Tinda Masala with Fluffy Basmati Rice/Roti (Flatbread)

Tinda also called Indian round gourd or Indian Baby Pumpkin is quite popular in curries back home. Its pale green in colour and is the size of a tomato. They are slightly citrusy in taste. If you manage to find tender ones you could make stuffed tindas but here is a easy recipe for the non-meat-eater's-curry-night complete with basmati rice or rotis/naan. Now I have just added 1 potato simply because that’s the only one I had and didn’t want to leave it sit there lonely ;-). This is again well under a fiver to feed 4. For a fancier meal you could make a simple raitha, some fresh mint-coriander chutney and poppadams. Scroll down for the raitha & chutney recipes.

Tinda-Aloo Masala Curry
Ingredients
1tbsp Oil
1tsp jheera/cumin seeds
2 med sized onions, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves of garlic, grated
700gms tinda washed & quartered.
1-2 potatoes washed, peeled & quartered
2-3 tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2tsp black salt
1/2tsp jheera/cumin powder
1tsp amchoor/dry mango powder
½ tsp red chilli powder like Kashmiri mirch
1tbsp garam masala/curry powder
Salt to taste
Handful of fresh coriander chopped
Method: 
Heat oil in a pan, over med heat and add the jheera/cumin. Next sauté the onions till pale & translucent, then add the ginger-garlic followed by tomatoes. Now add the dry spices one by one and stir. Now add the tindas & potatoes and cook till tender, stirring well in between. Garnish with fresh coriander. If you prefer a more gravy like curry you could slightly add more chilli & spices & add a can of coconut milk.
Simple raitha
Ingredients
1 med sized onion chopped
1 med sized tomato chopped
½ med sized cucumber diced
1 green chilli finely chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
1 pot of greek style yoghurt
Fresh coriander or dill for garnish
Method:
Toss all the ingredients into a bowl and spoon the yoghurt and mix. Check for seasoning ad garnish with coriander. This is great with pulavs/biryanis as well.
Mint-Coriander Chutney
Ingredients
1 bunch mint, washed & chopped
1 bunch coriander, washed & chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 inch fresh ginger
1 small raw mango chopped or you could use ½ a lime juice squeezed instead
1 green chilli
Salt to taste
Method:
Whizz everything in a blender until smooth. This is perfect as is but for a creamier dip you could blend in some sourcream/greek style youghurt (to go with kebabs/bhajias).

Roasted (Veggies) Ratatouille Pasta: Living Leaner #2

I hadn’t ever tasted Ratatouille until I watched the Disney movie with the same name. I tried the dish in a posh restaurant in Pondy (India) but the magic wasn’t there. My questions still remained unanswered! Why does a snobbish food critic get converted into a fan after tasting this dish? Did the dish actually deserve its pivotal part in the climax?

There was only one way to answer these questions - go back to the movie...seriously...watch it again, look for clues. And I finally found the clue; Anton loved the dish because it was a staple dish made by his mother. It took him back to his childhood memories. So instead of trying it in any posh restaurant, I decided to make it at home. The walls fell apart and I fell in love... in love with Ratatouille, my fallback comfort food!

Image:Wikipedia

Super-easy-to-make classic french provençal vegetable dish,with roasted vegetables and well under a fiver for two. This can be served with rice or pasta.

A New blog is born and all about Living Leaner

Dear Foodies,
Thanks so much for all the support in the success of www.soulcurry.co.uk. I have created With-A-Pinch-Of-Salt for everyday fast & simple recipes.
We all have times in life when we are on a budget (esp student life) but #living leaner doesn’t mean we can’t eat good, healthy, fresh food. So We..yp Me the chef and S the sous chef, will try to share a recipe everyday under a budget but healthy & scrumptious food, (ignore the styling and fancy images. Just good food straight off the stove clicked & posted).
Challenge: Food for two under a Fiver.
Total Cost = Less than £3 to feed 2 (Again increase the portion size & its still under a fiver).
Cost of Making Paneer: £1.30 Milk £1 (2.27L), Lemon Juice: £0.30
Cost of Making Paneer Bhurji : £1.91 Paneer £1.30, Pepper £0.20 Tomato £0.14 Onion £0.7 Giner+Garlic+Chilli £0.20 (Lets ignore the price of the dry spices as they are anyways cheap.)
Cost of Tortilla:£0.21 each*2=£0.42
Not all of the Paneer Bhurji gets used so you can use it to make another meal. They are great with some flat bread/rotis or as a toasted sandwich. I also make a vegan version with Tofu.
Do read #Livingleaner posts from my lovely friends Mona & Simone.

Paneer Bhurji (Indian Cheese Scramble)

250g Homemade Paneer (Scroll down to see the Recipe)

1 Large Onion, chopped

½ inch Ginger, chopped

1 clove Garlic, chopped

1-2 Green Chilli, chopped
1 Pepper, chopped

1 Large Tomato, chopped

1tsp Curry Powder

½tsp Turmeric Powder

½ tsp Chaat masala

½ tsp Cumin Powder

½ tp Black Salt

Salt, to taste

1tsp, Oil

Cumin for seasoning

Fresh Coriander for garnishing

Method: Heat oil in a med sized pan and once hot add the cumin seeds. Let it splutter & then sauté’ the chopped onion until transparent. Next sauté the ginger & garlic, then the chilli, pepper, tomato & all the dry powders. Add the paneer and sauté for a few minutes till it resembles scrambled eggs. Sprinkle fresh coriander before serving.

For the Paneer Bhurji-Wholemeal Wrap, spread some hummus or *onion thokku (chutney) evenly on the wholemeal tortilla. Spoon the paneer-bhurji onto the centre, fold and grill the wrap for a few minutes. You could also add spinach or any salad greens before grilling. I sometimes add green peas.

For a Vegan version swap paneer for Tofu.
How To Make Fresh Paneer
Simply bring 2- 3 litres of milk to a full boil and add 1or 2 freshly squeezed lemon juice. You could also add yoghurt or vinegar but I prefer lemon juice. When the curd separates, sieve the cheese onto a cheese cloth and drain. If you need paneer in blocks, after initial drain, drain further by placing weight on top. You could use the whey for kneading rotis or in soups instead of stock.