Learn Some Popular Indian Food Recipes: 11 Dishes That Prove Just How Simple It Can Be to Cook in Your Kitchen Versus Relying on Takeout (2019)

Paneer 65

• 2 ½ tbsp all-purpose flour, 3 tbsp cornflour and 200gms paneer
• 1 tbsp rice flour and 1 ½ tbsp. thick curd
• crushed ginger and garlic – 1 ½ tsp each
• red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt – 1 tsp each
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala and ¼ tsp garam masala powder
• 5 tbsp water and oil for deep frying
• 1 medium onion finely sliced and 8-10 curry leaves

• Take paneer and cut into 1 inch cubes. Now mix all dry ingredients, food coloring, ginger and garlic in a bowl and add water to make medium thick paste.
• Add paneer into this mixture and coat them well. Deep fry these pieces on medium flame until they turn golden brown and crispy.
• Now heat oil in a pan and saute onion and curry leaves on medium flame then add thick curd, red chilli powder and salt as per taste.
• Add fried paneer into this mix and cook for 2-3 minutes and Paneer 65 is ready to serve.

Bread Rolls

• Bread slices as per requirement and 6 potatoes boiled and mashed
• 2 onions, 2-3 green chillies, 3 tbsp coriander leaves – finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1.5 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp mint leaves and oil for frying
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder, 1 tsp chaat masala and salt per taste

• Heat 1tsp oil in pan and add cumin seeds. After cracking seeds add onions and green chillies and cook for few minutes then set aside.
• Take a large bowl and add mashed potatoes, coriander leaves, mint leaves, coriander seeds, all the spices and onion-chillies fried. Combine everything to make the stuffing.
• Now, take one bread slice, dip in water for a second and roll it through rolling pin to squeeze out water.
• Place stuffing in its center and bring its edges together to seal the roll.
• Once all rolls are ready, deep fry them on medium flame and enjoy with tomato ketch up.

Hara Bhara Kabab

• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves (Blanched in hot water) and 4 tbsp besan (roasted)
• 2 medium large potatoes and ½ cup green peas - boiled
• 1 green chilli and 1-1.5 inch ginger – roughly chopped and crushed
• 1 tsp chaat masala and 1 tsp amchur powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala powder, salt and oil as needed

• Take chopped spinach in a bowl add grated boiled potatoes followed by peas and green chilli paste.
• Mash the mixture and add all dry spices, roasted gram flour and salt and mix well.
• Shape into round patties and shallow fry in a pan till they turn crispy and brown. Serve with mint or coriander chutney.

Vegetarian Biryani

• 3tbsp ghee or clarified butter and 1 ½ cups basmati rice (soaked for 30 minutes)
• 2 cups water and 2tbsp saffron water
• 2 bay leaf and 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise and 5 cloves
• 4 cardamoms and 1 medium onion finely chopped
• Pepper and cumin seeds – ½ tsp each
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste and 5 chopped beans
• 10 florets gobi and ¼ cup peas
• 1 chopped carrot and 1 cubed potato
• 3 sliced mushrooms and 1 cup curd
• 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder and 2 tsp biryani masala
• coriander and mint leaves as per requirement and salt to taste
• 6 tbsp fried onions

• Heat ghee in a large cooker then saute cinnamon, bay leaf, star anise, pepper, cardamom, cumin seeds etc into it on low flame.
• Further add onion, ginger garlic paste and saute them well.
• Now, add all the vegetables and mushrooms and saute till they shrink. Keep it on low flame and add curd followed by all spices.
• Add fried onions, coriander and mint leaves in it followed by rice and some more biryani masala and salt on top.
• Now add saffron water, one tbsp. ghee and 2 cups of water to cook. Cook on simmer for 25 minutes and biryani is done.

Channa Masala

• 3/4 cup chana and 1 ½ cups water
• Oil as per needed and 2-3 large onions thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste and 2 medium tomatoes chopped
• red chilli powder and salt as per taste
• 1/4 tbsp turmeric powder and 1 small bay leaf
• 1 inch cinnamon and 2-3 cloves
• 1 tsp garam masala and 1 tsp kasoori methi
• 2 pinch amchur and 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped finely
• cardamom and green chili slit optional

• Rinse chickpeas and soak for 8 hours then pressure cook for 5-6 whistles until completely cooked.
• Saute onion in 1tbsp oil then saute ginger garlic paste in it. Now add chopped tomatoes and salt and cook till tomatoes turn soft.
• Add chili powder and turmeric and saute again. Cool this and blend to make a smooth paste.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil and saute bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom for some time then add the paste, garam masala and coriander powder and cook again.
• Add cooked chickpea and stock if needed. Bring it to a boil then cook for 5-6 minutes. Add kasuri methi and serve with chopped coriander leaves.

Chicken Tikka Masala

• 800gms boneless chicken cut into pieces and 1 cup plain yogurt
• Ground coriander, Kashmiri chilli – 1 tsp each
• 1 ½ tbsp. minced garlic and salt as per taste
• Butter and vegetable oil – 2 tbsp each
• 3 ½ tsp garam masala and 2 small onions finely diced
• 1 tbsp ginger and 2 ½ tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 400gms tomato puree and 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp brown sugar and ¼ cup water
• Coriander to garnish

• In a bowl, combine chicken with yogurt, ginger and garlic paste, 1 tsp turmeric, 1tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp Kashmiri chili and 1 tsp salt and let it marinate for 10 minutes.
• Heat oil in a large pan and fry onions till soft. Add remaining ginger and garlic followed by garam masala, cumin, turmeric, coriander and fry for few seconds.
• Pour tomato puree with chili powder and salt and cook for 10 minutes on simmer flame by stirring occasionally.
• Once the sauce thickens add heavy cream and sugar followed by chicken and cook for another 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro or coriander and serve.

Dal Makhni

• 2 tbsp overnight soaked red kidney beans and ½ cup overnight soaked urad dal.
• Red chilli powder and garam masala – 1 tsp each
• 4 tbsp butter and 1tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 large chopped onion and 2 medium sliced and slit green chilies
• Tomato puree and fresh cream – half cup each
• 1 tsp Ginger and garlic paste and 2 inch chopped ginger separately
• salt as per taste

• Pressure cook rajma and dal with a pinch of salt until they become soft.
• Put a frying pan on medium flame then heat oil. Put cumin seeds in it and once crackled put garlic and ginger paste and stir for sometime.
• Add onions, green chillies, tomato puree and fry till it turn golden. Now add Rajma and Dal and bring it to a boil.
• Add garam masala and salt and cook for some time. You can add some water to adjust the consistency. Once done, pour some fresh cream and garnish with some coriander leaves before serving.

Butter Naan

• 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp oil and 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup yogurt and salt to taste
• Chopped coriander leaves and lukewarm water as required

• Take all the ingredients in a bowl except butter and coriander leaves and knead a dough with lukewarm water.
• Let it rest for 2 hours by covering it with moist cloth. After it, knead the dough again.
• Take a ball size dough and roll in oval shape through rolling pin. Grease the naan with water on one side.
• Put the greased side on tawa and after a minute flip the tawa upside down to cook the naan until it turn golden brown.
• Serve with butter and coriander leaves on top.

Gulab Jamun

• 200gms khoya and ¾ cup grated paneer
• 3tbsp all-purpose flour and 2tbsp fine sooji
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder and 1 tbsp milk
• 1/4 tsp baking powder and oil for deep frying
• 250gms sugar and 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp rose water

• Grate khoya in a bowl and mash well followed by grated paneer, sooji, all-purpose flour, baking powder and cardamom powder. Make sure there are no lumps left.
• Add milk if you are unable to make balls and then leave the mixture aside for 30 minutes.
• Make small balls of all the dough then dissolve sugar in water to make sugar syrup of one thread consistency and add rose water in it.
• Deep fry gulab jamun balls on low flame until they turn deep brown in color. Remove excess oil and pour them in sugar syrup. Let them be for a while and then take them out to serve.

Gajar Ka Halwa

• 1/2 kg carrots and ½ liter milk
• 1/2 cup sugar and ½ tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tbsp ghee and mixed nuts

• Wash carrots and grate them and dry roast the nuts.
• Bring milk to boil in a deep pan and add grated carrots in it to cook on a medium flame.
• When the milk evaporates completely, add sugar and let it cook until half of the moisture evaporates.
• Saute the halwa in ghee and sprinkle cardamom powder on it. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes then serve with roasted nuts on top.

Rice Kheer

• 5 cups full cream milk and ¼ cup rice
• 1/2 cup sugar and ½ tsp cardamom powder
• Mixed nuts and raisins

• Boil rice and milk in deep pan then cook over low flame. Don’t forget to stir occasionally until the milk becomes thick.
• When thickened, add sugar, nuts and raisins and cardamom powder.
• Serve hot.