Musurir Dal

Ok. So this has been a long, difficult, stressful day. I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate being gone all day long, and then fighting horrible traffic home for over an hour. YUCK. But this dinner was perfect for a night like tonight, when I'm worn out, sleepy and frazzled. It came together in a snap, with minimal effort, and was great comfort food when it was time to sit down and eat. So hooray for Musurir Dal!

I found the recipe here, and modified it slightly to work with the ingredients I had on hand.



We ate this with leftover naan and onion pickle from last night. The Musurir Dal, while delicious, tasted nothing like I expected it would from reading the recipe. For lack of a better description, it kind of tastes like a spiced up split pea soup. Wild.

And now, I'm signing off so I can veg on the couch and wait for the Vice Presidential debates to come on. I fucking hate Sarah Palin, to the point that I can hardly stand to listen to her talk, but I don't want to miss these debates, either.

Oh, and please excuse the awful photo today. Like I said...it's been a long day.

Bye!

Musurir Dal
Onion Fragrant Red Lentils

3 cups water water
1 cup red lentils
1/4 t turmeric
1/2 t salt
1/2 tsp agave nectar
2 T vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 t garam masala
2 T fresh lime or lemon juice
1 T finely chopped fresh cilantro/coriander

Bring water to boil in a pan over medium heat. Add lentils. Add turmeric and simmer, covered until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. They should break easily when pressed between thumb and index finger. Add salt and agave nectar. Set aside, and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Fry bay leaves and red pepper until the pepper darkens. Add cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds. Add the onion and fry until richly browned but not burnt, 15 to 18 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in jalapeno. Add to the lentils. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in garam masala, lime juice and cilantro.

Vegan MOFO: Aloo Palak with Naan

Ok, so I haven't officially signed up to participate in Vegan MOFO because I'm afraid they may reject me since I'm not 100% vegan 100% of the time. But I'm going to participate on my own, if not part of the official group. So here is my first post for this Vegan Month of Food. Even if this blog event doesn't sway everyone to go vegan or vegetarian, my hope is that it will at least encourage people to cut back on the amount of meat they eat on a regular basis. That's how Brad and I got started on this adventure. A few years ago, we decided to try the so-called Flexatarian mode of eating, which just means we made it a point to prepare meat-free meals several times each week (in fact, I think we may have started out with just one or two days, to tell you the truth). That went so well that we decided to eat vegetarian at home when we moved here, and only eat meat when we were out. Admittedly, we fudged a few times and had some pork chops, hot wings, and a few other meatful meals, but overall I'm proud of us for sticking to it as much as we did.

Through that process, and all the information I came across while looking for vegetarian and vegan recipes online and in books, I was blown away by all the evidence that pointed to a vegan diet as the healthiest way one can eat. Wow! I really never knew nor expected that! I also was shocked to learn so much about the global ramifications of a meat-eating diet, the way animals-for-food are raised and treated. Given that, and given that I have led a fairly unhealthy lifestyle up until now, and given that I need to lose a LOT of weight (and by "a lot", I mean more than 100 pounds), it just made sense, and I decided to go primarily vegan back in mid-June. Since then, I have lost 30 pounds, and feel better than I ever have before! I do still eat dairy on occasion, I'll freely admit, but I stay vegan a good 95% of the time, if not more. Looking back and seeing how I have progressed to this point, though, I imagine it won't be long before I'm completely dairy-free. But I'm content to take it one step at a time. Even one year ago, I never in a million years would have seen myself where I am now. I was one of those who said vehemently that "I could never give up meat", or "I would die without cheese", and yet here I am. And I'm so glad I've made the choice to do so!

Now, let's talk about tonight's dinner! It was so delicious! I did heavily modify the Aloo Palak recipe that I found here, and I combined several naan recipes I found around the internet in order to come up with what you see here. I'm immensely pleased with the naan -- it's the best I've had homemade to date -- and the Aloo Palak was incredibly satisfying and delicious...although with all the changes I made to it, I don't know if you can even call it Aloo Palak anymore. I'll just call it "good". I also made another batch of the Spicy Onion and Carrot Pickle we had last night, albeit minus the cilantro, since we were out. Great dinner!



Here are the recipes:

Aloo Palak

2 large potatoes
2 Tsbp olive oil
1 tsp olive oil
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 bags baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 cup soy milk (or more or less, as desired)

Scrub potatoes, poke several times with a fork, and microwave 10 minutes on high (or you can bake them, but nuking is faster). When cool enough to handle, slip off the skins, and cut into large chunks, about 1" square.

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add potato chunks. Cook and gently stir until lightly browned. Remove from skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet over medium-high heat, heat remaining 1 tsp olive oil. Add jalapeno, ginger, chili powder, cumin and turmeric. Cook and stir several minutes, until jalapeno begins to soften. Add spinach. Cook and stir until spinach begins to break down. Puree using an immersion blender, if desired. Gradually stir in soy milk, until desired consistency is reached. It should be fairly thick, not runny, but not solid, either. Just go with what looks good to you.

Add potatoes and gently stir into the spinach mixture until heated through. Serve with naan.

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Naan

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 pkgs yeast
1 Tbsp agave nectar
5 Tbsp soy milk
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 to 5 cups flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
additional olive oil

Sprinkle yeast over warm water, stir to dissolve, and set aside for 10 minutes, until yeast is foamy. Stir in the agave nectar, soy milk and olive oil. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 4 cups of the flour, the salt and baking soda; stir together. With the mixer on low, and using the paddle attachment, add yeast mixture to the flour mixture. When flour is thoroughly incorporated, switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook. The dough will be very soft and sticky. Add additional flour as needed to form a very soft dough. It should still be soft and fairly sticky, but should form a smooth ball. Continue to knead with the dough hook for 5 minutes. Shape dough into a ball, and place smooth side down in a greased bowl, turning to coat (the smooth side will be up at that point). Cover with a clean dishcloth and let rise 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.

Place a pizza stone in the oven, and heat oven to 500 degrees for at least 30 minutes, to heat the stone thoroughly. After 30 minutes, turn the broiler on high.

Punch down the dough, and knead 20-30 times. Pull off a baseball sized chunk of the dough, roll to a little thinner than 1/2-inch. Lightly wet your hands with water, and pat the dough between your hands to moisten slightly. Drape the dough onto the pizza stone, and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Brush lightly with olive oil, flip over, and bake 1 to 2 minutes longer, until golden brown. The naan should still be somewhat soft. Remove from the oven, and brush lightly with a little more olive oil if desired. Repeat with remaining dough.

Yield: 6 to 8 naan.

Punjabi Chana, and Spicy Onion and Carrot Pickle

I don't remember how I came across this recipe for Punjabi Chana on the VeganMania! website, but I'm sure glad that I did! I have a bit of a love affair going on with chickpeas these days, so this recipe immediately jumped out at me. The ingredients, aside from spices, are minimal, so it was a very inexpensive meal. I already had all of the spices, onion and garlic on hand, so all I had to buy were chickpeas. Seriously, does it get any better than that? Actually, it does! Not only is it inexpensive, it's also really simple to make!

I know I say this a lot, because we love spicy food, but I should probably warn you that this dish IS very spicy. If you're not into food so hot it makes your tongue burn and your eyes water, you'll probably want to cut back on the cayenne pepper, or even omit it. We, however, loved it!

I also mixed up a quick batch of Spicy Onion and Carrot Pickle to go along with the Punjabi Chana (scroll down for the recipe). The pickled veggies are spicy, sweet and tangy all at the same time, and are a great, fresh contrast to the strong flavor of the Chana. I found the recipe here, and modified it a little by adding Sriracha hot sauce to make it spicy, some carrots to add some crunch, and a little fresh cilantro for some extra zip. Yum!

And it's all vegan! Woohoo!



Punjabi Chana
(simple and spicy Indian chickpea dish)

2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cups cooked chickpeas (two cans, drained and rinsed)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cups water (or more)
salt to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat, and add the mustard seeds. When they have finished popping, add the garlic, ginger and onion and sauté until tender.

Add the remaining ingredients except for the salt and allow to simmer over medium low heat until most of the water has been absorbed and the chickpeas are uncommonly soft and rich in texture. Salt this dish liberally.

Serve over rice.

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Spicy Onion and Carrot Pickle

1 red onion, sliced
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
6 Tbsp white vinegar
6 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp Sriracha hot sauce
1 tsp salt

Rinse the onion slices in cold water, then pat dry.

In a microwave safe small mixing bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, hot sauce and salt. Whisk together, and microwave 1 minute to help sugar dissolve. Combine onions, carrots, cilantro and vinegar mixture in a mixing bowl (I put mine in a gallon size Ziploc bag). Toss to combine. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

South Indian Spicy Mushroom Curry

I tried spicy mushroom curry at our favorite Indian restaurant back in Japan a couple years ago. Oh, and on that note, Brad gets to go back to Japan this summer for his 2-week Navy Reserve drill period, and I am BEYOND jealous. Initially we figured I could go with him, but that was before I had a job, and now I don't think I'll be able to take time off, plus the price of tickets is prohibitive. This is a huge bummer for me, as we still have lots of friends there that I would love to see again. And all the siteseeing we didn't get to do while we were there with the kids. And the shopping. And the karaoke! And all of our favorite restaurants! But alas, Brad will be going without me. Which means he'll go to Pepper Lunch, Coco Curry, yaki-niku, the sushi-go-round on the 8th floor of More's City, Garlic Jo's, Thai Erawan, Matchpoint, and Appughar. I could cry. : (

But with this dinner tonight, I feel a little bit like I'm back in Japan, eating at Appughar. That's something, right? And my mom is going to try to come visit while Brad's gone, which would be absolutely awesome. I miss her so much, plus it would be so nice to have some company while Brad is gone. And I'll just have to have Brad do my shopping for me. ; )

So anyway, I had the spicy mushroom curry one time at Appughar, and I loved it. This recipe tastes SO much like it, I almost can't believe it. I found it here, at Taj Recipe. What a great recipe! It called for the mushrooms to be sliced, but I just halved them so they made for more of a mouthful. And I sliced the onions thinly instead of dicing them.

Believe the title when it says this is spicy. It packs a whallop! So make sure you have some ice water on hand, or a cold beer. You'll need it.



South Indian Spicy Mushroom Curry

2 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cloves
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, coarsely diced
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 lb button mushrooms
1/4 cup water
salt to taste
chopped cilantro, to garnish

Grind cinnamon, fennel seeds & clove to fine powder (I use a coffee grinder). Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the cinnamon mixture. Stir and cook one minute. Add onion, and cook and stir until golden brown. Add tomato, garlic and ginger, and continue to fry until the tomato softens and releases its juices. Add pepper, cayenne pepper, and turmeric. Mix well. Add mushrooms, water and salt. Stir to combine well. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the mushrooms are cooked through.

Once mushrooms are cooked, remove the lid, increase heat to medium-high, and cook and stir until most of the water evaporates, and a thick gravy is formed.

Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with rice.

Vegetable Kofta Korma

Buoyed by my success with the vegetable korma several weeks ago, I decided to try another version of korma sauce, with vegetable kofta. This was my first time making kofta, and it went fairly well. In my search for a kofta recipe, I came across dozens of variations. I don't know which would be best, but this one got good reviews, and didn't seem too difficult to make.

I adapted the recipe somewhat, and used black beans instead of adzuki, simply because I had several cups of leftover, unseasoned black beans in the fridge from earlier this week. The mixture was really, really thin, so I also added some vital wheat gluten to help it come together a little more. They took much longer to bake than the original recipe stated, so I smooshed them into patties to speed the cooking time. It's not authentic, but it worked, and this way we can use the leftovers on sandwiches, sort of like black bean burgers.

Next time I'd like to try one that contains more vegetables, just to see how it differs in taste. These would be vegan if not for the egg. I would have left it out, but never having made these before, I wanted to at least try it that way first. Be sure to click here to see the korma sauce recipe.

And in case you're wondering, the kids didn't eat this. It was too spicy for them, so instead they had a classy dinner of Kraft mac & cheese with tuna fish. Aren't they cute?





Vegetable Kofta

1 cup bulgur
1 14-oz can vegetable stock, plus enough water to make 2 cups
2 cups cooked black beans, drained
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro (I used parsley because it's all I had)
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt and pepper

Combine bulgur and vegetable stock/water in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

Combine remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to mash the beans and combine thoroughly. Stir in bulgur. Cover and refrigerate one hour, or until firm.

Preheat oven to 425. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray, or line with foil and spray with cooking spray. Form mixture into balls and place on baking sheet, pressing down gently to form thick patties. Brush tops with vegetable oil. Bake 15 minutes. Flip over, brush again with oil, and bake 10 minutes further, until brown and crispy.

Korma Sauce

This is a little different from the korma sauce I made several weeks ago. We loved the other one, but this new one? Yeah, it kicks the old one's butt. It was heavenly! I served it with kofta and saffron rice, but it would be great with chicken, paneer, tofu, potatoes, or whatever your little heart desires. It would even be good in a bowl with some fresh naan to sop it up with. This stuff rocks.

Korma Sauce

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 14-oz can light coconut milk

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, cooking and stirring several minutes, until onion begins to soften. Add ginger and garlic, and cook and stir one minute. Add turmeric, garam masala, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir two minutes. Add tomato sauce and coconut milk; stir or whisk to combine thoroughly. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Coconut Milk Dal

I've only had lentils a few times, and have never cooked them myself until tonight. I've been meaning to try them for a long time, as they're so good for you, so cheap, and so filling, so I finally got to it tonight. I found this recipe for Coconut Milk Dal on Chocolate Shavings, and made a few modifications to it for our dinner.

It was really delicious, although it was soupier than I had expected. Next time I make it, I think I'll reduce the cooking liquid by about 1 cup, but it was still very good this way. The original recipe called for red lentils, and I only had...whatever kind they had at Target. ; ) I guess brown? I'm not wise enough in the ways of lentils to know what kind I bought, but they worked!



I served it with flat bread, my go-to recipe of late. I love this stuff, and it's so fast and easy to make...just 3/4 cup beer and 2 cups flour mixed up and kneaded a few times, then stretched/patted/rolled out and baked for about 10 minutes. You can't beat that!

Coconut Milk Dal

1 cup dry lentils
5 cups water

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp shallots, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
6 curry leaves
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 cup light coconut milk

Combine the lentils and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, garlic, shallots and jalapeno. Saute 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Add curry leaves, red pepper and coriander. Stir and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the salt and coconut milk, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the cooked lentils and liquid. Simmer for several minutes.

Vegetable Korma

Tonight's vegetable korma recipe is one I've never tried before. I had kofta korma once at Appughar, our favorite Indian restaurant back in Japan (I miss that place!), but I've never made it at home before. I found a recipe for vegetable korma on allecipes.com, and worked off of that this evening, tweaking it slightly. Oh, and on that note I have to say that I really love Indian food because if it's not vegan to begin with, it's so easy to adapt.

This recipe was really easy, with very little prep work -- just some peeling and dicing -- and a fairly short cooking time. I cubed my potatoes in fairly large chunks, so I had to cook it awhile longer, but next time I'll cut it in a smaller dice so it will cook more quickly.

We ate this tonight with some flat bread. The flavor was incredible -- just a little bit spicy -- and there was just the right amount of gravy so it wasn't too saucy. This is going on the "have again" list for sure. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but this is really as good as anything we had at Appughar. Delicious!



Vegetable Korma

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 potatoes, cut in 1/2-inch dice
4 carrots, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons ground cashews
1 cup tomato sauce
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cup half-and-half (regular or soy) or coconut milk
Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until tender. Mix in ginger and garlic, and continue cooking 1 minute. Add potatoes, carrots, jalapeno, cashews, tomato sauce, salt, cayenne pepper and curry powder. Cook and stir 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Stir peas, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and cream into the skillet. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro to serve.

Channa Bateta (Indian Chickpea Curry)

I served this over coarsley crumbled crispy flat bread.



Channa Bateta (Indian Chickpea Curry)

2 lbs of red potatoes (about 3-4 large potatoes)
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
6-7 curry leaves (optional)
1 1/2 Tbsp chickpea flour (also known as gram or besan flour)
2-3 Tbsp of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup water (or more as required)
1 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 handful cilantro chopped
1/2 to 1 tablespoons concentrated tamarind paste or 1/2 cup tamarind and date chutney

Wash and boil potatoes until cooked but not soft. Set aside to cool, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Heat oil In a large skillet over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves. When mustard seeds pop, add chickpea flour and cook several minutes, until light brown. Add crushed tomatoes, salt, red pepper flakes, turmeric and cumin, and cook for several minutes. Add water to thin the tomato mixture. Add potatoes and chickpeas and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add half the tamarind sauce or tamarind and date chutney, and cook for several minutes. Add more tamarind or chutney to taste. The tamarind is very sour, so if you add too much, you can use molasses or honey to balance the sourness.

Stir in cilantro, and serve.

Spicy Dry Fried Curry Tofu

This recipe, which I found online, originally called for chicken, but I substituted it with tofu to make it vegan.  It was good, but not great.  Next time I think I would add something to give it a little more flavor, though I'm not sure what...maybe more salt and some crushed red pepper?  You'd think with all those spices that it would be loaded with flavor, but it just seemed like needed a little something more.  If I figure that out, I'll update the recipe.  

Brad really loved this, though, and asked that I make it again.  Simmering the tofu for so long allowed it to soak up a lot of the flavor, and gain a nice, chewy, meaty texture.

Spicy Dry Fried Curry Tofu

1 block extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 large onion, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 leaves fresh curry
2 teaspoons ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
2 cups water
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Slice tofu into chunks. Place tofu in a large bowl, and season with turmeric powder, coriander powder, black pepper, chili powder, and salt. Cover bowl, and refrigerate until needed.

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Fry mustard seeds, fenugreek, onion, cumin seeds, and curry leaves in oil for about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger pastes, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add tofu and water, stir, and cover with lid. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in coconut milk, and cook until almost dry. Stir to keep the tofu from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Stir in lime juice, and cook until dry.

Cucumber Peanut Salad

I loved this!  Brad hates cucumber, so he didn't try it, but I am hooked!  The coolness of the cucumber is balanced by the heat of the red pepper, and the spicy saltiness of the cumin and salt is balanced by the sugar.  YUM!  

You can peel the cucumber before seeding and dicing, if desired, but I left it on and liked the color it added.  

Cucumber Peanut Salad

1 large cucumber
salt to taste
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped peanuts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon minced fresh cilantro

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, then dice. Mix together salt and cucumber, and allow to drain in a colander for ten minutes to release water. Pat dry, and place in a medium size bowl.

In a small bowl, stir together oil, cumin and crushed red pepper.

Add the oil mixture, peanuts, lemon juice and sugar to the cucumber, and stir together. Garnish with cilantro.

Peanut Rice

This is soooooo delicious!  Both Brad and I scarfed it down, and can't wait to have it again.

I used a standard medium-grain rice since I couldn't find basmati rice at the two grocery stores I shop at, and it still tasted great.  I also made this in my rice cooker instead of on the stovetop, cooking the rice, water, salt and turmeric together, then stirring the peas and peanuts in when it was done cooking.  

Peanut Rice

1 cup uncooked basmati rice
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 cup frozen petite peas
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts

Mix the rice, water, salt, and turmeric in a pot, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir the peas and peanuts into the cooked rice to serve.

Paneer (Indian cheese)

Today I made paneer for the first time. If you're not familiar with it, paneer is an un-aged cheese, commonly used in Indian cuisine. I seriously doubt I would be able to find any at stores around here, but it's easy to make at home, and it's something I've been wanting to try making for a long time, so I gave it a shot today. It's currently draining over the sink, and will be ready to cook tomorrow. I can't wait to see how it tastes! This is my first time ever making any kind of cheese at home, but now I'm really intrigued to try other recipes. I found a website that has photo instructions for making all kinds of cheeses, from cheddar to blue cheese and so forth. If I get around to trying to make some, I'll be sure to blog about it. ; )

Paneer

1 gallon milk
1 quart buttermilk
1 cup canola oil for frying

Pour the gallon of milk into a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Watch carefully, as it will boil over almost as soon as it starts to boil. As the milk begins to boil, pour the buttermilk into the pot in a steady stream while stirring constantly. The milk will separate into curd and water.

Place a cheesecloth into a colander, and pour the milk mixture through it. Reserve some of the liquid for later. Let the milk mixture sit in the colander for a couple of hours, or until it stops dripping.

After the curds are strained and settled, transfer them to a food processor. Process until smooth. It should be able to form a ball if it is the right consistency. If it is too dry, add a little of the reserved liquid and process again. The consistency should be like a firm ricotta cheese.

If you do not have a food processor, turn the cheese out onto a clean surface, and knead until smooth.

Form into a ball, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until needed.

To cook the paneer, heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the paneer into bite size pieces. Fry for about 1 minute, or until a very pale golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Add to your favorite curry or dish.

Samosas

Pastry
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Filling
2 large potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled until soft
1 onion, chopped
2 green chilies, very finely chopped
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon garlic, crushed
coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 lemon, juice of
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
salt

Mix together the flour, oil and salt. Add a little water, until mixture becomes crumbly. Keep adding water, kneading the mixture till it becomes a soft pliable dough. Cover with a moist cloth and set aside for 20 minutes. Beat dough on a work surface and knead again. Cover and set aside.

Heat 3 tbsp oil. Add ginger, garlic, green chillies and few corriander seeds. Stir fry for 1 minute, add onions and saute till light brown. Add cilantro (fresh coriander), lemon juice, turmeric, red chilli, salt and garam masala. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add potatoes. Stir fry for 2 minutes, mashing the potatoes. Set aside and allow to cool.

Divide dough into 10 equal portions. Use a rolling pin, roll a piece of dough into a 5" oval. Cut into 2 halves. Run a moist finger along the diameter.
Roll around finger to make a cone. Place a tablespoon of the filling into the cone. Seal the third side using a moist finger. Deep fry the samosas on low to medium heat until light brown.

Serve with tomato sauce or any chutney you love.

Instant Chai Tea Mix

1/4 cup instant tea
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup powdered coffee creamer
1/2 cup white or brown sugar
1 tablespoon instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In a resealable container combine all of the ingredients and stir with a fork or a whisk to distribute everything evenly. Store on the pantry shelf. To Prepare: Combine 3 tablespoons Chai Tea Mix with 1 cup boiling water. Stir well to dissolve. Sip and savor.

Brenda's Cashew Chicken Curry

1 ½ - 1 ½ lbs boneless chicken, cut into chunks
3 Tbsp oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 ½ tsp fresh ginger, grated
3 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp chili powder
3 tsp salt
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp coriander
2 tsp garam masala
½ c yogurt
4 oz cashews, whole

Heat oil and fry onion, garlic and ginger slowly over medium-low heat. Add the curry and chili powder and stir 1 minute. Add salt, tomato and coriander, and cook until thickened. Add chicken; stir, cover and simmer over low heat 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Stir in garam masala and yogurt and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in cashews and serve with rice.

Note: You can substitute cubes of fried tofu for the chicken to make this a vegetarian meal. Additionally, you can substitute coconut milk for the yogurt to make this a vegan meal.