Corn in Cashew Gravy

Don't you just love it when you barely put effort into something, but it exceeds your expectations?  This is what happened to me last night, after a tiring day. I decided to make a subji of corn in a creamy gravy sauce. You'd be surprised, as I was, how one ingredient can really take a recipe to the next level.  The paste of cashews adds such a creamy richness to this simple gravy.

What you need:

• 2 cups frozen corn (I used petite organic ones)
• 1 cup frozen green peas (I again used petite ones)
• Handful of raw cashews!
• 1 red onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• small piece of ginger
• 1 green chili
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp chili powder or paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• salt/black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Puree onion, garlic, ginger, and green chili, set aside
2. Puree the cashew nuts with about 1/4 cup of water, set aside.
3. Microwave corn and peas for 3-4 minutes until tender.
4. Heat the oil and fry the cumin seeds.
5. Add the onion paste and fry for 10 minutes.
6. Add the powders (turmeric, chili, cumin) and any other optional Indian spices (i.e. garam masala), and let cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add the cashew paste, and cook for another 5 minutes, adding water if needed.
8. Mix in the corn and peas, season with salt/pepper, and simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Serve hot with any bread of choice.  I used masala naan, but it's definitely yummy and healthy enough on its own :)

Should serve 4.

Raita - Yogurt Dip

Raita is a quick and easy Indian condiment. It can be used as a dipping sauce or a side for any spicy rice or bread.

It's one of those recipes that you can throw it many different ingredients, and they all will make an equally yummy version of the "raita". Here's my version from a Sunday lunch that I used as a side for "vegetable pulav"



Ingredients:
1/2 Peeled Cucumber
5-6 Grape tomatoes
1/2 Onion
Handful of Cilantro
Creamy Yogurt - 1 C
Mint Buttermilk (optional)
Sour Cream (optional)
Cumin Powder (optional)
Chaat Masala - 1 tsp (optional)
Black pepper - to taste
Salt - to taste


Directions:
Chop all the vegetables you want to use uniformly. Stir in the yogurt, and a dollop of sour cream, and mix in the remaining ingredients. A splash of the mint flavored buttermilk will give it great fragrance and flavor.

Dum Aloo

This past weekend, I made Dum Aloo (Fried baby potatoes in a creamy gravy). It's a fool-proof crowd pleaser, but definitely not for the calorie conscious. Nevertheless, I substituted a couple of the traditional ingredients with healthier options, such as olive oil for ghee and non-fat Greek yogurt for the heavy cream. It was so delicious, that my dad and I are still savoring it little by little.

Ingredients:

10-12 baby potatoes (slice in half if they not "babies")
Onion- 1 large
Tomato - 1 pureed
Ginger - 1 piece
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Green Chilli - 2
Cilantro - 4 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1tbsp
Cloves - 2
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Powdered Cardamon - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tbsp
Yogurt - 6 tbsp
Salt - 1-2 tbsp
Olive oil - 4-5 tbs



Directions
1. Boil and peel the potatoes
2. Add 2 tbs oil and shallow fry the potatoes until they are crisp and roasted.
3. Blend the onion, ginger, garlic, and chili into a paste.
4. Heat the rest of the oil and add cumin seeds and cloves until they splutter
5. Add the onion paste and fry till golden brown.
6. Add the powders (chili, turmeric, cardamom, garam masala), and cook for a couple more minutes.
7. Add the tomato puree and simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Beat the yogurt (if not a European kind, which is already smooth), and incorporate it one spoon at a time, so that it doesn't curdle.
9. Add the potatoes, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
10. Top with chopped cilantro and enjoy with roti or rice!