August 21 - A Perfect Trio - Tandoori, Saag and Chapati

It's been a week since I started this "Fine Dining At Home" project. So I decided to make something challenging - Indian cuisine.

Once in a while, my colleagues and I go to Salaam Bombay in Downtown Manhattan for some Indian lunch buffet. The dishes are very tasty and appetizing that even if we feel full, we can't stop eating... until we get a taste of the desserts. To top it all, we still order mango lassi to go with our already heavy meal.

For me, to make an Indian dish is intimidating. It seems like it needs a lot of unknown herbs and seasonings before it could even taste authentic.

So I told my colleague that I would like to try some Indian dishes - Tandoori Chicken, Creamed Spinach (Saag) and Naan (she suggested chapati, instead). So I jotted down all her advice and tried to buy as much ingredients that day. She also gave me some Indian condiments from her house.

It was a lot of hard work for me. I made 3 dishes for dinner. I needed a lot of time, too. But to my delight, my husband and kids enjoyed the meal. My husband was surprised that I was able to cook these dishes. So am I...

Chapati

Ingredients
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 tsp of salt
1 cup warm water

Preparation Time (2.10 hours)
Mix the 3 ingredients in a medium bowl to make a dough. Cover the bowl with a wet towel and let it stand for 2 hours. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. For each piece, roll it into a small ball and flatten it with a rolling pin (at least 8" in diameter)

Cooking Time: (30 minutes)
Heat an iron griddle. Grill the first side for 1 minute. Then grill the other side for another 2 minutes. While you are grilling the first side, prepare the next piece of flatbread.


Spinach with Tomatoes (Saag)
Ingredients
2 lbs baby spinach, sliced thinly
1/4 cup olive oil
4 shallots, minced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced chives
28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
dash of nutmeg
dash of cumin
dash of coriander seeds

Cooking Time (1 hour)
Heat the olive oil in a large pan.
Add the shallots, garlic and chives. Cook until the shallots are caramelized.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the spinach., salt, and pepper.
Add a dash of nutmeg, cumin, and coriander seeds.
Cook until the spinach is wilted and the liquid is gone.



Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients
half pint of heavy cream
7 oz. low fat plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
.75 gram saffron
6 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp salt
1 whole chicken, cut-up into 10 pieces

Preparation
Mix the first 8 ingredients. Pour over the chicken pieces. Marinade the chicken overnight.

Cooking Time (30 minutes)
Grill the chicken in medium heat for 30 minutes, turning the chicken several times.