A PENJABI MEAL

Video Street views & Indian street food cafés

Starter:

Kheere Ka Raita

• ½ cucumber
• 1 tomato
• 300g fresh yoghurt
• 1 teaspn chopped mint

• 1 teaspn cumin
• Ground black pepper
• Salt

• Wash the cucumber and grate it without peeling it. Strain in a colander.
• Chop the tomato into small cubes then mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and season generously.
• Cover and put in the fridge until serving.
• Sprinkle the raïta with some ground black pepper then serve with sticks of cucumber, carrot and turnip.

Main Dishes:

Dal Makhani

• 250g black lentils
• 50g beans
• 1 onion
• 2 teaspn garlic paste
• 2 teaspn ginger paste
• 200ml tomato purée
• 30g butter
• 150ml cream
• Oil
• 4 leaves fresh coriander

• 1 teaspn ground red chilli pepper
• 1 teaspn garam masala
• 1 teaspn cumin
• 1 teaspn turmeric
• 2 ground pods green cardamom
• Salt

• Soak the lentils and beans in water overnight, then wash with cold water.
• Boil 1 litre of water in a pressure cooker, then add the lentils and beans. Cook for 12 minutes then leave to cool. Crush the lentils and beans slightly with a spatula.
• Fry the garlic and ginger paste, tomato purée and chopped onion. Add 1 and a half cups of water and the spices and continue to mix.
• Pour this mixture into the pressure cooker with the lentils and beans. Leave to cook for about thirty minutes stirring regularly.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan then add to the rest of the mixture.
• Add the cream and mix. Leave to cook for 10 minutes to thicken.
• Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves and serve.

Channa Masala

• 200g chick peas
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 1 teaspn chopped coriander leaves
• 1 teaspn grated ginger
• 1 teaspn crushed garlic
• 1 teaspn lemon juice
• 30ml oil
• 2 teaspn butter
• 1 sachet black tea
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 small green chilli peppers

• 1 teaspn garam masala
• 1 teaspn ground cloves
• 1 teaspn ground black pepper
• 1 teaspn ground turmeric
• 1 teaspn cumin seeds
• 1 teaspn ground cinnamon
• Salt

• Cook the chick peas with the tea and bay leaves in a large pan with water (for about 40 mins).
• Chop the tomatoes and slice the onions then mix in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of coriander.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and lightly fry the cloves, cumin seeds, ginger and garlic for a minute. Add the tomato and onion mix to the frying pan and cook over a mild heat for a few minutes stirring continuously.
• Add the remaining spices, apart from the ground cinnamon.
• Add the chick peas to the frying pan, with the equivalent of 2 cups of water. Stir and bring to the boil then leave to cook for 8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Put the channa masala in a dish.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan, with the chilli peppers and the ground cinnamon. Add the coriander then pour over the channa masala.
• Mix together and serve!

Side dishes:

Butter Naan

• 300g flour
• 1 egg
• 1 plain yoghurt
• 1 teaspn yeast
• 1 teaspn brown sugar
• 1 teaspn butter
• Salt to taste

• In a bowl, mix the yoghurt and egg together. Then add the butter.
• In another bowl, add 150 g of flour, the sugar, yeast and salt then mix together. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yoghurt/egg/butter mix. Gradually add the rest of the flour and knead into a dough.
• Make a ball with the dough, put in a bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Put in a warm place (20~23°C) and leave to rise for 3 hours.
• Melt the butter in a bowl.
• Preheat the grill of the oven.
• Lightly knead the dough and divide into 8 balls. Roll out each ball into a circle with the help of a rolling pin until the dough is about 1cm thick.
• With a pastry brush, spread the dough circles with butter on both sides.
• Place the naans on a baking tray and grill in the oven for about 5 minutes on each side.
• Turn over when golden brown.
• Keep the naans warm in a tea towel until you are ready to serve.

Dessert :

Phirni (Indian rice pudding)

• 100 g Basmati rice
• 1L full fat milk
• 5 ground green cardamom pods
• 70g flaked almonds
• 200g sugar
• 1/2 teaspn ground saffron

• Rinse the rice and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Rinse again then crush slightly.
• Put the milk and cardamom in a saucepan then bring to the boil.
• Remove one spoonful to infuse the saffron.
• When the milk boils, reduce the heat and add the rice.
• Mix then add the sugar.
• Leave to cook for 20 minutes without covering and stir regularly.
• When the rice is almost cooked, add the infused saffron and 35g of almonds.
• Mix and leave to cook for 5 minutes.
• Pour into individual serving bowls and leave to chill in the fridge.
• Sprinkle with flaked almonds just before serving.