Cooking Class with Anu

Palak Paneer

Blanch spinach for about 5 minutes.

For seasoning:

Oil, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, 2 green chilies broken, garlic, onions. Add the turmeric towards the end. (Turmeric is added to keep the color of the spinach. Hing and turmeric powder are also added towards the end of every cooking. Fresh ginger as well).

How to make paneer:

Boil 1 L of 3% (fat) milk, add about 1-2 tbsp lemon slowly until the milk breaks into solids and whey. When the milk has broken completely, remove from the heat and allow to cool a little before draining it in cheesecloth.

Fry the paneer in a little oil. Add turmeric. Add the pureed spinach and seasoning.

Add salt to taste.

Pumpkin Delight

For seasoning:

Oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, red dry chilies, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, add to kinds of dhal (chana dhal and urad dhal), ajwain, white and black sesame seeds, hing towards the end. You can fry the chana dhal and urad dhal separately.

Add the sweet pumpkin into the seasoning. Mix well and add turmeric. Add water if necessary. At the end, add freshly grated ginger. Fresh grated coconuts and coriander to garnish. Salt to taste.

Kosambari Salad

600 grams grated carrots. 1 cup of mung dhal soaked in water for 1 hour. Freshly grated coconuts. Coriander. Pomegranate.

Seasoning:

Oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, red dried chilies, 2 kinds of dhal, hing. Lemon and salt to taste.

Mix everything well and serve.

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Delicious. I learned a lot from Anu yesterday. I'm also going to get my own masala box so Chona won't have to worry about which spices to get, right Chons? hehehe.

(Clockwise from bottom right: urad dhal, chana dhal, black mustard seeds,
cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds. Turmeric powder in the center.)

She'll be coming up with a cookbook soon so watch out for it. Read about Anu's Bamboo Hut and Internet Cafe here.

Happy Independence Day, India!