One of my highlights from visiting India was the cooking class and dinner hosted by Kiran Rathore and her family at their lovely home in Jaipur.
Kiran shared her knowledge and passion for cooking with us by taking us through basic spices and cooking techniques. We got the opportunity to take part in cooking all of the dishes we had for dinner. Not only did we have a great meal in a lovely garden with great company, but we also got a copy of a few recipes we made for dinner.
Back home, I have managed to make two of the dishes already, Lentils Pakoras and Shahi Paneer. I have to say, this was at first a bit scary for me as I have never been able to make a good curry but it was actually super easy to make as well as it came out deliciously!
Lentil Pakoras
Ingredients for 2 to 3 people
- 100g green split lentils
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 chopped green chilli
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (hara dhania)
- Salt to taste
- Oil to fry
- 1 teaspoon coarsely grounded coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger and garlic
Method
- Wash the lentils properly, followed by soaking the lentils for 4 to 6 hours
- Drain out the extra water and coarsely ground the lentils in a mixer / grinder (little water can be added if needed)
- Mix all the above ingredients in the ground lentils except for the oil
- Heat the oil in a pan / wok / kadar
- Make small dumplings and deep fry until nice golden brown and crispy
Optional – Add chaat masala on the Pakoras before serving
Tip: If the oil is too hot, the Pakoras will not be crispy and if the oil is not hot enough, the Pakoras will be greasy.
Shahi Paneer
Ingredients for 5 to 6 people
- 400g cottage cheese (Paneer)
- 3 large onions sliced
- 4 large tomatoes chopped into 4 pieces
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon ghee or butter
- 6 to 8 cashew nuts
- 3 teaspoons cream
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- Salt to taste
- Sprinkle Kasuri Methi (optional)
Method
- Cut all of the paneer into half inch wide and one inch long pieces
- Put oil in a wok / kadai / pan
- Add the onions, tomatoes and cashew nuts
- Add half a cup of water, cook until the tomatoes are soft and allow to cool
- Grind the mixture to a fine paste
- Heat the oil and ghee in a kadai, now add the garlic ginger paste.- Saute for a while on a medium heat
- Add the chilli powder and stir
- Add the above grinded paste and stir for a while
- Add paneer pieces
- Add cream, pinch of sugar, garam masala and salt – stir
- Add Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and fresh coriander leaves for garnishing
One can either serve the Shahi Paneer with basmati rice or you can try another rice dish from Kiran.
Vegetable Pulao (rice)
Ingredients – serve 2 people
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ teaspoon black cumin seeds (jeera)
- 5 pieces black pepper
- 2 nos 1 inch long cinnamon sticks
- 1 piece black cardamom
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 raw potato peeled and cut into pieces
- 4 to 5 pieces cauliflower florets
- ½ cup peas
- Salt to taste
- 100 grams raw basmati rice washed and soaked in water for 20 minutes
- 1 onion and potatoes slice finely
- Cashews and raisins optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (hara dhania)
- Optional – Add carrots, beans, broccoli, cottage cheese or any other seasonal vegetables
Method
- Put kadai (wok) on heat and add oil
- When oil is hot, add whole spice
- Add potatoes and stir
- Add cauliflower and peas (and any other vegetables you wish) and stir
- Add soaked basmati rice and salt, stir for two to three minutes
- Add water in ratio 2:1 (water:rice)
- Cook for ten to twelve minutes on a low heat
- Fry sliced onion, potatoes and cashews in separate oil for garnishing
- Remove from heat and cover for ten minutes
- Garnish with fresh coriander, fried onions, potatoes and cashews
Last but not least, a recipe to make Chapati (roti) / Purri
Ingredients
- 100 grams whole / wheat flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup water
Method for Chapati
- Put flower in a large bowl or plate
- Add a pinch of salt and mix
- Add ¼ cup of water and mix with your hands
- Continue adding water with a spoon until mixture is a dough
- Form into ping pong ball sizes
- Roll in flour and then roll with a rolling pin -always using flour
- Heat pan / tawa
- Cook on the one side until small bubbles show and then turn
- Turn and pat down as the chapatti rises
- Turn and repeat
Method for Purri
- Add 1 teaspoon oil in the above ingredients and dough should be more firm than the chapatis
- Make small balls of dough and roll into small round sizes and then deeply fry in the vegetable oil till golden brown on both sides
- Drain the oil and take it out.
Sit back, relax and enjoy your feast from Jaipur with your loved ones.
Travel Love
Chrisyy