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Tandoori Rub for Fish or Chicken
Tandoori is traditionally cooked in a wood fired tandoor oven.  I cook mine on a kettle grill over charcoal.  The spice gives a slow-burn kind of warmth with an exotic aroma.

1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cayenne
Mix all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container.

Rub spice mix into fish or chicken and marinate overnight.  Grill over charcoal.

In India, yogurt is often added to the marinade mixture.  I find this unnecessary, as locally available chicken does not need the tenderizing property of yogurt.

Naan
Naan is a delectable flat bread.  Traditionally, Naans are baked in a tandoor or clay oven, although these naans cooked in a conventional oven are quite good.

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
2 teaspoons sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1 egg, beaten
2 Tablespoons melted ghee (clarified butter)
Chopped fresh cilantro and onion seeds for sprinkling on naan, optional

Mix the yeast, warm milk and sugar and let sit until frothy. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, milk, yogurt, egg and ghee. Fold in all the ingredients.

Knead the dough well. Tightly cover the bowl and keep dough in a warm place until double in size. Dough should spring back when you push your finger into it.  Preheat oven to 400 F.  Roll out the dough on a floured surface.

Make each naan slipper shaped, about 10 inches long and 6 inches wide, tapering to 2 in.  Sprinkle with the onion seeds and cilantro.  Place on greased trays and bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.  Serve warm with melted ghee.

Spicy Spinach Rice Cakes
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup coarsely crushed peanuts
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon lime juice
salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients except oil. Knead well with hands.  Take up a dough in walnut size pieces and flatten to patties.  Deep-fry, or saute in just a bit of oil until golden brown.  Serve with spicy salsa or chutney.

Samosas
Fillling:
3 medium potatoes
1/2 cup garden peas
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 cup chopped onion
2 Tablespoons chopped green chili
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger paste (or chopped fresh ginger)
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
salt to taste
Dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
Oil for deep frying

Boil potatoes, peel and slightly mash. Boil peas and cabbage. Keep aside. In a non-stick pan, heat oil and add chopped onions until light brown. Add ginger paste, cilantro, mint, green chili and fry for one minute. Add salt and the boiled peas, cabbage and mashed potatoes. Stir well. Let cook for a minute, remove from heat and set aside.

Mix flour and salt.  Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and add to the flour and salt mixture. Mix until crumbly.  Add a few tablespoons of water at a time while stirring until you have a stiff dough.

Divide the dough into walnut sized balls and flatten each ball with a rolling pin to form a circle six inches in diameter.  Cut each circle into two semicircles. Wet the edges of each half circle, place sufficient amount of stuffing in the middle of the half circle and fold the corners in, so that, the end result looks like a stuffed triangle. Pinch the edges lightly; they should seal easily because they are wet.

In a wide deep skillet, heat oil over medium-low and when oil is hot, deep fry the stuffed samosas until they become pale brown in color.  Remove from skillet and keep aside. After frying all the samosas to a pale brown color, re-fry them, over medium heat, once again to a deep brown color.  Serve with ketchup or chutney.

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This page last updated on 07/04/2003