Potato Bhaji

This recipe is very versatile, because you can switch the potatoes for other vegetables, for example cabbage or green beans. It's extremely simple.

In Indian cooking, it is important to know how to create the "forney" which is the oil and spices that flavor the entire dish. To make the "forney" one must heat up their oil, and then add various spices. The hot oil helps to release the flavor in the spices and also takes on the flavor combination of the spices that have been added to it.

The "forney" for this dish is what can be applied to the other vegetables.

Potato Bhaji
Makes 3-4 side portions

4 fresh curry leaves
1/2 tsp asephoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 hot green chillies
4 medium size red potatoes, cooked, peeled, and chopped into large chunks
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp canola oil
salt to taste

Heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add the asephoetida, curry leaves, turmeric and green chillies. The moisture from the curry leaves and green chillies will create some splattering so be careful not to get burned. If the oil seems like it is going to burn anything, remove it from the heat. Let these ingredients sizzle in the oil for a minute without letting anything burn. This is the "forney".



Next, add the onion. Cook until softened. Finally, stir in the potatoes. Cook for a few minutes, making sure the potatoes are properly coated with spices all over. Finally, add the cilantro. The cilantro should be added right at the end of cooking so it can maintain it's fresh taste and green color.

Eggplant Bhaji

I sometimes go to Jackson Heights, the Indian area in Queens, New York. There are tons of restaurants, jewelry shops, and clothing shops all within a couple block radius. Every time I step off the subway into this neighborhood I feel as if I am stepping into a different world. The food, the smells, the music, the ladies dressed in saris; they are all little reminders of the world which exists thousands of miles away in India.

One thing that's great about this neighborhood are the prices of the items in grocery stores. On this occasion I stocked up on red onions, an eggplant, small green chillies and a bunch of roma tomatoes. In Manhattan these ingredients would cost at least three times as much.

Here is what I made with the ingredients I purchased in Jackson Heights.

Eggplant Bhaji
Makes 6-8 side portions

Ingredients
1 eggplant cubed
4 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 large red onion, diced
2 hot green chillies, sliced in halves
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp of turmeric
2 tbsp of canola oil
salt to taste



Heat oil. Saute the turmeric, onions, chillies, and garlic in oil until softened. Add the eggplant. Continue to cook on a medium heat until eggplant starts to soften. At this point add the tomatoes. Continue to cook gently until the eggplant is fully cooked. Add salt to taste. The entire cooking process will take approximately 30 minutes. Eat with rice or pita bread or naan or a roti; whatever carbs you have will be a good accompaniment.

Tomato Soup

This recipe is a real classic. It's rich and warm, and goes perfectly with a nice grilled cheese sandwich. Plus, it's way more nutritious than the Campbell's variety!

Tomato Soup
Makes 3 servings

Ingredients
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 ounce of butter
1 tbsp of flour
1 bay leaf
1 pinch of nutmeg or mace
500ml of water
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in the pan. Add the carrot and onion and sweat them until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Next, add the flour, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. It is important to make sure that the flour has cooked, otherwise there will be a terrible raw flour taste in the soup.

Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Stir thoroughly and make sure there is no flour stuck to the bottom. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally, it is necessary to puree the soup in a food processor. This can be done when the soup is hot or cold, but if it's done when the soup is hot, precautions must be taken so as not to burn oneself.

Chicken Tikka Wrap

I was having some friends over for dinner, and decided to try out this recipe on them. A twist on a chicken fajita, I really think anyone will like this recipe. To add nutrition try putting a wider variety of veggies in the wrap; baby spinach, grilled zucchini or grilled eggplant would be a welcome addition.

Chicken Tikka Wraps
Makes about 6 wraps

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup yogurt
3 cloves of minced garlic
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper(or more for increased spiciness!)
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 cup lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
6 naans (pita or a tortilla would work also)
2 cups of chopped lettuce
1 tomato, diced
2 red onions, sliced
1/2 cup of cilantro, finely chopped
1 lemon, cut into at least 6 wedges

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/2 an inch thick. Mix yogurt, garlic, paprika, cayenne, cumin, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the mixture in a zip lock bag with chicken breasts. Let the chicken marinate for 1-3 hours.

Place onion slices on a hot grill pan and char slightly. Once the onions have softened, remove from grill pan. Place the chicken on a hot grill pan, cooking 2-4 minutes on each side until cooked. Remove and let stand for 3-5 minutes; this will help the chicken to retain it's natural juices.

Slice the chicken into strips. Make an assembly line of all of the remaining ingredients and let guests put together their chicken tikka wrap.

Beef with Bokchoy

This recipe is a very quick and easy stir fry. It would be a perfect lunch or dinner when time is limited.

Beef with Bokchoy
Makes 2 hearty servings

8 ounces of sirloin sliced thin
2 bunches of bokchoy (or 4 bunches of baby bokchoy) thoroughly washed
2 tbsp of canola oil
1/4 cup of your favorite stir fry sauce (I had a great "Ginger flavored soy sauce")
White or brown rice to eat with the stir fry

Place half a tbsp of oil in the wok and heat until extremely hot. Place half of the meat in the pan, and stir fry until all of the pink is gone. Remove immediately. Repeat this process with the second half of the meat. Pour half of the sauce over the meat.

Next, place the remaining oil in the pan. Place the bokchoy in the pan and stir fry for one minute. Now, cover the wok with a pot lid for about 2 minutes. This will help to cook the bokchoy quickly without letting it burn.

Lift off lid, add the remaining sauce, and stir fry for one more minute. Finally, add back in the beef and it's juices until it's heated through. Serve immediately over rice.

Chicken Fajitas

So, I would not say that these fajitas are necessarily the most authentic; it's just my interpretation of a mainstream dish.

These fajitas are great if you are having friends over... you can prep everything ahead of time and just grill the chicken at the end.

Chicken Fajitas
Serves 4 people (2 fajitas each)

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 green pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 red onion, sliced
Salsa (homemade or store bought)
2 cups grated cheese (I use a Mexican blend)
1 package of tortillas (any variety will do)
1 tomato (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Cilantro, finely chopped (optional)
Lime wedges (optional)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp salt

Mix turmeric, cayenne pepper, garlic, cumin powder and salt together. Cover this mixture evenly over the chicken breast and let marinade for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, grill the green pepper and red onion so that it is slightly softened and charred. This should be done in a nice hot pan or on a grill pan and should only take about five minutes.

Cook the chicken breast on a hot grill. It should take a couple minutes on each side. Slice the thick part of the chicken breast to see if it is cooked. Remove from heat once cooked and slice chicken into strips, garnishing with cilantro if desired.

You can create an assembly line of all of the ingredients. Heat the tortillas either on a warm pan on the stove, in the oven, or for 10-15 seconds each in the microwave.



Let guests assemble their fajitas to their liking. It's a fun way for guests to be able to customize their meal. If you have vegetarians/vegans you could also grill some zucchini, eggplant or tomatoes; all of these would be a welcome addition to any fajitas.

Veal Parmigiana

A friend asked me to put this up on my blog. I had never actually made veal parmigiana before, so I looked up some recipes online. It's definitely an Italian American favorite. You could change this recipe by substituting thin eggplant rounds or chicken breast.

I think the key to a good "Parmigiana" is to make sure that whatever the main event is (veal, chicken, eggplant) should be as thin as possible. For eggplant this just means slicing it carefully, but for veal and chicken it means pounding it thin. You can pound meat thinner with a special instrument like this, or you can just use something heavy like a rolling pin.

Veal Parmigiana
Makes approximately 8 servings

Ingredients
8 veal scallops
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 and 1/2 cups of pasta sauce (your favorite jarred sauce)
2/3 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 cup of plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup of mozzarella cheese (or 16 thin slices of fresh mozzarella)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper

Start by making sure the veal is thin enough, if not, pound it until it is very thin, approximately 1/2 a centimeter thick. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, mix the breadcrumbs, 1/2 a cup of the Parmesan, the Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper on a plate. Place the flour on to a plate. Place the beaten eggs on to a plate or into a shallow bowl. This is your assembly line.

Take each piece of veal through the assembly line; first, cover the veal lightly with flour. Next, dip and get a light coating of egg all over. Finally, cover the veal with the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure the veal is well covered with breadcrumbs. Repeat the process for your other pieces of veal.

Heat up your olive oil on a medium-high flame. When the oil is hot, add a couple of pieces of veal, cooking on each side approximately 2-3 minutes. Do not crowd the pan. You want the veal to be slightly brown and crispy on the outside. Remove veal from the pan and leave to drain on paper towels. Repeat process until all of the veal is cooked.



Lightly coat a oven safe dish with oil to prevent sticking. Add about a cup of the tomato sauce - just enough to cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer. Next, add the veal. You can overlap pieces depending on the size of the pan. On top of the veal add the remainder of the tomato sauce. Finally, add the mozzarella over the top of the veal, and then sprinkle some Parmesan on top. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes. If you wish to brown the top, remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking, or put under a broiler for a minute or two.

I served my veal parmigiana with regular spaghetti and some extra tomato sauce.