Main Meals

General Materials

Rice

• Ingredients
  • ~1/2 cup rice per person
  • Twice as much water as rice
• Instructions
  • Put rice and water into pot, but DO NOT STIR!
  • Boil without stirring
  • Cover with lid (need good lid; pointless without proper lid)
  • If using gas stove, put on very small flame
  • If using cast-iron electric stove, turn off but leave pot on hot plate (may need to take off temporarily to prevent from boiling over)
  • Leave like this for 20-30 minutes, or until all water has been absorbed by the rice
  • IMPORTANT: lid needs to cover well; never stir, or it will burn
  • Note: did I forget to mention that you shouldn't stir it?

Chapati (Makes ~2)

• Ingredients
  • 100 g whole wheat flour
  • 60 mL water
  • Pinch salt (optional)
• Instructions
  • Mix flour, salt and water and knead for a few minutes.
  • Leave with a cloth on top for 20-30 min.
  • Separate into balls.
  • Flatten balls with a rolling pin (a lot of extra flour is needed to keep it from sticking).
  • Put uncooked chapatis into frying pan one by one; keep pushing down bubbles with a cloth and turning them around.
  • Note: The amount of water varies depending on the flour used, so add a little bit at a time

Paneer

• Ingredients
  • 1 L milk
  • Lemon juice or vinegar
• Instructions
  • Boil milk
  • Add acid and let milk curdle
  • Strain through thin cloth and wash to remove sour taste
  • Squeeze well to remove water
  • Press underneath heavy object for several hours
  • Note: Use full cream milk, preferably raw

Pakistani/Indian

General Notes

• Cover curries with a lid for a while so they cook properly, but then remove it so there isn't too much water
• The traditional way to prepare garlic and ginger is to grind it into a paste with a mortar and pestle, but if you don't have one, you can probably get away with just cutting them into very small pieces
• You really should get a mortar and pestle though if you want to get anything proper done...

Chicken Karahi (Serves ~3-4)

• Ingredients
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp oil
  • 1 inch ginger, minced with mortar and pestle
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced together with ginger in mortar and pestle
  • 500 g chicken cut into bitesize pieces - preferably legs because the bones can give a better taste
  • 3 cups chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • ~4 green chilies, chopped - may need more or less depending on the spicyness of the chilies
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
• Instructions
  • Heat oil in a large pan - optimally an actual karahi, but other pans will do.
  • Fry onion pieces until golden.
  • Add ginger and garlic mix, keep frying until they also are golden.
  • Add cumin, salt, turmeric and garam masala.
  • Add chicken and fry until it starts turning brown.
  • Add chopped tomatoes and green chilies.
  • Simmer on low heat for ~30 min.
  • Optionally garnish with cilantro, but shame be upon you if you actually like that.

Chicken Curry (Serves ~3-4)

• Ingredients
  • 500 g chicken cut into bitesize pieces - bones are better like with chicken karahi
  • ~3 cups chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 inch ginger, minced
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 2 green chilies, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• Instructions
  • Fry onion until golden.
  • Add ginger and garlic paste; keep frying until they are brown as well.
  • Add coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric, and salt.
  • Add chicken pieces and fry until they start turning brown.
  • Add chopped tomatoes and green chilies.
  • Simmer on low heat for ~30 min.
  • Optionally garnish with cilantro, but shame be upon you if you actually like that.
  • Note: Yes, I know this is almost the same as chicken karahi.

Chicken Handi (Serves ~3-4)

• Ingredients
  • 500 g chicken cut into bitesize pieces - bones are better like with chicken karahi
  • ~1 cup chopped tomatoes
  • 2 medium or one large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 inch ginger, minced
  • 1/2 cup yoghurt
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp oil
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 2-4 green chilies, chopped (adjust amount depending on size and desired spicyness)
• Instructions
  • Fry onions in oil until golden
  • Add ginger and garlic paste; keep frying until they are brown as well (may only need a few seconds)
  • Add coriander, turmeric, salt, and garam masala (may need to add a bit of water to keep from burning)
  • Add chicken pieces and fry for ~15-30 seconds while constantly stirring
  • Add yoghurt, chopped tomatoes, and green chilies
  • Simmer on low heat for ~30 min - don't cover with a lid or there will be too much sauce
  • Add cream and cook for a few more minutes
  • Optionally garnish with cilantro, but shame be upon you if you actually like that

Chicken Jalfrezi (Serves ~3-4)

• Ingredients
  • Marinade
    • 500g boneless chicken, cut into bitesize pieces
    • 1 Tbsp yoghurt
    • 1 garlic clove (~1/2 tsp)
    • ~1/4 inch ginger (~1/2-1 tsp)
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric
    • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Other
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 2 cups tomatoes (~4-5 pieces), chopped
    • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
    • 2 green chilies, chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves (~1-2 tsp), ground into paste
    • ~1/2 inch ginger (~1-2 tsp), ground into paste
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 1/2 Tbsp oil
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp cumin powder
    • 1 tsp coriander powder
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
• Instructions
  • Marinate chicken in marinade for a few hours
  • Fry onions in oil until they start turning yellow
  • Add garlic and ginger paste, keep frying briefly
  • Add marinated chicken and fry until most of the red has disappeared
  • Add salt, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and garam masala, and stir well
  • Add tomatoes, bell pepper, and chilies and stir well
  • Cover with lid on low heat for ~20 minutes, stirring occasionally
  • Uncover and simmer for ~25 minutes so it doesn't become too watery
  • Add lemon juice and stir well before serving

Keema Muttar (Serves ~4-6)

• Ingredients
  • 500g minced lamb (or beef)
  • 400-500g peas
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, ground into paste
  • 1 inch ginger, ground into paste (~3-4 tsp)
  • 2-4 green chilies, chopped
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 4-6 tomatoes (~2 cups), chopped
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp oil
  • 1 cup water (if serving with rice)
• Instructions
  • Fry onions in oil until they start turning brown
  • Add garlic and ginger paste, continue frying briefly
  • Add turmeric, cumin, garam masala, and salt and mix well
  • Add minced meat and fry well, making sure to break apart any big pieces
  • Add tomatoes, chilies, and peas
  • If serving with rice, add 1 cup of water (rice requires more sauce than chapatis)
  • Cover with lid and simmer for 20-30 minutes

Keema Karela (Serves ~4)

• Ingredients
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, ground into paste
  • 1 inch ginger, ground into paste
  • 250 g minced beef
  • 2 cups chopped tomatoes (~4 tomatoes)
  • 2 green chilies, chopped
  • 1 kg Karela
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2-3 Tbsp oil
• Instructions
  • Remove seeds from karela and cut into small pieces
  • Fry karela pieces with 1-2 Tbsp oil until brown, set aside
  • Fry onions with 1 Tbsp oil until brown
  • Add ginger and garlic paste
  • Add cumin, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and salt
  • Add minced beef and fry well
  • Add fried karela pieces, tomatoes, and green chilies
  • Simmer with lid on pot for ~15 minutes
  • Remove lid and keep cooking until mixture is fairly dry

Kofta Curry

• Ingredients
  • Meatballs
    • 1 tsp ginger paste
    • 1 pod black cardamom (the seeds ground in a mortar & pestle)
    • 1 tsp coriander
    • 2 cloves, ground
    • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
    • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp red chili powder
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 egg
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 500 g ground beef
    • Several boiled eggs (optional)
    • 1 Tbsp oil
  • Sauce
    • 1 onion, cut into rings or chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, ground into paste
    • 1 inch ginger, ground into paste
    • 1 green chili
    • 2 tsp ground coriander
    • 6 tomatoes, chopped (~3 cups)
    • 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
    • 1/2 cup yoghurt
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 1 black cardamom
    • 1 Tbsp oil
• Instructions
  • Mix all meatball ingredients except for boiled eggs and oil together
  • Either form small meatballs or cut eggs in half and form meatballs around them
  • Fry meatballs in oil, set aside
  • Fry onions in oil until light brown
  • Add garlic and ginger paste
  • Add coriander, salt, and garam masala
  • Add tomatoes, green chili, and yoghurt, simmer for 15 minutes with lid on pot
  • Add meatballs to sauce and simmer for 15 more minutes with pot uncovered so water can evaporate

Talihui Murghi/Spicy Fried Chicken (Serves ~4)

• Ingredients
  • 500 g chicken breast, cut into bitesize pieces
  • Juice from one lemon (several tablespoons)
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 Tbst oil
  • 1 inch ginger, ground into paste
  • 2 garlic cloves, ground into paste
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
• Instructions
  • Marinate chicken pieces in lemon juice for 1 hour
  • Fry onion in oil until slightly golden
  • Add ginger and garlic paste and fry briefly
  • Add chicken pieces (drain leftover lemon juice first) and fry for 10-15 minutes on medium heat
  • Add all spices and continue frying for 10 minutes
  • Serve with chapatis

Shami Kebab (Serves ~4)

• Ingredients
  • 500 g minced beef/lamb
  • 2 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • Pinch cinnamon
  • 1 pod black cardamom, ground (just the seeds inside)
  • 2 cloves, ground
  • 1 Tbsp gram flour
  • 1-2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup yoghurt (optional - adds a lot of liquid, so you may need to cook it longer or add more gram flour)
  • Oil - for frying, use as much as you need
  • 1 onion, chopped into very small pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic, ground into paste
  • 1/2 inch ginger, ground into paste
  • Squirt of lemon juice
• Instructions
  • Mix meat, all spices, and yoghurt (if you want yoghurt)
  • Fry onions until light brown, add ginger and garlic paste, keep frying briefly
  • Mix meat mixture with fried onione, garlic, and ginger, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until most liquid has evaporated
  • Let mixture cool, add squirt of lemon juice, and knead well
  • Form into small balls and fry by pressing balls into thin, round patties in the frying pan
  • Notes
    • I heard the patties can be coated with egg and bread crumbs before frying, but mine fell apart way too easily
    • If there is too much liquid left in the mixture, the patties will fall apart too easily

Mombai Biryani

• Ingredients
  • 2 - 2 1/2 cups rice
  • 400 g beef or chicken in small pieces ("Geschnetzeltes")
  • ~250 g potatoes (2-3 pieces), cut into thin slices
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, ground into paste
  • 1 inch ginger, ground into paste
  • 1/2 cup yoghurt
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1-2 green chilies, cut into small pieces
  • 2 Tbsp oil
• Instructions
  • Fry onion until golden in 1 Tbsp of oil
  • Add garlic and ginger paste, keep frying briefly
  • Add salt and garam masala, stir, and add meat pieces
  • Fry meat well and then add yoghurt and chilies
  • If using beef, add extra water and cook with lid on for ~30 minutes in order to tenderize it
  • Cook until most water has evaporated (it should just be a sort of paste), set aside
  • Fry potato slices in remaining Tbsp of oil until slightly brown (use low heat for this so they don't burn)
  • Make rice, but don't leave it too long because it might get too mushy later
  • Layer the rice, meat mixture, and potato slices (keep adding layers until you run out)
  • Leave on extremely low heat for ~5 minutes without stirring
  • Remove from heat and leave to steam for 15 minutes
  • Notes
    • Other vegetables can be added (e.g. peas)
    • The layering isn't too important, but apparently that's how it's done traditionally
    • The meat mixture can also be pressure cooked in order to tenderize the meat

Scrambled Egg Curry (Serves 3-4)

• Ingredients
  • 1 large or 2-3 small onions, chopped into small pieces
  • 2 cups chopped tomatoes (~4 pieces)
  • 2 cloves garlic, ground into paste
  • 1 inch ginger, ground into paste
  • 1-2 green chilies, chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 Tbsp oil
• Instructions
  • Fry onions in oil until soft
  • Add garlic and ginger paste and keep frying briefly
  • Add green chilies, tomatoes, and all spices
  • Simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes with closed lid
  • Remove lid and keep simmering until excess water has evaporated
  • Mix eggs together in bowl and add to pot
  • Keep cooking/frying until eggs are well done (the mixture should be fairly dry)
  • Serve with chapatis

Muttar Paneer (Serves 3)

• Ingredients
  • 1 large or 2-3 small onions, chopped
  • 2 cups chopped tomatoes (~4 pieces)
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, ground into paste
  • 1 inch ginger, ground into paste
  • ~200 g paneer (from 1-2 liters milk), cut into 1-2 cm cubes
  • 1-2 green chilies, chopped
  • 250 g peas
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garam masala
• Instructions
  • Fry onions in oil until golden
  • Add garlic and ginger paste, fry briefly
  • Add all spices, tomatoes, chilies, peas, and water
  • Simmer with closed lid for 10-15 minutes
  • Add paneer cubes and keep simmering for 10 minutes
  • Remove lid and keep simmering for 5-10 minutes
  • Notes
    • If serving with chapati, add less water and simmer longer with lid open
    • The paneer cubes can be fried/deep-fried as well, but I've never tried it

Achar Gosht (Serves 3)

Image: Achar Gosht

• Ingredients
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, ground into paste
  • 1 inch ginger, ground into paste
  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 1 cup yoghurt
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes (~2 large pieces)
  • 1-2 green chilies, chopped
  • 500 g beef, cut into bitesize pieces
  • 1 tsp nigella seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 pods black cardamom
  • 2 cloves, ground
  • 1 stick cinnamon (a few inches)
• Instructions
  • Fry onions in oil until golden
  • Add garlic and ginger paste and keep frying briefly
  • Add all spices and meat and fry until meat is brown
  • Add tomatoes, chilies, and yoghurt
  • Simmer with lid closed until meat is tender (the longer the better)
  • Simmer with lid open until the mixture isn't too watery anymore

Chicken Tikka Pizza (Serves 2-3)

• Ingredients
  • Pizza Dough
    • 2 cups plain flour
    • 2 tsp yeast
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 Tbsp olive oil
    • ~3/4 cups warm water
  • Tomato Sauce
    • 2 cups chopped tomatoes (~4 large tomatoes)
    • 3 cloves garlic, ground into paste
    • 1 medium onion, chopped
    • 1 tsp paprika powder
    • 1 tsp oregano
    • 1 tsp basil
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp sugar
    • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • Chicken
    • 200 g boneless chicken, cut into bitesize pieces
    • 1/4-1/2 inch ginger, ground into paste
    • 2 cloves garlic, ground into paste
    • 1 green chili, ground into paste (together with ginger and garlic)
    • 2 Tbsp yoghurt
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 Tbsp tandoori masala
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • Other
    • 100-150 g grated cheese (I used Emmentaler, but do whatever you want)
    • Butter for greasing pan
    • Other toppings, e.g. mushrooms (optional)
• Instructions
  • Chicken
    • Marinate chicken for 1 hour in all ingredients except for oil
    • Fry in oil for 10-15 minutes, until the liquid from the marinade has evaporated
    • Note: If you want to do this properly, you should grill the chicken, but this is easier to do in a normal home...
  • Pizza Dough
    • Put flour into bowl
    • Create mould in the middle and add sugar, yeast, and enough warm water to fill the mould
    • Leave for 10 minutes, until the water starts bubbling
    • Add salt, olive oil, and the rest of the water and knead well (you may need to adjust the amount of water or add more flour)
    • Leave to rise for 30-60 minutes
  • Tomato Sauce
    • Fry onions in oil until golden
    • Add garlic paste and fry briefly
    • Add tomatoes and other ingredients
    • Simmer for ~30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes fairly thick
    • Note: You may want to either blanche the tomatoes or blend them so you don't have pieces of skin in the sauce, although I personally don't mind too much
  • Combined
    • Grease pan (about 13x9 in. or something like that - my first one was about 12.5x10.5...; I guess a 6 in. round pan would work too) and shape dough to fit into it
    • Add tomato sauce on top and spread until the dough is completely covered
    • Add chicken pieces (and optionally other toppings)
    • Sprinkle grated cheese on top
    • Bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees celsius

Achari Chicken Pizza (Serves 2-3)

Image: Achari Chicken Pizza

• Ingredients
  • Pizza Dough
    • Same as chicken tikka pizza
  • Achari Chicken
    • 200 g chicken, cut into bitesize pieces
    • 1/4 inch ginger, ground into paste
    • 2 cloves garlic, ground into paste
    • 1 small onion, chopped finely
    • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1/4 tsp nigella seeds
    • 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
    • 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (~1 large tomato)
    • 1/3 cup yoghurt
    • 1/2-1 green chili, chopped
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp sugar
    • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • Other
    • 150-200 g grated cheese (I used a mixture of mozzarella and emmentaler)
    • Butter for greasing pan
• Instructions
  • Pizza Dough
    • Same as chicken tikka pizza
  • Achari Chicken
    • Heat oil and sputter the seeds
    • Note: Due to a freak accident of nature, I didn't manage to sputter the seeds when I tried it, and I'm not sure it's really that important - you could probably even use ground spices instead of the whole seeds if that's all you have
    • Add chopped onion and fry until golden
    • Add ginger and garlic paste and keep frying briefly
    • Add salt, sugar, and chicken pieces and fry until chicken is brown
    • Add chopped tomatoes, chili, yoghurt, and lemon juice
    • Simmer on medium heat with lid closed for 10 minutes
    • Remove lid and keep simmering until remaining liquid is fairly thick
  • Combined
    • Grease pan (12x8 inches will do, but you can also go slightly bigger - you can also take a larger pan and just roll the dough up a bit at the sides instead of getting the perfect size of pan) and shape dough to fit it
    • Spread chicken over dough
    • Sprinkle grated cheese on top
    • Bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees celsius

Chicken Tikka (Serves ~1-2)

Image: Chicken Tikka

• Ingredients
  • 2 chicken leg quarters
  • 2 Tbsp yoghurt
  • ~1 inch ginger, ground into paste (1 Tbsp ground)
  • 2 cloves garlic, ground into paste
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp chaat masala
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp salt
• Instructions
  • Mix all ingredients and marinate chicken for at least 1 hour (ideally overnight)
  • Grill chicken for ~20-30 minutes or bake at 200 C for 40-50 minutes until crispy
    • Note: if baking, bake in pan first for 20-30 minutes so it gets cooked through well, then fry until the marinade has dried.
  • Serve with chapati
  • Notes
    • It needs to be grilled for it to be authentic, but the baked version still tastes okay
    • It really needs to be properly done and crispy for it to be good

Dal (Serves 2-3)

Image: Dal

• Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup red lentils (they turn yellow when cooked)
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 inch ginger
  • ~1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 large tomatoes (~1 cup when cut into pieces)
  • Chili or pepper to taste
  • Oil for frying
  • For tadka (optional):
    • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
    • 1 garlic clove
    • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• Instructions
  • Boil the lentils like rice, but with three times as much water as lentils (by volume) (Image)
  • Cut the onion, garlic, and ginger into small pieces
  • Mash the garlic and ginger up with a mortar and pestle, if available
  • Fry the onion until light brown, then add the garlic and ginger paste
  • Fry for a bit longer, then add the tomatoes and all spices except for the tadka ones (Image)
  • After everything is cooked well (~20 minutes), mix with the lentils (the lentils should soak up all the water; if not, figure out what you're going to do...)
  • For the (optional) tadka, heat oil very hot in a pot with a lid, then tilt the pot so the oil collects on one side, add the tadka spices (cut the garlic clove beforehand), quickly close the lid, and wait until the seeds stop sputtering. The sputtered seeds and oil can then be mixed together with the rest of the dal.
  • Serve with rice or chapati or whatever.

Other

German Pancakes (Serves ~1-2; makes ~5-6)

• Ingredients
  • 250g flour - can use maybe 1/4 or so whole wheat flour for making it healthier
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • Oil for frying
• Instructions
  • Mix flour and salt together in a bowl
  • Mix in milk slowly, taking care to avoid clumping
  • Mix in eggs (it may help to mix them separately and break the egg yolks first)
  • Make the pancakes by always dumping a ladle of batter into a frying pan, then tilting it around to make the batter cover the bottom of the pan.
  • Notes
    • These pancakes are more like French crêpes than the fat American ones.
    • The batter has to be quite runny for it to work properly. You may even need to add more milk.
    • If you're using a non-stick pan, you shouldn't need to add oil after every pancake, just always after making a few. They turn out nicer with a little oil, though.