Habanero Potatoes (Spicy Alu)

I got this recipe from my sister, who is an awesome cook in her own right. She is so skilled that, unlike me, she doesn't rely on the "cooking by measurement" way of doing things!

This dish doesn't really have a generic Indian name, so I figured Habanero Potatoes/Spicy Alu (potatoes are called Alu in Hindi) is descriptive enough. The best thing about this recipe is that it is super easy, super fast, and super tasty. In essence, it is super. The fennel gives a unique flavor to the dish which tends to leave everyone (at least those that have not looked at this blog post!) guessing about the secret ingredient. Don't worry, it doesn't taste like licorice!

The potatoes can be boiled, peeled and halved up to a day ahead of time, making total cook time about 10 minutes. It is meant to be very spicy. The salt content offsets the spice, a little. This recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

12-14 baby new potatoes, boiled, peeled & halved
2-3 tbsp. vegetable oil
3/4 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
3/4 tsp fennel (saunf) seeds
3/4 tsp coriander (dhaniya) seeds
3/4-1 tbsp salt
1- 4 habanero peppers, sliced lengthwise (seeds should not be removed)
1/4 cup washed & chopped fresh coriander

Method:
1. Boil the baby potatoes in water until soft but still firm.
2. Peel potatoes and halve them (this can be done up to a day ahead of time, in which case you would then place the potatoes in a covered container in the refridgerator). Note: If you don't have baby potatoes, you can simply use regular cooking potatoes and just cut them in larger pieces. I find that about 4-5 large potatoes approximates the quantity of 12-14 baby potatoes.
3. Crush cumin seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds in a clean coffee grinder.
4. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil, then turn down the heat to medium.
5. Add salt and crushed seeds and fry for 30-40 seconds (make sure the seeds do not burn).
6. Add habaneros (I find 2-3 habaneros to be plenty spicy, but you be the judge) and fry for another 20-30 seconds.
7. Add the potatoes and fresh coriander and mix gently.
8. Cover and cook for about 7 minutes over very low heat (if you are using cold potatoes from the refridgerator, extend this to about 10-12 minutes).
9. Serve hot.

Because this dish is dry and spicy, it is usually good to serve a cooling yogurt raita as a side dish. As far as other vegetable dishes, any dish with more gravy (e.g., mattar paneer, saag, chole) would go well. The potatoes can be eaten with roti or naan.

Here's to your appetite!

Henna

Dal Makhni

Dal Makhni is a traditional North Indian/Punjabi lentil dish eaten with naan and/or rice. I will try to get some pictures up soon but in the meantime here is the recipe. You should note that a little advance planning is needed when making this dish since it requires the lentils to soak for at least 6-8 hours before you cook them (I usually soak them overnight). Also, this dish tastes better if it is cooked a few hours (and up to a day) ahead of serving time so that the flavors have time to blend. This recipe is usually enough for 4-6 people when eaten with other dishes.

Ingredients:
1 cup Black urad dal (whole)
1/4 cup dry Kidney beans
a pinch of baking soda
1 teaspoon Ginger paste
1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
1/4 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup Tomato puree
2 medium plum Tomatoes
1 tablespoon Ginger-garlic paste
2 teaspoons Garam masala
2 1/2 teaspoons Cumin seed powder
3/4 cup Fresh cream (optional)
4 tablespoons Butter
Salt to taste

Method :
1. Soak the urad dal and kidney beans at least 6-8 hours, preferably overnight.
2. Into the soaked dal add baking soda, salt, ginger paste, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder and water (the water should be at least 3 times the amount of dal).
3. Pressure cook till dals are done, usually about 10 minutes after the whistle blows.
4. Melt the butter in a pan, add onions and saute over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes until they are translucent.
5. Add the ginger-garlic paste. Saute till golden brown.
6. Add finely chopped tomatoes and cook till pulpy, mashing continuously with the back of a mixing spoon to get the tomatoes to disintegrate. This usually takes about 5-8 minutes.
7. Add the jeera powder and the remaining red chilli powder and saute for 1-2 minutes.
8. Add the tomato puree. Saute for another 2-3 minutes.
9. Add the cooked dals into this masala.
10. Add the garam masala powder.
11. Cover and cook over a low flame for about 35 minutes. You may wish to adjust your salt and garam masala/cumin powder during this time.
Once cooked, add the fresh cream (if you desire, although I don't usually add it) and garnish with fresh coriander before serving.
Other vegetable dishes that complement this recipe include Saag Paneer and Habanero Potatoes, both recipes which I will be posting soon.
Here's to your appetite!
Best,
Henna

In The Beginning

So this whole blogging venture is pretty new for me, but it is born out of necessity. You see, I was having lunch last week with some friends when the conversation turned to cooking (and my ability in that regard). My dear friend, Jim S., looked so shocked when he heard that I cook more than just cereal and grilled cheese sandwiches, and he was absolutely amazed that I cook Indian food! To his credit, when Jim and I first met I was a recent college grad and didn't really consider cooking to be up there on my "things to do before I die" list. Almost 20 years have passed since then, however, and the internet and many recipe books have been good to me. I figured that maybe if I blog about my cooking endeavors, my friends just might believe that I am not "ordering in" when I have them over for dinner! Voila, Henna Cooks!

I was born in India and, although I grew up in the USA, my mother always made us sensationally flavorful Indian food. After I got married and moved across the country, I decided it was time to try entering the kitchen. Those truly were the days of elaborate dishes like Mac n' Cheese and PB&J sandwiches for dinner, which led to many calls to mom in hopes of impressing my new husband. Unfortunately, like most Indian moms, my mother's idea of a recipe is "a pinch of this and a handful of that."

For the first few years, my tireless efforts in the kitchen were usually harmless science experiments - nothing a little pepto couldn't cure. After much trial and error, however, things started to become edible, and people even started asking for recipes! So here I am hoping to post some tried and true Indian vegetarian recipes with actual measurements for others to benefit from. The ingredients are readily available in your local Indian grocery store, and maybe even in your local supermarket or Whole Foods.

Enjoy and please do let me know if you have any comments (especially the good kind)! :)

Here's to your appetite!

Henna