I once had a fight with a stranger on a New Jersey Transit train because I insisted I wasn’t Punjabi, and he thought I must have been. “I am from Punjab and all of the ladies there look like you!” He yelled at me. Well, sorry. He was quite adamant that we converse in Punjabi, too, a language that I do not speak. And we were getting along in English just fine (well, maybe not getting along, but communicating.)!
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Tag Archives: indian
Meatless Mondays: Aloo Matar
Happy Monday! I’m back on my Indian food kick with this simple vegetarian dish of potatoes, peas, tomatoes and spices.
Parathas
So you thought I was finished with sharing Indian recipes with you? Think again! I was only taking a break. This Indian flatbread is easy to make and hard to ruin, because it’s a yeast-less bread! So if you’re scared of yeast, this is the bread for you.
Did I mention it’s “fried” in ghee?
Beet Raita
The best part about eating Indian is the colorful variety. I already made a vivid green palak paneer, so I needed a contrasting side dish: This is an easy solution, and the yogurt has a cooling affect against the peppery spinach dish.
Palak Paneer
Remember when I made paneer? That was really only so I could make this dinner! A fragrant and spicy spinach dish flavored with garlic, cumin and green chiles. This was a good start for a Syrian cook, spice-wise, since I already have whole cumin in my pantry. So you don’t have to go spice shopping just yet!
I actually couldn’t find green chiles, but poblanos are pretty close, and they sell those at Fairway. Continue reading
Paneer
I’ve experimented with Indian food before, but when I found an Indian cookbook in the food section of my library, I decided to try again. How to Cook Indian: More Than 500 Classic Recipes for the Modern Kitchen by Sanjeev Kapoor is a great introduction to Indian cooking, and I even renewed it so I could experiment with some more difficult recipes, too. Sorry, neighbors, for smelling up the hallway!
The first and easiest thing I made was paneer, an Indian pressed cheese.
Chana Masala
I’ve wanted to test out Indian food for a while now. I’ve experimented with all sorts of cuisines far away from my comfort zone, but Indian is one thing I reserve for restaurants. Until now, that is. If you were anything like me, it’s time to go spice shopping, because this is a great introduction to Indian cooking!
Dakshin Indian Restaurant
David and I just came back from a delicious Indian dinner at Dakshin on 1st Avenue between 63rd and 64th Streets.
I’ve eaten in many Indian restaurants before, but only vegetarian meals, this was my first experience with meat Indian. Dakshin is the only Glatt kosher Indian restaurant among the dozens here in the city.
We ordered the chicken tikka masala and the lamb vindaloo. These entrees did not come with rice; we ordered lemon rice on the side.
The food was delicious, authentic and spicy! The lamb was so tender and delicious and both of the sauces were nice and flavorful. Unfortunately, the portions were so generous that we could barely finish them and didn’t leave any room for dessert. We appreciated the complimentary rice pudding anyway.
The service was excellent, and not just for a kosher restaurant on a Saturday night. Our waiter was very attentive, he helped us choose from the menu and constantly made sure we had enough water.
Have you been to Dakshin? What did you think?