Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

I don't eat to live. I live to eat.

Main Dishes

Masala Mac N’ Cheese

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Masala Mac N’ Cheese is a concept that has been on my mind for a while. Ever since I’ve heard of the bomb-ass kimchee mac n’ cheese from the Korean American food bloggers I knew an Indian version had to be made.

Since masala is in the name, I start off by making a masala-based component. Like with many South  Indian curries, I begin the dish by tempering some oil with mustard seeds and curry leaves. I then sautée in some onions, chilies, and cooked it all down in pureed tomatoes.  I wanted to keep this vegetarian so I also used mushrooms as a great flavor enhancer and base of the masala, but if for some strange reason you don’t like them, you can of course used ground beef. Lastly, I season it all with your go-to classic Indian spices – turmeric, chili powder, cumin, and coriander along with some ginger-garlic paste.

The bechamel cheese sauce is made in a standard-fashion (if it ain’t broke, why change it?). I make a quick roux with butter and flour, added milk, sharp cheddar cheese cheese, and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.

I don’t think there should ever be hard-and-fast rules for mac n’ cheese. As long as it tastes great, you should be able to do any variation you like. Everything is subject to change. But if there is one rule for making mac n’ cheese that everyone should abide by it’s this:

Always use a block of cheese and grate it yourself. Don’t use pre-shredded; it jut doesn’t melt that well!

The assembly is pretty straight-forward. I combine cork-screw pasta cooked al-dente with the masala and cheese sauce. I then pour it all in a casserole dish, add a layer of extra grated cheese along with some crushed up butter crackers. (You can of course substitute with bread crumbs or even potato chips).

I then bake it at 400 F until its beautiful and bubbly and golden brown.

Some people might feel apprehensive about this fusion dish. After all classics remain classics for a reason, and sometimes adding too many things can turn it into conFUSION.

Traditional mac n’ cheese is comfort food at its finest but often it can be a bit heavy and rich. The spices and acidity of the masala cuts the richnesss a little bit and adds a new dimension of flavor making this irresistibly good.

If you want a little something special on your Thanksgiving table make this and you won’t be disappointed!

********** This recipe has been updated to have more cheese sauce!

4 from 1 vote
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Masala Mac N' Cheese

An Indian-American fusion dish perfect for thanksgiving

Ingredients

bechamel cheese sauce

  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 3 Tbsp flour
  • 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese (grated) (1 block)
  • 2 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Masala

  • 4-5 tbsp butter and/or oil
  • 2 small onions
  • 1/2 bell pepper
  • 1-2 jalapenos or serrano chilies
  • 3 large tomatoes (pureed)
  • 3/4 lb ground beef OR 1 lb of mushrooms (vegetarian version)
  • 1.5 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp coriander
  • 1 1/2 - 2 tsp salt or to taste

Assembly

  • 1 lb pasta noodles (cavatappi or macaroni etc)
  • 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
  • 5-6 butter crackers such as Ritz may substitute with bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp masala spice mix of your choice optional

Instructions

  1. Start by prepping your ingredients for the masala. Dice your onions, bell pepper, chilies, and mushrooms (if you are using them instead of ground beef). Puree your tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Set aside. 

  2. In a large and wide pan, melt your butter on medium high-heat. You may also use oil.

  3. Now add in your ground beef. Break up with a wooden spoon and allow it to turn brown. If you are using mushrooms instead, allow them to cook down and shrink.

  4. Now add in your onions, bell pepper, chilies. Cook down until onions are translucent and vegetables begin to caramelize. 

  5. Add in your salt, spices, and ginger-garlic paste. Cook and stir for about a minute or two. 

  6. Add in your pureed tomatoes. Cook down the mixture until about half of the liquid is gone. The masala shouldn't be too dry nor should it be too thin like soup. Somewhere in the middle is just right. Taste and adjust for seasonings.

Bechamel Cheese Sauce

  1. Start off by making your roux. In a small pot, melt your butter on medium-high heat. Add in your flour. Stir with a whisk. Make sure there are no lumps. The roux will start to thicken and turn brown. 

  2. Now stir in your milk. Mix well. Then add in your cheese. Allow it to melt while you stir frequently. The cheese sauce should be a little thick yet smooth in texture. 

Assembly

  1. Set your oven to 400 F. 

  2. Boil your pasta in salted water (al dente) according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

  3. Combine all three elements - pasta, masala, and cheese sauce. 

  4. In a oiled or buttered casserole dish, add your pasta mixture. Now top the mixture with the remaining grated cheese. Sprinkle some extra spices such as a good quality channa masala blend on top if you'd like. Crush up your crackers and add to the top. 

  5. Bake in the oven until cheese is melted and top layer is golden brown. Your Masala Mac N' Cheese is ready to serve!

Kadhai Chicken

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I strongly believe that every  brown guy and every brown girl should have a good Indian chicken curry recipe on hand. Whether it’s to give your mom a break from the kitchen, get through an excruciating finals week, or impress a crush who just happens to also be a major foodie – a recipe like this one always comes in handy.

A good chicken kadhai is all about balance.

It should have just the right amount of oil – too little and it’s on the bland side; too much and you’re giving your guests a heart attack.

It should have the right amount of spice. Add too much garam masala and it’s unbearably overpowering. Too little …well you might as well have said that a white person made it.

It should have the right amount of sweet and sour. Too much yogurt and your lips are puckering, too little onion and the curry is bitter.

But when you do strike that balance, you get absolute magic.

What makes my version of this specific curry different than other chicken curry recipes is that I don’t use any garlic – just ginger.  Secondly, I sear off the chicken first rather than merely adding it to the gravy. The browning of the chicken adds extra flavor.

I start off by flavoring my oil with some bay leaves and cardamom. After searing down my chicken, I remove the pieces from the pan (I don’t worry about fully cooking it just yet, for now I simply want it to develop some color)  and caramelize my onions and add in pureed tomatoes, chilies,  and the following spices – turmeric, garam masala, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder, cumin, coriander.

I then softly stir in some yogurt, add my chicken back in along with some water, and allow it to simmer and cook down. Once the curry thickens, I add in a generous helping of kashuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves.

And that is as simple as it gets. Garnish with some cilantro and julienned ginger. Serve with some hot naan and basmati rice and your in for a real treat!

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Kadhai Chicken

A classic Indian chicken curry recipe consisting of onions, tomatoes, chicken, chilies, yogurt. 

Servings 3 people

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs chicken (bone-in)
  • 4 tbsp oil
  • 2-3 cardamom pods
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • 1 2/3 cups diced onion (about 1 1/2 medium onions)
  • 1-2 green chilies
  • 1 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
  • 2 tomatoes (pureed)
  • 4 tbsp yogurt
  • 2 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 2 cups water

Powdered Spices

  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 3/4 tsp sichuan peppercorn optional - if you don't have it, you can leave it out
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

Instructions

  1. Make deep slits into your cleaned and washed chicken pieces. (This desi cooking tip will help the flavors of the curry penetrate the inside of the chicken.) Set aside. 

  2. Add your oil to a wide pan with a heavy bottom on medium-high heat. Toss in your bay leaves and cardamom pods. And cook for about thirty seconds. This will allow it to flavor the oil.

  3. Now add in your chicken and about a 1 tsp of the salt. Let the chicken brown for a few minutes on each side. Once it develops color, remove the pieces from the pan. 

  4. Now add in your onions. Allow them to caramelize (turn dark brown). 

  5. Once your onions have caramelized, add in your ginger. Allow it to cook down until it is no longer raw. 

  6. Then add in all your powdered spices (except the methi, we will add this at the end). Stir for about a minute or so.

  7. Now add in your tomatoes and remaining salt. Make sure they are pureed before you add them in as this will give a smooth texture to your curry. Mix well.

  8. Slowly stir in the yogurt. 

  9. Now add your chicken back into the pan along with your water. Allow the mixture to cook down and the curry to thicken. 

  10. Once the curry has thickened to your desired consistency, crush the kasuri methi in your hand and add it to the curry. Mix well. Taste and adjust for seasonings. 

  11. Garnish with fresh cilantro and ginger. Serve with naan or basmati rice. 

Achaari Fried Rice

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This dish is quite nostalgic for me because I used to make it a lot back in undergrad. It’s the perfect I-don’t-have-enough-time-to-make-a-full-fledged-course-but-I-need-to-stop-eating-out-so-let’s-whip-up-something -quick-and-easy-from-the-four-things-I-have-in-my-fridge-type of meal.

The idea for the dish came together naturally on its own – I think one day I wanted to make some simple fried rice and it just hit me that I could use the homemade lemon achaar my mom had packed for me as a spice paste to make it extra flavorful and spicy.

I took whatever veggies were in my fridge, some day-old basmati rice, ginger and garlic, some soy sauce, a couple teaspoons of mom’s achaar -fried it all up and topped it all with a runny yolk egg for some extra protein and comfort.

Now of course you do not have to use homemade achaar – this is very much a use-whatever-is-in-your-pantry type of dish so a store-bought achaar will do just fine. Use whatever type you like – lemon, cabbage, ghosht, kerala – as long as you like the brand it will taste good.

This is a simple fusion that came together accidentally – but as proven time and time again, sometimes the dishes that are the least deliberately planned end up being the best.

And there you have it! A super easy and fun Indian twist on a fried rice dish – perfect if you want a little something that’s satisfying with minimal effort.

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Achaari Fried Rice

An Indian version of fried rice that uses achaar as a spice-paste for extra spiciness and flavor

Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup day-old basmati rice may use regular short-grain rice
  • 3/4 cup chopped veggies of your choice I use 1/4 cup of cabbage, carrot, and green beans each
  • 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2.5 tsp achaar of your choice
  • 2 1/2 tsp oil
  • 1-2 1/2 tsp soy sauce (or to taste)
  • 2 green onions
  • 1 tbsp cilantro

Fried Egg with Runny Yolk

  • 1 egg
  • 4 tbsp oil

Instructions

  1. Chop/jullienne your vegetables and set aside. 

  2. Add your oil in a wok on high heat. First add in your veggies. After 1-2 minutes, add in ginger-garlic paste and then your rice.

  3. Using your spatula, separate the rice kernels and allow them to fry in the oil.

  4. Add in your achaar and and soy sauce and incorporate into the rice. Allow the rice to brown. 

  5. Taste and adjust for seasonings. You may need to add more or less soy sauce depending on how salty your achaar is. 

  6. Set your rice aside and work on your fried egg. In a small frying pan, add in your oil. Then crack in your egg. Once the edges start crisping up, remove the egg with the spatula and drain the oil on a small plate lined with paper-towel. (If you want a runny yolk, make sure not to leave it in for too long. Gently press on the yolk to see how far it is cooked. It shouldn't take more than 90 seconds!) Top your fried rice with the egg and garnish with green onions and cilantro.