The original recipe describes this as "spanakopita in a bowl" and it's not far off, although to really get that spanakopita taste you need to add feta cheese, which we've done here.

The original recipe also has you cooking the spinach, removing and draining it while you cook the sauce, then recombining it. It's been modified slightly to make it a one-pot meal, simmering the sauce slightly longer to cook off the extra moisture.

Creamy Spinach & Dill

Adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 lb coarsely chopped spinach
• ⅓ C heavy cream
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• ¼ tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ½ C coarsely chopped fresh dill
• ½ C diced feta

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and translucent, 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted, or, if frozen, until just thawed.
4. Add the cream, garlic, and nutmeg. Simmer until it thickens and reduces slightly, ~5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper.
5. Stir in the spinach and feta, and serve.

We have a lot of eggs and I wanted something tasty for breakfast; quiche seemed like a good option. The mushrooms, zucchini, and feta worked quite well together here. I think a bit of thinly sliced leek would've made it even better, but it was plenty good as is.

Mushroom and Zucchini Quiche

Adapted from Good Housekeeping

Ingredients

• 200g pie pastry (enough for one 9" shell)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 250g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 leek, sliced thin, white and pale green only (optional)
• 1 smallish zucchini, chopped fine
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• ~50 grinds black pepper
• 150g feta, cubed
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 c. milk

Directions

1. Roll out the pastry and place it in your pie plate, crimping the edges as desired.
2. Crumple a sheet of parchment paper and place it in the pie shell. Fill the shell with beans, sugar, or pie weights.
3. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights and continue baking for another 10-12 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat.
6. Add mushrooms and cook, covered, stirring occasionally until they release their liquid.
7. Add garlic, leek (if using), zucchini, salt, and pepper and cook, uncovered, stirring often until veggies are softened and liquid has evaporated.
8. Remove pie shell from oven and allow to cool slightly.
9. While pie shell is cooling, place a baking sheet in the oven to warm up.
10. Spoon the cooked veggie mixture into the bottom of the pie shell.
11. Sprinkle the feta over the veggies.
12. Whisk the eggs with the milk and pour this mixture into the pie shell with the veggies and cheese.
13. Place quiche onto the hot baking sheet in the oven and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 30-45 minutes until just set.

Aloo Paneer Pulao (Potato and Paneer Pulao)

This pulao caught my eye because the inclusion of paneer adds a bit of protein and means that I don't feel the need to come up with a super substantial curry to serve it with. I had planned on following Iyer's recommendation to serve it with a vegetable curry, a raita, and papads. ToxicFrog made the raita to go with it the night before and I cooked the pulao and the papads the next morning. I ran out of time and energy to make the curry though. Still... as a light lunch, the pulao, papads, and raita went over really well! Maybe I can make that veggie curry to go with the leftovers tomorrow.

The original recipe is written for white rice. I prefer brown these days, so I had to adjust the recipe slightly to compensate for the longer cooking time of the brown rice. I thin my adjustments worked out reasonably well. Where I ran into problems, however, was with the size of pot I used. Really, I shouldn't've been using a pot at all. What this recipe really wants is a large frying pan/skillet with a tightly fitting lid. (Or possibly a large Dutch oven, but I think a good, large frying pan would be my first choice.) It fit in the pot just fine, but required too much stirring which broke the paneer up more than I would've liked. I think a larger surface area would've worked much better for this one. Still tasty, just not quite optimal.

Raita-topped pulao with a flame-toasted papad on the side. Yum!

Aloo Paneer Pulao

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. long-grain brown rice
• 3 1/2 c. water, divided
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 russet (or other floury) potato, cut into 5-6mm cubes
• 150g Paneer, cut into 5-6mm cubes
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 4 fresh green Thai or cayenne chilies, sliced thin
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Combine rice with 2 c. water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes.
3. Cover and set aside. (Rice will not be fully cooked. This is okay.)
4. In a large frying pan with a tightly fitting lid, melt ghee over medium-high heat.
5. Add cumin seeds and sizzle for 15-20 seconds.
6. Add potato, paneer, onion, and chilies and stir-fry for ~10 minutes.
7. Add rice and salt and give it a brief, gentle stir.
8. Add remaining water.
9. Boil uncovered and without stirring for until water is gone from surface and craters start to form in the rice mixture (~5-8 minutes).
10. Carefully stir to move the contents from the bottom to the top.
11. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for another 10 minutes (8 minutes for electric range).
12. Remove from heat and allow to sit covered and undisturbed for a further 10 minutes.
13. Uncover and fluff with fork.
14. Serve with raita, papads, and/or a vegetable curry of your choice.

Paneer Makhani (Butter Paneer)

I can't believe we never wrote this up when we initially made it! This is one of my all-time favourite curries. It is incredibly delicious. It's also one of the easiest curries in the book. You really shouldn't make this curry every day. But once you try it, you'll want to!

Paneer Makhani

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 1 c. tomato sauce
• 1/2 c. fresh or frozen fenugreek leaves
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 250g Paneer, cubed and fried
• 1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted and ground

Directions

1. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter over medium heat.
2. Add tomato sauce followed by fenugreek leaves, cayenne, sugar, and salt.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and partially cover the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~15 minutes.
4. Fold in paneer, cream, and cumin.
5. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~8 minutes.
6. Add remaining butter and carefully fold it in once melted.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. raw cashews
• 1/2 c. water
• 3 Tbsp. vegan butter, divided
• 1 c. tomato sauce
• 1/2 c. fresh or frozen fenugreek leaves
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 250g extra firm tofu, cubed and fried
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted and ground

Directions

1. Purée the cashews with the water and set aside.
2. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter over medium heat.
3. Add tomato sauce followed by fenugreek leaves, cayenne, sugar, and salt.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and partially cover the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~15 minutes.
5. Fold in tofu, cashew cream, and cumin.
6. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~8 minutes.
7. Add remaining butter and carefully fold it in once melted.

Kutchi Paneer (Kutch-Style Paneer)

I don't actually remember how this curry came out. That's what I get for not doing the write-up immediately. I remember making it. But it's been... months, maybe longer. I don't remember how we liked it. The fact that I don't remember probably says something in itself. I don't think this one was particularly noteworthy in either direction. It wasn't bad. But it also didn't wow me. Probably.

Kutchi Paneer

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground asafetida
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 large tomato, cored and chopped,/li>
• 2 c. water
• 250g spinach, chopped
• 250g Paneer, cubed and pan-fried
• 2 Tbsp. Bhuna Hua Besan

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add whole cumin seeds and sizzle for 10-15 seconds.
3. Remove from heat and sprinkle in sugar, salt, ground cumin, coriander, cayenne, turmeric, and asafetida.
4. Add bell pepper and tomato and return to medium-high heat.
5. Cook, uncovered, stirring, for ~2 minutes.
6. Add water and bring to a boil.
7. Pile the spinach on top, stirring occasionally to uniformly wilt the leaves.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~12 minutes.
9. Stir in the fried paneer and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.
10. Sprinkle in the flour and quickly stir it in.
11. Bring to a boil and coo, uncovered, stirring once or twice, until sauce thickens (~5 minutes).
12. Serve over rice and/or with rotis.

Surti Undhiyu (Upside Down Vegetable Stew)

This is a most excellent curry! Even when it's not cooked in the traditional upside down method from which it gets its name. With a bag of frozen surti undhiyu mix in hand, it's a cinch to throw together on the stove. It's also reasonably healthy and tastes amazing. What more can you ask for?!

I wasn't sure what to expect from the frozen surti undhiyu mix. I'm often dubious of "just dump in this bag of frozen mix" recipes. Doubly so in this case since I wasn't sure I'd even like all the veggies included. Turns out I needn't've worried though. The veggies were all delicious (although I haven't tried any of the whole baby eggplants that were included in the mix yet) and the sauce was tasty enough that I would've been happy just eating that on its own!

If you have access to an Indian grocery store and can get surti undhiyu mix, then this curry is definitely worth making. If you don't and you can't then it's probably still worth making, you'll just have to improvise on the veggies a bit. The mix I got included shelled and unshelled green pigeon peas, new potatoes, cubes of purple yam, whole baby eggplants, fenugreek leaves, and a few other odds and ends that I can't remember off the top of my head. Iyer says that urti undhiyu mixes often include plantain slices, cubes of yellow sweet potatoes, fried flour dumplings as well. Iyer advises a mix of seasonal root vegetables combined with snow peas and green (sweet) peas to roughly approximate the mix.

Surti undhiyu (top) served with raita (right), aloo paneer pulao (bottom), and papads (left).

Surti Undhiyu

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. frozen green peas
• 1/2 c. shredded fresh coconut¹
• 1/2 c. firmly packed fresh cilantro
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2-4 fresh green Thai or cayenne chilies, stems removed
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. ground asafetida
• 1 1/2 c. water
• 1 (340g) bag frozen surti undhiyu mix
• 250mL diced tomato

Directions

1. Combine peas, coconut, cilantro, sugar, salt, chilies, and lime juice in food processor or blender. (If using a blender you may also need to add a few mL of water.)
2. Process/blend until minced but not completely smooth. Mixture should still be visibly lumpy.
3. Heat ghee over medium-high heat.
4. Add mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they stop popping (30-60 seconds).
5. Add asafetida. It will sizzle.
6. Immediately add blended pea mixture and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it begins sticking to the bottom of the pan (3-5 minutes).
7. Add water and deglaze pan.
8. Stir in surti undhiyu mix and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender (~30 minutes).
10. Stir in tomato and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for another 2-3 minutes.
11. Serve with rotis, pooris, or papads.

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¹ If fresh coconut is not available, reconstituted dried coconut also works. Be sure to use unsweetened shredded dried coconut. Use have as much as called for in the recipe (1/4 c. in this case) and place in a bowl with an equal volume of boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes before draining and using as directed int he recipe. ^Back

Kala aur Kabuli Chana (Black and Yellow Chickpeas)

I really enjoyed the variety of legumes in this dal. Given that only chickpeas are mentioned in the title, I wasn't expecting to see kidney beans and black lentils (mapte beans) on the ingredient list. It made for a lovely combination!

Kala aur Kabuli Chana

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. dried black chickpeas
• 1/4 c. dried (yellow) chickpeas
• 1/4 c. dried red kidney beans
• 1/4 c. whole black lentils (mapte beans/sabud urad)
• 3 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, 1 tsp. ground, 1 tsp. whole
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground asafetida
• 2 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 large tomato, cored and chopped
• 2-4 fresh green Thai or cayenne chilies, stemmed and halved lengthwise
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine dried legumes and rinse thoroughly.
2. Cover with hot water and let sit, covered, for at least 8 hours.
3. Drain legume mixture and place in pressure cooker with water.
4. Cook on high pressure for ~1 hour. Allow for a 15 minute natural release (75 minutes total).
5. Meanwhile, heat ghee over medium-high heat.
6. Add mustard seeds and cook, covered, for 30-60 seconds. (Mustard seeds will pop like popcorn.)
7. Remove from heat and add both whole and ground cumin seeds, sugar, salt, coriander, turmeric, asafetida, and dried chilies.
8. Add tomato and fresh chilies and return to medium heat.
9. Cook for ~2 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside until legumes are done.
10. Stir tomato mixture into cooked legumes.
11. Simmer over medium heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ~15 minutes.
12. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.