Cheese sauce

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black or white pepper
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar or smoky flavor Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Melt butter; remove from heat. Stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually add milk, stirring until well mixed. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Cook for 5 minutes longer; add cheese. Stir until smooth and well blended. Serve with pasta or vegetables.
Makes 2 cups.

Notes on cooking Indian food

1. Several recipes call for cooking with spices, then removing the spices before serving. The best way to do this is to use a spice bag, a small cheesecloth pouch into which you can put all the spices, and which you can remove from the pan when it's time to remove the spices. You can click here for an example of how to make a spice bag.


2. Some spices are rather exotic, and may not be readily available. Omit these, or find a reasonable substitute if you can.


3. You will need a grinder for several of the dishes, to grind spices or nuts for example. I use an electric coffee grinder, but be careful when grinding nuts as they can make a moist paste which will clog the blades. If the grinder won't turn, it's probably because it's overloaded or the blades are gummed with nut paste. Clean it out, check it works and continue on.


4. Some recipes call for chili peppers. Mexican jalapeno peppers have a different taste from Indian or Thai peppers. Try to avoid using jalapenos. For a milder dish, add the peppers whole and remove them before the end of the cooking time; the longer a pepper stays in the dish, the hotter it will be. Deseeding peppers also helps reduce their heat.


5. Vegetable oil and ghee are interchangeable for cooking. Ghee is a nutty form of clarified butter, which keeps well and won't burn at high temperatures. To make your own, melt 8oz of unsalted butter over a low-medium heat until all the water has evaporated. The ghee will be nuttier-flavored the longer it remains on the heat. Separate the solids from the clear liquid and discard them. The remaining golden liquid is ghee. It is best just before it begins to darken to a brownish color. If it does turn brown, it is still good. You can use ghee or regular butter for spreading on naan bread, chapatis etc.


6. Real basmati rice is expensive, but lasts a long time, as only a little is used to go a long way. For example, the basmati rice with peas dish uses 1 cup of rice to serve 6 people. Soak and rinse the rice before use to remove excess starch.


7. Plain yogurt is used a lot in Indian cooking. It adds a creamy texture to curries. Always lightly whisk yogurt before use to smooth out its consistency as it has a tendency to separate when unused for a while. Yogurt will curdle quickly when heated, and needs to be stirred in well when added to a dish to prevent this. You can thicken the yogurt for a creamier result by draining it before use. Place a coffee filter or a piece of cheesecloth in a sieve, add the yogurt and let it drip into a bowl. Place in the refrigerator to drain overnight.

Fresh Cilantro Relish

Serves 4-6


Ingredients


3 cups fresh cilantro leaves
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 fresh hot green chili pepper, chopped
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice


Directions


In a blender or food processor, blend all the ingredients with 1/2 cup water to form a paste. Adjust seasoning to taste.


Serve chilled, as a chutney or dip.

Lassi (smoothie)

Lassi is a yogurt-based drink, like a smoothie. It can be made with almost any fruit or even nuts as its flavoring. The basic premise is that you will need 3 cups of liquid. For a flavoring that's dry, e.g., pistachios, use 3 cups of yogurt. For a moister flavoring, e.g., mango, use 1 cup yogurt, 1 cup milk, and the pulverized mango flesh will provide the rest. For an orange lassi, use 2 cups yogurt and juice from the orange. Adjust as needed.


Serves 4


Ingredients


Pistachio Lassi
--------------
3/4 cup pistachios, plus extra for garnish
3 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup very fine sugar
handful of ice cubes


Mango Lassi
------------
Flesh of 2 mangoes
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup very fine sugar
handful of ice cubes


Orange Lassi
------------
2 oranges, peeled
2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup very fine sugar (may need more, to taste)
handful of ice cubes


Directions


If using pistachios, grind them first in a blender. For mangoes, remove the flesh from the stone. For oranges, remove the peel.
All all the ingredients and blend until fully mixed.


Pour into tall glasses and serve immediately.

Butter Chicken

Serves 6-8


Ingredients


Spice bag (click here for instructions on how to make one)
3 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick


2/3 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 3/4 lb skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces


1/2 cup cashews, finely ground



2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, sliced


1 tsp ground paprika
14oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup raw cashews


2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tbsp cream
salt
toasted cashews, for garnish


Directions


Put the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick into the spice bag. Set aside.


Combine yogurt, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder and cumin in a bowl with the ginger and garlic. Add the chicken pieces, mix well to coat with the flavorings, and set aside.


Grind 1/2 cup raw cashews in a food processor or blender (I use a coffee grinder). Transfer to a small bowl and mix into a smooth paste, adding warm water 1 tsp at a time. Set aside.


Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and cook the onions, with the spice bag, for 3-4 mins until the onions soften. Reduce heat, add chicken pieces and their marinade, plus the paprika, tomatoes, cashew paste and whole cashews. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 mins or more, until the chicken is cooked. Remove spice bag.


Add the fresh cilantro and cream to the pan, with salt to taste, and warm through. Garnish with toasted cashews before serving.

Vegetable Curry

Serves 4


Ingredients


1/2 cup unsalted peanuts


2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped


1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 cup peas
1 cup small cauliflower florets
1 green bell pepper, chopped


1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp curry powder


1/2 cup plain yogurt, lightly whisked
1/2 cup tomato puree


Directions


Grind peanuts to a powder in a small grinder and set aside. Heat half the vegetable oil in a fry pan and fry the potatoes until golden brown, then set aside.


Heat the remaining vegetable oil in a wok or fry pan and stir-fry the onion until soft (about 5 mins). Add the carrots, peas, cauliflower and bell pepper, and stir-fry until vegetables are just tender, then add the fried potatoes. Add the salt and curry powder, and mix well.


Add yogurt to the pan, stir in, then add the tomato puree and ground peanuts and stir well. Cook, uncovered, for 5 mins or until the sauce thickens. Serve hot.

Chapatis

Chapatis are a soft unleavened bread not unlike a tortilla.


Makes 16


Ingredients


14oz chapati flour (atta flour, see below)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil


Directions


Atta flour is a whole grain flour that is finer in texture than Western whole grain flour. You can substitute a mixture of 2/3 whole wheat flour and 1/3 all-purpose flour.


Mix the sifted chapati flour, salt and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the vegetable oil and mix it into the flour. Gradually add enough water (about 1 cup) to make a firm dough, then knead for 4-5 mins. Place dough in a bowl and set aside for 30 mins.


Divide the dough into 16 golfball-sized balls, flatten into rounds with your hands, dust with a little extra flour, then roll out into 5" rounds. Heat a dry, heavy-based fry pan to hot and cook each chapati like a pancake - turn once when the underside is brown-flecked, remove when other side matches.


Keep the cooked chapatis warm while you cook the others. Brush with a little melted butter before serving, if you like.