An Indian menu

MASALA GURDA (KIDNEY)

Ingredients

1 kg gurda (kidney)

3 tbsp ghee

2 tbsp ginger and garlic paste

½ cup roasted onion

1 tbsp black pepper

2 tbsp green chilli paste

½ cup yoghurt

1 tbsp kasuri methi

Method

Boil gurda with some salt. When all the liquid dries up, add ghee and stir. Now add ginger, garlic paste, roasted onions, salt, black pepper, green chilli paste, and yoghurt. Fry well. Add kasuri methi and stir continuously till it is done. Serve hot with roti or naan.

SHAHJAHANI PULAO

Ingredients

1 kg basmati rice

1 kg boneless chicken breast

1 cup sour cream

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ cup oil, 2 onions

½ kg potatoes

5-6 green chillies

½ cup coriander leaves

4 tomatoes, 10-12 almonds and pistachios

10-12 cashew nuts

1 large cardamom

3 green cardamoms

2 cinnamons, 4 cloves

5 whole black peppers

1 tsp cumin seeds

Saffron strands

Method

Grind green chilli and coriander leaves. Heat oil and add chopped onions. Fry onions until it turns light brown in colour. 

In a bowl mix green chillies, and coriander paste, ginger-garlic paste, salt, and red chilli powder. Then pour it onto the fried onions. Add chopped tomatoes and stir fry. Add chicken and mix them well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Then remove lid, reduce heat and cook for 5 more minutes until the gravy thickens. 

Boil potatoes and fry them with salt and saffron. Keep aside. Heat another pan, pour oil, add large cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon, clove, whole black pepper, cumin seeds and salt. Stir. 

Add hot water and soak rice. Cover and bring to boil. Turn the heat to low and cook till the rice is completely done. Now take a rice dish, put half of the rice in the dish; pour half cup of the sour cream over the rice; then place cooked chicken and potatoes and pour rest of the rice. 

Pour remaining sour cream top of the rice. Sprinkle fried almonds, pistachios, cashew nuts, raisins, and roasted onions.  Serve hot.     

TANDOORI ROTI

Ingredients

1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar, ½ cup warm milk

A pinch of salt

Method

Sieve flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add warm milk and knead into a soft dough. Apply a little oil, cover with a damp cloth and keep aside for half an hour. Knead dough with your hands to make it softer. Divide the dough into three equal portions. Roll each dough ball into 5-6 inch diameter disc. Heat a cast-iron pan, cook both side of the roti on high heat.

NAAN (PITA BREAD FOR SHAWARMA)

Ingredients

2½ cups flour

2 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp active dried yeast

2 tbsp oil

1 cup of warm water

Method

In a bowl mix 1 cup of flour with salt, sugar and yeast. Add oil and warm water before stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon for at least 3 minutes. Gradually add the remaining flour while stirring. If the dough is messy looking and comes away from the sides of the bowl, it is perfect. If not, and if it is too moist, add a little more flour. Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes. 

Turn oven on at 500 °F. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll these into balls. Dust lightly with flour and cover with a damp towel. Leave for 30 minutes to rest. Then flatten each ball by hand and roll them with rolling pin into 5/6 inch diameter disc. Place these discs onto cooking foil directly on top of the oven shelf. Bake for 5-8 minutes; they should puff up. Remove from oven, stack the discs and loosely wrap in kitchen foil or a towel. The pitas will flatten. Cut half an edge away and insert blunt knife into opening to create the pocket. Add shawarma contents, roll and enjoy.

BHATURA

Ingredients

2½ cups flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ cup yoghurt

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp oil 

A pinch of baking soda

1 tsp salt

Method

Sieve together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Mix together yoghurt and sugar. Add this to the flour and add about a cup of water. Mix gradually to make soft dough by kneading lightly. Apply two tablespoons oil into the dough and cover with a damp cloth. Keep aside for an hour. Divide dough into sixteen equal portions. Roll them into balls by hand and cover and keep for fermentation, for about ten minutes. 

Grease your palms with a little oil and flatten the dough balls. Roll out into five inch diameter disc. You can make bhaturas of oval shape by pulling the rolled out discs from opposite sides. Heat sufficient oil in a thick-bottomed pan and fry bhaturas on high heat till they turn light brown on both sides. Drain onto an absorbent paper and serve hot with cholay or dal pakhtooni. 

DAL PAKHTOONI

Ingredients

1 cup black gram whole or chana dal

2 inch piece of ginger

15-20 cloves garlic

2 tsp garam masala powder

1 tbsp red chilli powder

1½ cups tomato puree

100g butter

1 cup fresh cream

Salt to taste

Method

Pick and wash dal. Soak it in four cups of water for eight to ten hours or overnight. Grind ginger and garlic to a fine paste separately. Cook dal in four to five cups of water with salt, red chilli powder and ginger paste. Bring it to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour or till it is completely cooked and tender. 

Melt half of the butter in a thick-bottomed pan and add garlic paste dissolved in half a cup of water. Cook for two minutes, stirring continuously. Add tomato puree, remaining butter, garam masala powder and cooked dal, and cook on low heat for an hour. Stir occasionally. Add water if required. Add fresh cream, correct seasoning and simmer for another ten minutes. The consistency of this dal is quite thick. Serve hot with bhatura or bread of your choice.