Kidney Beans and Potato Curry

Ingredients

Kidney beans…..……………….1/3 cup (soaked in 1 cup water for 5 hours)

Baby new potatoes……….…..6 (washed and cut in halves)
Onion…………………………..….1 (medium, finely chopped) 
Tomato…..………………….…...1 (large, finely chopped) 
Garlic…………….………………..1 large pod (finely chopped) 
Ginger paste…………………….¾ tea spoon
Red chilli powder….....………½ tea spoon
Rajmah masala powder…....½ tea spoon
Cumin powder……………..….½ tea spoon
Turmeric powder….………….1/6 tea spoon
Water………………………….…..2 cup
Oil to cook
Salt to taste

Method

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add the onions and cook until transparent.
• Now add the tomato, garlic and ginger paste. Cook for about 1 min.
• Mix in the turmeric, cumin and red chilli powder and salt and cook for half a min on medium heat.
• Now add in the kidney beans along with the water it was socked in and the additional 2 cups of water.
• Cover with a lid and cook for 45 min on low heat or until the kidney beans are tender.
• Now add the potatoes and salt for the potatoes and cook until the gravy thickens and the potatoes are cooked. Remove from heat.
• Serve hot with bread, chapatti or naan.  

Serves: 2

Fennel Flavoured Potatoes

Ingredients

Potato……………………………..2 (medium, diced in 1 inch cubes)

Onion…………………………..….1 (medium, chopped in juliennes) 
Tomato…..………………….…...1 (large, finely chopped) 
Fennel seed……………..….……2 tea spoon
Pepper corns……………………2
Cinnamon stick…………….….1 inch
Red chilli powder….....………½ tea spoon
Garlic…………………………..….1 clove (finely chopped)
Cumin powder……………..….½ tea spoon
Coriander powder……..…....½ tea spoon
Turmeric powder….…………1/6 tea spoon
Garam masala…………..….….½ tea spoon
Butter……………………………..2 tea spoons
Oil to cook
Salt to taste

Method

• Heat oil in a pan and add the peppercorn, cinnamon stick and fennel seeds to the oil. Sauté for ½ min.
• Add the onions to the oil and cook them for 2 min.
• Now add the tomato and garlic. Cook for about 3 min.
• Mix in the turmeric, cumin, coriander, red chilli and garam masala powder and  salt for the onions and tomatoes and cook for 5 min on low heat. Cover with a lid.
• Finally add the potatoes and salt for the potatoes and cook with the lid on, on low heat until the potatoes are cooked.
• Uncover the pot and coo for another 5 min until the gravy thickens.
• Place a dollop of butter on the hot potatoes before serving the dish.
• Serve with naan or pitta bread.

Serves: 2

Vegetable "Hearts" Patty

Ingredients

Cauliflower………………….…..1 cup (cut into small florets, boiled)

Potato……………………………..2 (medium, boiled)
Carrot…………………………..…1 (large, diced into small cubes, boiled) 
Peas…..………………….……..…1 cup (boiled) 
Green chilli powder…..……..1 (large, finely chopped)
Fresh ground pepper…….….¼ tea spoon
Oil…….…………………………….3 table spoon
Salt to taste

Method

• Mash boiled potatoes in a large bowl.
• Add the boiled carrots, peas and cauliflowers and roughly mash the mixture.
• Finally add the green chilli, ground pepper, salt and oil, mix well with hand.
• Shape the mixture into ½ inch thick heart shape patties. 
• Place the hearts on a slightly oiled baking tray.
• Pre-heat the oven on convection mode at 230°C. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 10 min each side.
• Serve with your choice of condiments.

Serves: 2

Leafy Gnocchi Salad

Ingredients

Gnocchi………………………..250g

Wild rocket leaves…..…….70g
Baby spinach leaves…..….70g
Salad tomatoes…………..…2 (large, roughly chopped) 
Fresh ground pepper……..¼ tea spoon
Olive oil………………………..2 table spoon
Oil to stir fry gnocchi
Salt to taste

Method

• Heat oil in a pan, add the gnocchi and stir fried then for 2 min (or as per the instructions on the pack).
• Place the rocket leaves and baby spinach in a salad bowl.
• Top it with tomatoes and then fried gnocchi.
• Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle salt and ground pepper.
• Mix before serving.

Serves: 2

Dum Aloo (aka Kashmiri Dum Aloo)

Ingredients

Baby potatoes……………...½ kg.

Yogurt…………………………1 ½ cup (plain)
Water……………………..…...½ cup
Garam masala…………...…¾ tea spoon
Ginger paste……………..….1 table spoon
Cumin powder…………..…¾ tea spoon
Fennel powder…………..…½ tea spoon
Cardamom powder……….¼ tea spoon
Kashmiri chilli powder…1 ½ tea spoon
Clove…………………….…….3
Oil to deep fry the potatoes
Mustard oil to cook
Salt to taste

Method

• Prick , peeled and wash baby potatoes with a fork 2-3 time at different areas. Salt then and keep ready to deep fry.
• Heat oil and deep fry the salted potatoes until golden brown.  Drain the potatoes on a kitchen towel and keep them aside.
• Mix the yogurt, garam masala, ginger paste, cumin, fennel, cardamom and chilli powder in a bowl along with the fried potatoes.
• Heat mustard oil in a pan. Add the clove and heat for 1 min.
• Now add water and salt. Bring it to a boil.
• Now carefully add the yogurt and potatoes. Mix well.
• Cook for 15 min with the lid on.
• Serve with puri or naan.

Serves: 2

Note:

The term “Dum” literally means pressure and “Aloo” means potato. Traditional this dish is cooked under pressure where the ingredients are mixed as above but at the final stage (i.e. after we add the yogurt and potatoes to the oil in the cooking utensil and mix) the utensil is covered with a lid which has no top opening for the steam to escape and is sealed off with dough of “Atta” meaning wheat flour, so that no steam escapes from the sides of the lid.

Kashmiri chilli powder is not very hot but has a beautiful red colour. However if you are using a different chilli powder used only half of what is mentioned.