Tandoori Cauliflower Recipe

Popular Indian Vegetarian Tandoori and Kadhai Cooking Recipes

Balti Aloo Cooking Recipe

A perfect combination of five seeds are popped into hot oil to impart all their flavour. Fresh coriander leaves enhance the taste and look of this humble potato dish.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4

• 4 medium (375 gm) potatoes,
• 2 medium onions – sliced (¾ cup)
• 3 tbsp oil
• ½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera),
• ½ tsp fennel seeds (saunf),
• ¼ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
• ¼ tsp mustard seeds (rai),
• 2 pinches of fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
• 4-6 flakes garlic – crushed (1 tsp) 1″/2.5 cm piece ginger – cut into match sticks
• ½ tsp turmeric (haldi),
• 1-2 dry, red chillies,
• a few curry leaves or fresh coriander leaves
• salt to taste,
• 1 tsp chaat masala

COOKING METHOD

1. Peel, wash and cut potatoes into ¼” thick, round slices.
2. Heat oil in a non stick wok or a skillet. Reduce heat, collect all seeds — cumin, fennel, onion, mustard and fenugreek seeds, and add all together to the oil. Cook for ½ minute till the fennel seeds start changing colour.
3. Add garlic and ginger, stir fry for 1 minute. Add onions, stir fry until onions turn light golden. Add turmeric and dry red chillies. Stir. Add fresh coriander or curry leaves. Stir.
4. Add potatoes and salt. Mix well. Keeping the heat very low, cover tightly with a lid, and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Uncover and add chaat masala. Adjust the seasonings. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot as a side dish.

Tandoori Cauliflower Cooking Recipe

Whole cauliflower is baked with a ginger-garlic flavoured yogurt masala stuffed within the florets. Onion rings and fresh coriander topping adds to the taste.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 8

• 3 small cauliflowers, each about 350 gm

MARINADE

• 1½ cups thick yogurt – hung for 30 minutes to give about ¾ cup hung yogurt
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsp tandoori masala
• ¼ tsp salt, or to taste,
• 2 pinches of turmeric for colour,
• ½ tsp paprika or degi mirch
• 2 tbsp oil

TOPPING

• 2 tbsp oil
• 4-5 small onions – cut into fine rings (1 cup),
• ¼ cup tomato puree
• 3-4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander,
• 1 green chilli – deseeded and chopped
• salt to taste,
• 1 tsp tandoori masala

COOKING METHOD

1. Boil 5-6 cups of water in a large pan with 2 tsp salt. Add the cauliflowers to the boiling water. Cook till it turns barely tender. Do not cook for too long. Remove from water and dry well on a clean kitchen napkin. Keep aside.

2. Mix all ingredients of the marinade in a bowl. Apply the marinade on the cauliflower, inserting some marinade inside the florets. Turn the cauliflower and insert some marinade from the backside also. Marinate the cauliflowers for at least 1 hour.

3. Place the marinated cauliflowers on a grill rack and cook in a hot oven at 200°/400°F till crisp and golden. Remove and keep on the serving platter.

4. To prepare the topping, heat 2 tbsp oil in pan. Add onion rings. When they start turning brown, add tomato puree. Stir. Add fresh coriander, green chillies and tandoori masala. Adjust salt and seasonings.

5. To serve, spread some onion topping on the grilled cauliflowers. Heat in a microwave or an oven. Serve hot with rice or bread.

Broccoli Spears Cooking Recipe

Broccoli florets with long stalks are flavoured with carom seeds and barbecued.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4

• 500 gm (2 medium heads) broccoli – cut into medium sized florets with long stalks
• 2 tsp salt,
• 1 tsp sugar

1ST MARINADE

• juice of 1 lemon (3-4 tsp)
• ¾ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
• 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp red chilli powder

2ND MARINADE

• 1 cup thick yogurt – hung for 15 minutes or more
• ½ cup thick cream
• 2 tsp ginger paste
• ½ tsp red chilli paste, optional
• ¾ tsp salt,
• 1 tsp tandoori masala

COOKING METHOD

1. Boil 5-6 cups of water in a large pan. Add 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar to the water. Add broccoli pieces to the boiling water. Boil. Keep on boiling for 2 minutes. Drain. Wipe the pieces well with a clean kitchen towel till well dried.

2. Spread the broccoli on a flat plate and sprinkle the ingredients of the 1st marinade. Marinate the broccoli for 15 minutes.

3. Drain the broccoli of any excess liquid. Mix all the ingredients of the 2nd marinade. Add the broccoli to it and mix well. Check the salt and add more if needed. Keep in the refrigerator till the time of serving.

4. Brush the grill of the oven or gas tandoor with some oil. Place the broccoli spears on it and barbecue them in a gas oven for 10 minutes or grill in a preheated electric oven only for 10 minutes. Do not over grill it, turns too dry. Serve hot as a side dish.

Hyderabadi Okra Cooking Recipe

Coconuts are abundant in the Southern part of India and so they are included in all South Indian delicacies. Freshly grated coconut gives a slight crunchy texture as well as a sweetish flavour to the food.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4

• 250 gm okra (bhindi),
• ¼ of a fresh coconut,
• 4-5 cashews (kaju),
• 4 tbsp oil
• ½ tsp black mustard seeds (sarson),
• ½ tsp cumin seeds (Jeera),
• 10-15 curry leaves
• 1 small onion – finely chopped (1/3 cup),
• 2 small tomatoes – finely chopped (¾ cup)
• ½ tsp chilli powder,
• ¼ tsp turmeric (haldi),
• 1/3 cup yogurt,
• ¾ tsp salt, or to taste

COOKING METHOD

1. Grind together fresh coconut and cashews to a paste. Keep aside.

2. Remove only the tip of the stalk end of each okra. Cut length ways into two. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wok and stir fry okra for about 10 minutes on medium heat till done. Do not cover while cooking.

3. Heat 1 tbsp oil. Remove from heat. Collect mustard and cumin seeds and add to the hot oil together. Fry on low heat till cumin changes colour.

4. Add curry leaves and onions and fry until onions turn golden. Add tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Stir fry till tomatoes turn dry and oil separates.

5. Add yogurt, a little at a time, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Stir fry until dry and oil separates. Add coconut-cashew paste. Stir for a minute. Add okra, mix well. Serve hot with any type of bread.

Kadhai Daneer Cooking Recipe

Fenugreek seeds and garlic are used to flavour this quick, yet exotic dish of paneer. Experiment this recipe with fried potato fingers as a substitute of paneer to get kadhai aloo.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 6

• 250 gm paneer – cut into long thin fingers
• 2 green capsicums – cut into thin long pieces (1 cup)
• 2 dry, red chillies,
• 4 tbsp oil
• 1½ tsp coriander seeds (saboot dhania),
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
• ½ tbsp crushed garlic,
• 1 tbsp ginger-chopped
• 3 tomatoes – chopped (1½ cups)
• ¾ tsp salt, or to taste

GARNISHING

• 1″/2.5 cm piece ginger – finely shredded

COOKING METHOD

1. Coarsely grind dry, red chillies and coriander seeds together. Keep aside. Heat oil. Reduce heat. Add fenugreek seeds. Wait for a few seconds till they turn brown.

2. Add crushed garlic and cook till light brown. Add ground red chillies and coriander seeds. Stir. Add chopped ginger. Cook for 30 seconds.

3. Add chopped tomatoes, stir fry for about 5-7 minutes till oil separates. Add salt and green capsicums. Stir for a minute.

4. Add paneer. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with shredded ginger. Serve hot with paranthas.