Dwaeji (Spicy Pork) Bulgogi

Adapted from Kye Soon Hong
Makes enough for about 12 tacos

• 1 pound pork shoulder, thinly sliced (preferably from a Korean or Japanese market)
• 3 tablespoons coarse-ground hot Korean red pepper powder
• 1 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• pinch of black pepper

Combine all ingredients and marinate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Cook meat on a grill or in a skillet, then chop for tacos.

Bulgogi

Bulgogi

Adapted from Kye Soon Hong
Makes enough for about 18 tacos

Note: the same marinade may be used for kalbi, thin-sliced bone-in short ribs

• 1 1/2 pounds beef rib eye, thinly sliced (preferably from a Korean or Japanese market)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons mirin
• 2 teaspoons water

Combine all ingredients and marinate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Cook meat on a grill or in a skillet, then chop for tacos.

Tamagoyaki

Tamagoyaki or Atsuyaki tamago
Halve the quantities for a 2-egg tamagoyaki
• 4 ‘large’ eggs
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1 tsp. mirin
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu); you can use regular soy sauce instead
• Oil for cooking

Equipment:
• 20cm / 8 inch (small) non-stick frying pan
• A heat resistant brush OR a wad of cotton wool or kitchen paper, for spreading the oil
• 1 or 2 forks, or 1 fork and a pair of chopsticks - or if you are skillful one pair of chopsticks
• Sushi rolling mat
• Optional: a fine-meshed sieve

Heat up the pan on medium-low heat. Make ready a small bowl of oil, and the brush or wad of cotton wool or kitchen paper.
Beat all the ingredients together with a fork or chopsticks. Don’t use a whisk since you don’t want it to get foamy.

Vegetable Pulao

2 cups basmati rice
1/2 lb fresh green beans, in small pieces
1/2 lb carrots, cut into small pieces
1/2 lb frozen peas
1 medium red onion
2-3 red chilies
3 bay leaves
4 green cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
1 tbls gingerroot, grated
2 tsp sugar,
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbls ghee
1 tbls vegetable oil

Soak rice 1/2 hour and drain completely. Heat oil and ghee in pan. Add sugar to hot oil. Add onion and cook until tender. Add bay leaves and red chilis and cook 2 minutes. Add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and ginger fry for 2 more minutes. Add vegetables and salt. Cook until vegetables are about half-cooked, then add rice and fry until slightly brown. Add enough water to cover the rice and cook until fluffy and tender. Serve hot.

Paneer Makhani

Ingredients:
1 block Paneer, cut into 1 inch cubes (approx 2-3 cups, I used store bought)
2-3 tbsp fresh Cream (I used single cream)
1 tsp Sugar (Optional but recommended)
1 tbsp Kasuri Methi/Dried Fenugreek Leaves
1 tbsp+1 tbsp Oil/Ghee
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste

Ground to Fine Paste:
For Onion Paste:
1 large or 2 medium Onions
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 inch Cinnamon
3 Cloves
3 Green Cardamoms
1 Bay Leaf
½ tbsp Khus-Khus/White Poppy Seeds
3 cloves of Garlic
1 inch Ginger

For Tomato Paste:
1 can chopped Tomato/3 Large Juicy Tomatoes
10 Cashews
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional but recommended)
¼-½ tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder (Adjust acc to taste)
½ Turmeric Powder
½ -1 tsp Kashmiri/Deghi Chilli Powder (gives lovely bright red colour)

Method:
Heat 1 tbsp oil or ghee in a pan and add paneer blocks. Fry these pieces on both the sides till they turn golden, about 3-5 mins, and place them in a bowl of water for about 15 mins. It’s best to fry them in batches if you can’t fit them in a pan in single layer.

Grind onion and tomato paste with all the ingredients listed above to smooth consistency separately and keep it aside till required.

Heat another tbsp of oil in a same pan and add cumin seeds. When it starts to sizzle and turn light brown in colour, mix in onion paste. Keep stirring at medium heat till onion paste turns light brown in colour and becomes little dry, about 6-8 minutes. This is an important step as if the paste is not fried well it will make the gravy bitter. Make sure that you continously stir the paste and it doesn’t stick to the pan.

Now add kasuri methi and sugar and stir for another minute.

Mix tomato paste and stir well. Simmer the heat and let it cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring in between to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan.

Increase the heat to medium and add a cup of water, salt to taste and mix well. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Open the lid and adjust the seasonings.

If you find the gravy too thick, add about another ¼-½ cup of water. Drain water and mix in fried paneer pieces and cream. Simmer the gravy and let it cook uncovered for another 5-7 minutes.

Switch off the flame and mix finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve it hot with any Roti or Jeera/Saffron Rice and enjoy. It tastes better the next day.

Palak Paneer

3 cups chopped cooked spinach, drained
20 oz panner cubes
2 tbls oil + 1 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp flour
3/4 cups milk or cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup hot milk
2 tbls tomato paste

Wet masala
1 small onion pureed
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
5 dried chilis

Dry masala
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala

Cook spinach with a little salt and 1 tbls water over low flame until wilted. Cool, puree and reserve.

Toss the paneer cubes with the flour, shallow fry in 1 tbls oil and 1 tbls ghee until golden. Soak the paneer in the 1/2 cup hot milk to which 1/2 tsp tumeric has been added. Reserve.

Heat the remaining oil and add the pureed onion. Fry on high flame, stirring briskly til some of the moisture evaporates and the puree colors. Add the pureed tomatoes and ginger-garlic paste. Fry on high until the sauce become thick (5 minutes). Add the dry masalas and simmer a few minuted.

Add the pureed spinach and 3/4 cup milk and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Add paneer and its milk, plus salt to taste. Simmer until sauce thickens. Add cornstarch if necessary.

Naan

Ingredients
• 400 gm. or 3 cups approximately plain white flour or maida
• 200 gm. or 1 1/2 cups strong flour (bread flour). Use plain white flour (maida) if you can’t get strong flour.
• 225 ml. hand warm water (not hot)
• 225 ml. milk, boiled and then cooled to hand warm (not hot)
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 2 level tsp. dry yeast or instant yeast*, roughly 1/2 tsp. per cup of flour. Use less yeast if you have more time for the dough to rise naturally. Make sure that the packet is fresh. Once it is opened, the leftover yeast will last for only 3 months or so,
• 3-4 tbs. ‘active’ natural yoghurt (dahi)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2-3 tbs. flour, for dusting during rolling out
• 1 tbs. ghee for cooking
• 2 tbs. poppy seeds (khus-khus) or sesame seeds (til) or nigella seeds (kalonji/kalaunji)
• 3-4 tbs. ghee or oil (optional)

Instructions
1. Dry Yeast needs to be activated. Mix milk, water and sugar in a jug. Sprinkle yeast and 2-3 tbs. of flour on top. Stir well to remove lumps. Cover with a cling film and keep aside at room temperature for 2 hours or so, until it rises to 2-3 times and looks quite frothy. This is activated yeast sponge.
2. *Instant yeast, does not need to be activated, it can be added directly to the flour.
3. Sift flour and salt in a bowl.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add yoghurt and oil/ghee. Mix.
5. Now make soft, bread like dough, using required amount of liquid from the warm milk-water-yeast mix. The dough should be soft. So don't be afraid to add a little more or a little less water than the recipe states. Add a little at a time, so that you don't end up with very runny dough either. Knead it well until smooth.
6. Cover with an oiled cling film and leave it to 'mature' in a warm place for 4-6 hours. It may take less in hot weather. The dough should rise to approximately double. You can make dough in a bread maker too. Simply place all ingredients and switch to ‘dough’.
7. Knead the dough again. Allow it to double in size again.
8. Knock it down and divide into 16 portions, rolling them into balls. Keep covered with a moist cloth.
9. Heat oven/grill/griddle/frying pan to maximum (around 225°C), leaving the tray under the grill or inside the oven, so it heats through. Naans placed on a cold tray/pan will stick and you will get stiff/hard/leathery naans! Indians often cook naans on an upturned wok, but I find that they cook okay in an ordinary frying pan/griddle, as long as it is hot and they cook quickly.
10. Dust and roll out one ball at a time into an oblong/large tear shape, approximately 20-22 cm. or 8-9 inches in length, one end narrower than the other. This can be done by rolling down one end more than other, or by pulling one end of the naan to elongate it. Roll out 3-4 naans at a time. Brush with a little ghee (not essential) and sprinkle a few nigella/sesame/poppy seeds on top. Press them in gently.
11. Cooking naans on a griddle or a heavy bottomed pan or tawa is much easier: Place 1-2 naans on a heated griddle/pan. When a few blisters appear, turn over. After about 30-40 seconds, turn over again and gently coax them to balloon up by pressing with a kitchen towel.
12. Cooking in an oven or under a grill: Dust the baking tray with a little flour. Place 3-4 naans at a time on the pre-heated tray. Place the tray in the oven or under the grill. The naans will puff up fairly quickly. When ready, they have a few brown blisters scattered on each surface. Remember that the tray needs to be re-heated fully, before you cook the next batch. If cooking under a hot grill, you need to turn them over to cook the other side.
13. Serve hot, with a curry/dal of choice. Whether you brush it with ghee or not, is your personal choice. I don’t.
14. Crisp and hot naans can be eaten with a little cheese and salad and served with any soup. Tiny naans can be served with dips. You can roll out the next batch of naans while the previous batch is baking.
15. Variations:
16. Topping: Before cooking, you can sprinkle the top of the nan, with 1) a few chopped, blanched almonds or 2) a few nigella/kalonji seeds or 3) a few cumin seeds or 4) a few fennel seeds or 5) chopped green chillies or broken up red chillies or 6) grated/chopped garlic and chopped coriander leaves and a drizzle of ghee or olive oil). Topping should be gently pressed into the nan with a rolling pin.
17. Stuffings:; 1) Kemah Nan, 2) Peshawri Nan, 3) nan stuffed with shredded tandoori or other cooked/leftover chicken. Add extra spices, as it will be inside an un-spiced bread, 4) Nan stuffed with a teaspoon of cooked and spiced spinach/fenugreek leaves. Squeeze and dry the water out completely before stuffing. 5) spiced mashed potatoes. See Aloo Paratha recipe, 6) grated paneer cheese, mixed with spices.
18. Additions to the dough:1) chopped mint or 2) a mix of chopped onions, green chillies, ginger, garlic or 3) other herbs of choice
19. Experiment with other fillings/toppings. To stuff a nan, roll out the ball, place a heaped teaspoon of the stuffing in the centre, pull edges in, to make a ball again. Continue as in plain nan.
20. Kalonji (nigella/onion seeds), can be spelled as Kalowunji on some packets.

Notes
• I have made a few changes to this recipe as kindly suggested by the well known master baker Dan Lepard. 1. I have reduced the amount of yeast, “too much yeast can overwork the dough and cause it to become heavy”. 2. I have added a little strong flour (bread flour), which “gives a more manageable dough”. 3. He also suggested I increase the water, “which makes the dough lighter, as it expands in the heat and the steam bubbles add to the aeration in the crumb”. 4. Boil the milk and cool it before using it to make dough because “raw milk can make dough tough. Boiling and cooling the milk destroys a dairy protein called casein and makes the bread much lighter. In India and Pakistan people often use dried milk and this has the same effect as it has been cooked first.” 5. Cooking suggestion from Dan Lepard: “The shape of a tandoor probably keeps the heat moist and slows the moisture loss from the dough as it is baked upright stuck on the oven wall (so the steam will travel through the length of the dough, rather than flat. I bake mine in a wok with a lid, sat over a moderate heat on the hob, and this (I think) helps produce a very light naan”.
• I have tried all these changes and they definitely help to make lighter naans, just as he said they would. So thank you to Dan-Mamta.

Brown Lentils

scant 1 cup brown lentils
2 tsp grated ginger
pinch turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbps butter
2 tbsp chopped onion
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 whole dried chilies and 12 tsp chili powder
1-2 tsp chopped cilantro

Soak lentils in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes. Add ginger, chili powder, turmeric and salt and bring to rapid boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir well to mush lentils. Melt the butter in a small skillet, add the onions and cook to translucence. Add the garlic, cumin seeds and the whole dried chilies. Cook til garlic is pink then add to simmering lentils, stir and simmer another few minutes then serve.

Lamb Pasanda

Ingredients
• 500 gm. good quality Lamb piece of approximately 2 inch
• For Marinade:
• 100 gm. or 4 tbs. thick, natural yoghurt** (you can use sour cream)
• Salt to taste
• 2 level tsp. coriander powder
• 1 level tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp. or to taste, chilli powder
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika powder for colour
• 2-3 green chillies, chopped (optional)
• * 1 medium onion, peeled and grated or ground to a paste
• *3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and grated or ground
• *1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated or ground
• 2 tbs. ground cashews or pistachios
• *These 3 can be ground together in a blender.

• For cooking:
• 2-3 tbs. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. methi or fenugreek seeds
• 2-3 large cardamoms
• 2 bay leaves
• 1-2 inch piece cinnamon stick
• 5-6 cloves
• 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced/chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
• A handful of chopped coriander leaves


Method
1. Remove all the white membranes from the surface of the meat.
2. Using a sharp knife, cut the meat into 5cm (2in) squares, about 1cm (½in) thick.
3. Place these escalopes between sheets of cling film and beat them out with a meat mallet or rolling pin until the lamb has been flattened into thin pieces.
4. Tip all the marinade ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
5. Coat the escalopes with the marinade, making sure the meat is completely covered with the masala spice mix. Set aside for at least one hour.
6. Heat the clarified butter in a heavy-bottomed casserole pan, wide enough to take the meat in one layer.
7. Add the cinnamon sticks and black cardamoms and let them sizzle for a few seconds before adding the marinated meat with its liquid.
8. Cover the pan with a tightly-fitting lid and seal the edges with a flour and water paste (this helps to retain all the flavours in the pot as the meat cooks).
9. Simmer on a very low heat for an hour until the sauce has reduced and the meat is tender.
10. Remove the lid from the pan. If there's too much liquid, cook the sauce down until there's a thin film of oil on top.
11. Scatter with chopped coriander and serve straight away with warm naan bread.

Kheer (Rice Pudding)

• Ingredients
• 1/4 cup short/medium grained rice
• 4 cups whole milk (go for low fat only if absolutely necessary)
• sugar to taste – I used 3 tbsp ( 1/4- 1/2 cup should be enough )
• pinch of saffron
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1-2 tbsp nuts ( I used almonds, pistachios and cashews)
• 4-5 raisins (or more if you like it)
• 1 tsp Ghee (preferred more than butter)

Method
In a saucepan, heat the ghee. Add the chopped nuts along with raisins. Set aside when raisins get plump and nuts turn reddish brown.
In the same pan, roast the rice for 2-3 minutes in low heat.
Now add the milk. Increase the heat to med-high and let it come to a boil
Give it an occasional stir so that the milk does not stick to the bottom. Non stick pan works great for this. Also take care not to let the milk burn. Even a little burn spoils the milk. Add sugar and give it a stir.
Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the milk has reduced in half. Keep stirring often. You know its done when the milk has reduced and also the rice has cooked and is soft (not mushy). This process takes approximately 20-30 minutes.

Add rest of the ingredients – saffron, cardamom and half of the roasted nuts.
Give it a stir until combined and serve garnished with the remaining nuts.