Paneer Makhani

Roti , the Indian flat bread has become our unanimous choice for dinner. Sometimes , as wraps, sometimes stuffed parathas or sometimes simple plain roti and a gravy and some salad.This has almost become our routine for quite some years.Now the days are getting colder as winter is fast approaching, we like to have some warm soup too.

Though I prepare this kind of dinner every night, I 'm not able to take pictures and share with you all because of lighting issues. Today , I planned and made this ahead to share with you all.

This Paneer makhani is a sure hit recipe in my house. Especially my kiddo , whose cheeks will turn red on seeing the red color of our Indian gravies, loves this one. The tomato based silky gravy with the richness from cashews and the aroma from spices elevates this dish to another level.

I have used tomatoes on the vine for the dark color and sweet and sour taste. You can use any variety. Also I have used home made paneer . You can use store bought paneer too. But soak in warm water for 15 minutes, if using store bought one.

Ingredients

Paneer / Indian Cottage cheese .............................  150 grams, cubed
Tomatoes ............................................................ 3 medium, chopped
Garlic cloves ........................................................ 7
Ginger ................................................................ 1/2 inch
Kashmiri  red chilli powder ..................................1 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder ................................................ 1/2 tsp
Kasuri Methi / Dry fenugreek leaves .................... 1/2 tsp
Garam masala .................................................... 1/2 tsp
Cashews ............................................................ 1 1/2 tbsp
Butter ................................................................. 1 tbsp
Bay leaf ............................................................... 1
Honey ................................................................. 1 tsp

Method 

• Soak cashews in hot water for 15 minutes and make a fine paste and set aside.
• Blend tomatoes, ginger and garlic in a blender to a smooth puree.
• Heat  a kadai and add butter and immediately add bay leaf to it.
• When bay leaf slightly changes color, add the puree and add both variety of chilli powder and let it cook in a slow flame.
• When you see fat oozing out and the gravy is not sticking to the sides of the kadai , add some water, 1/4 tsp garam masala and salt and allow it to come to a boil. 
• Now add the cashew paste and paneer and gently mix and keep the flame on low. 
• Check the consistency of the gravy and add crushed kasuri methi.Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the  remaining garam masala now and turn off the flame.
• Add a tsp of honey and gently mix .

Serve it with warm Roti / Chapathi/ Phulka  or any kind of Pulao.

Vazhakkai Varuval | Plantain roast

I can't tell you all how much happy I was when I found this variety of Hawaiian plantains, recently in a grocery store. It almost resembled the one we get in my native.This takes me down the memory lane.

The best part of being from Southern most part of India is that you get to live close to nature.Lots of water resources makes plenty of choices for cultivation. Plantain trees are very common in agricultural farms. Almost every house will have plantain trees in their backyard as every part of this plant is used widely in cooking.We had few such plants in our backyard too. I have relished variety of dishes prepared by mom.

Now coming back to this recipe, this is a very simple one and goes well with vatha kuzhambu, rasam or mor kuzhambu.

Ingredients

Plantain / vazhakkai (big)..........................1
Kashmiri Red chilli powder ..................... 1 tsp
Turmeric powder ...................................  1/2 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing .................................. 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder ............................... 1/4 tsp (optional)
Amchur / Dry mango powder................. 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala ...................................... 1 big pinch
Salt ......................................................... to taste
Oil ......................................................... 2 to 3 tsp
Mustard seeds ....................................... 1/2 tsp
Urad dal ................................................. 1/2 tsp
Channa dal .............................................. 1/2 tsp
Garlic ..................................................... 3cloves,minced
Curry leaves ........................................... few
Ginger ................................................... 1/4 tsp , finely grated

Method

 

• Peel the skin and thinly slice the plantain discs.
• In a wide bowl, add 2 tsp oil and red chilli powder,turmeric,salt,hing,coriander powder, Garam masala and amchur.
• Mean while, heat remaining oil in a wide shallow pan.
• Add mustard seeds , once it crackles add urad and channa dal and fry until golden,add garlic and ginger and saute until garlic turns golden.Then add the curry leaves.
• Now add the plantains and cook uncovered in simmer .
• Use a spatula and flip the plantains when you see a golden crust on one side.
• Cook the other side too the same way.

Enjoy with steamed rice with rasam , morkulambu or vatha kulambu.

This is how I enjoyed :)

Cheese balls with mixed greens- healthier snack / lunch

Diwali preparations and celebrations has taken priority and my blogging had taken a  back seat .Hope you all had a wonderful Diwali too ! But I'm back with a protein packed recipe.

Recently , I had a chance to meet a good friend of mine after 12 years. Lots of chatting, giggling,some movies and slowly we re-winded our college days.Words can't completely express my emotions.She asked me to share some healthy and quick kid's friendly recipes.So here I'm with kid's most favorite cheese balls with some twists.

This can be used as a healthy snack or pack few in your kid's lunch box with any dip.You can plan this as a starter for your kid's party too.Add this to your morning wraps to kick start your day or add it with salad to fill in your pita breads.

Ingredients

Mixed greens ............................... 1 cup ( I used spinach and amaranth leaves)
Mozerella cheese .......................... 1 1/2 tbsp
Paneer / Indian Cottage cheese ....  1 tbsp (optional)
Soy nuggets ................................... 6 pieces
Whole wheat Bread crumbs ............ 1/2 cup
Potato ............................................ 1 medium , boiled and mashed
Garlic ............................................ 3 cloves, minced
Green Chilli ................................... 1 finely chopped
Salt .............................................. to taste
Oil ............................................... 1 tbsp

Method 

• Preheat the oven to 450 F.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Blanch the greens.Roughly chop .
• Soak the soy nuggets in boiling water for 10 minutes and drain and pulse in your blender.
• In a wide bowl, add all the ingredients except oil and mix thoroughly.
• If the mixture is slightly wet add little extra bread crumbs and mix well.
• Make equal sized balls and arrange in a baking tray.
• Brush the balls with some oil.
• Bake for 15  minutes. Again brush some oil an d bake for 10 minutes.

Serve with ketch up, chutney or any dip of your choice.

Note

• You can add any kind of greens based on your choice and availability.
• Grated vegetables can also be added but if your child prefers them.
• Make these balls ahead and freeze them for later use too.
• You can also deep fry / shallow fry if you want to . 
• You can increase the amount of cheese, if you prefer that way.

Semiyan Rabdi / Vermicelli Pudding Guest Post

 Diwali, the festival of lights is around the corner.I know , you all will be busy with sweets and savory preparation.Today I'm bringing another good friend of mine to share her recipe with you all.She is Garima Sarolia from CafeGarima .Extremely warm and talented person and apart from all such a friendly person.
Visit her CafeGarima for some interesting recipes.
Now lets hear from Garima, quickly.

I am so honoured to be guest posting for my friend and very talented co-blogger Sujatha. She is my guru in South Indian cuisine and I follow her recipes with my eyes closed. She is an extremely helpful and warm person.

 
Recently I had a taste of a new flavour of ice cream launched by Natural’s  on occasion on Eid and loved it! They call it ‘Sheer Khurma’ and it is smooth and creamy with the rich flavour of almonds and cashews. To capture the same flavours, I made some Vermicelli pudding , infused with the flavours of almonds and cashews roasted in desi ghee. Served chilled, it was almost like a creamy kulfi and I was happy to have achieved the desired result. The family approved too J

This recipe serves four.

Ingredients

Full cream milk- 1 litre
Sugar- 4/5 Tbsp (or more as per the desired sweetness)
Vermicelli, roasted in ½ tsp ghee- ¼ cup
Cashews and almonds, roasted in ghee and chopped – 2 Tbsp
Pistachioes, slivered- a Tbsp (for garnishing)
Desi ghee/clarified butter- 1 tsp, to roast the vermicelli and nuts
Saffron, crushed and ground in the mortar and pestle with ½  tsp milk (this helps release the colour and the flavour)
Cardamom powder- ½ tsp

 
 Method

1. Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed pan/kadhai and reduce for about 20 minutes on a medium flame stirring to avoid scalding.
2. Meanwhile roast the vermicelli and the cashews and almonds in ghee and chop the nuts.
3. Add the vermicelli and cook stirring for about 5 minutes till the vermicelli softens.
4. Add the sugar and the ghee-roasted cashews and almonds. Cook stirring for another 5 minutes till the sugar has melted. Add the cardamom powder and mix well. Remove.
5. Cool and stir in the saffron. If the pudding is too thick, ¼ cup of boiled milk may be added and mixed well.
6. Transfer to individual serving bowls (I use terracotta bowls as they enhance the flavour of the pudding).
7. Chill and serve topped with pistachio slivers.
   

Happy Diwali !

Guest Post: Kaju Matar Makhana Curry | Jubilee celebration for 75th post and Diwali

I feel like just now I started my blog and slowly getting to know things in and around this blogosphere but I'm writing my 75th post today. My heartiest congrats to each one of you who are associated with me in this journey.I hope to continue my journey with more and more enthusiasm and give you the best from my end.

I'm taking this opportunity to introduce some of my friends to share their interesting recipes with us here.I feel , this gives us chance to look at food from a different perspective and enjoy the same.So you all can expect some more interesting recipes and stories and so on.

It gives me immense pleasure to introduce my friend Sonal Gupta from simplyvegetarian777. We got hooked up to each other through a facebook forum.Food was the basic connect between us. She is such a warm and soothing person one would expect as a friend.Her simple and straight forward nature and helping tendency are some of the inspiring facts about her. Quick and easy recipes are her forte.Check out her simplyvegetarian when you find time.

Now lets quickly zoom to Sonal.

Sujatha asked me to do a guest post and I knew that I had to do something special and authentic for her and yet so easy for the readers to actually try it out in their kitchen this Diwali.

Sujatha is special to me and we started bonding through a food forum on Facebook and gradually developed a good friendship. Such a sweet girl with so much talent ! Her photography skills are just amazing. Thanks Sujatha, for giving me an opportunity to interact with your audience :).

Kaju Matar Makhana is a delicate curry made in Uttar Pradesh. Kaju is cashews, Matar is peas and Makana is Puffed Foxnuts from Lotus stem. It is rich, subtly sweet and just amazing to indulge during festivals. I am not sure about the origin of this dish but it definitely is more of Awadhi and Mughlai origin.

Kaju Matar Makhane ki Sabzi

Ingredients :

Phool Makhana or Foxnuts : 2 cups
Peas : 1 cup
Cashews : 1/2 cup
Oil : 1/2 tbsp
Tomatoes : 1 cup puréed
Ginger : 1 small piece
Milk powder : 3 tbsp or use fresh khoya/mawa

Spices :
Turmeric : 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder : 3 tsp
Cumin powder : 1 tsp
Garam masala : 3/4 tsp to 1 tsp
Red chili powder : 1/4 tsp or to taste
Kasuri Methi : 1 tsp crushed
Sugar : 1/2 tsp, optional
Salt to taste : 1/2 tsp plus.
Water : 1 cup or more to required consistency.

Method :

1. Dry roast the Makhanas till crisp and golden on low flame. Take them off on a plate. You may certainly roast them in little oil.

2. Heat oil in the same pan. Add tomato purée and add all the spices besides garam masala, salt, Kasuri methi and sugar. Cook till water is evaporated on low flame.

3. Now add milk powder. Stir and cover and cook for 2 minutes on low medium flame.

4. Add peas and cashews. Stir together. Add water and stir again.

5. Add garam masala, salt, sugar and Kasuri methi. Stir and cook on low flame for 5 minutes, covered.

6. Add roasted Makhanas to the gravy before serving or else they will absorb all the gravy. Mix them well in the curry and then serve.

Serving Suggestion : This curry goes well with parantha, roti, naan and cumin rice.

A very Happy Diwali to all of you! Stay healthy. Stay happy. Stay blessed.

Home-made Sambar Powder | Sambar masala

There are certain things in my life where I can't compromise on authenticity.One such is my Sambar Powder or Sambar Masala, as this is a staple item in every South Indian pantry.My mom makes the best sambar ever, every single time. The house will be filled with a wonderful aroma whenever she makes it.The secret behind her Sambar is her special homemade sambar powder.I have always observed her  selecting quality ingredients and religiously preparing this Sambar Masala.

After every single trip to India, I would always bring this Sambar powder with me.I will always keep this as a treasure and try to use very minimum of it.You know why? If the powder gets over, I can't rely on store bought masala to match the quality of my mom's home-made one.But, this time I also learned the tips and tricks of preparing a perfect sambar Powder from my mom.I can proudly say that this recipe is 50 year old  recipe ,tried and tested and cherished as a family recipe.Today I'm sharing this family recipe with you all.

Home made using blender / Mixer grinder

Ingredients

Dry Red Chillies .................................. 100 gms
Coriander Seeds ................................. 100 gms
Toor dal .............................................. 1 fist full
Channa Dal ........................................ 1 fist full
fenugreek Seeds ................................. 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder ............................... 3 tsp


Method 

• Heat a heavy bottom kadai and roast toor dal and channa dal until golden color and transfer it to a plate .
• Then dry roast the fenugreek seeds separately until golden brown and transfer to the same plate.
• Now dry roast coriander seeds until it becomes nicely warm and trasfer to the same plate.
• Finally dry roast dry red chillies until crisp.transfer to the same plate and cool the ingredients.
• Blend everything to a fine powder in a blender.
• Add turmeric powder and give it a whirl.

Make an Authentic Sambar and enjoy.

Homemade using Flour Mill 

Ingredients

Dry red chillies ....................................  1/4 kg
Coriander seeds ................................. 1/4 kg
Toor dal ............................................. 150 gms
Channa dal ......................................... 150 gms
fenugreek seeds ................................. 50 gms
Varali manjal / whole turmeric ............. 3

Method 

• Keep the turmeric under hot sun for 2 or 3 days.
• Rest of the process goes exactly same as above.
• After the ingredients and roasted and cooled ,add the turmeric and mill it in a flour mill.

Note

• Do not use oil to roast the ingredients as it will reduce the shelf life of the masala.
• Select good quality ingredients for best result.
• If you want to make bulk, make , tightly seal and store refrigerated and keep a little amount in an air tight container for daily use.
• Always use dry and clean spoons to measure and use for daily purpose .

Pumpkin Spiced Cake

" Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful. "

                                                                                                               -  John Maeda

After all the Navrathri pooja and celebrations, I'm back into track. Got a chance to meet like minded people , lots of learning and it was full  of fun and giggle. Somewhere striked,“ The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go.”

As you all know, Fall (Autumn) is here and also pumpkin is everywhere ... ha ha. Yes, all the shops are now filled with pumpkin.We picked up some too .

First thing that came to my mind on seeing these beauties is the Starbuck's pumpkin spiced muffins.The freshness of the pumpkin and the warm and aromatic spices ...mmm still drooling.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Puree ............................... 1 cup * see notes
Dark Brown Sugar ............................ 1 cup
Granulated Sugar ............................... 3/4 cup
Canola Oil ....................................... 1/3 cup
Water ............................................. 1/3 cup
Flex Seeds ..................................... 2 tbsp * see notes
Vanila Extract .................................. 1 tsp
All Purpose Flour .............................. 1 cup
Whole Wheat Flour ............................ 1 cup
Cinnamon Powder ............................... 1 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg Powder .................................. 1/2 tsp
Allspice Powder ................................. 1/2 tsp
Baking Powder .................................... 1 tsp
Baking Soda ......................................... 1 tsp
Ginger Powder ...................................... 1/2 tsp
Salt ......................................................... a pinch
Plain Yogurt ............................................ 2 tbsp

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Prepare the cake tin by applying some oil or butter and dust with flour.
3. Cut the pumpkin into quarters and bake them in the oven for 45 min at 350 F. Cool it, peel the skin and blend it with a tbsp of water to make puree. Alternately you can just put the pumpkins in a vessel and cover with a lid and keep this vessel in a pressure cooker and cook till one whistle. Cool it and scrape the skin and puree it with 1 tbsp water.
4. Slightly roast the flex seeds and blend it with 1/3 cup water . Set aside.
5. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and sift well.
6. Mix all your wet ingredients and beat well with a hand mixer.Add Sugar to this and blend well.
7. Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in parts and mix with a spatula . Do not over mix as it will make the cake feel hard.
8. Cook for about 25 minutes until the tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
9. Let cool for some time and transfer to a wire rack to allow it to cool completely.

 Personally , we don't prefer frosting. But you can add caramel frosting or cream cheese frosting or simply drizzle some honey .

Notes

• You can substitute with store bought pumpkin puree too.
• You can replace flex seeds by 2 large eggs too , if you eat eggs.

Paneer Rolls| Cottage Cheese Rolls- Quick dessert

Paneer or Indian cottage cheese is a very versatile food that one could think of.Be it a dessert or a typical Indian currys or gravies, it just blends like anything.Though it was widely used in North, it has rapidly found its place in South too.So simple to make and no additives or preservatives unlike other processed cheese,is the sole reason behind its popularity among health conscious people.

My affinity with paneer started when I was in high school.Raja's Kolkatta Bakery was the one in my native to sell all authentic bengali sweets. I would always want to go there and try each and every one,though I'm not a fan of sweets.No looking backs,since then.

I had made paneer,to make paratha for my Son's lunch box. The store bought ones seems harder.So these days , however tight my mornings are, I still manage to make fresh paneer and store for later use.This time I put the rest of the paneer to a good use by making these yummy dessert.

Make your own paneer by boiling some milk,preferrably whole milk.Add some yogurt/lemon juice/vinegar to curdle the milk.Strain the paneer by a strainer lined with a cheese cloth or mulmul cloth.Immediately make bundle it or make a potli and rinse under cold water.Tie well and squeeze well for few minutes. crumble with hands now.
Your clumbled paneer is ready.

Ingredients

Paneer / Cottage cheese ............................ 1 cup , crumbled
Powdered Sugar ........................................ 1/4 cup
Cardamom ............................................... 3
Saffron strands ...........................................few.
Warm milk...................................................1 tsp

Method

• Soak saffron in warm milk and set aside.
• Take paneer in a wide bowl or plate and knead well for 5 to 7 minutes or until you can make a smooth ball.
• Now add powdered sugar and crushed cardamom and again knead well.
• Heat a pan and add the paneer mixture and cook until you feel there is no moisture and still soft.
• Transfer the mixture to a plate and while they are hot knead well again and make balls.
• Add saffron milk to each of these balls.
• Refrigerate for a longer shelf life.

Note

• Do not discard the whey when you strain the paneer. Use them to knead your dough for roti or make butter milk.
• Do not over cook the paneer as it might make it rubbery.