Lachha Paratha

Submitted by Rachna
Serves 2

Laccha ParathaMaida is a specific type of wheat flour from India.  It closely resembles finely ground cake flour, so if you cannot find Maida you may try to substitute cake flour.   This recipe has been previously published on Rachna’s blog and was republished with her permission.  

Lachha Paratha
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Enjoy this soft, crispy and multi-layered parotta with delicious curry.
Ingredients
  • 2 c. All Purpose flour Maida
  • 2 tsp semolina
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp butter or ghee
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 c. water
Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, add all purpose flour, semolina, sugar & salt. Whisk it once. Add water in the flour mixture.
  2. Start kneading the dough. Dough consistency should be Roti/Chapati dough. Let the dough rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Knead the dough again, divide the dough into 4 equal size portion . Take one portion of dough, knead for a minute then roll in your palm to make a round ball shape.
  4. Flatten it with your palm & start rolling with a rolling pin. Roll the dough into a very thin sheet. Don't worry if it tears in between while rolling. Roll it as thin as possible.
  5. Melt butter to luke warm in a small bowl & mix with all purpose flour. Apply this mixture on rolled thin sheet.
  6. Once the mixture is applied all over, slice thinly all the surface of paratha. Then start scraping the dough from one side until it finishes resulting in long cylindrical stretched dough.
  7. Take the dough in fingers & roll it to a ball
  8. Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
  9. Press the rolled dough with the heels of your palm to give it a round flat shape.
  10. Place a tawa (skillet) on medium heat. Place paratha on hot tawa. Cook it on both sides & smear ghee on both sides while cooking. Cook till brown spots appear on both sides.
  11. Once the paratha is cooked, smash it using your hands to separate the layers.

 

Aloo Jeera

Submitted by Jayashree T. Rao
Serves 4

Aloo JeeraAsafoetida may look like a typo, but it’s a dried latex derived from roots used in middle eastern cuisine.  It’s supposed to taste similar to leeks when cooked.

4.5 from 2 reviews
Aloo Jeera
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • ½ kg. potatoes
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida
  • ½ tsp mustard
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • Salt to Taste
Instructions
  1. Take a microwave safe bowl, add oil with cumin, asafoetida and turmeric powder.
  2. Microwave for thirty seconds. Put the potato pieces into it.
  3. Microwave on 600 Watt power for five minutes. Stir in between.
  4. Add salt and mix well. Continue to microwave for another ten minutes.
  5. It gives a nice crisp look. Add chili powder and give a toss.
  6. You can again microwave for 30 seconds if you wish.

 

Kerala Style Beef Stew

Once you’ve added the coconut milk, be sure not to boil it too long or else the milk may curdle. You can substitute yogurt or plain milk for the coconut milk for health reasons.  Thank you to Chacko’s Kitchen for submitting this recipe.

Kerala Style Beef Stew
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Soups
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs beef
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 potato
  • 4 tomatoes
  • 1-1/2 c. shallots
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 c. coconut milk
  • 4-5 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2-1/2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2-4 green chilies
  • 4 cloves
  • 1-1/2" cinnamon stick
  • 6 green cardamom
  • 1 star anise
  • salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Clean & cut the beef into 1″ cubes. Drain.
  2. Peel & finely slice the shallots.
  3. Finely slice the tomatoes & store separately.
  4. Peel, wash, & cut the potato & carrot into 1″ cubes.
  5. Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil in a non-stick pan. Add the Garam Masala ingredients (cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, & star anise) & saute for 1 minute.
  6. Add shallots (reserving about 1 tbsp) & saute until translucent, taking about 5 minutes.
  7. Add the drained, cubed beef, potato, & carrot along with the turmeric, salt, & pepper. Saute until all sides are seared & lightly caramelized and browned.
  8. Add the tomatoes, green chilies, & ½ the coconut milk. Transfer to a pressure cooker & cook on high heat until 1 whistle, reducing to a medium flame. Continue to cook for 20 minutes & then 10 more minutes on low flame.
  9. In a separate non-stick pan, heat the remaining oil & saute the reserved shallots & curry leaves. Add the remainder of the coconut milk & bring to a boil on medium heat. Remove from heat.

 

Pea and Leek Soup

If you prefer the soup to be 100% Vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.  I prefer to serve with toasted sourdough.  A swirl of cream will make this look nicer and taste richer.

Pea and Leek Soup
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • 3 baby leeks, sliced
  • 1-1/2 c. boiling water
  • 1 c. petits pois (peas), frozen
  • 1 tbsp chives, chopped
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp cider vinegar
  • salt & black pepper
Instructions
  1. Place the baby leeks in a small saucepan with the olive oli until the leeks are soft. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the chives, setting them aside.
  2. Simmer until the peas are cooked through. Add the chives to the pan & use a hand blender to blend until smooth, or your preferred consistency.
  3. Serve with warm bread.

Photo Courtesy of M. King on Flickr

Uncle Jim’s Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo sauce is one of the best sauces – good on all kinds of pasta!

Uncle Jim's Alfredo Sauce
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Sauces
Cuisine: Italian
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 c. cream
  • 1 c. chicken broth
  • 1 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • ½ c. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 3 tbsp fresh parsley, finely minced
  • 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • ¼ c. dry white wine
  • salt & black pepper
Instructions
  1. On medium heat, melt butter & add flour. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to cook flour completely.
  2. Add cream & broth together, blending well. Add cheeses, parsley, garlic, & wine, stirring until cheese is completely melted.
  3. Add salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Photo courtesy of DenisenFamily on Flickr