min

GF

Baked Saffron Paneer

Paneer is as simple as fresh cheese gets - a simple curdling of milk usually done by vinegar or lemon juice to obtain clumps. Best made with whole milk, the better the quality of the milk the better the paneer.

120 Min

Paneer Pot Pie

I spent my childhood in Gujarat, India, and Diwali was one of my favorite holidays. The fanfare began days earlier when boxes of sweets would begin to arrive from friends or my father’s co-workers. To celebrate love and generosity and invoke good luck and fortune into our home, we’d make rangoli designs on the floor just inside the front door — rangoli being a range of traditional handmade folk designs usually with colored powders, rice or lentils. Our parents would surprise us with new outfits to be worn on Diwali day. Two to three nights before, we’d start playing with firecrackers and lighting “diyas,” small terra-cotta lamps in which cotton wicks flicker in warm ghee. My mother would order fresh flowers and garlands, and an intoxicating perfume of marigold, tube roses and fragrant jasmine would envelop our home. Even today, when I go into a temple, the aroma of those flowers transports me to childhood joys of Diwali. Diwali morning we’d eat a light lunch in anticipation of an elaborate dinner that would follow the Laxmi pooja (a prayer ceremony), a common practice in Gujarat. My brothers and I would sit through the pooja with stomachs gurgling, anxiously awaiting the customary dinner of a seven-vegetable stew, pooris (puffy balloon bread) and halwa, a sweet pudding made with whole-wheat flour scented with cardamom. Living in America many decades later, I don’t follow many of those customs at home, but it’s still a time for reminiscing, joy and celebration. Depending on whether my now-adult children are with me, we celebrate accordingly. This year, we will make a delicious pot pie filled with paneer with a simple salad of local greens.

90 Min

GF

Roasted Eggplant with Goat Cheese & Yogurt

It’s almost the end of the local eggplant season in Texas, and I have been flush with hundreds of pounds to play with at the restaurant, courtesy of nearby Knopp Branch Farm. My favorite way to cook them is to smoke, mash and turn them into a pickle, masala or a spread. However, when cooking eggplants at home, I resort to simpler ideas, such as searing them on a skillet and finishing them in the oven. There are ample choices of what to top the eggplants with — cheese, herbs, chopped nuts, nut butter, yogurt, spices and more. I have tried them and love them all. When cooked perfectly, cutting into an eggplant almost feels like cutting into a good piece of meat.

90 Min

DF

GF

V

Green Vegetable Curry

This curry is made entirely with vegetables, but feel free to add meats or seafood — in either case, be sure to cook everything in the curry before adding the green herb sauce. Just before serving, add the green herb sauce to keep the colors bright and the flavors vibrant.

90 Min

GF

NF

Homestyle Butter Paneer

Not for the faint-hearted, this recipe is decadent and rich. It is the paneer version of butter chicken, just as tasty, creamy and delicious.

90 Min

GF

Ricotta & Pea Stuffed Karela

Once balanced and tempered with other seasonings, bitter melon transforms into a thing of beauty.

120 Min

Paneer Pot Pie

I spent my childhood in Gujarat, India, and Diwali was one of my favorite holidays. The fanfare began days earlier when boxes of sweets would begin to arrive from friends or my father’s co-workers. To celebrate love and generosity and invoke good luck and fortune into our home, we’d make rangoli designs on the floor just inside the front door — rangoli being a range of traditional handmade folk designs usually with colored powders, rice or lentils. Our parents would surprise us with new outfits to be worn on Diwali day. Two to three nights before, we’d start playing with firecrackers and lighting “diyas,” small terra-cotta lamps in which cotton wicks flicker in warm ghee. My mother would order fresh flowers and garlands, and an intoxicating perfume of marigold, tube roses and fragrant jasmine would envelop our home. Even today, when I go into a temple, the aroma of those flowers transports me to childhood joys of Diwali. Diwali morning we’d eat a light lunch in anticipation of an elaborate dinner that would follow the Laxmi pooja (a prayer ceremony), a common practice in Gujarat. My brothers and I would sit through the pooja with stomachs gurgling, anxiously awaiting the customary dinner of a seven-vegetable stew, pooris (puffy balloon bread) and halwa, a sweet pudding made with whole-wheat flour scented with cardamom. Living in America many decades later, I don’t follow many of those customs at home, but it’s still a time for reminiscing, joy and celebration. Depending on whether my now-adult children are with me, we celebrate accordingly. This year, we will make a delicious pot pie filled with paneer with a simple salad of local greens.

90 Min

GF

Roasted Eggplant with Goat Cheese & Yogurt

It’s almost the end of the local eggplant season in Texas, and I have been flush with hundreds of pounds to play with at the restaurant, courtesy of nearby Knopp Branch Farm. My favorite way to cook them is to smoke, mash and turn them into a pickle, masala or a spread. However, when cooking eggplants at home, I resort to simpler ideas, such as searing them on a skillet and finishing them in the oven. There are ample choices of what to top the eggplants with — cheese, herbs, chopped nuts, nut butter, yogurt, spices and more. I have tried them and love them all. When cooked perfectly, cutting into an eggplant almost feels like cutting into a good piece of meat.

30 Min

GF

Green Masala Chicken

Usually a combination of cilantro, mint, fenugreek, ginger, scallions and serrano chile, green masala curries are fragrant and bright in color and flavor. Here we add chunks of carrot and ground cloves to offset the savory notes and add a touch of sweetness.

90 Min

GF

NF

Homestyle Butter Paneer

Not for the faint-hearted, this recipe is decadent and rich. It is the paneer version of butter chicken, just as tasty, creamy and delicious.

120 Min

GF

Paneer Mushroom Pie

The mushrooms cook with the paneer and the chickpea flour, another good source of protein, is there to hold the paneer together. Serve it with a mint chutney and a hearty green salad on the side.

20 Min

NF

Cheese Toast

India’s version of grilled cheese, a popular sandwich worldwide, is filled with masala and spices and is referred to commonly as cheese toast

GF

NF

Green Masala Chicken Kebabs

Chicken pairs beautifully with the flavors of bright green herbs — so as to maintain the deep green color be careful not overcook the chicken. Leftover are great in a salad or sandwich.

30 Min

DF

GF

Paneer Bake

Paneer is the only cheese India can lay claim to – it is a simple, un-ripened farmers cheese, except that it has no rennet (an enzyme that curdles casein in milk), only vinegar.

30 min

NF

Tomato Ricotta Toast

Eating cooling foods such as yogurt and watermelon in the summer and warming foods — think peppers and squashes — in the winter is one of the most fundamental tenets of Ayurveda. It’s what keeps our digestive fire under control. However, when warming foods such as gorgeous heirloom tomatoes appear in the summer, the best way to eat them is to combine them with cooling foods including yogurt, ricotta or fennel seeds. The season for tasty, sweet heirloom tomatoes is short — enjoy them while you can. Once summer gets hotter, and we know it will, local tomatoes will be gone. This tomato ricotta masala packs a bit of heat with the Calabrian chiles but will keep in your refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Smear it on a piece of toast or waffle for breakfast or place small dollops on cucumber slices for an appetizer.

45 Min

GF

Matar Paneer

Here is a decadent rendition of Matar Paneer, with cashews and raisins. Enjoy it with a warm roti or paratha or over plain rice.

Drinks

Drinks

Hot Drinks

Cold Drinks

Cocktails

Condiments

Condiments

Raita

Chutneys

Pickles

Masala

Grains

Grains

Buckwheat

Khichri

Millet

Noodles

Quinoa

Rice

Whole Grains

Dough

Dough

Roti

Paratha

Naan

Bread

Crackers

Pizza

Batter

Batter

Dosas

Pancakes

Crepes

Savory Baked

Savory Baked

Biscuits

Bread Pudding

Soups

Soups

Light Soup

Creamy Soup

Dal Soup

Stews

Cold Soup

Snacks

Snacks

Chaat

Spreads

Fried Snacks

Nosh

Legumes

Legumes

Dal

Beans

Salads

Salads

Veg Salads

Non-Veg Salads

Land & Sea

Land & Sea

Eggs

Birds

Meat

Fish

Shellfish

Paneer

Paneer

Paneer

Vegetables

Vegetables

Sabzi

Potatoes

Mushrooms

Eggplants

Cauliflower

Squashes

Root Vegetables

Vegetable Curries

Green Vegetables

Okra