Aloo Korma Recipe (Beef and Potato Curry)

I've prepared this Indian curry called korma countless times since I got married. I learned this dish from my husband Lulu's aunt (I call her Phoopi). It's a very flexible dish that allows for many combinations of meat and vegetable. Chicken, beef, goat, potato, taro and  various vegetables (peas, carrot, broccoli) are commonly used. The spicy gravy is what's constant.

The gravy is made of fried onion paste and yogurt and is flavored with ginger-garlic paste as well as several Indian spices. This version contains beef but you can easily omit the meat if you're preparing a vegetarian version.

I had initially planned to include aloo korma ("aloo" is Urdu for "potato") in my first cookbook, Haute Potato: From Pommes Rissolees to Timbale with Roquefort, 75 Gourmet Potato Recipes, but finally went for other Indian dishes such as kheema cutlets (Indian-style meat-filled pancakes), panipuri (bite-sized, crispy South Indian masala potato-filled appetizers) and aloo bonda (spicy potato fritter) to name a few.

Paneer Makhani Recipe

I don't make paneer makhani very often because of the calories, particularly since I started working out to lose the baby weight. But today I had an excuse: I had leftover cream from making a white peach macadamia tart (which I'll share tomorrow), a bucket of freshly picked tomatoes and a bag of cashew nuts in the pantry. 

I marinated the cubes of paneer prior to pan-frying them. The tangy flavor from the lemon juice, yogurt and cream balanced wonderfully with the sweetness from the tomato sauce. I didn't feel bad eating the dish because it was so good!

Paneer Dal Curry Recipe

I just discovered freshly made paneer cheese at a local Indian market. The cheese is wonderful and tastes great pan-fried. I didn't want to just serve it as-is, so I prepared a creamy masala sauce to go with it. I also threw in store-bought steamed black lentils (dal) for added protein. It's a nice change from the usual spinach (palak paneer) dish I often make for my husband Lulu.  

Served with a large plate of greens, this vegetarian Indian curry makes for a balanced, tasty meal. It's also very versatile; you can make your own variation by just swapping a few ingredients, such as chicken or eggplant in place of the lentils. 

Makhani Fish Curry Recipe

I only cook fish when I can find extremely fresh product at the market. I discovered some wonderful looking king mackerel at the Asian market that I just had to bring home. Mackerel is a tasty fish packed with essential, healthy, fatty acids.

Instead of a drizzle of nước mắm (fermented fish sauce), I pan-fried the fish steaks and then simmered them in an Indian spiced, buttery sauce called makhani curry. I love this sauce; it's creamy and very flavorful due to the use of garam masala. If mackerel isn't your thing, you could replace it with other fish or go the more traditional way with chicken. It's just as delicious.

Paneer Masala Pizza (Indian Style Pizza Recipe)

I ventured into the world of fusion and decided to break the rules by making pizza with Indian toppings. I prepared a traditional paneer butter masala with a mixture of flavorful, bold spices. I used the spicy sauce as the primary flavor for the pizza. In addition, I sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese to hold everything together and finished it with fresh cilantro.

The trick to coming up with your own fusion dishes is to use one recipe as the “base” and then replace a key ingredient with something from another culture. The sauce and cheese used on pizza are perfect targets and paneer butter masala takes care of both. If you wanted to make it even more Indian, you could replace the pizza crust with a naan. It’s a great way to introduce new foods to kids in a way that’s familiar but fresh.