Okra with five spice

Okra (or lady's finger as it is known in most of Asia) is a mucilaginous green vegetable that contains soluble fibre and features in European, Asian, American and Mediterranean cuisine. In India, okra is pickled, stuffed, fried and curried. This simple but tasty recipe has few ingredients but gets its unique flavour from a 5 spice blend called Panch Pooran. Available at Indian grocery stores, it can easily be made by mixing together equal amounts of the 5 spices. Fenugreek or Methi mentioned in an earlier post, is used in this recipe, but this time it is the seed not the leaves that make up one of the 5 spices. The others are cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, fennel seeds and nigella or kalonji seeds. Nigella seeds are called onion seeds or black caraway. Tempering these spices releases the aromatic oils in them and adds flavour to the vegetable. You can either purchase a packet of already mixed spices or add 1tsp each of the spices mentioned above. Fresh okra is readily available but I like to have a bag of cut, frozen okra in the freezer as a quick and easy option. 




INGREDIENTS:

• 3 medium onions sliced
• 1 bag of frozen okra or 1/2 lb of fresh okra
• 11/2 tsp panch pooran 
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1 medium tomato cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbsp dessicated unsweetened coconut
• 2-3 Tbsp cooking oil

METHOD:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the panch pooran
2. Add the sliced onion and sauté until transparent
3. Add coconut powder and turmeric and chili powders and sauté until coconut is aromatic, use medium heat to prevent coconut from burning
4. Add cut okra and salt and mix with the onion coconut mixture
5. Cover the pan and allow the okra to cook
6. When it is almost done, add cut tomatoes and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes

Dhaniya Methi Paneer

There have been no posts for a few weeks; despite (or, maybe because of ) the mild winter, I had the flu that put me out of commission for about ten days. But over the weekend, I managed to cook up a few dishes for "Meatless" March. This dish Dhaniya Methi Paneer is a recipe borrowed from a dear friend - who came over this weekend - and I got high praise from his wife, so it goes to show that I followed the recipe really well. Dhaniya is Coriander or Cilantro. In North America, coriander refers to the seeds and the leaves are called cilantro; however, if you are from India, we refer to it as coriander leaves and coriander seeds. Methi is fenugreek - a medicinal plant whose leaves and seeds are used widely in Indian cuisine. Paneer is fresh cheese made by curdling milk with vinegar or lemon juice. In this age of convenience, paneer is available at most grocery stores. I purchase the Nanak brand. If you would like to make your own paneer, please write and ask so I can include the recipe. Vegans can substitute with firm tofu. This recipe is entirely vegetarian but the base used here works equally well with any white fish fillet. 


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large bunch of coriander leaves trimmed, washed and cut
• 1 green chili (more if you want a spicier dish)
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tbsp Kasuri methi (available at Indian grocery stores, dried leaves)
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder (available at most grocery stores, this yellow spice is used in  prepared mustard in the West and extensively in Indian cooking)
• 2-3 Tbsp cooking oil 
• 1 block of paneer

METHOD:

1. Cut up the paneer or tofu into bite sized pieces
2. Use a food processor to mix the washed coriander garlic, chili and tomatoes. No water is needed, the mixture should resemble a salsa verde
3. Heat the oil in a pan and add the coriander mixture and cook for 5- 7 minutes
4. Add the methi leaves and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes
5. Season with salt and turmeric powde, add the paneer pieces and allow it to absorb the flavours of the coriander and fenugreek (Dhaniya and Methi)
6. Serve with rice or roti (recipes to follow in the near furure)