Shahi Paneer

I have an exciting array of recipes up my sleeve, waiting to get posted sooner or later. This one in particular has been staying in my digi cam for a little over two months and finally managed to find its way to my blog. Yet another paneer dish waiting to reach your taste buds! Well, only if you wish to make it for yourself. So much for just writing the recipe!

Shahi means royal and this is definitely royal with rich ingredients. This is actually similar to paneer butter masala except that I add curd to it. But i have seen some people adding curd to PBM also. So I am not sure about the actual differences between the two but I have slight differences in my recipes. Well, it doesn't really pain to add one more recipe to my database without much effort. I mean in terms of remembering a new set of ingredients and method that an extremely different recipe would call for.

I'm really proud or rather happy for having been born in such a country which has so many food varieties. I'm enthralled by the extreme diversity of food culture in India. It differs from state to state and sometimes even within a state like how we have the Chettinad cuisine which is different from the normal Tamilnadu cuisine. Well, this deserves a separate blog entry and I do not want to dilute its intensity by writing more about it in this post.

INGREDIENTS:

onions 1 or 2
tomatoes 2 medium sized
paneer cubes 10 to 15
Sliced ginger and garlic - 1 to 2 tsp
curd 1/2 cup
coriander handful
chilli powder 3 tsp
dhania powder 2 tsp
garam masala - 1 tsp
jeera powder 1 tsp
fresh spice powder 1/2 tsp (cardomom,cinnamon,cloves)

for frying
butter 50 g
oil 1/4 cup

soak and grind to a smooth paste
cashew 2 table spoon
khus khus 1 table spoon

METHOD

1. Slice the onions, fry till light brown in 2 tablespoons of oil,grind to a fine paste and keep aside.
2. Cut tomatoes and ginger into small pieces, fry then in the same oil, grind to a smooth paste and keep aside.
3. Heat oil and butter, add the onion paste, thinly sliced garlic and fry till dark brown.
4. Add the cashew khus khus paste and fry well.
5. Add the tomato and ginger pulp and cook well.
6. Add the dry powders
7. Finally add the curd and cook well
8. Add 2 cups of water, fresh spice powder,coriander and then the paneer.
9.Serve hot with cream

Gobi Manchurian

Gobi manchurian is a chinese dish tweaked a bit to suit the Indian palate. I love to have it tangy and hot. This along with a plate of chinese fried rice is absolutely scrumptious. When I was working at Chennai Infosys, this used to be the featured lunch menu on fridays at the food court. It would be either manchurian/plain fried rice or schezwan fried rice on the menu and I would be eagerly waiting for the lunch time :) I grabbed my share hot-hot and if there were any early bird prizes, I would have won hands down. To tell the truth, the food was not so great and people who knew abt out chennai food court would endorse. But, a tiny piece of paper with 'chinese food' written on it is enough to amuse me and I also believe even the baddest cook can manage to cook it reasonably well. Incidentally, paper was also invented in China. Oh, I don't eat paper by the way. However, I should confess that I have never tasted authentic chinese food and people who have tried it say it is nowhere close to what we get in Indian restaurants. I am still contented with the Indo-chinese food and do not even want to visit a chinese restaurant. Ingredients:
Cauliflower - 1 cup
Rice flour,corn flour,maida - 1:1:1 (1.5 table spoon of each aprrox)
Capsicum - 1
Onion - 1
Oil to fry
salt to taste
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Orange color - 2 pinch (optional)
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Tomato ketchup - 1 tablespoon
Soya sauce - 2 tsp
Spring onions to garnish.

Method:
1. Break the cauliflower into medium size florets. Clean them by immersing in salted water for 5 min. I use lukewarm water but I have heard people telling it is better to use cold water as against some people telling hot water. So i choose to be moderate and use lukewarm. Someone please enlighten me as to which is the best. I always eat my caulifower with 100% belief that it's worm-free. I don't want to be paranoid here and lose the charm.
2. Make a batter with all the three flour,water,chilli powder,color,salt and ginger garlic paste.The consistency should be such that it sticks to the florets coating thoroughly. Deep fry in hot oil.
3. Cut the onion and capsicum into cubes.
4. Heat oil, fry the onions and capsicums till tender. Add the fried florets, tomato ketchup and soya sauce. Mix well and garnish with spring onions. Serve immediately with chinese fried rice.
I feel this is good to go with the rice and not much as a starter.


Click here for the chinese fried rice recipe. This time I tried a small variation. Reduced the amount of soya sauce to 1.5 tsp and added a tsp of white pepper powder. It just tasted as heavenly as before. One other tip is while frying veg for fried rice, do it over high flame quickly to get it crisp.
This is off to the kids lunch event as I find it good enough to fascinate the kids.

http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2009/03/monthly-mingle-31-kids-lunches.html http://whatsforlunchhoney.blogspot.com/2006/04/my-monthly-mingle.html

More Keerai

translated into english means spinach in buttermilk gravy. This simple dish pairing with vetha kozhambu makes a heavenly lunch. Though I love eating masala and spicy dishes, nothing can beat a humble south Indian dish. Home food to me means typical iyer food and I would vouch for it anytime.Hailing from Palakad, I have been exposed to both Tanjore and Palakad kind of cooking. Take the case of simple morekozhambu, my mother used to make both kinds.

This is a small variation to the usual spinach kootu. I love greens but unfortunately the only available (Indian) keerai here is spinach and I am left with no other option. I can eat boiled greens with salt without even adding anything to spice it up. For that matter, I can have any veg just like that including bitterguord. That explains my affinity to vegetables. I really do not like frying them with lot of oil. More than the health factor, I feel the flavour of veg is lost that way and every veg has a distinct taste to be savoured.






Ingredients:


Spinach 2 cups finely chopped
Coconut - 2 table spoon
Butter milk - 1 cup (If u have only thick curd, just dilute it with water)
Green chillies - 2 to 3 depending on your taste
salt to taste
coconut oil,Mustard, urad dhall and red chilli to season


Method:


1. Boil the spinach with water and add salt.
2. Grind green chillies and coconut to a smooth paste. You can also add a tsp of jeera if you wish to.
3. Add the paste to the spinach and boil till frothy. Switch off the gas and add the butter milk.
4. Season with the ingredients listed for seasoning

Strawberry Ice Cream Shake

is something that blends with the color of my blog. I have always been fond of strawberry icecream and I used to crave for it when I was a kid. That must be attributed to the pink color of the food as pink used to be my most favouritest color then. Pink is also considered appropriate for girls in the western culture. But growing up, I do not have any particular favourite color and I love all colors equally. While choosing dresses, I look for the texture and combination of colours rather than falling for a single color.

Coming bac to the edible pink, the strawberry icecream I used to eat was only artificially flavored and I have not seen fresh berries in the Chennai markets until recent years. But once it started becoming abundant, I joyfully took to it. When I came to know the nutritional facts of the fruit, my fervour grew even higher. It is a low calorie food rich in vitamin C. It also contains lot other minerals, vitamin A and it is a great antioxidant. Regular intake prevents cancer and heart diseases. Always choose the red ripe ones and avoid the white, discolored fruits. It is a great snack and I am a person who believes eating fruits are better than taking them as juices/shakes. It is because we add sugar,milk, ice etc and we might also miss the fibre content if we filter them. But, I prefer to have juices once in a while. Afterall, taste matters. Try to avoid sugar in your juice and may be you can substitute with honey if you wish to. I don't like mixing honey with my juice though. However, I don't know if honey goes well with all fruit juices. Check on that!

Let's now get a dose of vitamin C.



Ingredients:
Fresh strawberries - 10
Strawberry syrup (optional) - 2 tsp
Sugar (Optional) - 3 tsp
Strawberry or vanilla icecream - 4 scoops
Milk - half to 1 cup
Ice cubes optional

Method:
1. Grind the strawberries into a smooth paste.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients holding back a scoop of icecream and blend well in a mixer.
3. Add the single scoop of icecream to the serving glass and fill the prepared shake on top of it. The scoop will raise to the top. Serve fresh.

Variation:

You can also add a banana to the shake and the combination will go wonderfully together.

Macaroni hot pot

One more in a row to go for the kids lunch event. This is the first event I am participating after starting my blog and hence very enthusiastic about it. It is lot of fun. As and when I cook something which is fit enough to be eaten by kids, I send it off as an entry. Thanks Srivalli, for being such a good host. Eagerly waiting for the round-up!
This is cooked as a one-pot meal and with ingredients like cheese, butter, pasta etcetera, it is sure to impress everyone at home. But this is something to be served straight from the stove (oven) when the cheese is melty. What more do you need for a weekend lunch?

Ingredients:

Macaroni - 1 to 2 cups
Mozarella cheese - as you wish
Onions 2
Capsicum - 2
Butter - 2 tablespoon
tomatoes - 2
Tinned corn - 1/2 to 1 tin
For White sauce
maida - 1 cup
Milk 1/2 cup
Butter 1 tablespoon

Method:

1. Boil macaroni in hot water till tender.
2. Drain and keep aside.
3. Fry the chopped onions till tender and pink in the melted butter.
4. Add the macaroni, salt and 2tsp chilli powder. Mix well and keep aside.
5. Fry capsicum and tomato along with the corn.
6. Melt the butter, fry the maida, add the milk little by little and stir till the white sauce thickens.
7. Grease a baking tray and spread the macaroni. Top it with capsicum, tomato and spread the white sauce. Sprinkle the tomato sauce and cheese. Bake at 180 deg for 15 to 20 min or microwave high for 3 min.

Sure to melt in your mouth!
http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2009/03/monthly-mingle-31-kids-lunches.html http://whatsforlunchhoney.blogspot.com/2006/04/my-monthly-mingle.html

Paneer Bhurji & Kathi roll

I feel paneer and potato are similar in more ways than one. Both are versatile and universally acclaimed. Of course, paneer is mostly used by Indians but still those who taste it once, will crave for it ever. Not to mention, both of them starts with the letter 'p' :) I'm leaving the potatoes here and going ahead with paneer to make a very simple and quick dish - paneer bhurji. You can use your creativity to come up with various other recipes using this as the base.

Paneer is Indian cottage cheese which is a rich source of protein good enough to substitute for meat. I have also mixed a handful of spinach in this recipe for extra nutrition. It is always better to mix a variety of vegetables/ingredients to get all possible nutrients in a single meal.Not only that, this strategy can be used to make your kids(sometimes even adults) eat things which they normally resist. But ofkors, the ingredients should blend well to make the meal tasty.

Ingredients:
Grated Paneer 2 cups
Jeera - 2 tsp
Onions - 1 or 2 finely chopped
Tomatoes - 1 (grated)
Chopped spinach - half a cup
Crushed green chillies - 2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Dhania powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Kasoori methi - 1 tsp
Chopped Coriander to garnish
Salt to taste

Method :
1. Heat oil, season jeera, fry the onions.
2. Add the chillies and ginger garlic paste and fry.
3. Add spinach, fry half a minute and add the tomatoes.
4. Add the dry powders after the tomatoes get cooked.
5. Add paneer and a little water and cook till done. Be careful while adding salt as the paneer might be salty already. I made use of the masala paneer available in the Indian grocery. Give it a try.
6. Garnish with coriander and serve with rotis.

Serving tips:
1. You can use this to make paneer kathi rolls. Spread the paneer on the rotis and roll them tight to make the kathi rolls or wrap. You can heat it once on a tawa if you wish to. This can be used for travel or pack lunch boxes. It can be served anytime of the day. This is also a way to use your leftover rotis. You can also use this idea to conceal veggies which your kids don't eat otherwise.


2. You can stuff this inside dosa to make paneer masala dosa. The other way is, arrange 2 or 3 layers of dosa with paneer in between, roll them tight, slice them into pieces and serve. You can pour some curd on the top and serve as curd dosa similar to curd vada.

3. You can make paneer sandwiches by filling this in between bread slices and toasting it or even make stuffed paneer parathas.

Needless to say, this goes to the kids lunch event.

http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2009/03/monthly-mingle-31-kids-lunches.html http://whatsforlunchhoney.blogspot.com/2006/04/my-monthly-mingle.html

Nutty n Creamy Veg Soup

This richly flavored soup has the goodness of milk n nuts and the nourishment of vegetables which makes it a wholesome diet. It is absolutely healthy and a quick recipe. When I was thinking what to cook on a lazy afternoon, (Well, all my afternoons are synonymous with laziness) this recipe struck me. I added whatever I could lay my hands on and finally it did turnout lip-smacking. I always cook any dish as if I were an expert at that and so far the confidence has lent me a helping hand. I guess my passion for good food and the joy of making it all by myself are the driving forces for me to experiment with various recipes. Hope I will master it someday. So far so good. Let's get back to business now.
First comes the preparation of white sauce which is the base for any creamy soup.
Ingredients:
Milk - 1 to 1 1/2 cups.
Corn flour - 6tsp
Butter - 1 tablespoon

Method:
1. Melt the butter on a pan and fry the corn flour till the aroma comes out.
2. Add the milk little by little and boil till it thickens. Take care that no lumps form.

Now, for the soup.

Ingredients:

Grated Carrots - 1
Fresh green peas - half a cup
Spinach - a handful finely chopped
Almonds - 10
Cashews - 5
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Pressure cook the veggies, make it into a paste and keep aside.
2. Soak the almonds and cashews in water. Remove the skin of almonds and grind the nuts with a little milk. Now boil the paste with a little milk or microwave for a minute or two.
3. Mix the white sauce, nuts paste, veggie paste, salt and add enough water to bring it to a soup consistency. Bring it to boil. Add pepper.
Your heart warming soup is ready to serve. Though not a chinese preparation, I chose to garnish it with spring onions and it tasted good.

A nutty soup for the naughty kids out there and I am sending this kid-friendly soup to the monthly mingle.

http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2009/03/monthly-mingle-31-kids-lunches.html http://whatsforlunchhoney.blogspot.com/2006/04/my-monthly-mingle.html