Meals of Joy!

Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh cumin or the amount you need/want

Directions

Roast cumin on slow in pan over stove top for 5 minutes or when cumin aroma starts.
Grind roasted cumin in a coffee grinder.
Store for later in jar.

Roasted Ground Cumin

Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh cumin or the amount you need/want

Directions

Roast cumin on slow in pan over stove top for 5 minutes or when cumin aroma starts.
Grind roasted cumin in a coffee grinder.
Store for later in jar.

Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus 2 to 24 hours marination Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound chicken tenders
1 Lazeeza Bihari Kabab Masala
1 Shan Tandoori Masala
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp of kasoori methi
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon cilantro
1 teaspoon kasoori methi

Directions:

Mix together Bihari Kabab Masala, Tandoori Masala, ginger-garlic paste, buttermilk, and methi to create a marinade for the chicken.
Add chicken to marinade. Keep in refrigerator for 2 hours to 24 hours.
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet.
Add chicken and marinade to the heated cast iron skillet.
After chicken is done cooking and the sauce starts drying, add whipping cream.
Mix everything really well.
Garnish with cilantro and methi.
Serve.

Bihari Tikka Chicken

Mix together Bihari Kabab Masala, Tandoori Masala, ginger-garlic paste, buttermilk, and methi to create a marinade for the chicken.
Add chicken to marinade. Keep in refrigerator for 2 hours to 24 hours.
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet.
Add chicken and marinade to the heated cast iron skillet.
After chicken is done cooking and the sauce starts drying, add whipping cream.
Mix everything really well.
Garnish with cilantro and methi.
Serve.

Make 3 deep cuts on top

Cover chicken completely with marinade

Seasonings used

TIKKA
Prep Time: 2 hours, plus 24 hours marination Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
12 chicken leg quarters
1-2 tablespoon salt

Marinade (can be used for any kind of tikka flavor)
2 cups greek yogurt
3 tablespoons garlic-ginger paste
1/3 cup canola oil
2 packets of Shan Masala - Tandoori Flavor
1 packet of Shan Masala - Tikka Flavor
3 tablespoons sugar
1-2 tablespoons dried kasoori methi (fenugreek), powdered
1 teaspoon orange food color (optional)

Directions

Take chicken leg quarters and take the skin fat off them.
Make 3 deep cuts on top of each leg quarter. The cuts should be to the bone.
Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of salt over the leg quarters. Let it sit for 1 to 2 hours.
Take all marinade ingredients and mix in a bowl.
Cover the chicken completely with tikka marinade and leave in refrigerator overnight.
On the next day when you want to cook the tikka, heat up the grill between 300F to 350F.
Place the tikkas on the grill for 10 to 12 minutes on each side. Constantly check the tikkas.
Serve.

Tikkas

Make 3 deep cuts on top

Cover chicken completely with marinade

Seasonings used

Take chicken leg quarters and take the skin fat off them.
Make 3 deep cuts on top of each leg quarter. The cuts should be to the bone.
Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of salt over the leg quarters. Let it sit for 1 to 2 hours.
Take all marinade ingredients and mix in a bowl.
Cover the chicken completely with tikka marinade and leave in refrigerator overnight.
On the next day when you want to cook the tikka, heat up the grill between 300F to 350F.
Place the tikkas on the grill for 10 to 12 minutes on each side. Constantly check the tikkas.
Serve.

The dough will be sticky and look similar to this.

Left: Chasni/Sugar Syrup. Right: Frying Oil

Roll 1 inch sized balls

Put a batch into the oil, they will go to the bottom

After a minute, they will come up. If they don't then just bring them up with your spatula. Roll spatula over gulab jamun like this for even frying.

GULAB JAMUN
Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus 2 hours wait time for dough Cook Time: 1 to 2 hours
Ingredients
Dough
1 cup Pioneer Brand Baking Mix
2 cups instant non-fat dry milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon fresh green cardamom, grounded

Chasni/Sugar Syrup
4 cups sugar
3 cups water

For Frying
3 quarts oil or enough oil to fry

For Remaining Chasni/Sugar Syrup
Remaining chasni/sugar syrup
1/4 teaspoon fresh green cardamom, grounded
1/4 teaspoon rose essence

Directions

Sift Pioneer Brand Baking Mix and instant non-fat dry milk into a bowl. For the instant non-fat dry milk, you can crush it in your hands so it becomes powdery.
Mix in heavy cream to dry mixture until the dry ingredients absorb the heavy cream.
Mix in fresh cardamom. Cover bowl and set aside for 2 hours. The dough will be sticky.
After 2 hours, the dough will be sticky. Mix everything up really well. The dough is now ready. If the dough is too sticky, you can add some instant non-fat dry milk. If dough is too dry, add another 1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream.
Heat up oil. It should be warm enough to cook the dough but should not be boiling. Drop a small amount of dough to see if the dough rises to the top
Heat up sugar and water and bring it to a boil. After it comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, reduce heat to low.
While the oil and sugar are heating up, you can begin to roll up 1 inch sized balls of the dough. Apply a dab of oil to your palms, so the dough does not stick to your hands. Try to get as close as you can to a spherical shape, to avoid weird shaped gulab jamuns.
For Frying:

For each new batch, lower heat of oil all the way low
Put a batch of 10-15 dough balls into oil. They will all go straight to the bottom.
After a minute, the balls will rise to the top. At this point, raise the heat to medium and cook the balls for 10-12 minutes.
Every couple minutes, take spatula and roll it over the balls so the top of the balls flip over into the oil for even frying.
After the balls turn a medium-dark brown color, take them out of the oil and put them straight into the sugar syrup for 5 minutes.
Take them out of sugar syrup and put it in a separate tray.
Repeat frying steps for the rest of the dough balls.

If you run out of the sugar syrup, heat some more up.
For remaining chasni/sugar syrup, take 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom and put it in the chasni/sugar syrup. Take remaining cardamom and sprinkle it over the gulab jamun. Add rose essence to the chasni/sugar syrup and mix it all up.
Pour the remaining chasni/sugar syrup into the tray with gulab jamun.
Serve hot or cold. You can heat them up in the microwave if you like them a little warm.

Gulab Jamun

The dough will be sticky and look similar to this.

Left: Chasni/Sugar Syrup. Right: Frying Oil

Roll 1 inch sized balls

Put a batch into the oil, they will go to the bottom

After a minute, they will come up. If they don't then just bring them up with your spatula. Roll spatula over gulab jamun like this for even frying.

Sift Pioneer Brand Baking Mix and instant non-fat dry milk into a bowl. For the instant non-fat dry milk, you can crush it in your hands so it becomes powdery.
Mix in heavy cream to dry mixture until the dry ingredients absorb the heavy cream.
Mix in fresh cardamom. Cover bowl and set aside for 2 hours. The dough will be sticky.
After 2 hours, the dough will be sticky. Mix everything up really well. The dough is now ready. If the dough is too sticky, you can add some instant non-fat dry milk. If dough is too dry, add another 1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream.
Heat up oil. It should be warm enough to cook the dough but should not be boiling. Drop a small amount of dough to see if the dough rises to the top
Heat up sugar and water and bring it to a boil. After it comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, reduce heat to low.
While the oil and sugar are heating up, you can begin to roll up 1 inch sized balls of the dough. Apply a dab of oil to your palms, so the dough does not stick to your hands. Try to get as close as you can to a spherical shape, to avoid weird shaped gulab jamuns.
For Frying:

For each new batch, lower heat of oil all the way low
Put a batch of 10-15 dough balls into oil. They will all go straight to the bottom.
After a minute, the balls will rise to the top. At this point, raise the heat to medium and cook the balls for 10-12 minutes.
Every couple minutes, take spatula and roll it over the balls so the top of the balls flip over into the oil for even frying.
After the balls turn a medium-dark brown color, take them out of the oil and put them straight into the sugar syrup for 5 minutes.
Take them out of sugar syrup and put it in a separate tray.
Repeat frying steps for the rest of the dough balls.

If you run out of the sugar syrup, heat some more up.
For remaining chasni/sugar syrup, take 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom and put it in the chasni/sugar syrup. Take remaining cardamom and sprinkle it over the gulab jamun. Add rose essence to the chasni/sugar syrup and mix it all up.
Pour the remaining chasni/sugar syrup into the tray with gulab jamun.
Serve hot or cold. You can heat them up in the microwave if you like them a little warm.

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 2 hours
Ingredients
1/2 gallon whole milk
4-5 pounds carrots, peeled and shredded
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup cashews, chopped
15-20 pieces fresh green cardamom, grounded
1/2 teaspoon kewra essence
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup mava

Directions

Boil milk over high heat in 5 quart saute pan, until it starts to come to a boil
Reduce heat to medium, and add shredded carrots to the milk.
Cook uncovered on medium-high heat for a hour to a hour and a half. Be sure to constantly mix the carrots/milk to prevent burning. The milk should reduce down completely. To check, take your cooking spoon and push the carrots together to see if any milk comes out. There should be a small amount of milk left, but very little. It should NOT be completely dry.
Add in sugar and taste. If it is not sweet enough for you, you can add more or less. Cook on medium for 15 minutes.
Add butter and continue to stir until the butter oils are slightly visible.
Add cashews, almonds, cardamom, and kewra essence.
Sprinkle mava over carrot mixture. There should be chunks of mava.
Serve for dessert. Refrigerate leftovers, and you can microwave when you want to eat this later.

Enjoy!

Gajar Ka Halwa (Carrot Halwa)

Boil milk over high heat in 5 quart saute pan, until it starts to come to a boil
Reduce heat to medium, and add shredded carrots to the milk.
Cook uncovered on medium-high heat for a hour to a hour and a half. Be sure to constantly mix the carrots/milk to prevent burning. The milk should reduce down completely. To check, take your cooking spoon and push the carrots together to see if any milk comes out. There should be a small amount of milk left, but very little. It should NOT be completely dry.
Add in sugar and taste. If it is not sweet enough for you, you can add more or less. Cook on medium for 15 minutes.
Add butter and continue to stir until the butter oils are slightly visible.
Add cashews, almonds, cardamom, and kewra essence.
Sprinkle mava over carrot mixture. There should be chunks of mava.
Serve for dessert. Refrigerate leftovers, and you can microwave when you want to eat this later.

Enjoy!

PALAK (SPINACH) PANEER
Ingredients
2 packs of 9 ounce bags of spinach
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon oil
1 medium sized onion, minced
1 tablespoon garlic-ginger paste
3 medium tomatoes, diced small
1/2 of a fresh jalapeño or more based on how spicy you want it, minced
2 teaspoon ground cumin or fresh roasted ground cumin
2 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder or 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoon salt, more if needed
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup half and half

For Paneer:
24 ounces of paneer (1 gallon of milk makes 24 ounces)
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 tablespoon oil

For Kasoori Methi:
1 tablespoon butter/ghee
1/4 teaspoon oil
2 tablespoons kasoori methi (heaping)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

Boil 6-8 cups of water. After water has boiled, pour vinegar into water. Blanch spinach in boiling water for 3 minutes. Take off heat and drain the spinach into ice cold water.
Melt butter and oil in a 5 quart skillet. Saute chopped onions on low-medium heat until they have completely browned. Be sure to not burn the onions.
Create the garlic-ginger paste. Here is the LINK to the garlic-ginger paste.
Put garlic ginger paste into cooked onions and saute for 1 minute.
Cook diced tomatoes and minced jalapeños with the cooked onion mixture covered on medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until excess tomatoes water is drained slightly.
Add ground cumin, garam masala, red chili powder, curry powder, and salt. Cook for 1 minute and reduce heat to low.
Take blanched spinach and drain the water completely. Add it to a food processor/mini chopper. Pulse until chopped. Spinach should be stringy and chopped. Be careful to not create a spinach puree. It's not baby food!
Add spinach and cilantro to onion mixture and cook on a medium heat covered for 5 minutes.
Add heavy cream and half and half and cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
In a separate pan, saute paneer in butter and oil until lightly browned. Take out of pan so it doesn't dry.
Add paneer to spinach. Here is the LINK to how to make homemade paneer.
Take the same pan you used to brown the paneer. Heat up the butter and oil and saute the kasoori methi, garam masala, and ground nutmeg for 1 minute. Keep butter/ghee on low heat until you add methi, etc. Add to spinach. Mix everything really well. Serve.

Palak (Spinach) Paneer

Boil 6-8 cups of water. After water has boiled, pour vinegar into water. Blanch spinach in boiling water for 3 minutes. Take off heat and drain the spinach into ice cold water.
Melt butter and oil in a 5 quart skillet. Saute chopped onions on low-medium heat until they have completely browned. Be sure to not burn the onions.
Create the garlic-ginger paste. Here is the LINK to the garlic-ginger paste.
Put garlic ginger paste into cooked onions and saute for 1 minute.
Cook diced tomatoes and minced jalapeños with the cooked onion mixture covered on medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until excess tomatoes water is drained slightly.
Add ground cumin, garam masala, red chili powder, curry powder, and salt. Cook for 1 minute and reduce heat to low.
Take blanched spinach and drain the water completely. Add it to a food processor/mini chopper. Pulse until chopped. Spinach should be stringy and chopped. Be careful to not create a spinach puree. It's not baby food!
Add spinach and cilantro to onion mixture and cook on a medium heat covered for 5 minutes.
Add heavy cream and half and half and cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
In a separate pan, saute paneer in butter and oil until lightly browned. Take out of pan so it doesn't dry.
Add paneer to spinach. Here is the LINK to how to make homemade paneer.
Take the same pan you used to brown the paneer. Heat up the butter and oil and saute the kasoori methi, garam masala, and ground nutmeg for 1 minute. Keep butter/ghee on low heat until you add methi, etc. Add to spinach. Mix everything really well. Serve.

This garlic-ginger paste is used in many pakistani/indian dishes. You can usually make extra and keep in the refrigerator for whenever you need it.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 bulb of garlic
3 inches of ginger root

Directions

Combine garlic and ginger root in food processor. Add small amounts of water to help with the blending, until it makes a smooth paste. Refrigerate or freeze.
If you are refrigerating, the paste will last up to 2 weeks.

Ginger-Garlic Paste

Combine garlic and ginger root in food processor. Add small amounts of water to help with the blending, until it makes a smooth paste. Refrigerate or freeze.
If you are refrigerating, the paste will last up to 2 weeks.

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