The Spice Pan

  Chicken Stew is quite a different recipe than the other chicken curries. The gravy is thin, mildly spices and is easy on the stomach, Cooked with carrots and potatoes. You can add green beans and baby onions to give it a rich taste. The chicken slow cooked hence the flavour of the stew intensifies more. Serve with a hot steaming bowl of rice on a Sunday afternoon lunch. Ingredients 600 g Chicken 2 medium potatoes 2 carrots 2 tomatoes 3 green chilies 3 medium onions ( finely chopped ) 2 Cinnamon sticks 15-20 black peppercorns 4 green cardamom 5-8 clove 1 bayleaf 2 tsp ginger garlic paste 1 tsp black pepper powder 1/2 tsp red chili powder 1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder 1.5 tbsp refined flour 1/2 cup milk Vegetable oil as required salt as requited Method Cut the potatoes into quarters, the carrots into 5 cm pieces and chop the tomatoes and green chilies. Lightly saute the potatoes until they develop nice and golden edges. In a kadai add some oil and sear the chicken. Do not over fry, j...

Vegetable Manchurian is an Indian Chinese inspired dish, that consists of mix vegetable balls that is cooked with a ginger garlic soya based sauce. These days there are a lot of variety to it, but eventually they are all derived from the same fundamentals. Try this recipe with chow mein and you will find the perfect combination to a hearty meal. Ingredients 1/2 cabbage (finely chopped) 2 carrots (finely chopped) 1 capsicum (finely chopped) 10-15 garlic (finely chopped) 2" ginger (finely chopped) 2 spring onions (finely chopped) sprig of coriander leaves (finely chopped) 1 onion (for the petals) 1 capsicum (cubed) salt as required 1 tsp black pepper powder 1 cup cornflour 2 tbsp soy sauce 1.5 tbsp red chili powder 1.2 tbsp tomato ketchup 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp cornflour water as required Method  Prepare all the vegetables beforehand, add them in a bowl. Add 1 tsp garlic, salt, black pepper powder and 1 cup cornflour. Mix it completely, add cornflour if needed, the mixture shoul...

  Matar paneer a North Indian dish is like a perfect homely meal in everyday house of India. The curry is super simple to make, that is cooked with delicious paneer or cottage cheese. A common recipe among the roadside dhabas and for the deluxe restaurants too. I have used fresh peas here, you can use the frozen peas too, which cuts down the cooking time. Serve it with rice or an Indian bread of your choice. Try this recipe for a homely afternoon lunch. Ingredients 500g paneer ( cottage cheese ) 4 tomatoes 4 green chilies 4 medium onions 1 cup fresh peas 2 tbsp. vegetable oil 1 tsp ghee 1 inch cinnamon stick 3 Green Cardamom 3 Cloves 10-15 Black peppercorn 1 tsp cumin seeds salt to taste 2 tsp ginger garlic paste 1 tsp red chili powder 1.5 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp sugar 3.5 cups of water 1 tsp garam masala powder chopped fresh coriander Method Blend the tomatoes to make a fine paste. Finely chop an onion. Cut the paneer pieces into desir...

Chow mein is an Indian Chinese dish, that has its roots back to China, is quite favorite among people here in India, a popular street food that everyone knows of, we often tend to avoid it making at home, thinking of the hard work and labor, all we need is a very hot pan/wok, vegetables prepared and ready to be cooked and literally takes minutes to put this dish all together. I haven't used any MSG in it, you can add if you desire so, its all good to eat chowmein while it is sizzling hot, or else the noodles can stick and become clumpy and the vegetables will loose their crunch. You can jazz it up by adding broccoli  red/green capsicum. Goes well with a vegetable Manchurian. Ingredients 1.4 cup dry noodles 2 onions 1 medium green Capsicum 1 carrot 4 spring onions 3 green chilies 1 medium cabbage ( halved) 2' ginger 10 garlic cloves 1 tbsp vinegar 2 tbsp red chili sauce 2 tbsp dark soy sauce 1.5 tbsp tomato ketchup salt to taste 1/2 tsp black pepper powder oil as needed Method ...

 Chicken Malai curry is a mouthwatering recipe that is an evolution of the malai curry from Bengal. The chicken is slow cooked with coconut milk. The main step of this recipe is to cook the masala thoroughly and not to rush it. When slow cooked the chicken releases all its flavour along with the beautiful rich aromatic curry. The main gravy consists mostly of the coconut milk and the added spices. Make sure that the spice proportions are correct and this is just the dish you want for a winter lunch with a hot steaming bowl of rice. Perfect comfort food at home. Ingredients 400 g Chicken 1 cup Coconut milk 3 Garlic (grounded) 1" Ginger (grounded) 1 Green Chili (grounded) 2  Onions (grounded0 2 tbsp. Oil 1" Cinnamon Stick 3 Green Cardamom 4 Clove Salt 1 tsp Sugar 1/2 tsp red chili powder 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1/2 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder Method Ground the onions, garlic, ginger and green chili and keep them aside. Heat oil in a pan...

  Cauliflower ghee roast is an another variant to the paneer ghee roast or the chicken ghee roast, the spice blend is quite fragrant and the cauliflower soak up the spices, this is quite an amazing recipe, the masala is quite moist and goes well with a laccha paratha or a hot roti. A recipe that is quite distinct from the normal gobi masala or aloo gobi sabzi, but the flavours turn out to be as promising as its other dishes. Garnish with onion rings and a lemon wedge and enjoy it as an afternoon lunch with your family. Ingredients 1 medium Cauliflower 2 medium Onions ( chopped ) salt 1 tbsp. dried tamarind pulp 2 Kashmiri Red Chili 1 tbsp. Black Pepper corn 1 tbsp. Coriander seeds 1 tbsp. Fennel seeds 1 tbsp. Cumin seeds 6 - 7 cloves 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds ( methi ) 6 - 8 Garlic cloves 1" Ginger 2 - 3 strands of Curry Leaves 2.5 tbsp. yoghurt Oil for frying 2 tbsp. Clarified butter ( ghee ) 1 tsp Sugar Method  Wash and dry the cauliflower properly, discard the branches and c...

  Egg curry restaurant style ! Here it is. In hotels mostly the gravy is pre prepared and the eggs are added on top, cooked for few minutes and then served. You can adjust the heat and the masala quantity as per your need. Don't forget to get a good colour on the eggs before cooking with the gravy, this makes sure that the outer crust stays intact and firm. A simple humble egg curry is enough for quick dinner meal. A hot naan or chapati goes well with this. Give it a try and do let us know how it goes. Ingredients 5 Eggs (boiled peeled) 3 Tomatoes 3 Green Chilies 6 Cloves 1" Sliced ginger a small bunch of Coriander Leaves 3 Onions Oil Salt to taste 1 tsp turmeric powder 1" Cinnamon stick 4 Green Cardamom 5 Cloves 2 Bay Leaf 1 tsp Cumin Seeds 4 Tbsp yoghurt (whisked) 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp garam masala powder water as required Method Blend together tomatoes, green chilies, cloves, ginger and coria...

  Dhokar Dalna or soaked Chana Dal Cake Curry that is cooked in a thick curry made with ginger, tomato and onions. This is a proper Bengali dish that is served with rice. Usually made on a special occasion, this curry is quite rich in taste and nutritious at the same time. You may also find another recipe of dhokar dalna that is made without any garlic or onions, also called (Niramish) in Bengali. The lentil cakes provide a good texture, and the size or shape of the cake can be altered as per the liking. Ingredients 250 g Chana Dal 3 Green Chilies 1 " Ginger Salt to taste 1/2 tsp nigella seeds (kalunji) Oil ( for frying and for the curry) 3 Onions 2 Tomatoes 1" cinnamon 5 cloves 3 green cardamom 1 bay leaf ( halved ) 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp red chili powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1/2 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tsp garam masala powder 2 tbsp yoghurt (beaten) 1/2 tsp sugar 2 slit green chilies 1 tsp clarified butter (ghee) Meth...

 Mutton Curry is quite a common recipe, every family has their own variety and significance. This is our take, being born in a Bengali family we tend to make meals that can feed the complete family. So the use of potatoes in the curry increases the volume, let it sit over time, the potatoes tend to suck that flavorful gravy, making it quite delicious to eat with rice and chapati. Its important to note that the cooking time of mutton is more than that of chicken. If you are in a hurry you can cook it in a pressure cooker, but we generally prefer to cook in a kadai on medium flame for longer time period. Cooking on a slow flame makes sure that the meat is properly cooked and the flavours become more prominent.  Ingredients Marination  500 g mutton  Salt to taste  1 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste 1 tsp red chili powder 1 tsp lemon juice  for curry 3 onions 2 tomatoes 2 potatoes 2 tbsp oil 4 cloves 1" cinnamon 3 small cardamom 1 mace ( javitri) 1 black cardamom 1 bay ...