Palak Paneer-Saag Paneer Simpler version

This is a simpler quick version unlike the traditional way.

1.In a pan with medium heat, add a Tbsp unsalted  butter. Once melted , add in 1 TSP crushed cumin seeds and 1 TSP crushed coriander seeds.

2. roast a little and  add in 2 split green chillies or 2 chopped serrano chilles.

3.Next add in 1 finely chopped onion and saute it until golden brown. Add in a TSP of Ginger-Garlic paste and saute until the raw smell fades.

4.Next add a whole bag of pre-washed spinach leaves and stir it in until the leaves wilt but still retain the bright green color. Sprinkle salt to taste. Allow this entire mixture to cool.

5.Meanwhile, take a block of store bought paneer and roughly cut into small bite sized pieces using your hands. (I like it to have rough edges than perfect cubes)

6.Place it in a bowl and add water just to cover the pieces. Microwave for 2 minutes. this process makes the paneer pieces soft and tender.(Alternatively , you can also place it in really hot water for a couple of minutes)

7.Come back to the cooled spinach mixture. In a blender, blend the entire mixture into a paste. The texture has to be grassy and not silky smooth. It is key to retain the texture. Also make sure the Cumin and coriander seeds are blended well.

8. FINAL STEP:

Now add a tbsp of butter into the same pan. Once it melts, add the ground spinach    mixture and stir in. Check for salt. Check for the consistency. if too thick, then add a little water to adjust. At this point add all the paneer pieces and mix it thoroughly until it gets coated in the green sauce. Once everything is mixed bring the entire mixture to a quick boil. turn off the heat. Finish with a drizzle of fresh cream.(alternatively, you can use thick smooth yogurt)

Enjoy with warm rotis or garlic naan.

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Sankranti special Thali

This is my first post of 2018!

First of all A very happy new year to all my readers. And happy Sankranti😊 love you all

A good part of my last year went by developing our platform The Naan-Americans. I am having so much fun and I would love it if you guys can be part of it. Be a subscriber, like our Facebook page or just follow us. Any support will count my details friends 🙂

So coming to my post for today 😊

Tis the harvest season in India and is celebrated through out the the country with different names.

Sankranti in Karnataka,Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Lohri is Northern part of India,Punjab.

Farmers celebrate the festival to mark the harvest season and are grateful for the bounty that year.

Specific dishes are made to mark the festival. Since I am from Karnataka, we call it huggi where as in Tamil Nadu it is called  pongal which is the mixture of yellow mung dal and rice seasoned with salt and pepper. The sweeter version of this would be with Jaggery and loads of ghee.

My thali above features, rice,papad,broadbeans stir fry, pongal, okra stir fry and hot rasam..

Like we say, pongaloo..pongal!!!!

The Vegan Friendly Masala Dosa Making Class with The Naan-Americans Home Kitchen

Dosa is a popular Indian breakfast dish. Indigenous to the southern part of India, this crispy rice and lentil crepe has now gained popularity and is widespread across the world.

 The dosa and its manifestations can now be seen in many Indian restaurants across the globe as well as food trucks and street food festivals in popular cities like New York, London, Boston and more.

 The classic representation of a Masala dosa would be the large perfect round shaped crepe, crisp and golden in the bottom and a white soft mesh-like texture on the top. This now is generously smeared with the red garlic chutney and filled with the classic Onion-Potato filling and served with either sambar or coconut chutney or both on the side.

 Despite its popularity and it’s ubiquitous nature, the Dosa making is still an art. One needs to know the tips and tricks to get that perfectly thin, round, golden, soft, crispy dosa. As easy as it may seem, the spicy potato filling needs some tweaks and tricks, love and care,  to make it juicy and delicious and not dry and bland.

The cooking classes and culinary events with The Naan-Americans will help you with just that. Our goal is to show and teach our guests the small nuances, the tips and tricks, the hidden idea behind a recipe so that our guests can go back home and recreate the dish with confidence and ease.

 

 

Our latest Masala dosa making class was one such beautiful experience. Our guest Erica is a lover of Indian food. She frequently dines at Indian restaurants and has even tried to cook some Indian dishes at home. She mentions that she probably has the largest Indian spice collection in her kitchen. Her only concern would be that since she is Vegan she always needs to make sure the restaurants don’t serve her dishes that are cream based or even throw in a dollop of butter on top of her Rotis or Naan.

This was her first Masala dosa making class. She was excited because everything in here was Vegan. There was no room for error. The class met all her requirements. No dairy, No meat. Just perfect. She had a vegetarian host-instructor for the night who is from the Southern part of India and knows the in and out of Dosa making.

And what a beautiful evening it was. Our guest was super excited to attend this class while getting a chance to free herself a bit and get that Me-time, that we all sometimes crave for.

She was ready to get her hands on the Dosa making starting with the potato filling. The instructor had few things prepped ahead of time and had displayed the whole ingredients needed for their cooking party this night. Soon enough the spicy potato mixture was cooking in the Kadai, the aroma of the sweet onions filling the tiny kitchen. The guest was proud and happy to learn this new dish which was good just by itself.

Ayurvedic cooking- Green Mung dal

India being the land of Ayurveda has long been integrating ayurvedic principles in everyday cooking.

Ayurveda talks about three main constitutional types. The Vaata, Pitta and the Kapha. That is Wind, Fire and Water. Every human body is the combination of these 3 elements. The balance in these three elements is what leads to the well being of mind, body and spirit.

Invariably, Indian cooking, especially vegetarian cooking is integrated with these basic principles of Ayurveda. Everyday cooking is balanced with lot of Satvik elements and healing ingredients.  The cooking techniques and the way food should be consumed is  key in achieving that balance. Food is medicine and what we eat will affect our overall well being , even our consciousness.

Indian recipes have been passed on from generations who were pioneers in applying Ayurvedic principles into everyday cooking. We have quick and healing recipes or home remedies for certain ailments. We have specific concoctions or pastes or mixtures for ailments like common cold, headache, sore throat etc. Even pregnancy and post pregnancy diet is influenced with these principles.

Today we are focusing on one such dish using the Green mung. It  is extremely healthy, has lots of protein and fiber. The Ayurvedic property green mung is it’s cooling and cleansing abilities. It is calming and soothing for the stomach, prevents gas and bloating  and is easily digestible. It is an astringent and a toner. Go Mung for sure!! 🙂

 

Green Mung Dal

(This recipe serves 2 people)

Ingredients:

1 cup Green Mung beans- Washed and soaked overnight

1 small plum tomato- diced

1 bunch of scallions- finely chopped

2 tsp Cumin powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

1 Tsp Chilli powder or  Pepper powder or 2 slit green chilli for the heat

1 tbsp Ghee

2 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp Turmeric

Salt as per taste
Cilantro and curry leaves for Garnish.

 

For tempering:

1 Tsp Cumin seeds

1 dry red chilli

1/2 Tsp  Asafoetida

1.2 inch Cinnamon stick, 1 clove and 1 Bay leaf for flavor (Optional)

Ghee

 

Preparation:

To save time place the soaked green mung  and cook in a slow cooker or pressure cooker until soft and can easily break with your fingertips. If you do not have a slow or pressure cooker then just boil  the beans directly in water until soft

In a pan pour ghee. Once the ghee is heated add all the tempering ingredients. Let the spices release the aroma and turn fragrant in hot ghee.

Next add the chopped scallions and tomatoes. Saute until the tomatoes become soft and mushy.

Add turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, pepper/chilli powder and salt into the tomato mixture.

Once all the spices blend in and the ghee starts separating, add the pre -cooked mung beans.

Add the grated ginger. Stir it all in and adjust the consistency of the soup as desired by adding a little water.

Let the dal simmer and come to boil for about 5 minutes.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and curry leaves. Serve with hot rice or just have it in a bowl by it self.

Quick Kadai Paneer

It is back to school season. That means weeknights are busy with early dinner and early bed times. Unlike summers, I like to be done with dinners as quickly as possible and get the kids ready to bed.

Quick and healthy dinner choices need not be a challenge with some simple readily available ingredients from your pantry.

Here is one such simple dish. Can be easily served with hot rice or some ready rotis or phulkas.

Ingredients:

1 small block of paneer- cut into small cubes

1 capsicum- cut into small cubes

3/4 white onion- finely chopped

2 plum tomatoes- finely chopped

Spices:

1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

2 tsp Ginger and garlic paste

2 tsp of coriander powder

2 tsp cumin powder

1tsp garam masala

Salt as per taste.

Preparation

In a hard bottom Kadai pour 2 tablespoon of oil

Once the oil is hot, put the finely chopped onions and fry them until golden brown.

Next add tomatoes and and fry them until they are soft and get mixed with the onions and form a nice smooth paste. Cover the kadai with a lid and leave the flame on medium for about 5 minutes.

Now you can see the oil separating from the tomato-onion mixture.

Now it’s time to add the salt and Ginger garlic paste and fry for few more minutes until the raw smell of the Ginger garlic fades away.

Now add the capsicum and stir it with the mixture. Cover the lid and let the capsicum get tender, but not too soft.

Once the capsicum is done , add all the masalas (spices) together and mix well. Add quarter cup of wate,check for salt and let the mixture come to a boil. Once the gravy starts to boil add the paneer cubes and give a good stir.

Turn the flame to low and cover the lid and let the paneer soak in all the spices and flavor from the gravy.

Turn off the flame. Garnish with fresh cilantro, maybe a drizzle of cream and a sprinkle of kasoori methi for additional flavor.

Additional notes:

Before using, leave the paneer cubes in warm water for about a minute to make it soft and spongy

Kasoori methi is dried fenugreek available easily in the market. Just crush it with your palms and sprinkle on the dish for the extra flavor

Come Join Us

Dear foodies and loyal viewers of the page,

If you want to create an impact in your community by sharing culture and traditions through food, then read on…

I am now taking registrations for chefs/cooks to host cooking classes from your choice of location and your choice of regional cuisine. If you would like to teach a class then
please send me a message .

If you don’t want to teach but still be featured on our website then please send us a video of the food you are preparing, the background of the dish, its tradition, story and region it belongs . We will publish it on our website The Naan-Americans. you will be happy that you are part of a social impact.
Thank you

Love and happy cooking 🙂

email: anjanasudhir@gmail.com

Anjana, co-founder, The Naan-Americans

 

Experience to remember inside a Korean Kitchen

Our platform The Naan-Americans, www.thenaanamericans.com, is all about exchanging recipes and culture and love 🙂

Check out our blog about our new home chef Seunghee Chai, who will be teaching Japchae in our next cooking showcase at a farm in Chestnut hill.

My friend had an opportunity to learn a signature Korean dish called Japchae right in the chef’s  kitchen . While she learned how to make the noodles, she also got a glimpse of Korean Culture, traditions and a warm and memorable experience to cherish.

Please read further to learn more about this.

https://www.thenaanamericans.com/single-post/2017/07/05/An-experience-to-remember-inside-a-Korean-Kitchen

 

 

TNA- A great way to Meet.mix.mingle.

 

The Naan-Americans-Your Boutique store for cooking experiences!!!

DO you love cooking? Do you love teaching ? Then come join the community of home chefs to cook, teach and share your original, authentic, traditional dishes to food lovers in your area.

Our platform will empower you to rediscover your passion for cooking, enhance your creativity in food and at the same time help bring people together to exchange culture, share stories, break barriers and biases, reduce perceptions and prejudices and create a happy community.

Who would say no to that? Come join us now! Browse our site here

www.thenaanamericans.com

Sign up here:

https://form.jotform.us/71667054637160

The NAAN-Americans, Bringing people together through cooking experiences

 

I am thrilled to announce about the platform called The Naan-Americans.

A community building platform for food lovers/enthusiasts/bloggers/writers/critics and anyone who loves the art of blending spices and blending with people.

Passionate home chefs can showcase their unique regional recipe form around the world and people in the community can sign up for these classes.

A great platform to socialize, meet cool people and at the same time enjoy the culinary art.

Do check out www.thenaanamericans.com.

 

 

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Extreme Nachos!!!

Super bowl is around the corner right? Actually, I am not a big fan of football . Also I don’t need a good reason or logic  to have these loaded Nachos 🙂

I call them loaded nachos or supreme nachos. Its loaded with veggies, beans, cheese and all the good stuff and is extremely flavorful and juicy.

 

So, here is the recipe:

A bag of sturdy corn chips ( Tostitos and the like)

1 Large Bell pepper

1 Sweet onion

1 Cup of Black Beans

1 Cup of Sweet Corn

1 Jalapeno

Sweet pickles(  round slices of cucumber pickles)

1 Packet of Mexican Cheese Blend ( Cheddar, Monterey jack)

For Salsa:

2 Roma Tomatoes

1 Red Onion

1 Jalapeno

1 Lime

1 Cup of Finley Chopped Cilantro

Other Condiments:

Salt, Pepper, Sour Cream, Sriracha Sauce

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is heating prepare the chips.

Take a baking sheet. Lay the chips all across the sheet in a single layer. Spread the sliced onions, Bell pepper, sliced Jalapeno, sweet pickles, corn and black beans evenly on the chips. Next, cover the chips with generous amount of cheese.

Next, prepare the salsa. Finely dice the Roma tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno and cilantro. Mix all in a bowl, sprinkle salt, freshly ground black pepper and squeeze a generous amount of lime juice.

When the oven is ready, place the baking sheet in the oven and wait for the cheese to  melt evenly. When the cheese is all melted, remove the chips from the oven and place it on a rack to cool. Make sure you don’t burnt the cheese.

Next, spread the fresh salsa mixture evenly on top of the chips. Sprinkle a dash of salt and ground black pepper. Drizzle a spoonful of sour cream and Sriracha sauce. Squeeze lime juice on top and garnish with cilantro.

Serve it warm.

ENJOY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

No books this time

Often, these days I am finding myself reaching out to Google for help. I am finding my self typing keywords like parenting tips, rebellious child, bored child, how to deal with 9 year old girls etc.

 

It makes me very sad and nervous at the same time. Because I feel that my little girl, whom I think is still a baby, a kindergartner, has already reached that dreadful phase of pre-teens.

 

She is only 9. Yet, I feel she is going through a phase of emotional upheavals. I find her getting upset, angry, sad, moody and disinterested in her usual activities.

A zillion questions rushes into my head. Is she having school troubles? Is she having friend troubles? Is she not eating enough? Did I say something mean to her? Is this a developmental change? Is this hormonal? And the worst thought is she depressed?

 

I don’t feel like heading to the library and grab all the parenting books for help because I still believe it is just a passing phase. She has found out a new video game, which she is obsessed with. So she is on the computer all the time. And for that reason we have been having tug of war, ego wars, power struggles between us. (BTW, I have newly discovered these words and phrases while searching for parenting tips)

 

I am trying to discipline her with many strategies that I can think of. I admit I have not been very nice to her lately. I want her to learn responsibilities, understand the concept of time (5 minutes is not equal to an hour) eat on time, sleep on time, be nice to her sister, be nice to her parents and the list is long. So as you can see my expectations from her are quite a lot. While I am in this phase of teaching her things I feel she is going through a completely different phase where she does not want to listen to anything I say or ask her to do. Much worse she is talking back to me and pointing out at my so-called mistakes. She has been the opposite of everything I expect of her! At this point a doctor might help? No, I believe things have not gone that out of control.

 

So here I am Googling about parenting tips. And thankfully I found some help. Words which I want to hang on to and be consistent with them. Of course I am learning too. I want to be sane and act sane in front of my daughter. I don’t want to have the ego wars, power struggles with a child. I have come to terms with the fact that she growing. She is not a baby anymore. She is developing her individual personality and this growth and development phase of hers is going to affect me.

 

I love my daughter and I want her to feel loved. And hence the three words which I Vow to stick with from now on. They are Kind, Firm and Authoritative.

I am going to exercise kindness, express love and affection through words and action.

I am going to be firm with my decisions in setting boundaries and expectations and learn to communicate that to her in a kind and effective way.

I am going to be authoritative and make her realize what to expect from the family and vice versa.

 

This is the first step, which I am willing to take in helping my daughter grow into a beautiful, strong and a confident woman.

Madras on rainy days -Samina Ali

Exhausting! Not in a bad way!

The book is in the voice of the protagonist. A young girl. The age which you only realize when you are at almost three-quarters of the book.

It is thick , heavily weaved and braided narrative where the protagonist almost drags you along through her journey from her engagement to her marriage. the chapters are named after each ceremony from the Mungni to the nikkah

There is this deep sense of sorrow in the voice that lugs all along and hence no matter how hard you try to take the book lightly , you cannot.

The narrator touches all topics in the course of this journey about Society, religion, emotional conflicts, the hypocrisies, the double standards,  gender discrimination and the political scene.

The two different worlds that the protagonist experiences one inside the chador and the one outside of it, the conflicting beliefs, the deep conflicting chaos that occurs within the soul of the narrator has been in-depth laid out there in a exhausting beautiful way by the author.

The women in the story are both powerful yet powerless. It is a weird state of mind which is almost insane like the author herself has portrayed the characters.

Despite this, the climax just gets you . I was all teary eyed. i felt deep sorrow for the young girl and by this time you are so entangled in the web that even the reader feels helpless.

And the ending leaves us with the question? why did she chose to stay?

And we know the answer.

The Apartment- By Danielle Steel

Dear friends,

I am starting my first book review with The Apartment by Danielle Steel.

I had an hour of free time between dropping off and picking up my kids from an Thursday  night art class. So I headed to the library. I straight  ahead stood in front of the New Fiction section, browsed the rows of books from top left to bottom right and I stopped at this book.

I usually glance through the jacket  to get a summary of what the book is about.

Four independent women, friends living in NewYork City. That sold me the book. I flipped through the first couple of pages right there in a quiet corner of the library and then by the end of the hour I brought the book home.

The book is neither thumbs up nor thumbs down. It is pretty much about Life, As we know it. It is about friendship, love, heartbreak, family and in the end friends becoming family!

The story is set in NewYork city in the neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen. I am aways excited about NYC, and the whimsical feeling that you get when hearing about the great city. So, I was expecting the author would take us deep into the city life in much great detail but I was disappointed. The story mostly focuses on the four women sharing a Loft in NYC’s Hell’s Kitchen. The author  dives right into the characters, their busy lives, their aspirations, dreams, commitments and how everything goes wrong and then yet everything will become alright.

My favorite character is Sasha, the OB/GYN. I could relate to her more easily than anyone else. I admired her character where she is beautiful, intelligent and is very sure of what she wants and also I admired her values as opposed to her erratic sister/model Veronica. Mostly because of my upbringing and my culture. I was hoping that my daughters would one day be like Sasha. I also loved Sasha’s man Alex and his relationship with his parents.

The book takes you through the journey of these four beautiful, independent and intelligent women who have shared the loft and have lived together for 9 years.

In the course of 9 years their life goes through ups and downs. There is happiness and heart break. There is this unflinching bond among friends, friends who are more like family. The male partners who truly love and worship their women and then a couple  who subject them to deceit. There is tears, there is joy, there are fun moments where the whole gang have just simple good fun. As a reader I was looking forward to their Sunday night dinners and guessing what Max might cook that night.

In the end the book made me happy. It is about life as we know it. It made me wonder if there could be anywhere in the world such strong friendship among women where there is no jealousy, no judgement. Just pure friendship.

Weekend brunch. ALC Sandwich

Simple weekend brunch with coffee.  My new Avocado-lettuce-cucumber sandwiches.

Easy preparation, tastes so good and puts me back on my lounge sofa with coffee and my smartphone checking facebook pictures:)
Oh yeah, my kids loved them too. In fact, they had fun building their own sandwich:)
You should definitely try  them .

I used:
Slices of regular bread toasted lightly with oil
Cucumber roundels
Avocado slices
Leaves of boston lettuce
Some ketchup
Some pesto sauce from a tube
Salt n pepper

Preparation:

Just prepare and keep ready the above ingredients.
Start building your sandwich. 
Take the bottom piece of the bread and spread some pesto sauce .
Layer with a large leaf of lettuce .
Add the cucumbers and Avocado slices.
Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Squeeze some ketchup.
Close the sandwich with a top piece of bread also smeared with some pesto!!!