Salgam Paneer - Turnips cooked with homemade paneer

Taking a page our of my own book I gave turnips a try. What I mean by that is that for some reason, I have never given turnips a chance, for no particular reason, just felt that they were too similar to potatoes. I personally love potatoes and often to do make room for any other starch...

How similar are turnips to potatoes? Well, looking though the web, it turns out they are actually much lower in carbs than potatoes, if that is your diet issue of concern.

Well, there are purple top turnips a plenty around our place, this time of the year. This recipe is exceedingly simple, with the exception of the fact, you do need to make the paneer at home, not a huge issue, but just needs some planning time.

So, to make the paneer, this is what I did, I brought about 1/2 a gallon of 2% milk to a boil, squeezed in a whole juicy lemon and waited for the milk solids to separate. Then I drained and gathered the cheese in a cheesecloth and set aside to drain.

Salgam Paneer - Turnips cooked with homemade paneer

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

8 small to medium trimmed white turnips

2 onions

1 large (about 1-inch) piece of ginger

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground fennel

1 teaspoon red chili powder

3-4 cloves

2-3 cardamoms

1.5 cups of beaten yogurt

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup of very finely chopped turnip greens (optional)

1 cups of prepared crumbled paneer

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Method of Preparation

1. Chop the turnips into eights.

2. Peel and thinly slice the onions and grate the ginger.

3. Heat the oil and add the ginger and the onions and cook for 7-8 minutes on medium heat, stirring frequently till the onions soften, wilt and then softly turn golden brown.

4. Add in the turnips and the turmeric, salt, coriander, fennel and the chili powder cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. By now the kitchen begins to smell quite glorious.

5. Add in the cardamoms and the cloves and the yogurt and bring the liquid to simmer. Reduce the heat and add the salt and the turnip greens and cook covered lightly for 15 minutes.

6. Remove the lid and stir in the paneer and cook for another 3-4 minutes, check the seasonings and stir in the cilantro and serve immediately.

A friday fish dish...

Pondicherry, is a small region on the

southern region of India. It's uniqueness lies in the fact that there is a very prominent french influence on the culture, traditions and food of the region.

The other interesting feature of this region are the various centers of holistic healing and yoga centers some based on the vision of the Sri Aurobinda.

This fish recipe is based on something I had chanced on several year back in a restaurant named Pondicherry. The named restaurant in NYC, was an interesting concept but did not unfortunately hold its own...

Well, this recipe irrespective of its name, is a nice and simple creation for a quick supper.

Fish Pondicherry - Fish in a fragrant tomato sauce

A light and tangy fish creation, with light overtones of thyme. If you do not have thyme, you can actually use some ajowain or carom seeds.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients

1 pound of wild salmon fillets, skin on

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons salt

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 teaspoons mustard seeds

1 medium white onion, peeled and cut into a dice

2-3 green chillies minced

3 tomatoes, cut into a dice

2-3 sprigs of thyme

8 basil leaves, thinly sliced

2-3 tablespoons of vinegar

Method of Preparation

1. Cut the salmon in 2 inch pieces. Rub with turmeric and half the salt.

2. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle.

3. Add the onion and the green chillies and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring freqently until the onions are soft, transluscent and wilted.

4. Add in the tomatoes and the remaining salt and thyme and cook on low heat till the tomatoes are nice and soft, this process takes about 15 minutes.

5. Stir in the basil and gently add the fish. Cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes. Do not overcook the fish, it is important for the salmon to be just moist and not dried out.

6. Stir in the vinegar and serve over rice.

Spice and Herb Roast Chicken

There is fairly a deep love of the unusual, certainly when it comes to food - a love that has certainly enhanced my love and appreciation for many a unique food destination or item. But, then again lately a lot of the differences seem so strange - possibly after 10 years of marriage we are at the point where the quirks are not so cute..

Ok! Ok! we passed that during the 5 year mark, but Anshul still patienly does loads of dishes when I do my stress cooking, and well I put up with his episodes of not shaving for 2-3 days at a stretch. One of the joys of modern living is that most days we tend to be way too busy to realize...

Anyhow, all of this is about the fact that my husband does not really like roast chicken, not really his cup of tea. Anyhow, this particular variation works for most people that I know.

Desi Roast Chicken - Spice and Herb Roasted Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2.5 hours (almost all inactive)

Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped parsely
2-3 green chillies
1 large piece of peeled ginger
2-3 pods garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons of salt
Juice of 2 fresh limes (save the squeezed fruit)
1 tablespoon grated jaggery
3-4 pound chicken
2-3 tablespoons of ghee

Method of preapartion

1. Place the cilantro, parseley, chillies, ginger, garlic, ground cumin, salt and lime juice in a blender and grind to a paste.
2. Stir in the jaggery.
3. Rub this mixture all over the chicken, taking care to enter all the cracks and crevices and well under the skin. Stiff the leftover limes into the stomach cavity.
4. Lightly spread the ghee.
5. Heat the oven to 350 degees.
6. Place the chicken in a deep baking dish and bake for about 2.5-3 hours, until the chicken is well browned, and very soft.
7. Turn off the heat and let the chicken sit for 20 minutes.
8. Slice into pieces and serve.

Note: Please save the carcass for flavorful broth.