This peanut spread may not look like much. It borderlines on being aesthetically-challenged even. In fact, I have learned that when I serve it to friends, I shouldn't tell them right up front what's in it other than peanut butter. From my personal experience, many people find the idea of pairing Thai curry paste and peanut butter, well, disgusting.
Instead, I let them taste it. Then I pause for a bit. I remain silent, observing...waiting until their eyes light up. And before they utter a word, I say, "Satay sauce, right?" The answer is always a resounding yes.

A more concentrated, thicker version of Thai-style satay sauce.
And that's because this peanut spread is nothing but a more concentrated, thicker version of Thai-style satay sauce. It is developed from my mother's streamlined, easy peanut sauce recipe which has been with our family since before I was born. It contains the same main ingredients: roasted peanuts which have been ground into a paste, Thai red curry paste, and a few other seasoning ingredients. The only difference is the use of coconut milk powder (which, contrary to what some cookbooks say, is not pulverized, desiccated coconut meat but spray-dried coconut milk) in lieu of regular coconut milk in order to minimize the amount of liquid preventing it from being too runny.
In other words, although you may find this curried peanut spread a bit unusual, if you're a Thai restaurant regular, its taste should not be too much of a shock to your palate. If you like Thai-style peanut sauce, I'm going to wager that you'll like this sandwich spread.
But satay sauce on, er, bread? Why, yes. If you have been to Thailand and had a chance to eat pork or chicken satay on the streets, surely you remember that your satay set comes with a plate of toast on the side. The idea of putting bread and peanut sauce together isn't strange at all.

adapted from a recipe posted to http://community.qvc.com/

Go ahead and imagine the most flavorful bite of food you can. What makes it so flavorful? Is it the amount of salt? The amount of heat? The amount of fat? The amount of acidity?

All of these factors come into play in this recipe for lamb curry from April Bloomfield’s A Girl and Her Pig. It’s undoubtedly the best curry I’ve ever had in my life; but it may also be the single most flavorful bite of food I can remember eating in a long, long time.

"Paneer", or cottage-cheese, is as well-known amongst Americans as Indians. And I personally have friends who love it so much, they make me take them to Indian restaurants for lunches whenever possible. So here's a simple paneer recipe called "Shahi Paneer" that you can easily make at home! It is also by names like "Paneer makhani" or "Paneer makhanvala". So no matter what name you are looking for, the technique remains the same:)

Paneer, or Cottage Cheese, can be enjoyed in various forms, and I can totally relish eating just raw fresh paneer, but the avenues that it provides to cooking are just amazing! Add these cubes to any veggie curry and it transforms into something rich and delicious. So here's another rich and creamy variation that involved shredded paneer, and its my husband's absolute favourite. It's called Akbari Paneer. I first tasted it in a desi restaurant in california, and have been a fan ever since. It has now become a regular paneer delight in our house as it's simple to make and tastes great with any naan, bread or jeera rice!

"Variety is the spice of life"- this shows how important spice is in anyone's life, so today we salute the ingredient which brings spice into our lives, literally. "Chillies" are available in various forms, shapes, sizes and colours, but the end result is always the same, something tasty and spicy. Today I share with you my recipe of Chilli Paneer. Its a favourite amongst elders and youngsters alike. With the succulent paneer (cottage cheese) coated and flavoured in soy sauce and green chillies, this dish is perfect to enjoy with rice or bread/parathas. And simple to cook, it takes not more than 15-20 mins!

Tandoori Paneer Tikka - the name itself makes my mouth water!! Succulent cubes of paneer marinated and grilled or baked in a "tandoori oven", then served with grilled vegetables, is enough to tempt anyone on earth. But this time around, inspired by combining the Indian and Asian tastes in one dish, I have tried a variation which still uses a spicy yogurt marinade, but the final Paneer Tikka is then served hot, drizzled with a home-made sweet and tangy mango dressing, and serves to be a perfect side-dish to an Indian meal. Sounds inviting, right? Just wait till you've actually tasted it, maybe you wouldn't like leaving any for your guests!

If you are craving for a simple yet tasty Paneer recipe that won't take hours of preparation, and which you can savor with Rotis/Parathas/Naans or Rice, look no further. Kadhai Paneer is a healthy, nutritious, protein-rich and almost fat-free Indian curry that will leave you satisfied at the end of your meal. Flavored with kasuri-methi, ginger-garlic and a blend of mild Indian spices, it can be ready in a jiffy and can be a perfect accompaniment to bread or rice for a fulfilling weeknight dinner! Sending this over to Srivalli for Monthly Mingle, featuring Kid's Lunches this month!

I can eat Paneer Butter Masala almost every day, but this saturday, our cravings were at a peak-time high as there was light rain outside. Everyone knows I just love Paneer Recipes, and this weekend I decided to make the eternal favorite Paneer Butter Masala, that velvetty-smooth gravy that has all the goodness of indian spices combined with cubes of cottage cheese and garnished with cream and coriander! Now do I have your attention??! Paneer Butter Masala is similar to other paneer gravies, except that as the name implies, it is more rich due to butter and the gravy is thickened by using onions, tomatoes and cashew paste rather than just cream. You cannot go wrong with this, try it for yourself and see!

Believe me, paneer is such a versatile ingredient in Indian cooking, you could make an entire meal using just this, right from appetizers to main course to dessert! Hey maybe they should choose paneer as the next secret ingredient for Iron Chef!:) Till then, try this mouth-watering recipe (adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's cookbook) at home and enjoy its taste as it lingers on your tongue and your senses!

PANEER TIKKA RECIPE

CHANAR DALNA RECIPE

This simple vegetarian curry, full of fresh Indian flavours, is quick to make and cooks in a single pot

Makes 4 servings

Thai-style curries are a staple in my weeknight roster. They come together in a flash. All you've got to do is sauté some aromatics and curry paste, deglaze with stock, coconut milk, and fish sauce, adjust the seasoning, and simmer your main ingredient until it's cooked through.
This recipe doctors up some store-bought red curry paste with a few extra spices to produce a more complex, nuanced finished dish. Once the stock is ready, shrimp are simmered for just a few moments until cooked through, then the whole thing is served over noodles. Add a handful of quick-cooking greens along with the shrimp (I'd suggest water spinach or baby bok choy), and you've got an all-in-one meal in a bowl.
The kicker here is the fried shallots, which add sweet crunch to every bite. Frying your own shallots is easy, but you can easily use store-bought fried shallots. They can be found in most decent Asian grocers.

Pakoras typically consist of fish, meat or vegetables that are coated in a batter made from spiced gram flour and fried until golden brown. These prawn pakoras are especially delicious served with a spicy green or tomato and cucumber chutney.

Madras veg stir-fry

Babycorn with Dal is nothing but crunchy mixed Veggies with Red Lentils. This is a curry with minimal spices so can be served to kids as well.

Mixed vegetables tossed with onion, red pepper with a touch of spice. Light and delicious, and easy to prepare, can be served as a side dish or as a quick snack. Slap it up with a chapatti, tortilla wrap or even a Naan it's truly sensational.

Do you want King Prawn Bhuna with that unique British Indian Restaurant quality and taste? Then simply follow the instructions below for success every time...

Do you want Chicken Dopiaza with that unique British Indian Restaurant quality and taste? Then simply follow the instructions below for success every time...

Cauliflower & Broccoli make a good combination from ages. Generally it is cooked in a creamy white sauce or parmesan cheese. Here is an Indianised version of these vegetables - this is a quick way to enjoy these nourishing vegetables in a tasty way!

Mushroom Masala is a spicy form of Mushrooms cooked in Tomato gravy with other spices. You can try this curry when your crisper is clean and empty or just left with minimal vegetables :-p...This can be served with Basmati Rice or any Indian bread.

Yellow Thai Curry is a speciality of Thai Cuisine. Generally Thai cooking involves Coconut milk or cream which makes the gravy rich and creamier. This curry is made by boiling mixed veggies in Coconut milk and of course the Thai Curry paste. So if you are a big fan of Coco milk why not give it a try?

Biryani is a rice-based dish cooked with a whole mess of different spices, and usually, though not always, some kind of meat. When that meat is lamb or beef, it consequently takes some time to cook, which means I don't get to write about this dish too often. But this recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's At Home with Madhur Jaffrey solves that problem by using shrimp, so that this dish can be whipped up in less than hour with absolutely no shortcuts.
Not that any of the flavor is left behind. Shrimp are rubbed with a spice blend of cumin, turmeric, cayenne, salt, and pepper, before being sautéed and then removed. The rice then cooks in the same oil, so it picks up the spices and the shrimp flavor. Only at the very end are the rice and the shrimp mixed together, so that the shrimp stay plump and juicy.

What is most surprisingly about this "chicken curry in hurry" recipe from Hari Nayak's My Indian Kitchen is how many corners it doesn't cut. There is no cream here, or even yogurt. Instead, a spice mixture is blended up and cooked until it thickens, meaning this isn't exactly the quickest "curry in hurry" recipe, even if it doesn't really take that much time. Luckily, it sure is flavorful.
It helps that the chicken is browned first so you get that wonderfully meaty backbone in each bite. But I think most of the dish's success comes down to that fragrant spice mixture, which includes onion, turmeric, garlic, ginger, and cumin. Some garam masala is also added in later on, which lends a surprising amount of complexity to this curry.

Eating more vegetables is never a bad idea and one of the most enjoyable ways to make it happen is familiarizing yourself with the joys of Indian cooking. If tackling it seems intimidating, try out this Bihari Green Beans Masala adapted from The Occasional Vegetarian. It's a great recipe to get you started.
It starts with the combination of green beans and almonds (anyone else reminded of green beans almondine?) then employs a palette of spices you probably already have on hand: cumin, paprika, coriander, and red chile flakes. Toasted with onion and garlic then simmered in coconut milk with stubby little green beans, this simple recipe leaves you with a rich dish of spicy-creamy beans that are just waiting to be spooned over a steaming plate of basmati rice.
No more complicated than your run-of-the-mill green bean recipe, this one is packed with big spices, sweet coconut milk and beans that are so satisfying, they verge on meaty, not to mention give you some confidence to move onto other vegetarian, Indian-inspired cooking projects.

Ask any American what the most popular dish in an Indian restaurant is and you'll likely hear Chicken Tikka Masala—the British-Indian mashup of chicken cooked in a tandoor oven (check out our grilled version) and coated with a sweet, creamy tomato sauce. But hey, guess what! Turns out that Britons have cooled to the dish in pursuit of spicier fare. The number one dish in Britain's over 10,000 Indian restaurants as reported by The Daily Mail? Chicken Jalfrezi.
It's not as popular with the U.S. audience (yet), but it seems that as palates are shifting and folks are becoming more and more accustomed to spicier foods, jalfrezi is getting primed to win over this side of the pond as well. With its origins in China, jalfrezi is more similar in its cooking method to dry-fried Chinese dishes rather than the typical wet Indian curry.
It's made by cooking spicy green chiles (I use Thai bird chiles, you can use serranos or jalapeños if you prefer) along with onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro stems and red peppers. The key to great flavor development is to cook down the aromatics in oil until almost all the moisture is driven from them and they become sticky and begin to brown. To this flavorful base, a few spices are added (hot paprika, cumin, coriander, and turmeric), along with chopped tomatoes.
Chicken is the typical main element of choice, and while many vegetarian versions use cauliflower and chickpeas, I prefer the tender texture of potatoes. I'm always looking for more ways to get leafy greens into my diet, and spinach works very well in this dish. Traditional? Not at all. Delicious? You betcha.
A simple chutney of cilantro, garlic, chile, and lime juice finishes it off. (Also, keep that chutney around—it's great on everything).

This Black-Eyed Pea Curry from Suvir Saran's Masala Farm is the kind of recipe that'll make you realize you're definitely not eating enough black-eyed peas. This good-luck-in-the-New-Year legume makes an absolutely perfect curry candidate when simmered in a deeply spiced tomato broth.

Scallops work well with a bit of spice and at this time of the year, spiced-up yellow split peas in the form of dhal are a delicious combination with the scallops.

It's good to have something that can be easily eaten in one hand and that is cooked on trays in the oven. Thisis perfect cocktail-party food.

I love the way curry powder is used in Malaysia and other parts of South-east Asia – it adds great richness and colour to so many dishes. And if I had a dollar for every time I made this one, I'd be on to a nice little earner.

This lightly curried egg-noodle dish, which can also be made with chicken or prawns, is a favourite in our house. It has a lovely salty sweetness, which is nicely offset by the crisp salad it's served with.

There's little that tastes as healthy and satisfying as a bowl of warming lentil soup. I use a mix of puy and red lentils for texture, and, as always, it's the addition of a few extras at the end that makes the difference.

Crispy Paneer is a spicy starter. This deep fried Paneer or cottage cheese is an excellent recipe for any cocktail snack as well. Serve this tempting dish with some raw Onions and mint Chutney.

Bombay Aloo (Bombay Potatoes) is a popular North Indian side dish. Now how did it get this name is a mystery - Bombay is a city in India which is now called as Mumbai. Maybe this version originated in Mumbai and so the name - anyways this is a delicious way to make Potatoes colourfull! The left overs can be mashed and used to make stuff Parathas.

Vegetable Biryani is a spicy rice item with a combination of Vegetables and Indian spices. This is actually a Mughlai dish but has gained popularity in Indian Cuisine. This can be served as a main dish with any gravy or Raita.

There’s a falafel joint down the street from me that makes these amazing curry fries and you can smell them from a block away. They are so tantalizing, but baked fries are sooo much healthier and totally quench my curry fry craving.

These baked fries do take a bit of work. You need to parboil them, plunge them into ice water and then bake. But I wouldn’t post this recipe if it weren’t totally worth it! It’s everything a fry should be; a creamy interior while crispy on the outside. And it’s one of those things that, if you do it once, the next time it won’t be such a big deal and the time after that even less so. Looking over the directions I’m surprised at how much work it looks like when in reality it is so easy!

The type of curry powder you use is important. I use the Penzey’s sweet curry blend. It’s fairly mild with a little kick, and not bitter like some curry powders can be. Oh, and expect yellow garlic fingers for a few hours because you have to handle the curry powder with your hands. Welcome to my world.

Kerala curry is a famous fish curry from the southern Indian state of Kerala. It is traditionally served in a shallow clay dish called a chatty, or manchatti.

Kaeng kiao wan is the Thai phrase that indicates a green curry. Shrimp (kung, khung, or goong) is a very popular type of green curry dish, but you can substitute fish, chicken, beef, or shellfish according to your taste.

Goa curry in one form or another is eaten up and down the western coast of India. There are endless variations, but the basic qualities are a fiery hot coconut curry with the sour punch of tamarind.

This dish is spiced with garam masala, a blend of aromatic spices such as cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Serve with naan or other soft flatbread. Since tofu sometimes sticks to the skillet when pan-fried, use a nonstick skillet if you have one on hand.

Potato And Pea Curry (Aloo Matar)

Tantalising flavours make this healthy tikka masala a winner on all levels.

Yes, curry is popular in Indian cuisine. Except it's not a singular dish that you will find across all tables. There are plenty of curries in India. Each region, each home, each religion has its own variations. This translates into a delicious abundance of liquid manna in shades of amber, red, yellow and green.

I've always been fascinated by the gushing reviews that "curry" gets in the west, especially in the UK. So on a recent trip to Britain, I was eager to try the dish that has put Indian cuisine on the world map, in its new home. I ordered the first chicken curry I saw on a menu. Suffice it to say that the only thing that I could recognize was the white rice accompanying the dish. This was no curry! The dish had barely enough gravy to smudge the bottom of the serving bowl. It did have spice, but it wasn't really amalgamated and the sweetness was disorienting.
For Indians, a curry is a fish, meat, or veggie preparation swimming in a sometimes-spicy, sometimes-mellow gravy. The copious amount of gravy is used to drape each grain of rice, till every morsel is bursting with the flavor of the aromatic spices.
There's enough space on the global table for all versions of curry, but here's a glimpse of an authentic version of Goan fish curry. The blend of spices and coconut brings out the mild sweetness of the tender fresh fish that is so abundant in Goa and around the coast of India. Serve it with steamed white or red rice.

If there is one dish that's common through the extreme diversity of Indian cuisine, it's daal (lentils). Rich and poor, festival fare or frugal meal, it's the great leveller of Indian food.
In India, the word daal refers to the lentil as well as the finished dish. There are about five or six commonly used daals and countless dishes that we create out of them.
In fact, so popular is daal in Indian cuisine that the term daal-chaval (lentils and rice) is commonly used as a synonym for food.
For most of vegetarian India, it is a vital source of protein. And a dish that finds its way to the table every day, sometimes for all three meals. We also love to cook our meats with lentils. And some delicious, robust dishes emerge from this wonderful pairing.
Its mild, understated nature makes daal a blank canvas of sorts, for the various regions of India to embellish in their own unique way. In fact, there are so many ways to make daal; so many combinations and cultural variations that it could take you a good part of the year to eat your way through them all, without a hint of routine setting in.
A simple starting point to the world of daals is the daal tadka.
To give a dish a tadka is simply to temper it with ghee (clarified butter) and spices. When the spices enter the hot ghee, they infuse their rich flavors into it. This heady, perfumed oil is then poured over the daal where it spits and sizzles quite dramatically as it permeates the calm yellow concoction.
The heady aroma and the wild hiss and sputter of the tadka is kitchen theater at its best. And the main act, you will soon discover is worthy of many encores.

On a cool crisp day there is nothing better then enjoying a delicious comforting stew with a savory earthy flavor. This  stew has a fragrant curried aroma which fills the air making for a warm and comforting atmosphere. The spiced curry sauce is excellent combined with the slightly sweet coconut milk. The crisp vegetables coalesced with the soft red beans served over a bed of fluffy white rice makes for one scrumptious dinner!

This is the ideal recipe for someone with no time, simply prepare vegetables, add all ingredients to crock pot, and then your free to enjoy your day. Come back in a few hours and be welcomed to a fragrant kitchen with a delicious hearty stew ready to be enjoyed

Tikka Masala is a famous Indian dish usually served with chicken, but for a twist on this classic dish, it can be adapted for vegetarians by using Clawson Paneer cheese. The texture and buttery flavour of the Paneer really compliments the lightly spiced, tangy tomato sauce for a tasty meal with a fusion of flavours. Anjum Anand reveals how to best to serve the dish: “The Paneer Tikka Masala is a great dinner party meal that both vegetarians and non-vegetarians love and is best served with rice or Naan.”

Rice can sit on the sidelines sometimes, acting as a starchy support. Not so in the case of biryani. Baked with all sorts of sweet, heady aromatics as well as deeply caramelized onions, this Shrimp Biryani from The Food52 Cookbook by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs makes a main event out of delicate basmati rice.
The rice is soaked (a great trick for cutting down on cooking time) then tossed with a bright green chile-ginger-cilantro paste, then baked in the oven until cooked through and just a little crusty on the bottom. Shrimp rubbed with turmeric and salt are briefly sautéed, coated with that same bright green chile paste and spooned over the cardamom scented rice.
It's a lovely plate, full of all sorts of exotic spices that pop up in each bite—heat from the serrano chiles and black pepper, warmth from cinnamon and cloves, and bright bursts of ginger and cilantro.
If you're looking to add more to the dish, a vegetable-heavy yogurt raita works quite nicely, balancing the heat and adding a welcome creaminess.

Nate Tate and his sister Mary Kate Tate (yes: their real names!) are the authors of a brand new cookbook, “Feeding The Dragon,” that documents their travels around China (nine regions, 9,700 miles) and the recipes (100) that they collected on their journey. I first encountered the book when they asked me to write a blurb for it (look for me on the back cover); I didn’t know what to expect when they sent it my way. But what this book contains is the real deal: authentic recipes, impressive photography, and real world stories of making one’s way around China. (Don’t miss the episode where they’re chased by feral dogs, pg. 69.)

I was sold on this recipe from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen the moment after I read the first step. That's where author Andrea Nguyen describes watching the "whirling blizzard" of lemongrass in the food processor as it transforms from chopped stalks into a "fine, fluffy mass." Sure enough, the lemongrass puffs up sort of like cotton candy, before eventually turning into a paste when you add the onion and ginger. Theatrics aside, it's really just a fragrant base for a dish that is far more comforting than I had expected.

But I suppose that is what happens when you combine chicken thighs, coconut milk, and potatoes. Nothing is too dominant in the mix. In fact, instead of lemongrass, the first thing you'll notice is the curry powder. The recipe calls for a Madras blend or a Vietnamese-style one, but that's up too you. Regardless, a squeeze of fresh lime juice at the end helps to wake everything up.

Fresh mushrooms tossed with onion and red pepper with a touch of spice. Light and delicious, and easy to prepare, this can be served as a side dish or as a quick snack. Enjoy with a chapatti, tortilla wrap or even a Naan: it's truly sensational.

'Bhajee,' the word, is often misunderstood as meaning deep fried as in 'onion bhajee' but the true description would be a fairly dry dish cooked in oil with onion and light spice.

This dish is best cooked in a stir fry pan (non-stick if available) accompanied with a lid.

Tandoori: Chunks of Meat, Fish or Vegetables marinated in spices and yoghurt, then skewered and cooked in a Tandoor Oven, under a grill or on a barbecue.

Tandoori dishes are often served as a starter or as part of a mixed grill.

This particular dish has to be left to marinate for at least 3-4 hours in the fridge (covered) before cooking.

Potato and cumin along with dried Fenugreek Leaves or Kasuri Methi is a simple yet aromatic combination.

This particular curry can be served with chapatti or dosa. Slightly mashed form makes a good stuffing for sandwiches for picnics/lunchbox as it can stay long unspoilt.

It is a practical 'quick fix' when you have some unexpected guests at home. So prick your fork into potatoes to enjoy it as a snack or as a side dish!

As the name states, the shape of the bean makes its name as kidney bean. It's a highly nutritious bean and can be consumed easily when made delicious. Red kidney bean curry is a traditional north Indian dish served with plain rice and salad. The bean is cooked in tomato gravy along with other spices. This serves as a satisfying rich curry for the winter!

Potatoes and fresh peas in gravy form also commonly known as Aloo Mutter is a famous Indian side dish. This can be eaten as a brunch, lunch or even dinner with any Indian flat/fried bread. When you are in a hurry and want to make something speedy and scrumptious this is the dish you can opt for!

Chole and Baturas, or Pooris, is an ultimate dish when served piping hot with some freshly sliced Onions. Here the Chickpea is cooked in Spicy Tomato Gravy. This recipe is surely the best one to serve a satisfying meal for a large crowd.

Potato and Green Pepper Curry is a best one when you want something spicy in a jiffy. This goes well with Rotis/Tortillas. Potatoes and Peppers in their crunchy form are so tempting that one can eat them as it is without any accompaniment☺! Yep you could always be innovative - maybe line them up in skewers

This is quite a popular North Indian style dish. It can be prepared for just a simple meal or on any special occasions. Surely it's going to be a feast for Cheese lovers - why not try it in your home?

Kadai Paneer is a mildly spiced Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese) dish. It is generally served in Kadai (a circular deep vessel) and hence the name goes. This can be eaten with Naan or Roti.

Cook traditional Gujarati style Spinach and Onion Curry at home with this carefully blended spice mix.

Sambar is a popular South Indian dish. It consists of lentils and Vegetables of your choice. Generally Sambar is served with Idli, Dosa or eaten with Rice too. The Idli-Vada + Chutney-Sambar combo is a healthiest dish on any South Indian Restaurant menu!

Lauki is nothing but Bottle Gourd and Chana Dal is Bengal Gram. Both together is cooked with some delectable Indian spices. This wholesome dish is served with Rice or Roti.

Babycorn Masala is a mouthwatering spicy preparation. Babycorn is cooked in Tomato gravy with combination of spices. This delectable semi liquid dish is generally eaten with Roti or Naan but tastes good with Basmati Rice also.

Chilli Paneer is a spicy dish served as a starter. Paneer being plain tastes delicious with this hot Capsicum flavoured sauce. This can be eaten as it is or even with Fried Rice or Veg Noodles.

Sweet Corn Masala as the name says is a spicy curry with a blend of Indian Spices in Tomato gravy along with Corn kernels. This curry can be eaten with Naan Bread / Chapathi or even Basmati Rice. Trigger your taste buds with this delectable combination of sweet and spice!

Egg Curry is a spicy side dish eaten mostly with Rice. Egg as we all know is a wholesome food but it gets boring to eat this in plain form. So why not try this full of flavour variety for your simple supper. Using the Curry paste makes it more quick and spicy!

Cauliflower Peas Masala is a semi gravy side dish. This is a good combination of vegetables with basic spices. It tastes good with Chapathi, Naan, Roti or any other Bread.

Anjum Anand’s curry is smooth, sweet and coconutty. It makes a great inclusion in a south Indian feast or can simply be served as a vegetarian main course

Enjoy a taste of Goa with Mahernosh Mody's flavourful large prawns braised in a fragrant spiced coconut gravy

The potato gets a good workout in Indian cuisine. Our kitchens will always have a steady supply of them. It's part of the grocery list: milk, bread, and a kilo of potatoes. There are tons of dishes we make out of the humble spud and it's one of those dependable vegetables we stock up on for the sudden dinner guest.
In Indian non-vegetarian cuisine, the potato is used to absorb the flavors of the meat and spices in curry dishes or to encase delicious morsels of lamb mince or in this case, boiled eggs.
Very often, it's the potatoes that are most sought after in a biryani and the textural contrast of crisp, deep-fried potato straws over a bed of meltingly tender mutton gravy is one of life's precious experiences. After a helping of this, it's easy to understand why the potato is the only vegetable that resolute Indian non-vegetarians will care to welcome onto their table.
It is this affable, hard-working nature of the potato with meats, which makes it the only vegetable that resolute Indian non-vegetarians will welcome on their tables. One of my favorite potato side dishes is the egg, chutney (a coriander and chili relish) and potato pattice (dumpling). It's very easy to make and can be eaten as a starter or an accompaniment to any meal. And it's even easier to have one too many!

I love Singapore fried noodles! And whilst I usually get this from local Chinese takeaway, I decided to try to make it myself. And why not? Here is my attempt, and I must say it turned out rather OK. In the Route 79 tradition, we try to keep to a "one pot" method, which indeed is the case with this dish, but you will need a large temporary plate to set out the ingredients when they are cooked before throwing it all into the same pot again to finish off.

Tonight - being a Saturday night - Ms.79 and me decided to cook a simple but delicious dinner for ourselves: simply saag. A simple, uncomplicated, wholesome and very fulfilling Punjabi dish that we try to make a tradition of cooking every Saturday morning - to eat on Saturday night. And here follows the recipe:

All you need is a couple of medium-size finely chopped onions. some spices: haldi (turmeric), garam masala, ground coriander, salt - as well as some thawed, frozen lumps of chillie, garlic and ginger from your freezer. (For an explanation of what I mean by “thawed lumps” - you have to read a previous recipe) And some maize flour (otherwise known as polenta or cornmeal). Oh - and you also need some spinach leaves and leaves of “spring greens”.

Ever wondered what to do with those mushrooms in your fridge that have passed the “use by” date by a couple of days or so? Potatoes in your cupboard sprouting a few shoots perhaps? A couple of handfulls of frozen peas lurking in a bag in the depths of your freezer compartment? Wishing you could do something about those onions you haven’t used yet?

If you recall the end of my recipe on Aloo Gobi - you may remember me referring to "a lunch to die for". Well this is it. It's very traditionally Punjabi to have fresh parathas as a late brunch on the weekend. And in the Route79 household we love to make ours stuffed with with anything leftover in the fridge. In this case it is indeed some leftover aloo gobi. In fact - the following instructions can be used with any form of stuffing - so long as the stuffing used is "dry" - i.e. not a "saucy" dish.

Just mash the leftover gobi mixture. I used a plastic mashing utensil that is specially made for mashing potatoes I think - I then used a fork to gather it all together and mash it some more. It doesn't matter if the mash is a bit coarse and lumpy - just make sure the lumps aren't too big.

You also have to prepare some roti (chapatti) dough. This involves using a flour which Indians typically refer to as "atta" - you can get bags of it in most Indian shops - e.g. Elephant brand etc. You knead the flour into the right consistency dough - this takes a little practise - and I have to admit it here that this is usually something I leave to Ms.79 - she is the expert at preparing and cooking roti and paratha.

"Mirch" is a Punjabi term (and Hindi I think) for pepper - or capsicum. More accurately it refers to entire family of capsaicin-carrying vegetables - which includes green chillies, red chillies, peppers etc. (Capsaicin is the chemical that causes the "heat" sensation in chillies.) Of course, the green peppers (capsicums) that you get at your local grocer or supermarket are not at all "hot" - but impart a very unique taste and aroma that when cooked (with some potato) will result in a fantastic tasting dish. The cooking style is "masala" - and is one of my absolutely favourite mid-week vegetarian dishes.

This dish is really tasty - and it's a lot easier than you think.

Stuck for cooking ideas on a Friday or Saturday evening? Got bits of vegetable in your fridge that aren't quite enough for a proper cookout? e.g. bits of green or red pepper - or some mushrooms. Or maybe you've got some frozen fish in your freezer that you haven't done anything with for weeks?

Why not try pakoras? This is a great afternoon snack sort of thing - that I remember for many years as a child we would eat as a full meal on occasions. And we still do this today in the Route79 hosuehold. It's basically deep-fried anything in a gram-flour batter - but is especially delicious when using sliced potatoes, onions, muchrooms, peppers - or even chunks of frozen (but thawed) fish fillet.

It is traditionally a Punjabi snack - and is almost always served in addition to things like samosas, kebabs etc. when you are entertaining visitors (or being entertained round someones house) - or attending a wedding. Be aware - if you you are ever visiting a Punjabi household - you will be obliged to eat your fill and drink lots of tea - or else your hosts will be offended. Never *ever* just "pop around" and expect to get away without spending at least an hour - and having a plate full of samosas or pakoras put in front of you.

Pakoras are delicious served with mint or imli (tamarind) sauce - or both.

Mutter Paneer is a delicious curry of peas and home-made cheese cubes (paneer). Once again - it's a Punjabi dish - and is extremely tasty when served with roti - or pitta bread: you can choose! And again - it's really easy to make.

Kidney beans make an excellent nutritous basis for a vegetarian dish - and this is a popular Indian method for cooking them. Called "Rajma" - the kidnet beans are cooked either on their own - or in this Punjabi variation - with potatoes.

A "bhurji" is a term used to describe a dry-ish masala dish which is just a mixture of stuff in small pieces - e.g. pieces of paneer, potato etc. A very commonly-eaten bhurji is the egg version - which is effectively a spicy scrambled egg dish - or more accurately is probably best described as a scrambled omelette comprising a masala of eggs, potatoes and onions.

I have to say that this is a really fast dish to knock up - and so we tend to cook this if we've left it too late to cook anything more involved - or if we cannot really be bothered to cook anything more involved! I also have to say that it's my absolute favourite on a cold and wet British spring day - exactly like it was tonight!