Palak Paneer

Palak paneer has been in my to-do list for a very long time but the huss has never been a big fan of spinach based gravies. Spinach to him is meant for keerai masiyal and nothing more than that. I have been doing a lot of experimenting for the past three weeks since I have an extra new guinea pig at hand and this one is not as picky as the huss. He happily gorges on anything that comes out from my kitchen with a happy grin and it-tastes-awesome look.

Coming to the recipe, palak paneer is a very famous north Indian gravy that has been adapted by many all over the world. You could make the dish as rich as possible or you could make it skinny if you are so health conscious. Rich is when you make it all-butter or ghee and adding a healthy dollop of cream at the end. And skinny is when you cheat by using oil and milk. Both ways it tastes good and makes a perfect side dish for chapathis or naans.

Prep time: 10 mins; Cook time: 20 mins; Serves - 3-4 ~*What U Need*~ For the palak puree: Fresh spinach - 1 bunch Green chillies - 2 Onion - 1, medium, finely chopped Tomato - 1, medium, pureed Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Kasuri methi - 1 tsp, crushed Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Bay leaf - 1 Paneer - 1 cup, cubed Ghee - 2 tbsp, divided Salt, water How I Made it: Rinse the spinach in water. Boil water with some salt. Add the spinach leaves and allow to sit for 2-3 mins. Drain and immediately immerse in cold water. Reserve one cup of water. Drain and then puree the spinach in a blender with 1 green chili into a smooth puree. Heat ghee in a pan and fry cumin and bayleaf and slit green chilli. Add the onions and fry till brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell goes off. Grind the tomato and add this to the masala. Fry till oil separates. Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala and fry for 2 mins. Add the spinach puree and some water and cook in medium flame for 6-7 mins. Fry the paneer cubes in remaining ghee till evenly browned and add this to the spinach gravy. Add kasuri methi leaves and mix well.

Serve warm with rotis or naan or jeera rice. You can top with some butter or cream also.

So thats it Folks...
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Chole Bhature

This weekend is gonna be fun. Prediction is that the temperature is gonna be in the 40s (C). And so we have planned for loads of shopping. Then there is gonna be baking, red velvet cupcakes to be precise. Its gonna be real fun and I am looking forward to the weekend which I haven't been doing for sometime now. Added to that its been nearly two weeks since I have gone out. Grocery shopping or anything shopping has been taken care by the huss and so "I am looking forward to this weekend".

Let's talk chole bhature. To those who are new to the name, Chole bhature is a popular Punjabi cuisine which is a combination of chole (spicy chick peas) and deep fried bread called bhatoora. I totally love this dish and whenever I visit a vegetarian restaurant back in INDIA, this would be one among the few that I would order. It is one awesome combo. Usually the poori is made very big, big as in the size of a regular dosa but since I didn't have a big wok, I stuck to the regular poori size. Also I was frightened that the poori would not puff up properly if I rolled it too big. And then there was the fear of spluttering hot oil. First timers, I would advice you to go with the regular poori size.

~*What U Need*~ For the Chole: Onion - 1, big Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp Tomato - 1, pureed Channa masala - 1 tbsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Oil - 3 tbsp Salt Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Bay leaf - 1 Cinnamon - 1" stick Chickpeas - 1 cup, soaked overnight For the bhature: Maida / All purpose flour - 2 cups Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1/4 cup Baking powder - 1/4 tsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp Curd - 1/2 cup Salt - to taste How I Made it: Soak the chickpeas overnight and pressure cook for 5 whistles till soft or you could use a can of garbanzo drained off the liquid. Heat oil in a pan, add the bay leaf, cinnamon and once fried, add the cumin seeds. Once brown add the onions and saute till golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and mix well. Fry till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes and fry. Once the oil separates, add the red chilli powder and channa masala and saute. After 3 mins, add the peas and mix well. Add enough water and allow to boil in medium heat till the oil separates. Add chopped coriander leaves, season with salt and remove from flame. To make the bhatures, in a mixing bowl, add maida, sooji, baking powder, sugar and salt and mix well. Add yogurt and mix well. Knead to a smooth dough. Cover it with damp cloth and allow to rest for 3 to 4 hrs. After 4 hrs, knead the dough well and divide into equal balls. Roll it to pooris and fry in hot oil till puffed & crisp on both sides.

Serve warm!!!

So thats it Folks...
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Methi Malai Matar | Methi Matar Malai

Saturdays are meant for sambhar and aviyal at my place. Its falls in the comfort food category for us. And we have never complained eating it week after week. In fact we get that Saturday feel only when it is the duo. But lately I have been experimenting and its mostly on Saturdays. And so sambar and aviyal has taken a back seat. We make kaarakulambus, we make vegetable pulaos but of everything we make soft fluffy pooris and some delicious side dishes like this methi malai matar to go with the pooris.

Remember the homemade frozen peas that I did sometime back. Well, I podded them, stored them and then I had a solid 2 kg pack. I have been using fresh(...frozen) peas wherever I can. I add them to my tomato rice, my broken wheat upma, my vermicelli biryani and it completes the dish. And then there is this creamy methi malai matar. I have been making this for quite sometime now and we totally love it with pooris.

On a happier note, Munchkins is learning things faster. He has started uttering words, it was his own name the other day and 'baby' yesterday. Not that he hasn't talked anything till date. He says appa(father), amma(mother), thata(grandfather), nana(don't need) and kaaka(crow) but his own name, this was the first time. He is quite a learner. He knows how to hold a pen and has started scribbling around on papers. Whenever he gets a pen, he searches for a paper, yeah he knows that papers are meant for pens. I am making notes of everything and have saved his very first 'writing'.

~*What U Need*~ Peas - 1 cup Dried Kasoori methi - 3 tbsp Onion - 1,chopped finely Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Green chilli - 1, chopped finely Milk - 1 cup Cashews - 5 Cream - 2 tbsp(optional) Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Chilli powder - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Salt - as required

How I Made it:
Soak cashews in milk for 15 mins and then grind the cashews to a smooth paste, keep aside. Boil peas until soft and keep aside.

Heat oil, add cumin, ginger garlic paste, green chillies and fry for a minute.

Then add onions and fry till slightly browned. Add the cashew paste and fry it for 2 mins. Add the spice powders, salt and mix well. Add the milk and cook till u see bubbles by the side.

Add the cream and allow to boil. At this stage the gravy will start thickening. Add boiled green peas. Crush the kasoori methi leaves with ur hands. Adjust gravy consistency by adding water, simmer for some time and remove from flame.

Serve hot with naans/chapathis/rotis/pooris.

** My Notes:
** You can use dried peas too. Just pressure cook till soft.
** If you want the gravy to be super rich then use half cream and half milk.
** You can also grind the onions and use.

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Paneer Butter Masala | Version 1.1

I already have a paneer butter masala recipe in my blog which was adapted from vahrevah chef. That recipe is entirely different from the one am gonna share now. I used milk to make the gravy rich but if you are not calorie conscious like me then use cream to thicken the gravy. It tasted more like the PB masalas that you get in restaurants sans the excess oil floating on top and the food color. But if you feel that you need the restaurant-y look then you can add a pinch of red food color.

Whenever we visit restaurants its only non veg for us. Its a strict no-no for veg dishes. But if at times we get bored with having non veg dishes, the first thing that our eyes look out in the menu card is paneer based recipes and paneer butter masala is the default dish that gets ordered everytime. I would say paneer is a vegetarians savior.

I like to try the PB masala of different restaurants and I would say till date I haven't come across the perfect PB masala. Sometimes the paneer is too hard, sometimes the paneer tastes too chalky, the gravy is so creamy or so sweet at times, something or the other goes wrong with the dish. Whenever I have a sucking PB masala, I swear that I will never order one the next time and then I come home and start browsing for recipes. Nothing can beat the freshness of homemade gravies and when you can control the spicyness, the creaminess and the richness as you wish, you get a gravy that suits your taste buds. So why fuss over the restaurant ones... problem solved... make your own PB masala.
But over the time, I have to visit a restaurant, I have to order a PB masala and then I have to sulk over it. Thats how the circle atleast for me goes on.

~*What U Need*~ Paneer cubes - 200 gms Onion - 1, large Tomatao - 1, large Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Cashew nuts, almonds - 5-8 Milk - 1/2 cup Kasoori methi - 1 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - a pinch Salt - to taste Butter 2 tsp Water - 1/4 cup Butter - 1 tbsp Cardamom - 1 Clove - 1 Cinnamon - 1"

How I Made it:
Heat 2 tsp butter in a pan and fry cubed onions and tomatoes until brown and mushy. Grind this to a smooth paste.

Soak cashews and almonds in 2 tbsp warm milk for 15 mins. Grind to a smooth paste. Fry the paneer cubes for 4-5 mins till the raw smell goes off. Keep immersed in hot water.

Heat 2 tbsp butter, add cardamom, cinnamon and cloves and fry. Add the ground onion-tomato paste and give it a stir. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric and ginger garlic paste. Mix well.

Once this is thick, add the crushed kasoori methi leaves. Add the ground cashew and mix well. Fry for another 2 minutes. Add required milk and water slowly as you stir. Season with salt. When you get the desired consistency, add drained paneer. Heat in medium-low for another 2 mins and then switch off.

Serve hot with roti/ naan or pulaos/pilafs.

So thats it Folks...
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Aloo Gobi

Potato and cauliflower are two of my favorite veggies. I love cauliflower so much that I can even boil them with some salt and pepper seasoned with some Italian herbs and chilli flakes and have it for my snack. Simple and healthy salad. Throw in some sweet corn kernels, parboiled carrot, green peas and you have a healthy breakfast salad. Whenever I make this, 'A' dumps in dollops of mayonnaise to make it edible for him. Throws cold stares when I tell him this is for breakfast.

So when I picked up a cauliflower from the market, he allowed me to buy it only when I promised him that I won't make the salad. So when I was browsing for recipes to use up my cauliflower, this struck in my head and I made this side dish for our dinner chapathis. He was happy to see something different on the plate with the core ingredient being cauliflower.

~*What U Need*~
Potato - 1 (Large)
Cauliflower florets - 1 cups
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Onion(medium) - 2
Tomato(medium) - 2
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 tsp
Dried Kasurimethi leaves - 1 tsp
Salt - as required
Oil - 2 tsp

How I Made it:
Pressure cook the potatoes until cooked but firm. Peel off the skin and chop into chunks. Cook cauliflower florets in water with salt and turmeric powder until soft yet firm.
Heat oil in a pan, add jeera and allow it to crackle. Add onions and when soft, add ginger garlic paste. Fry till slightly brown. Add tomatoes and cook till mushy.

Now add turmeric, red chilli, garam masala powder and required salt and fry the masala for 2-3 mins. Add cauliflower and potatoes, mix well. Sprinkle some water and cook until the veggies absorb the masalas and becomes dry. Adjust salt at this stage. Add coriander leaves and dried kasurimethi leaves, give a stir and switch off.

Serve with rotis or rice!

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Kadai Mushroom masala

Kadai mushroom masala is a very good accompaniment for chapathis. The crunchiness that the capsicums impart together with the soft mushrooms and the flavored spices can never go wrong. You can even add a handful of fresh peas to elevate the flavor. Those who are enemies with mushrooms can replace the same with paneer cubes and make Kadai paneer masala.

~*What U Need*~
Onions - 2
Tomatoes - 2
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli - 1
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Capsicum(cubed) - 1/2 cup
Mushrooms(cubed) - half packet
Dried Kasurimethi leaves
Corainder leaves
Oil
Salt

How I Made it:
Puree the tomatoes in a blender. Heat oil in a kadai. Add jeera, once fried, add red chilli and fry well. Add finely chopped onions and fry till translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry till brown. Now add the tomato puree and saute till the raw smell leaves. Then add the masala powders and salt and mix well. Once the oil separates, add the capsicum and saute for 5 seconds. Next add the mushrooms and mix well till the masala coats evenly. Close with lid and allow to simmer for 3-4 mins. You will see the mushrooms giving out water. Mix well and check if the mushrooms have been cooked. If needed add excess water.
Now add crushed kasuri methi leaves and chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with chapathis.

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Potato Sabji

A yummy side dish for chapthis / pooris… A famous stuffing for dosas. Potato sabji can be done in a jiffy and can be used as an accompaniment for anything. I usually opt for this side dish whenever I am lazy and not in a mood to cook anything that takes time. Though I am not in the right mood, my palate always craves for something tasty and if the food is not of my type then I usually skip eating. I can be like that but how can I deny food to huss. That is when this dish comes to the rescue (...quite often). Also this is one of my huss’s anytime favorite. What more needed :P

~*What U Need*~
Potatoes – 2
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Urad dhal -1 tsp
Green chilli – 1 or 2
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Grated ginger – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Onion – 1
Water – as needed
Oil – 2 tbsp
Salt – as needed
Chopped coriander leaves

How I Made it:
Boil the potatoes and mash them into chunks. Slice the onions length-wise.
Heat oil in a tawa. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and allow to splutter. Add the grated ginger and green chilli and fry well. Add the urad dhal and fry till brown.
When done, add the onions and sauté till glassy. Add the turmeric powder and salt and combine well. Add enough water (till the onions are submerged in water, say 1 cup) and bring it to boil.
Add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Fry for 5 mins till it comes to a semi gravy consistency. Do a taste check and off the flame.
Garnish with coriander leaves and Serve with rotis / chapthis..

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Baby Corn - Capsicum Masala

As told before, blogging has introduced me to many veggies and ingredients that I have never tried or to be more precise, had never thought of trying. One such veggie is baby corn. I once tried Baby Corn 65 in a restaurant and don't know why didn't like the crunchiness of the veggie. I felt like having an un-cooked vegetable and ever since I haven't tried it. But then I came across a few baby corn recipes in the food blogosphere and this instigated me to try my hands again. So got the veggie and drilled down to this recipe from the Chef and Her Kitchen.


We had it with chapathi and it was a hit... I have bought another batch of baby corn to make this dish again... :)

~*What U Need*~
Baby corn - 10
Green Capsicum - 1
Onions(Large) - 1
Tomatoes(Small) - 2
Cashew nuts - 5
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala - ½ tsp
Cumin Powder - ½ tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Amchur powder - 1/2 pinch
Cumin Seeds - ½ tsp
Fresh Cream - 1/4 cup
Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Salt
Oil

Pre-preparation
Dice the capsicum into cubes Slit the baby corns and cut them into long pieces. Slice the onions. U don't have to chop the onions finely as we are going to grind the onions into masala De-seed the tomatoes and chop them as the seeds will incorporate more tartness to the gravy

How I made it:
Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add the sliced onions and fry until they turn glassy. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off
Now add the chopped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are cooked and turn mushy
Add the red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, coriander powder, amchur powder and jeera powder. Fry for 2-3 mins
Cool this mixture. Sprinkle some water and grind the mixture to a smooth paste by adding cashew nuts
Heat oil, add capsicum and baby corn pieces. Fry this till they are semi cooked. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, add some more oil, add cumin seeds, and fry till it splutters.
Add the ground mixture and fry until oil starts to split. Add the semi-cooked capsicum and baby corn pieces and cook covered till baby corn is completely cooked.
When the gravy is done, you can see oil floating on top of the gravy Add cream and give a mix well. Garnish with minced coriander leaves

Serve hot with chapathis/pooris/ any Indian flat breads.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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