Kadai Paneer

I tasted this dish last week during christmas at my friends place .That was the best kadai paneer i ever had in the US. It was full of flavor and delicious , tell me who doesn't like paneer ?? well later  i decided to try this at home . All you need for this  is Frozen Paneer which you get from the store in frozen section ,red pepper and of course all the ingredients required to make a perfect north indian Dish :) , here goes the list of ingredients:

Frozen Paneer (15- 20 pcs small)
1 medium sized Red Pepper/Capsicum
2 pods of Garlic
1/2 inch of Ginger
4 Onions
2 Tomatoes
2 tsp Shahi Paneer Masala ( i used MDH masala)
1 tsp kitchen King Masala
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 /2 tsp regular Red Chilli powder
Salt as per requirement
5 tbsp of Oil
1 tsp of Crushed Kasoori methi
5-10 leaves of cilantro
4-5 roasted Cashewnuts

Preparation:
------------

Heat  1 tbsp oil in a Pan.
Add Onions. Fry onions till they turn golden brown , add chopped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are cooked.Allow this mixture to cool. once the mixture is cool grind it and keep it aside, meanwhile  dice the paneer into small cubes , add 1 tsp oil to pan and roast them to golden brown color, after paneer is roasted drop them into a bowl of normal water , this prevents paneer form getting hard. Also fry chopped red pepper in the same pan adding little oil till the red pepper becomes slightly roasted.Keep it aside.Now add 4 tbsp of Oil to a clean vessel, add grated ginger and garlic , let it fry for a minute , now add the onion tomato gravy and let it boil , add  garam masala powder, red chilly powder ,paneer masala , kitchen king masala and salt. keep it on medium flame till the mixture is well cooked and blended.Drain paneer and add it to the bowl, add red pepper as well, and also kasoori methi.Allow all these contents to cook for 5 mins on medium flame .
Also grind roasted cashews to a smooth paste and transfer it to the bowl , allow it to cook for 3 minutes. Delicious Kadai Paneer is ready.Tastes great with Butter Nan / Chapati.

Set Dosa

For Batter:
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4 Cups of  rice(i used  sona masoori rice)
1 Cup Urad Dal
2 Cups Thick Poha
1 tsp salt

Preparation:
----------------

Soak 4 Cups of  rice , 1 Cup Urad Dal and 2 Cups of thick poha overnight.
Grind the rice, poha  and Dal separately and mix them, Allow the batter to ferment overnight , also at the same time ensure that the batter doesn't become sour because most of the time if the batter is kept at room temperature for long without refrigerating it might become sour . Well if the weather does not favor pre-heat your conventional oven and keep the batter inside or you can leave the batter inside the conventional oven with the oven light on, Once the batter is fermented Add salt to the batter just before making dosas , also check for consistency ..if the batter is too thick you can add some water, at the same time do not make the batter  thin . Set Dosa as the name itself indicates its given as set of 3 dosa's which are thick, soft and fluffy like bread .Now heat dosa pan ,spray or spread 1/2 tsp of oil, spread the batter  little because you want dosa's to look like traditional pancakes  , sprinkle 1 tsp oil on and around dosa ,close the pan with a lid  allow it to roast for sometime in high for 3 seconds , now you get small pores on the dosa , turn the flame to medium /low till the raw batter on surface of the dosa disappears, unlike normal dosa set dosa has to be roasted only on one side . Remove dosa from pan gently without breaking the dosa.. thats it Dosa is ready which looks and tastes like the typical restaurant Set Dosa.
Serve with Hot sambar and Peanut Chutney or vegetable kurma :).

Paneer Paratha

Ingredients:
-----------------

250 gms Fresh or Frozen paneer
1 tsp Red Chilly Powder
1/2 tsp Chat Masala Powder
Salt as per requirement
2-3 green chillies
1 tsp roasted Cumin Powder
handful of chopped cilantro leaves
handful of fresh Fenugreek leaves chopped
1 1/2 cup of wheat flour.
Oil

Preparation:
-----------------

Dough :

--------

Mix the Dry wheat flour with pinch of salt,oil , chopped fenugreek leaves and water into a soft dough .

Keep this aside for 15-20 mins.

Filling:

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If you use frozen paneer first thaw the paneer, Grate the paneer bar into a wide bowl, Add chopped cilantro,cumin powder ,red chilly powder , Chat masala powder, chopped green chillies  and salt.Mix all the contents together.

Now everytime take small balls of dough roll it into thick roti .

Keep handful of filling in center of roti.

Bring the edges of roti to the center and close the filling so that the edges of roti overlap leaving no space.

press it gently and dust it in rice flour/ wheat flour and roll into parathas.

Fry the parathas into golden brown.

Serve Hot with Curd / Pickle.

Baingan Masala (North Indian Style)

Today i hardly had any vegetables to cook dinner...luckily i found these 5 small brinjals lying in the refrigerator ,somehow i always stock up onions and tomatoes , so i decided to make chapati and baingan masala.I really dont know whether baingan masala exists ,If exists it might be different  but you can try this as my version of baingan masala..and here goes the recipie which is simple yet flavorful.

Ingredients:

------------

2 large onions,

2 Tomatoes

2 tsp Garam Masala( may vary depending on spice level)

1 tsp Cumin / Jeera Powder

1 tsp Red Chilly powder(may vary depending on spice level)

Salt as per requirement

2 green chillies chopped finely (optional)

3 tbsp oil

5 small brinjals / EggPlants

1 tsp Cumin seeds/ Jeera

3 pods of Garlic peeled and grated finely

1 inch fresh Ginger peeled and grated finely

Preparation:

------------

Heat a wide bottomed vessel on a low flame.Add 3 tbsps of Oil meanwhile chop onions vertically and dice tomatoes into medium sized cubes ,once the oil is hot add cumin seeds (also you can include green chillies if you want it to be more spicy) ,add grated garlic and ginger(you can add ginger garlic paste which you get in the market but i personally prefer to add fresh ginger and garlic) and fry them till you get this lovely smell of ginger and garlic ,add onions when ginger and garlic turn light golden brown,add tomatoes when onions are done fry for 3 mins with lid open on a medium flame. Now close the lid and cook till tomatoes are done . Add Garam masala , Cumin powder , Red chilly powder and salt and mix well , allow it to cook for sometime.Once done switch off the burner and allow the masala to cool. Wash eggplants and wipe them with a clean dry cloth,Slit them in the centre into 4 parts, stuff this masala slowly into the eggplants without breaking them.Take a saute pan add 2 tbsp oil and roast these stuffed eggplants till they are cooked 50%  i.e., the skin changes color. Transfer these eggplants 3 at a time into a oven safe bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes(depending on the power settings).Now transfer all the eggplants into a  bowl and cover them with masala.Thats it baingan masala is ready and now i am all set to have my dinner.

Dosa

DOSA...its the simplest breakfast that comes to my mind when i feel lazy to cook....Its always handy to have dosa batter in your refrigerator.Whenever i think of dosas it brings back those sweet memories at home.My mom used to prepare these wonderful golden brown crispy dosas and we used to wait( literally fight :D) in the kitchen next to the tava for our turn to have one , when our entire family is together for diwali or some festival , you dont believe dosa session would last till afternoon and by then just 5 of us(kids) would have finished eating. All my aunts would be busy with 2 - 3 tavas making dosas and they would hardly get any chance to taste them ..it used to be fun ,well coming back to the recepie here is how you can make dosa at your home...

For Batter:
--------------

2 Cups of IDLY rice( or sona masoori rice)
1 Cup Urad Dal
1 tbsp Chana Dal
1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 tsp salt

Preparation:
----------------
Soak 2 Cups of idly rice , 1 Cup Urad Dal with Chana and Fenugreek seeds separately overnight.
Grind the rice and Dal separately and mix them, I usually add handful of leftover rice (cooked rice) while grinding so that it helps in fermentation.The secret of making good idly/ dosa is the fermentation part, also at the same you have to ensure that the batter doesn't become sour because most of the time if the batter is kept at room temperature for long without refrigerating it might become sour . Add salt to the batter just before making dosas , also check for consistency ..if the batter is too thick you can add some water. Now heat dosa pan , spread the batter on the pan , sprinkle 1 tsp oil on & around dosa , allow it to roast till it turns golden brown color. Remove dosa from pan gently without breaking the dosa.. thats it Dosa is ready which looks and tastes like the typical restaurant dosa.
Serve with Hot sambar and Peanut Chutney or potato curry.

Stuffed Tindora

Ingredients:
---------------
2 large onions,
1 large tomato
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt as per requirement
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 pinch Hing
1 pinch Turmeric
2 tbsp oil
250 gms Tindora washed .


Preparation:
-----------------
For Stuffing chop 1 Onion into fine pieces, Add red chilly powder and salt.
Slit tindora in the centre into 4 parts.Stuff the Onion mix into the vegetable.
Take 2 tbsp oil in a deep pan, Cut onions vertically and fry till they turns golden brown, add 1 diced Tomato ,once tomato is done add
Salt and Red chilly powder. Now place Stuffed tindora into the pan . Close the lid and cook till Tindora becomes tender.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Paneer Tikka Masala

Ingredients:
----------------
25 small cubes/ 12 Large Cubes of Frozen Paneer
3 Onions
2 Tomatoes
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala powder
1 tsp Red Chilly powder
3-4 cloves
1 inch cinnamon
1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste( Or fresh grated Ginger and Garlic)
5 whole Roasted Cashews
Coriander leaves for seasoning
2 tbsp Oil
Salt as per taste



Preparation:
-----------------
Heat oil in a Pan.
Add Ginger Garlic Paste , cloves and cinnamon and Onions. Fry onions till they turn golden brown , add chopped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are cooked. Now add Cumin powder , garam masala powder, red chilly powder and salt. keep it on medium flame till the mixture is well cooked. Switch off the flame and allow the mixture to cool , meanwhile add 1 tsp ghee to a pan and fry paneer cubes till they reach this beautiful golden brown color, keep them aside.


Now grind the Onion tomato mixture to smooth paste with out adding water( if its really thick then you can add 2-3 drops of water).Transfer this gravy to a bowl.
Also grind roasted cashews to a smooth paste and transfer it to separate container.
Take a clean vessel add heat 1 tbsp of oil , add the grounded gravy , cashew paste and roasted paneer cubes. allow them to cook for 3 minutes. Switch off the flame. Delicious paneer tikka is ready.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Semiya Payasam

Ingredients:
----------------
1 Cup Semiya/Vermicelli
2 Cups Milk
2 tsp Sugar(may vary as per requirement)
4-5 Cashew
6-7 Raisins
2 tsp ghee





Preparation:
-----------------
Take a nonstick pan. Add 1 tsp Ghee and roast Semiya till it turns a beautiful Golden brown Color.
Now spread semiya on a dry plate and allow it to cool.
Now add 2 cups of Milk to a vessel and heat it.Once the milk is hot add semiya to the milk.
Boil the contents on medium flame till the semiya becomes soft .
You can add more milk to the vessel if the milk solidifies.Now the payasam is ready
Transfer the payasam to a bowl.
For seasoning add cashews and Raisins to 1 tsp of ghee and roast it in a pan till cashew turn golden brown.
Add this on top of payasam.

Coriander Chutney / Kottimira Pachhadi

Ingredients:
----------------

1 Big bunch of Fresh Cilantro/ Coriander washed.
2 tsp Urad Dal
1tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
3-4 fenugreek seeds/ methi
1/2 tsp Coriander seeds / dhania
2 tsp Urad Dal2-3 Red Chilly( i used extra hot )
small lump of Tamarind
Salt ( as per requirement)




Preparation:
-----------------

Heat oil in a pan.
Roast Mustard seeds, Urad Dal, Coriander seeds, methi and Red Chillies.
Once Urad Dal turns Golden and Chilly gets roasted , wash and add cilantro.
Fry for some time till you get nice smell of cilantro.
Switch off the heat and add tamarind and Salt to the mixture.
Allow it to cool . Grind the entire mixture.
Also you can add seasoning to chutney to make it more tastier.
Tastes good with hot rice.






for seasoning:
------------------

heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add mustard seeds ,once they start spluttering add Jeera /cumin seeds and hing.

Gutti Vankaya Koora

Ingredients:
-----------------

3/4 Cup Peanuts/groundnuts
9 Red Chillies without stem(you can add more to make it spicy)
1 tbsp of Coriander Seeds
1/2 tsp of Cumin seeds
4 Cloves
3 to 4 fenugreek seeds
3 tsp Chana Dal
2 tsp Urad Dal
Oil, Salt as per requirement
5 small Brinjals/Eggplant

Preparation:
-----------------


Dry Roast peanuts and remove the skin.
Also roast Redchillies , Coriander seeds, Cumin seeds, Cloves, Fenugreek seeds ,Chana and Urad dal separately till they are done (Urad dal turns to Golden brown).
Grind Everything to a smooth powder and add salt in required quantity.
Split the Brinjals as shown in the picture.You can use either purple or green Brinjals.Gently stuff the grounded powder into the Brinjals.

Keep the stuffed Brinjals aside.


Now add water to the remaining grounded mixture and make it into gravy.
Take a clean dry pressure cooker and add 4 - 5 tbsps of oil.when the oil is hot add the gravy,also add some water if the gravy looks very thick, place the brinjals without breaking them.


Pressure cook on a medium flame until 2 whistles.
Tastey Gutti vankaya is ready. Served best with chapati / hot rice with ghee .







Note:
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This is only one of the variations of Gutti Vankaya koora , other variations include adding sesame seeds or onions instead of peanuts.

Custard Fruit Salad

Ingredients:
-----------------

4 Cups of Milk
1 Cup Sugar
3 large strawberries
bunch of Grapes
1 Banana
1/2 Apple
Handful of Cherries
2 tbsp Custard Powder ( I Used Vanilla flavor)




Preparation:
-----------------

Heat Milk in a clean vessel in a medium Flame
Add Sugar when Milk becomes hot with continuous Stirring.
Mix 2 tbsp of Custard in 1/4 cup Milk separately and keep it aside(preferably at room temperature).
Now add this to the hot milk on the flame with continuous stirring .
Stir Continuously on medium flame till the milk turns to desired consistency (little thick like fluid).
Transfer the contents to a bowl and allow it to cool till room temperature.
Now add the diced fruits into the bowl and refrigerate.
Serve cool. Thats it delicious custard is ready.





Note:
-------

Do not use fruits which leave water eg: watermelon

Pani puri

If you take a survey to find out favorite Chat item ...no doubt the answer you will get is pani puri .Though you live in one of those high raised buildings or own a high end car in india one thing you cannot get away from  is the craving to have the roadside chatpata pani puri right next to your car . I cannot get you bandi pani puri but i can help you make lovely puris and pani at your home.  Its simple but also takes patience to make puris and i made this on the long weekend for my hubby and he loved it :)..my brother was here too and they finished it in matter of minutes ,trust me i hardly ate 3-4 puris ,next time i will make sure  to have first and serve the remaining ;), anyways i was happy that it turned out really well. Here is how you make it....

Ingredients:
------------

For Poori:
----------

1 cup Sooji
1/2 cup Maida Flour/ All purpose Flour
1/2 cup Wheat flour
1 tsp Salt
1 pinch Baking Soda
Oil to fry poori's


For Pani & poori stuffing :
-------------------------

1 tbsp pani puri masala
1 cup chana Soaked overnight and boiled
cilantro
Chat masala
2 Potatos
Salt


Preparation:
------------

For Poori
---------

Mix sooji,maida and Wheat Flour along with salt and a pinch of baking soda into thick dough.
Knead the dough so that all the ingredients are well blended .
Keep the dough aside closed.
Heat Oil in pan.
Now everytime take small balls of dough roll into small rotis and put them in oil.
Gently Press the rotis while you fry so that they get puffed.Turn the poori to another side once its puffed.
Fry the rotis till golden brown in oil.
Once done keep them aside.






For Pani & Stuffing:
--------------------







Meanwhile Boil and peel potatoes.
Mash boiled chana and potatoes together.
Add required amount of salt and Chat masala to it.
Keep it aside.
For pani, add 1 tbsp of pani poori masala in a big glass of water, Stir till the masala blends in water.Transfer it to a bowl.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Semiya Upma/Vermicelli Upma

Ingredients:
-----------
1 cup semiya
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
3 Green Chillies
1 small onion
1/4 cup chopped carrot
1 tsp ghee
1/4 cup peas & Indian beans(optional)
turmeric
coriander
grated ginger
salt
cashew (optional)



Preparation:
------------

Take a pan fry cashews , semiya in ghee separately till they become light brown in color and keep them aside.
boil chopped carrots, peas and Indian beans together and drain.
Add oil in a sauce pan. Add mustard seeds after the mustard seeds crackle add cumin seeds, grated ginger,chopped onions and turmeric.
Fry onions till they turn golden brown.
Now add the boiled vegetables to the pan and fry for 2 minutes.
Add 2 Cups of water and required amount of salt , allow the contents to boil.
Now add the roasted semiya to the pan and stir till it solidifies.
Garnish with cashews and coriander leaves.

Khara Pongal

Ingredients:
-----------
1 cup Rice
1/2 cup Moong Dal
2 tblsp Ghee
3 Green chillies
1 tblsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Black pepper/ black pepper powder
Salt as per taste
coriander leaves

Preparation:
------------
Wash and drain Rice and Moong dal separately and keep them aside.
Take pressure cooker. Add Ghee, cumin seeds,chillies , black pepper .
Fry till chillies are done.
Now add rice and moongdal and fry for few seconds.
Add 8 Cups of water to the contents and allow to pressure cook until 2 Whistles.
Add required amount of salt and mix it well.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Pongal tastes good with gojju.