Saag Paneer

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes + 20 minutes

Ingredients:
16 oz. baby spinach
2 T. ginger
4 cloves garlic
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 c. water
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. ghee or butter
4-6 green cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
fenugreek leaves (if you can find fresh) or 6 fenugreek seeds ground

fenugreek leaves

Ginger, cut into match sticks (a thumb's worth)
1 T. ground coriander
1 t. garam masala
1/4 c. greek yogurt
salt to taste
paneer (can be found at Indian grocery stores, or made fresh), cut into 1-inch cubes 
Tadaka (seasoning):
2 T. butter or ghee
4 dried red chilis
1/4 t. cayenne pepper or paprika (if you don't like the heat)

1. Put spinach, ginger, garlic cloves, onion and water and let wilt in a covered fry pan on low heat for 30 minutes. Purée in a blender or food processor.

2. Put oil and ghee in a fry pan on medium heat. Add cardamom, cinnamon stick, fenugreek leaves or ground fenugreek seeds, ginger matchsticks, coriander, garam masala. Then add the puréed spinach and gradually incorporate the yogurt to avoid curdling. Sauté for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. In a separate pan, sauté and brown both sides of the paneer cubes.

4. For the tadaka (or seasoning), melt butter in a small sauce pan. Add the dried chilis and cayenne pepper or paprika. Add less chilis and add paprika instead of cayenne if you want a milder flavored saag.

5. Put puréed spinach in a serving dish, place paneer on top, then add the tadaka and mix everything together. Garnish with some chopped cilantro, eat with some naan or chapati...yum!!

Chicken Biryani with Vegetables and Raita

Chicken Biryani is a popular rice dish, and served with raita, which is a yogurt dish used to cool the palate.
*** Note: Because this dish has many components, it takes a lot of time. But well worth the effort!

Prep time: 1/2 hour
Cook time: 1 hour + 40 minutes
Total time (with marinade): 5 hours

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken breast chopped
5 medium potatoes
3 carrots
½ red bell pepper
Marinade:
1 c. greek yogurt
4 cloves garlic
2 chili peppers (Serrano)
8 quarter-sized slices of ginger
2-3 T. lime juice
1 onion
¼ t. turmeric
½ t. cayenne pepper
Rice:
3-4 black cardamom pods
3-4 green cardamom pods
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 t. cumin powder
1 t. garam masala
1 ½ c. basmati rice
4 c. water
salt to taste
butter or ghee (clarified butter)
Saffron:
½ t. saffron
¼ c. milk
Garnish: 

Fried onions (optional)
Slivered almonds
Cashews
Chopped cilantro and mint
Raita:
1/2 cucumber, chopped, seeded
1/2 c. greek yogurt
Serrano chile, chopped (optional)
1/2 t. cumin seeds, roasted
Cilantro, Mint, chopped
Pinch of sugar
Salt

For making the chicken:

Put ½ of an onion, 2 cloves garlic, yogurt, serrano chilis, ¼ t. turmeric, cayenne pepper and salt into a food processor.  Set aside ¼ cup of the marinade for the vegetables. With the remaining marinade, mix it with the chicken, and marinade for several hours (3-4), even overnight.  Sauté chicken over high heat for a couple minutes then simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.


For the vegetables:

Fry the potatoes and carrots in ¼- inch of oil for a couple of minutes until crispy, for 2-3 minutes, then mix with red peppers and the remaining marinade. Sauté vegetables for 10 minutes on medium heat, then add cilantro and mint. Also add some of the crispy onions and some lime juice.

For the rice:
Put 1 teaspoon of butter, cinnamon stick, black and green cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, rice and water. Bring to a boil. Don’t cover the rice.

Saffron: 

Put saffron in a 1/4 c. of milk in a small bowl. Let sit until ready to assemble dish.

Assembly:

Place one third of rice in a well-greased dutch oven. Put a layer of vegetables and chicken. Add cashews and almonds, and drizzle some of saffron mixture. Sprinkle a little water for moisture. Add another layer of rice, repeat with chicken and vegetables, nuts and saffron. Add one more layer of rice, then drizzle the remaining saffron and sprinkle with nuts and more water. Cover dutch oven with tin foil and then the lid to completely seal.
Put in oven at 300° for 40 minutes.

For Raita:
Peel and seed cucumber, finely dice. Add salt and let sit for 10 minutes. Squeeze excess water with cheese cloth or strainer. Add some chopped chiles (optional). Pinch of sugar, salt. Add greek yogurt, cilantro, mint and cumin seeds.