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...
With Love,

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Rasgulla | Bengali Rasgulla | Easy Diwali Sweets

Advance Diwali Wishes to ally my readers!!!Let the festival of lights fill your days with joy, fun and happiness.

That being said, its just like any other day for us. No crackers, no family and no sound!!! And so there is no Diwali feel. We have been enjoying sweets but that longingness to be in your homeland among friends and relatives is there. I miss the early morning crackers, the diya lighting, the non-stop tv programs, Adyar Ananda Bhavan sweets and more of all the biryani that amma makes on Diwali. Other than the small pot-luck party that few friends over here have arranged there is nothing special here.

Thanks that the occasion falls on a weekend, atleast we will be together for the day. And so I have been making plans for lunch and dinner. Vadakari and dosa is the huss's favorite and that is definitely gonna be there for breakfast. Lunch has to be none other than pressure cooker biryani, my version of my MIL's chicken masala and finally ending it with a sweet note. I have made a big batch of rasmalai and it is there chilling in the refrigerator stewing in all that flavored milk. Dinner might be light with some chicken tandoori, naan bread and pickled onions. I still have to make sweets and savories to distribute to neighbors and friends and that is gonna be tomorrow's task... And there goes the schedule for another hectic weekend.

Coming to this recipe, I made this last weekend when the huss's friend came over to visit us. I served him this chilled as dessert after a hearty meal of biryani and he said that it was a perfect way to end the lunch. The balls were soft and melt-in-the-mouth kind filled with all that sugary syrup. Since this is my first time, I used only 1/2 litre of milk but the next time I make it, it is definitely gonna be a bigger batch. I missed taking the pictures for few steps but I will update a detailed post in the rasmalai recipe which is up next.

Prep time: 20 mins; Cooking time: 25 mins; Makes - 10 mini ~*What U Need*~ Whole Milk - 2 cups Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp Ice cubes - few To Make syrup: Water - 1 3/4 cups Sugar - 3/4 cup Cardamom powder - 1/8 tsp Pistachios/Cashews - to garnish How I Made it: Bring milk to a boil and then set to medium flame. Add lemon juice and stir well. Keep stirring till the milk solids separate and the whey water is clear. Remove from heat, add the icecubes or place this in a cold water bath. I placed in an ice bath. Take a clean cotton cloth, pour the curdled milk and collect the whey water. Wash the chhena in running water to remove the lemon smell. Squeeze the excess water and hang it for 30 mins. After 30 mins, the chhena should be crumbly in texture. Knead well till it forms a smooth dough, say 5-10 mins. Pinch balls of desired size and smoothen them out. Heat water in a deep wide bottomed vessel, add sugar, cardamom powder and keep stirring till sugar dissolves completely. When it starts boiling, put it to medium heat, and slowly add the balls. Place the lid and cook for 10-12 mins till the balls are doubled in size. I missed taking a picture of this. But you can see the difference in size right!!! Immediately remove the balls and place them in a pan with cold water. This is done to stop the balls from cooking more. Cool both the rasgullas and the sugar syrup completely, add the cashews and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Serve chilled!!!

** My Notes:
** Do not discard the whey water. I use it to make chapathis which makes them super soft.
** Give room for the rasgullas to breathe. Do not overcrowd the pan.
** Always serve chilled.
** Adding ice cubes to the pan stops the chhena from overcooking and so does placing the cooked rasgullas in water.
** Also cook the rasgulla balls in medium flame. Donot let the syrup to boil and as this might lead to cracks.
** It generally takes 10-12 mins for the rasgullas to cook.
** Be careful when removing the cooked rasgullas as they are so soft at that stage.
** I missed taking step by step pics for the icecubes part and adding the uncooked rasgullas but I will update them in my rasmalai post.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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Paneer Tikka Pizza ~ its Indianised...

I am bitten my the bread baking bug. When I tried the Whole wheat pizza and it turned out to be "edible" I was confident to take a step ahead and try some variations with the topping dumping in loads of mozzarella cheese. So the first thought as any Indian would like to add, I added some paneer cubes marinated in Indian spices. The Tandoored paneer made an excellent topping to the pizza. Italians, a word, you need to know our spices.

Thin Pizza Crust topped with Tandoored panner cubes and ooey gooey mozarella cheese...

I have made this pizza loads of times but never bothered to click some pics and post them here. Truly, I wasn't left with any slices to click some pictures. The pizza was attacked by the whole family as soon as it was out of the oven. And I can't blame them when I make this for dinner... Tummies rumbling with hunger, anyone would jump in to have a bite when they see a cheesy pizza in front of them... And I would never have the heart to stop my family from eating my creation. So this time when I made it, I made it well before dinner and urged the family to have any early dinner and gave them a tall glass of oats smoothie at dinner time.

I am making my own pizza sauce these days as they are easy to make and more than all you get the satisfaction that it is home-made, made from scratch and free of preservatives. You can use store bought pizza sauce too...

~*What U Need*~ Basic Pizza crust All purpose flour/Maida - 1 1/2 cups Active dry yeast - 3/4 tbsp Milk - 1/4 cup Water - 1/4 cup Sugar - 1/2 tbsp Salt - 3/4 tsp Olive oil - 1/8 cup Paneer tikka Paneer cubes - 1/4 cup Hung curd - 2 tbsp Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Garam masala - 1/4 tsp Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp Tandoori masala powder - 1/2 tsp Vinegar - 1/2 Salt - As needed {Marinate the paneer cubes with other ingredients and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.} Topping Pizza sauce - 2 tbsp Onion rings - 1/4 cup Tomato rings - 1/4 cup Panner tikka - As needed Mozzarella cheese - 1/2 cup

How I Made it:
First lets roll out the pizza base.
Bring the water to lukewarm, mix sugar and add the yeast. Set aside for 10 mins till frothy. Mix milk, salt, oil. Take flour in a mixing bowl, add the yeast water and oil mixture to this and gather to a smooth dough.

Keep covered with a wet cloth till an hour. It would double in size. Punch down and make a smooth pliable dough. In a greased pizza plate, roll into a thin crust and fold the sides.

Spread pizza sauce, top with onion and tomato rings and then marinated paneer cubes followed by cheese. Pre-heat oven to 210 C and bake it for 20-25 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.

My notes**
** U can prick the base with fork to make sure of even cooking
** Use tofu to get an even healthier version
** Play around with the veggies in hand. Capsicum and baby corn would make great additions too...

Enjoy homemade pizza, hot and fresh!!!

So thats it Folks...
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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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Matar Panner / Paneer-Peas Masala

My mom had got me a whole packet of dried peas when she came here. I who always prefer the fresh peas to the dried ones dumped the packet into my fridge where I will not be able to set eyes on it... But then I treasure hunted it some time back to add them to Sambar saadam. The quantity has been fastly receding ever since and yesterday when I was checking I found only few handfuls of dried peas. Wanted to use the entire quantity in one go and hence was browsing for some recipes when I came across this yummy recipe at Dil-se's.

Was relieved when I saw some paneer in my pantry and immediately tried this for our dinner... Made a few tweaks to adjust to our taste buds and I would say it tasted so yummy...

~*What U Need*~
Onions(Medium) - 2
Cooked peas - 1/2 cup
Paneer cubes - 1 cup
Yoghurt - 3 tbsp
Tomato puree - 2 tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander Leaves(Chopped) - 1 tbsp
Oil
Salt

Spices:
Bay leaves - 1
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 1
Cinnamon - 1"

How I Made it:
Cut the onions into chunks no need to slice it finely or thinly.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in pin. Add the onions and saute till it turns brown.
Cool it down and grind it to a smooth paste along with the cream/yoghurt.
Heat oil in a pan, add the spices and fry for 1 min. Now add the ground onion/yogurt mixture and fry till brown.
Add the ginger garlic paste and fry till you oil oozing out.
Now add the tomato puree and combine well. Allow to fry for 2-3 mins. Now add in the coriander powder, chilli powder and salt.
Cook for a few more minutes and then add the cooked peas and fried paneer cubes. Add enough water to thin the gravy.
Bring it to a boil in high heat and then reduce the flame to slow and boil till u see the oil separating. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rotis/chapathis.

Notes:
** I used dried peas, soaked overnight and cooked in the pressure cooker for 2 whistles. But I am pretty sure that fresh peas or at-least frozen peas will increase the taste of the dish.
** You can replace the yoghurt with fresh cream but diet conscious ppl like me do stick to yoghurt. Adding fresh cream will make the dish restaurant-y and make it much more creamier and tasty.
** If you are frying the paneer cubes then toast the paneer in reduced flame in 1 tsp of oil till golden yellow color on all sides. Then add the paneer cubes to lukewarm water and set aside.
** If you don't have ready-made tomato puree in hand, take one medium tomato, grind well till you see no more seeds. Heat or microwave this till all the water evaporates.

Sending this to Lets Cook: Subzis for Rotis held @ Tickling Palates

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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Gulab Jamoon Paneer Kofta Curry

I always loved the crunchy gulab jamoons, the fried balls before dumping into sugar syrup. The fried balls made by my father would be perfectly round with no flaws and cracks. When I was a kid and when dad made these for diwali, little me would be out there in the kitchen snooping around to get one or two. Dad would be yelling around. I still remember how crunchy and yummy they would taste. When I made gulab jamuns last time, I could not resist these and hence was popping in a ball every now and then. Turned around to have a look at the plate and oh dear!!! there was only half the amount fried… I had some left over gulab jamoon mix which would not be sufficient to make the sweet and was thinking what to do with it when an idea struck… Why not try to make a kofta curry with it?? Would be different to the normal ones we make and so here comes the recipe.


The soaked balls was different and had a masala-y taste which we liked a lot. The crunchy texture went hand in hand with the masala and it was a yummy combination for pooris / chapathis

Makes – 12-15 balls

~*What U Need*~
For the Koftas
Gulab Jamoon mix - 1 cup
Grated Paneer - 1/2 cup (optional)
Salt - to taste
Water - as needed
Oil - for frying

For gravy
Onions(Large) - 2
Tomato puree - 1 1/2 tbsp
Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - as needed
Fresh cream - 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbsp
Dried Kasuri Methi Leaves - 1 tsp
Oil - 3 tbsps

~*How I made it*~
Gulab Jamoon Koftas:
Mix the Gulab Jamoon mix and grated paneer. Adding paneer is purely optional. But gives a unique taste to the koftas. Add salt and combine well. Add water little by little and mix the dough to poori consistency. Pinch into Amla size balls and fry in oil till evenly golden brown. Pat excess oil in tissue and set aside.

Gravy/Curry/Masala:
Roughly chop the onions. Grind to a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a kadai. Add onion paste and sauté for five minutes
Add ginger-garlic paste and saute till oil oozes out.
Now add the tomato puree and fry till done.
Add coriander-, red chilli-, cumin-, turmeric-, garam masala- powders and salt.
Sauté till oil starts oozing
Add water to the gravy. Bring it to a boil and simmer for ten minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.
You will now see oil floating on top. Add fresh cream. Stir for a minute
Add chopped coriander leaves and kasuri methi leaves and stir.
Add the fried gulab jamoon koftas. Mix once and switch off the heat.

Serve hot with pooris / any flat breads!!!

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Tender Cucumber Salad with Red Wine dressing

The summer has set in with full violence but the good news !!! it has brought on melons, tangy sweet mangoes and of course tender cucumbers in abundance. Cucumber is a perfect cooler for the season and what is best than making a refreshing salad with a simple red wine dressing. Sounds yum na!!! That’s what I made when I got a half kg of tender cucumbers.
Huss always wants mayonnaise to be added to the salads which I didn’t prefer for this salad. I just wanted a mouthful of freshness. So pan-fried some paneer cubes and topped off his salad with this. And he loved it!!!

~*What U Need*~

Tender cucumbers / Vellari Pinji – ¼ kg
Lettuce Leaves – a bunch
Capsicum(julienned) – ½ cup
Salt – to taste
Pepper – a pinch
Chaat masala – a pinch

For Salad Dressing
Olive Oil – 2 tbsp
Red Wine – 3 tbsp
Apple Cider Vinegar – ½ tsp

Optional
Paneer cubes – 10-12
Ginger Garlic Paste – ½ tsp
Oil – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Pepper – to taste

How I Made it
Slice the cucumbers thinly. Cut the lettuce leaves. Add the julienne-d capsicum and mix well.

Add the salt and pepper and combine well.
To this add the ingredients in the salad dressing and give it a stir.

Lets prepare the paneer now!!! Heat oil in a pan. Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell goes off.
Add the salt, give it a stir and add the paneer cubes.
Allow it to cook to brown on every sides.
Add the pepper and toss it. Don’t use spoon to work on the paneer, just gently toss it around.
This step is purely optional. I skipped this for my salad.

Add the sautéed paneer cubes on top of the salad. Sprinkle some chaat masala and serve immediately.

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Wheat Poori and Paneer Bhurji

Who doesn't like paneer... I adore them... I had an entire packet of paneer hiding behind my stack of vegetables and I wanted to use it in one sitting. So made this delicious paneer bhurji with Atta poori and we loved the combination...

~*What U Need*~
For the poori
Wheat flour - 2 cups
Salt - to taste
Water - to form dough
Oil for frying

For the bhurji
Grated paneer - 1 1/2 cups
Finely chopped Onion - 1 cup
Finely chopped Tomato - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Salt to taste

How I Made:

Wheat/Atta Poori:
Mix the wheat flour and salt till well incorporated.
Now add water little by little and bring it to poori consistency. The dough should not be sticky.
Heat oil for frying in a pan.
Pinch small balls out of the dough and roll using rolling pin. Do not dust with extra flour.
Drop the pooris into the hot oil and fry till it puffs up and browns evenly...
Remove extra oil by placing on tissue paper.

Paneer Bhurji:
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Add the curry leaves and allow to splutter.
Now add the onions and saute till glassy / transparent.
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till done.
Add the tomatoes and saute till oil starts oozing out.
Add the turmeric powder and chilli powder and fry.
Add salt and combine well
Now add the paneer and saute. The paneer will shed some water.
Once the water has evaporated and the paneer looks non-sticky and crumbly, do a taste check and turn of the flame.

Serve hot with Pooris

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