Recipe: Garam Masala

There are hundreds of Garam Masala recipes on the internet and in books. Like most cultures, there is a certain thing that every family has their own recipe for. This is one of those. It's the basic flavoring in Indian cuisine. It literally means warming spice.

This is the recipe that I use, but remember, this merely a guideline. Try it, and once you master this basic one you can start adding yourself into it and make it just they way you like it.

• 4 tbsps coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 ½ tsps black cumin seeds (shahjeera)
• 1 ½ tsps dry ginger
• ¾ tsp black cardamom (3-4 large pods approx)
• ¾ tsp cloves
• ¾ tsp cinnamon (2 X 1” pieces)
• ¾ tsp crushed bay leaves

Recipe: Lazy Mattar Paneer

I adore Indian food, and I made Mattar Paneer a few weeks ago. Nothing beats home made anything including my fresh paneer, however, I hadn't had time this week to make any and I had similar bits and bobs in my kitchen but not the "Exact" stuff. So this is what I did.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 large ball of Mozarella (cubed)
• 1/2 C. Basic Pasta Sauce (Ragu Classic works very well)
• 1 Tbsp. Garam Masala (I'll post my recipe for this, but store bought is just fine)
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 1/4 C. Milk, Cream or Coconut Milk
• 1  bag Frozen Green Peas

Instructions:

1. Melt butter
2. Add peas, stir to coat and to heat through
3. Add sauce, stir.
4. Add Garam Masala, stir.
5. Add Milk, stir.
6. Add cheese, stir until it just starts to melt.
7. Take it off and put into a bowl so the cheese dosen't melt more than it has to.

Notes:

Paneer does not melt. It is a fresh milk cheese, which is similar in flavor to ricotta. So a mild fresh cheese like  Mozz works well, but it can get a bit melty. It's important to take the peas off the heat just as the cheese begins to soften, unless of course that is what you desire, then go melty! Quesco Blano, or Queso Fresco would also be good choices.