Upgrade: Pineapple Rava Kesari

Although I've loved Indian food most of my life, I have taken only tentative steps into making it at home. All the different spices and combinations thereof are quite intimidating for an American home cook, even one with a lot of experience with other Asian cuisines. A lot of the Chinese dishes I've shown on this blog use prepared products like fermented bean pastes or dried mushrooms, which are quite complex all on their own. Building a dish from these things is a relatively simple process. Indian dishes, on the other hand, are often built from the ground up using spices. From what I've read on the topic, spices should be as fresh as possible, which means buying whole spices (rather than ground) and buying frequently in smaller quantities. This poses some problems of practicality for me. Luckily, I've had pretty good access to Indian restaurants in places I've lived, including the phenomenal Sharma's Kitchen in West Lafayette and Passage to India in Fargo. It is the latter that inspired my efforts to make rava kesari back in 2012. With the nearest Indian restaurant nearly an hour away from Vermillion, I find myself tinkering at home again.

My original post on rava kesari was groundbreaking in many ways. I rarely make desserts at all, let alone Indian ones. While it was a success, I missed the mark in a few ways, which left room for an upgrade. The main shortcoming of the original recipe was a failure to get the signature deep yellow color. It ended up a somewhat unappetizing yellowish brown instead. I reacted by throwing in some turmeric, which I'm not sure helped much. What I've done this time is make sure to pulverize the saffron and bloom it with a little water. 8 years of cooking experience definitely makes a difference in realizing these kinds of things. As such, the turmeric is gone. The other big change is the incorporation of pineapple. While the dish is perfectly good without it, pineapple is a popular and tasty variant. I referenced a post on Veg Recipes of India for how to incorporate the pineapple, while keeping the structure of the dish consistent with my original post. Combining the sugar into a syrup with the pineapple also speeds up the process, since the sugar will already be dissolved by the time it goes into the semolina mixture. Since the pineapple and pineapple juice are somewhat sweet on their own, I've cut down the amount of sugar a bit. Overall, rava kesari is a really nice treat and quite simple to put together. I highly recommend giving it a try!

Paneer Makhani

For the first recipe of the year, I'm charging forward into the uncharted territory of north Indian cuisine. While I love Indian food, it's very far outside of my area of expertise (such as it is). When I eat at a great Indian restaurant, I'm amazed by the depth and complexity of the flavors that can only come from a mastery of the vast library of spices used on the subcontinent. As an amateur, it is difficult to match this, but it is certainly fun to play around with new flavors. I'm very happy with how this dish turned out, and would encourage anyone to give it a try.

Paneer makhani is a Punjabi style dish that combines Indian cheese with a rich tomato sauce. It is similar to the famous murgh makhani, also known as "butter chicken." Perhaps the most interesting component of the sauce is the addition of cashews, something I had never considered before. I enjoyed having the nuttiness in sauce, adding another layer to the flavors. As the name suggests, butter is also a big part of the sauce. It would be possible to replace at least some of the butter with oil and the cream with half and half to lighten it up if desired.

As I usually do with dishes I have never made before, I took to the internet to come up with a recipe. The recipes widely differed on the herbs and spices and even on the cream. I have done my best to come up with a version with the most consistently used ingredients, and it turned out great. I attempt to strike a balance between tradition and accessibility. As such, I generally avoid whole spices, which traditional Indian recipes start with. You can certainly go this route, however, and I'm sure the results will be even better.

The two exotic ingredients here are the paneer and fenugreek leaves. Paneer is a firm, mild cheese that is quite common in Indian cuisine, often compared with cottage cheese. I have been able to buy it frozen from an Asian store. It can also be made at home, but I have not tried this. From my research, I found that fenugreek leaves are very much a staple herb for Indian cooking. Despite this, they were hard to find. I went to two different Asian groceries, and couldn't find them. I finally got a hold of them at an Indian store. If buying fenugreek, keep in mind the box may use the Hindi name kasoori methi.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup unsalted cashews (pieces are fine)
• 3 Tbs butter
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 1 Tbs grated garlic (about 2 large cloves)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tbs fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), see notes following recipe
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 cup crushed tomato
• Approx. 1 cup water
• Salt to taste
• 400 g (14 oz) paneer
• 2 Tbs cream

Instructions

In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cashews. Cook a few minutes and add ginger and garlic. Cook together a few more minutes. Add the bay leaves, fenugreek, garam masala, cardamom, and cinnamon. Stir in and cook down another minute.

Add the crushed tomato and about 1/2 cup water. Stir together, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, cut the paneer into small pieces, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch on a side. I cut my slab into 36 pieces.

Blend the sauce into a smooth mixture. Add more water as needed. It is easiest to use an immersion blender, but a regular blender or food processor could be used. Taste the sauce and add salt to taste. Add the paneer and stir to coat. Cook another five minutes, stirring as you go. The idea is just to get the paneer heated through. Before serving, stir in the cream. I served with steamed rice and baked chicken.

Notes

The amount of fenugreek leaves (1 Tbs) is in line with the recipes I found online typically use. When I made the dish, I misread my notes as 1 tsp, so I have not tested it with the intended amount. It still turned out very well, but I preserve the original proportions in the recipe.

The same basic sauce can be used to make the chicken version (murgh makhani). Marinate chicken in yogurt, lemon juice, and spices. Grill or bake the chicken, cut into small pieces, and add to the sauce in place of the paneer.

Chicken and Mushroom Curry

It's been over 3 years since my last curry recipe, and I think it's about time we returned. I've done two other chicken curries in the past, but this one is a little different. Those used dairy-based sauces for a creamy texture, whereas this time I've gone tomato and stock-based. This dish is inspired by some curries I've had in restaurants along with recipes I found online. And by the fact I had a half pound of mushrooms in the fridge. Speaking of the fridge, this was also equally delicious the next day.

The curry turned out quite spicy, and this will come down to how spicy your particular garam masala blend is. It may be best to leave out the crushed pepper until the end if it is still desired. Always taste your sauce (after the chicken is cooked) and season accordingly. This curry also goes well with some plain yogurt or Greek yogurt on the table to cool things off to taste.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb chicken thighs, deboned
• 2 onions, diced
• 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs ginger, minced
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
• Dash of cinnamon and cardamom
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Canola oil

Instructions

Ahead of time, chop the onion, mushroom, garlic, and ginger. Remove skin and bones from chicken, if needed. Cut the chicken into 1 inch squares, then season lightly with salt and pepper.

 In a deep saute pan, dutch oven, or wok (anything with a lid works), heat a bit of oil on medium high. Briefly brown the chicken on both sides, then set aside. Add more oil if needed. Add all the spices to the pan and stir into the oil for a minute. Add onions and saute for a few minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, and ginger, and cook a few more minutes, until mushrooms start to soften.

Pour in the tomatoes and the juice from the can into the pan. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and cook uncovered 10 more minutes to let the sauce reduce.

Salt to taste. Serve with rice and plain yogurt, if desired.

Fish and Tomato Curry

Today's recipe is really one from the heart, 100 percent my own creation. This is the second time I've made this dish, and both times, I tasted as I went along and adjusted the ingredient levels. It's a great example of what can come out of spontaneous creation in the kitchen. If you follow this recipe, I suggest you do the same.

The basic idea is a play on the tikka masala - a tomato and dairy based sauce with chunks of meat. Here I've gone with skim milk, which lends itself to a mouthfeel more sympathetic to a light fish like tilapia, rather than the traditional rich, silky cream sauce. Just a little half and half goes a long way to give my sauce a touch of creaminess. Lemon juice and white fish are old friends in food, and this addition gives a little edge to the sauce as well as calling to mind that familiar combination.

Ingredients

Fish

• 2 large Tilapia fillets
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Paprika

Sauce

• 1 onion
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 tbs canola oil (or ghee)
• 1 lemon
• 1 cup crushed tomato
• 1 cup diced tomato with juice
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup half and half

Instructions

Season the Tilapia on both sides with salt, pepper, and paprika. A light dusting is sufficient. On medium-high heat, sear the fillets for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat canola oil in the pan on medium-high. Note that for a more traditional Indian style, you could use ghee instead. Slice the onion into strips and mince garlic. Add all the spices to oil, followed by the onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute everything for several minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and lightly browned.

Slice the lemon in half and squeeze all the juice in. Add crushed and diced tomatoes, skim milk, and half and half. Mix together thoroughly. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Taste the sauce and salt to taste. I added just a little bit to bring it all together. Break up the fish into smaller pieces and add to the sauce. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

Serve over steamed basmati rice. This curry pairs well with almost any drink. I went with a Warsteiner Dunkel - a Bavarian style dark lager. Just remember James Bond's advice and avoid the chianti.

Rava Kesari

This is, for many reasons, a groundbreaking and exciting post. No Free Lunch has reached its fiftieth blogiversary! I have a very special recipe for today. Even as a home cook, I think it's very important to push yourself out of your comfort zone, and that's exactly what I've done here. I rarely cook desserts, and even more rarely exotic Indian ones. The results weren't perfect, of course, but were certainly pretty encouraging. I've even included extra pictures for this extra-special post.

Rava Kesari is a south Indian dessert made from semolina, basically the stuff cream of wheat is made from. Also, there's a lot of sugar. A whole lot of sugar. As with any dish with which I have no clue what I'm doing, I journeyed across the internet to figure out what's going on. The sugar proportion published here is pretty much the consensus among Indian cooks. In hindsight, it was a bit too much for me and probably, generally speaking, the American palette. I was also not able to get quite the color I was after. My spin on the dish was the use of turmeric, nature's food coloring, as I call it. It could be that I needed a bit more of it. The amount of ghee varies, but I went on the low side, as I have no plans to die tomorrow. I picked up a jar of it, but you can also make it at home.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup semolina
• 6 tbs ghee
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• A few raisins and cashews
• A few strands of saffron

Instructions

Melt half of the ghee in a pan. Break up the cashews a bit. Toast the raisins and cashews until the nuts are browned. Set aside the raisins and cashews. 

Turn the heat down to low and add semolina. Toast for a few minutes. While this is happening, get the water boiling.

Slowly pour the water in. I started off with 1 cup, which got absorbed very quickly, so I added a bit more. I did not end up using the full 1 1/2 cups. Stir the blob of semolina until it is cooked, several more minutes.

Next, add the sugar little by little, mixing it into the semolina. The whole mixture should loosen up significantly now. Turn heat up to medium and keep stirring to eliminate any lumps that start to form. Cook until roughly homogeneous.

Grind up the saffron, and toss that in, along with the cardamom, turmeric, raisins, cashews, and the rest of the ghee. At this point, mine got very runny and the ghee was not integrating into the mixture. I continued to cook it for quite a while at this point. What did the trick was folding the semolina-sugar blob into the pooled up ghee. Eventually it all got absorbed. You want it to be a sort of sticky, pudding-like consistency. Notice how much it changed between the two pictures.

Serve hot. This recipe makes about 3 portions.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala is one of the most popular Indian dishes worldwide, especially in Britain. The origins of the dish are unclear, but one story says it originated in an Indian restaurant in Scotland. Everyone has their own recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala, and I devised my own after some extensive research. What everyone does agree on is the basic construction of the dish - chicken tikka and a tomato cream sauce. Chicken Tikka  is a an Indian dish of marinated chicken pieces roasted in a Tandoori oven. Of course, I don't have one of those, so I substitute my handy broiler.

The chicken tikka by itself is very tasty, and I encourage you to take a bite before submerging it in the sauce. Overall, you'll notice that the flavors are a lot more nuanced than the quick-and-easy chicken curry I did before. This is a dish that is one must nurture, and it is well worth it. In terms of ingredients, this is by far the most sophisticated recipe to appear on No Free Lunch so far. Don't be intimidated, however, by the long list of spices. This is by no means a definitive recipe; go with what you have if you're missing something here or there. That said, the flavors come together beautifully - the acidic citrus from the lemon, the fragrant cinnamon, the spicy cayenne pepper, and all the rest make for a delicious treat.

Ingredients

Chicken Tikka

• 2 split chicken breasts
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 lemon

Tomato Cream Sauce

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup cream
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Instructions
  

Cut the bone and skin off the chicken, then cut into small pieces, about an inch a side. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty here, it's messy work. Combine the yogurt, spices, and chicken in a large bowl or Ziploc bag. Squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Use this time to cook some basmati rice and to get the sauce started. It is worth noting here that due to the shape of the grain, basmati rice only takes about 15 minutes to cook fully.

Once the chicken is done marinating, place the pieces on a sheet pan and shake off excess marinade. Broil until cooked through. Since we cut up the chicken into small pieces, this takes less than 10 minutes. You may want to flip the chicken after a few minutes to cook evenly. The marinade will keep the chicken juicy and tender.

Melt butter in a large pot on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until onions are softened. Add the spices and stir. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the cream. The sauce will now take on the brownish-orange color we all know and love. Simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes, then add the chicken pieces. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed. Simmer for a few more minutes all together. Serve with basmati rice. A great drink accompaniment is an English dry cider.