boneless tandoori chicken

mood: semiotic
listening to: front line assembly :: ghosts/heartquake

ever since i began this blog, people have been asking me to create indian dishes and there is one in particular that people have asked for. well, thanks in large part to my father-in-law, it's finally here. we started with the base recipe that he provided and amped it up with some zing! this is simple, tasty and just required a little bit of preparation, but it's guaranteed to put a smile on anyone's face... especially those of you who've been asking for something like this.

Ingredients: 2 lbs. chicken breast tenders, in halves 1 lg tub of yogurt 1/2 red onion, minced 1/2 bunch of cilantro, minced 7-8 garlic cloves, minced 1 tbsp. of salt

4 tbsp. tandoori masala powder 1 tbsp. paprika 1 tbsp. turmeric powder 1 tbsp. ginger root, minced t tbsp. chili powder 2 tbsp. olive oil

Preparation:
- slice onion and cilantro and blend into puree
- combine onion/cilantro puree with yogurt, garlic, ginger, tandoor masala, paprika, turmeric, chili, olive oil and salt into large bowl
- place chicken into yogurt marinade and pierce with a fork. let chicken marinate for 5-6 hours, piercing with fork every 2 hours
- after marination, heat up the barbeque and grill chicken pieces
- serve with lemon, juiced over chicken and with rice and yogurt

the ingredients in the recipe are enough for 4 people.

aloo bhaji (batata bhaji)

mood: vituperative
listening to: blut aus nord :: epitome xvi/epitome xvii

after an eight month lag that is attributed to laziness, i'm posting a recipe from my childhood. this was such a great dish growing up and there were so many different ways to make it and all kinds of vegetables that could be added to it. i made an aloo gobi last year which had cauliflower added and this time i added some peas to add some color. it's very easy to make and to adapt to your own taste and you can eat it with naan, tortillas or just plain rice.

Ingredients: 2 tbsp. of olive oil 1 medium onion, diced 1 tsp. of asafoetida 1 tbsp. of ground cumin 1 tsp. of turmeric 1 tbsp. of salt

1 tbsp. of amchoor (dried mango) powder 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 tbsp. of ground coriander 1 tsp. of mustard seeds 2 cups of frozen peas 1 tbsp. of gochugaru (korean red chili powder)

Preparation:
- heat oil in large skillet
- on medium heat, add mustard seeds and asafoetida and let simmer for 1 minute
- add in onion and stir until the onion becomes translucent
- add in turmeric, cumin, coriander, amchoor and mix for another minute
- add in potatoes and salt and stir then cover for 5-10 minutes
- add in gochugaru and peas and stir, then cover again for 5 minutes
- keep stirring until potatoes become slightly soft

the ingredients in the recipe are enough for 4 people.

channa masala

mood: heterodoxic
listening to: the naked and famous :: punching in a dream/young blood

a few people have been asking me to make add some indian dishes to the blog and while i have 1 or 2 up, i have been slacking for sure. i have been recently experimenting with a few new dishes and so there are more to come in the near future. for now, this dish is a staple and usually a go to every time i eat out at an indian restaurant. it's always been delicious and i always wondering what it would be like to try making it myself. it's a fairly simple recipe that requires a lot of different spices, so you will most likely have to get to an indian market before trying it out.

Ingredients: 2 tbsp. of canola oil 1 large onion, diced 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tbsp. of ground coriander 1 tbsp. of ground cumin 2 tsp. of cayenne powder 1 tsp. of turmeric 5 roma tomatoes, diced 1 cup of water 2 15 oz. cans of garbanzo beans, drained

1 tbsp. cumin seeds 1 tbsp. of amchoor (dried mango) powder 2 tsp. of paprika 1 tsp. of garam masala 1 tbsp. of salt 1/2 lemon, juiced 2 green chili peppers, minced 2 tsp. of ginger, minced 2 tbsp. of chili powder

Preparation:
- heat oil in large skillet
- on medium heat, add garlic and onion and sauté until slightly brown
- on medium-low heat, add coriander, ground cumin, cayenne powder and turmeric
- after stirring for a minute, add in tomatoes and cook until slightly brown
- add in garbanzo beans and water and cook covered for 5 minutes
- add in cumin seeds, amchoor powder, paprika, garam masala, salt and lemon juice then stir and cover for another 10 minutes
- add in chili powder, chili peppers and ginger and stir and cover for 5 more minutes

the ingredients in the recipe are enough for 4-6 people.

aloo gobi

mood: chimerical
listening to: high on fire :: serums of liao/fertile green

happy 2012! i just noticed that that's what i lead off my last posting with, so i guess i'm doing better than last year! i finally feel comfortable posting this dish which i've been working on in some form or another for the past few months. for all of you who keep asking for some indian recipes, i'm obliging once again and i'll say that this is the first of many that will be appearing here, cause i finally feel comfortable cooking my heritage food. this is a simple healthy dish and is full on vegetarian, which is pretty standard for the majority of dishes from my parent's home state.

Ingredients: 3 tbsp canola oil 2 pinches of asafoetida 1 pinch of mustard seeds 1 pinch of cumin seeds 1 small onion, diced 2 thai chilis, sliced 1/2 tsp of ginger paste 2 tsps of ground coriander 1/2 tsp of chili powder

2 pinches of paprika 1/2 tsp of turmeric 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp of garam masala 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets 1/2 tsp of garlic paste salt (seasoned to taste)

Preparation:
- in large pot, heat 3 tbsp of canola oil on medium-high. add in mustard and cumin seed and asafoetida and heat until seeds begin to pop.
- stir in onion and heat until slightly brown.
- reduce heat to medium and add in thai chilis and ginger paste and fry for 1 minute.
- add in paprika, turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, cayenne pepper and ground coriander and stir till you can smell the aroma.
- add in potatoes, stir and then cover for 5-10 minutes.
- add in cauliflower and salt and cover for another 15 minutes.
- continue to stir until slightly brown and potatoes and cauliflower is tender.

serve with rice and naan or tortilla.