by Leena Clover
Now add shredded cheeses.
Continue whisking until the cheese melts and a thick sauce is formed.
Serve as a dip or as a sauce with nachos or in burritos. Sauce will thicken when cooled. Reheat just before serving.
RECIPE – Aloo Gobhi – Potatoes and Cauliflower
Ingredients
4 medium potatoes
4 cups cauliflower florets
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp black mustard seeds
Pinch of Asafetida (optional)
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp turmeric, ground
½ tsp coriander, ground
½ tsp cumin, ground
½ tsp sugar
Salt to taste
Optional –
1 inch knob of grated ginger
1 cup green peas or sweet peas
Cilantro for garnish
Method
Peel and clean the potatoes. Chop in chunks 2-3 inches wide.
Cut cauliflower in florets of similar size.
Heat oil in a skillet. When the oil is hot, add in mustard seeds and let the pop and splutter. Add the Asafetida and turmeric. Add in potatoes immediately.
Fry the potatoes on a high flame for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add cauliflower florets. Stir to combine.
Lower heat and place a lid on the pot. You may add half a cup of water. Check every five minutes to make sure the vegetables don’t stick to the pot. Give them a stir every time.
When the potatoes are fork tender, add the ground cumin and coriander and the cayenne pepper. Add salt and sugar. Grate in the ginger if you are using it.
If you are using peas, add them in at this time.
Stir lightly and fry without the lid for a few minutes until the flavors combine.
Serve as a side dish as part of an Indian meal or with any meal.
RECIPE – Shish Kabob Blue Plate Special
For the Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 medium onions
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow/ green bell pepper
For the Kabob marinade –
½ cup Greek yogurt or plain yogurt
¼ cup lemon juice or vinegar
1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp ginger, grated/ paste
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp garam masala
1 Tbsp coriander, ground
Salt to taste
Method
Cut the chicken in chunks or pieces of similar size, roughly 2x2 inch.
Cut the onion and peppers in similar chunks.
Mix marinade ingredients together. Set a quarter of it aside.
Add the cubed chicken to the marinade and toss well. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight.
Add onions and peppers to the remaining marinade. Refrigerate.
To make the kabobs
String one chicken piece followed by one onion/ pepper on a skewer. Alternate with chicken/ veggies so that you have 3-4 chicken pieces per skewer.
Heat a grill pan and brush it with oil. Grill the skewers about 10-12 minutes on each side until chicken is well cooked.
Buttered Cumin Rice
Ingredients
1 cup dry basmati or long grain rice
2 cups water or vegetable stock
1 Tbsp butter or oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
Method
Heat the oil/butter in a sauce pan.
When the fat is hot, add the cumin seeds. Let them puff up and become aromatic (take 3-4 seconds).
Lower heat and add the rice. Fry the rice for a minute until well toasted.
Add the water/ stock. Add the salt.
Raise heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes and lower heat again.
Cover with a lid and shut off after 7-8 minutes. Do not lift the lid for 10 minutes more. Rice will continue to cook in residual heat.
Fluff up the rice with a fork just before serving.
Garlic Spinach
Ingredients
4-6 cups spinach, tightly packed or frozen
2 Tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 -2 dry red chili pepper
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
Method
Wash and clean spinach, chop it and soak in a pot of water. Pull it out and drain water after some time. Repeat the process to get all the grime out. Alternatively, you can use frozen spinach. Thaw the frozen spinach, wash and drain.
Heat the ghee or oil in a pan.
When the fat is hot, add in broken chili peppers and chopped garlic. Fry for a few seconds until garlic turns pink. Take care it does not burn.
Add in spinach immediately and mix well.
Continue to sauté until spinach cooks and reduces.
Season at the end and serve as a side with Shish Kabobs.
For the Onion Pakoras
Ingredients
3-4 medium onions
1-2 cups gram flour
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp dry carom seeds or thyme
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Method
Peel and thinly slice the onions lengthwise. Place them in a bowl.
Sprinkle a good amount of salt over them, toss and set aside for thirty minutes.
Add the thyme/carom, cayenne and turmeric to the onions.
Now add the gram flour half a cup at a time and mix it into the onions with your hands. Use flour sparingly, only enough to soak up the water released by the salty onions. Add a few splashes of water.
You should have onions coated with thick batter, just enough to coat the onions.
Heat oil and drop spoonfuls of the battered onions into the oil. Fry until light brown and crispy.
Drain with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Serve hot.
Note – Use carom seeds or ajwain for an authentic Indian taste
For Minty Yogurt Drizzle
Ingredients
2 cups tightly packed mint leaves
1 cup tightly packed cilantro
½ jalapeno, chopped (optional)
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of ground cumin
1 cup plain Greek yogurt or plain yogurt
Salt to taste
Method
Blend the mint leaves, cilantro and jalapeno into a smooth paste. Add a little water if needed.
Now add in all the seasonings and yogurt and blend again.
You will get a creamy, cool green chutney/ dip.
To assemble the Chicken Kabob Blue Plate Special
Ladle rice onto half the plate. Ladle portions of the spinach and the pakoras in the remaining space. Place a skewer or two of the chicken kabobs over the rice. Drizzle with the minty yogurt.
Enjoy!
RECIPE – Shrikhand (sweet)
Ingredients
16 oz Greek Yogurt
1-2 cups sugar
½ tsp cardamom, ground
Large pinch of saffron
1 Tbsp sliced pistachios
1 Tbsp sliced almonds
Method
Add a generous pinch or two of saffron to ¼ cup warm milk and set aside for half an hour.
Add sugar to Greek yogurt and whisk by hand using a spatula or whisk. DO NOT use a stick blender here.
Saffron will bloom in milk and turn the milk yellow. Press some strands against the bottom of the cup with your hand to get the max flavor out of the saffron. Add this mixture to the yogurt/ sugar.
Add in ground cardamom and nuts.
Mix gently until well combined.
Refrigerate and serve chilled as a dessert. Stays well in the fridge for 4-5 days. It may t
urn a bit sour with time but that is natural.
Author’s Note
I have always been an avid mystery fan. Some of my favorite mystery authors include Agatha Christie and M. C. Beaton. The cozy mystery genre has exploded in recent years with plenty of new authors joining the fray. The culinary cozy emerged as a big sub genre and I couldn’t be happier since it combined two of my passions, mystery books and food.
I hope you liked meeting the Patel family and enjoyed a glimpse of Indian culture. I have planned many more books in the series. There are plenty of new things in store for Meera and her friends. So I hope you stay in touch and keep enjoying the Meera Patel Mystery series.
Please feel free to drop me a line at [email protected] in case you have any questions or comments.
Thank you very much for giving this new indie author a chance. Read on for a sneak peek of Book 2, A Pocket Full of Pie.
Don’t forget to order all the other books in the Meera Patel Cozy Mystery Series.
Books by Leena Clover
Have you read all the Meera Patel books?
Gone with the Wings – Meera Patel Cozy Mystery Book 1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071WHNM6K
A Pocket Full of Pie - Meera Patel Cozy Mystery Book 2
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072Q7B47P/
For a Few Dumplings More - Meera Patel Cozy Mystery Book 3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072V3T2BV
Back to the Fajitas - Meera Patel Cozy Mystery Book 4
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0748KPTLM
Sneak Peek – A Pocket Full of Pie – Book 2
The gentle waves of the lake lapped against the shore. I huffed and puffed, trying to catch my breath.
“Maybe this wasn’t a good idea,” I complained.
Becky turned around and jogged back to me. She made it look so easy.
“Come on, Meera! We’ve hardly come two hundred meters.”
She jogged in place, annoying me with the hint of laughter in her voice.
“I’m not fit for this,” I let out, and sprawled on the tiny jogging path.
“Which is why you need to do this,” Becky taunted me with a matter of fact voice.
The mid November morning was cool with temperatures in the mid 50s. My friend Becky had dragged me out to Lake Willow Springs and the 3 mile walking cum jogging track that went around it.
“The fresh air will do you good,” Motee Ba, my grandma, had nodded eagerly.
Her eyes had met Becky’s and a silent message passed through them. I was in a sort of funk, feeling sorry for myself, and people were plotting to get me out of it. I love these people, don’t get me wrong, but I was in a weird frame of mind.
My name is Meera Patel, and I’m a 20 something grad school dropout who shelves books for a living. I live in a small college town in central Oklahoma. My dad Anand Patel is the head of the electrical engineering department at Pioneer Polytechnic, the local university. I put in some time at the local diner because I love to feed people and experiment with recipes. I live in a big ranch style house on the outskirts of town with my brother and my grandparents. I met Becky in third grade and we’ve been inseparable ever since.
“Meera! You need to get fit!” Becky protested, trying to lift me off the ground.
The concrete path was cold and I could feel the chill through my thick sweats. My cheeks felt pink and my nose was cold.
“Do I have to?” I grumbled. “We stay on our feet long enough at the diner.”
“That’s different,” Becky shook her head. “You need to get your heart rate up. Stop cribbing and look around. It’s such a beautiful morning.”
She gave me one last look and started running away.
“Wait,” I called out, extending a hand. “At least help me get up.”
Becky laughed and ran on.
I scrambled on to my fours, feeling my knees scrape against the rough path. I puffed again as I pulled myself up.
My chest heaved with the effort and I decided to walk rather than jog. Some exercise was better than nothing, right? I promised myself my special French toast for breakfast. That put a spring in my step.
I trudged around the corner, trying to spot Becky in the distance. I took deep breaths, enjoying the misty morning, letting myself relax. I told myself I needed to get in shape. Then I spotted a welcome sight. A park bench!
It was a classic bench, painted green, set on a patch of grass a few feet off the walking track. It looked out on the water and another bench that graced the walking track on the opposite shore of the lake.
I collapsed on the bench and leaned back, taking in the area with my eyes half closed. It was a better way to enjoy the scenery, surely. Someone else had the same thoughts as me. A guy was lounging on the other corner of the bench, a hat pulled low over his eyes.
“What’s up?” I said politely and closed my eyes.
Becky would be back any second to pull me off the bench.
A couple of minutes passed. I opened my eyes and glanced sideways. The guy was too well dressed to be homeless. The red and blue plaid shirt he wore struck a chord. So did the wedge of berry pie that peeped out of his jacket. Crumbs of pie crust littered the bench and the ground by his feet.
He still hadn’t returned my greeting. But I didn’t take it to heart. The dead don’t talk back, after all.
Can’t wait to read on? PREORDER A Pocket Full of Pie here!
