Indians Do It Best

... But we gave it one helluva go! AWESOME dinner tonight.

Clockwise from top:

Tandoori Chicken "Wrap"

Wednesday Chana Punjabi

Saag Paneer (or Palak Paneer... does anyone know the difference?)

Rice

Mint Chutney

Mango Chutney

Yogurt


Two hours and practically every dish in the house later, and we were done. It was a fair amount of work, but totally worth it. The chicken wraps are spicy and satisfying, nicely balanced with crisp vegetables and the cooling yogurt sauce. The Chana Punjabi is DELICIOUS, a hearty stew of chickpeas and tomatoes that actually makes you crave a cold winter day. A quick Google search of saag paneer illustrates how much this dish is open to interpretation, but the creamy spinach filled with chunks of light cheese is a good compliment to the other dishes on tonight's menu. AND DON'T FORGET THE CHUTNEY! One of the hallmarks of Indian food is all of the condiments that are served with each dish, so don't leave them out.

And, for the first time ever on this lousy blog, RECIPES! There are probably some things we'll tweak next time we try making this all again, but we're really happy with the recipes as they are so we're happy to share them. Enjoy!

Tandoori Chicken "Wraps" from Everyday Food (total cheater, but try it; really good)

1 1/2 pounds (4 to 5) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into rough chunks

4 scallions, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger (from a peeled 2-inch piece)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Coarse salt and ground pepper

Vegetable oil, for grates (respect your grill! keep it clean, keep it hot & keep it lubricated)

4 Indian Naan flatbreads, toasted on the grill

1 cucumber thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs

Yogurt sauce
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon chopped scallion
squeeze of lemon juice; combine and season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

1. Heat grill to medium-high. In a medium bowl, place chicken, scallions, ginger, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, cardamom, cayenne, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; toss to combine. Set aside to marinate, at least 10 and up to 30 minutes.
2. Transfer chicken mixture to a food processor; pulse until roughly chopped, but not pasty, 10 to 12 times. Gently form mixture into sixteen 3/4-inch-thick patties (about 3 tablespoons each).
3. Grill patties until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
4. "Wrap" a couple of patties in naan, top with cucumber slices, tomato and cilantro sprigs. Serve with Yogurt Sauce.

Chana Punjabi, from The Wednesday Chef (we love her blog, and even more after making her recipes)

1 tablespoon canola oil or other vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 small Thai bird chili, chopped or 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped or a 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt, or as needed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
Cooked rice for serving (optional)

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat oil and add onion. Sauté until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and chili, and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until tomatoes are very soft, about 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
2. Purée mixture in blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pan and place over medium heat. Add paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, coriander, the garam masala, turmeric and lemon juice. Add chickpeas and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
3. Cover and simmer until sauce is thick and chickpeas are soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir pan about every 10 minutes, adding water as needed (up to 1 1/2 cups) to prevent burning. When ready to serve, sauce should be thick. If necessary, uncover pan and allow sauce to reduce for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until desired consistency. Stir in cilantro, adjust salt as needed and serve with cooked rice, if desired.

Saag Paneer (from the paneer box! If you're having trouble finding paneer, you can make your own, but check Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, you should be able to find it)

4 oz. paneer cheese cut into small cubes
1/2 lb. fresh spinach
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 small Thai chili
1 teaspoon ground cumin
season with coarse salt and pepper

1. Blanch spinach in boiling water for 1 minute and set aside.
2. Lightly fry paneer cubes in oil until golden brown and set aside
   
3. Fry garlic, ginger and dry spices in oil for one minute. Add onions and sautee until translucent. Toss in blanched spinach and chili, and buzz into a smooth paste with immersion blender (add water to loosen if necessary).
4. Add paneer to blended spinach mixture and cook through. Season with coarse salt and pepper and serve immediately. Seriously. Don't wait.

Mango Chutney (in true chutney fashion, I kind of made both of these up as I went. Mango was delicious, the mint was good too.)

1 large mango
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 Thai chili pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 cup golden raisins and blanched almond mixture (optional)

1. Peel and cut mango, removing the stone.
2. Cook the mango, garlic, ginger, chili pepper and water on a low fire.
3. When tender, add sugar, vinegar, cardamom and salt. Cook until mixture begins to thicken and turn golden brown.
   
4. Stir in raisins and blanched almonds. Allow to cool to room temperature and serve.

Mint Chutney

1 small handful fresh mint leaves
1 smaller handful fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons white onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Thai chili
Squeeze of lemon juice

1. Chop it all together and season with salt. Serve with yogurt. Plain and simple.
   

One Little Two Little Three Little Indians

Just putting together my shopping list for tonight's dinner. We've just started to test the waters on cooking Indian food, thanks to a little prodding from one of our favorite food blogs, The Wednesday Chef. We both love Indian, but the crazy number of ingredients necessary makes it a little daunting. Now that we've appropriately stocked our pantry, however, it should be a snap!

Tonight's menu:

Tandoori Chicken
Palak Paneer
Chana Punjabi
and of course, yogurt, various chutney (mango and mint, at least) and naan.

I'm excited. Wish us luck!

This blog is now set up to receive mobile updates, so expect lots more annoying updates from us soon, this time via a Twitter-like format!