Happy New Year !

Kadai Paneer

Ingredients

1 kg. Paneer (Cottage Cheese)
2 Green Capsicum Chopped
2 ½ tsp Ginger garlic paste
2 tsp Coriander seed powder
8 Red chilies
3 tsp. Kasuri Methi
4 Chopped green chilies
5 Chopped tomatoes
8 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
1 bunch of chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Direction:

• Cut the Paneer into medium sized cubes.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add ginger garlic paste and cook over a low flame for some time.
• As it popping sound starts coming, add capsicum, chilly powder and the coriander powder; and stir fry for a few minutes.
• Add green chilies along with the diced tomatoes and cook till the oil begins to separate from the mixture.
• Now add kasuri methi and salt and cook for some time.
• At last add the Paneer pieces to it and let it cook for few mins.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
• It can easily go with Roti/ Naan /Paratha

Paneer Makhani

Ingredients:

400 gm paneer/Cottage cheese
2 Bay leaves
4 to 5 green cardamoms
7 to 8 cloves
7 to 8 pepper corn
1 medium sized capsicum
1 tbsp ginger/garlic paste

1 cup Fresh Cream

2 cup Tomato Puree (use 4 to 5 tomatoes for making puree)

3-4 tbsp Butter

2 tsp Fenugreek leaves (dried kasuri methi)

2 tsp Red chilli powder
1 tsp Garam masala powder

2-3 Green ChilliesSalt to taste
1 tbsp Sugar/honey

Method:

• Cut Paneer (Cheese) into small cubes/triangles.
• Heat butter in a pan, As it melts add Bay leaves,Green cardamoms, cloves, Pepper corn , Capsicum , Ginger/garlic paste, Kasuri methi and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Add tomato Puree, salt to taste and stir for about 2 mins.
• Add red chilli powder, garam masala powder and sugar and cook it for around 5 to 10 mins.
• Add the paneer pieces and cook for a minute.
• Add the cream and and cook further for 2-3 minutes.
• Garnished with coriander leaves and serve hot with Indian Roti or Rice.

Palak Paneer

Ingredients:

½ kg Palak (Spinach)

100gms Paneer

2 Onions grated
2 tomatoes for tomato puree
¼ tsp Ginger, Garlic paste

5-6 tbsp oil/Ghee

1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp Dhania Powder

1 tsp Garam masala
¼ tsp amchoor powder

Red chili powder to taste
1 tsp Butter/Cheese thread

Salt To Taste

Direction:

• Clean and wash palak (spinach) nicely.
• Boil the spinach in 1 cup water and when it is done squash it with the help of blender.
• Heat oil in a wok. Add ginger-garlic paste, cumin seeds and stir.
• As popping sound starts coming add grated onions and fry till golden brown.
• Add tomato puree and stir for about 1 min.
• Add all spices including amchoor powder and stir till it separates from oil.
• Now add the spinach (palak) puree and little water if needed and cook for 4-5 minutes.
• Chop paneer into cubes. Add Paneer pieces to the gravy and cook until done.
• Palak paneer is ready. Before serving add 1 tsp butter and serve hot with Indian roti or rice.

      Note: Paneer can be fried to golden brown in a separate pan or can be used as it is.

Paneer Bhurji

Paneer is a type of homemade cottage cheese made from cow's milk. It is made by adding lemon juice to the boiling milk which detaches the cheese in the milk from the whey. Then the cheese is drained and weighed down to remove the entire water.

Ingredients:

250 gram paneer
1 Capsicum
2 Small Onion
1 medium Tomato
½ cup green peas
1 tbsp Oil1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 2 Green Chillies¼ tsp Turmeric Powder ½ tsp Garam Masala Powder1 tsp Ginger-Garlic PasteSalt to taste
1 tbsp Chopped Coriander leaves

Direction:
 

• Grate the paneer by hand and keep aside. Finely chop all the vegetables (Capsicum, Onion, and Tomato).
• Heat oil in a non stick pan, add chillies, cumin seeds, and ginger garlic paste.
• As popping sound starts coming, add chopped onions and cook till golden brown.
• Add tomatoes and fry till they are soft and pulpy.
• Add garam masala powder, turmeric powder, chat masala powder, salt and little water .Mix well.
• Add capsicum and green peas and cook on low flame for about 5 minutes.
  Add grated paneer and stir till the paneer mingle into the masala.
• Cook it for approx. 5 min and turn off the gas.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Fruit Custard

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Custard powder
2 cup Milk
2 tbsp Sugar (to be added to milk)
½ Apple
1 Banana
1 tbsp Pomegranate seeds
2 to 3 pieces of Pineapple
2 to 3 Strawberries
4 to 5 Grapes (black seedless)
4 to 5 Grapes (green seedless)
Cherries and pomegranate seeds to garnish

 Method:

• Peel apple, banana and pineapple and chop them into small pieces.
• Boil milk in a pan. Add sugar and stir it. You can add more sugar if you want to make it sweeter.
• Meanwhile take the custard powder in a bowl and dilute it by adding a little milk (2 tbsp) to it. Whisk till it dissolves entirely.
• Turn off the gas and add custard liquid to the milk and keep stirring till it becomes thick.
• Heat it up over a low flame and add fruits into it.
• Refrigerate the contents for about 2-3 hours.
• Garnish it with cherry and pomegranate seeds and serve chilled.

Masala Dosa

Tomorrow, some friends are coming over my place and for them I want to cook rather special dish. i.e., Masala Dosa. Though it is not that special for us as we eat it often but for guests certainly it would be unusual.

Ingredients:

For Dosa crust:

3 cups rice

1 cup urad dal

1 cup curd

½ tsp soda bicarbonate/ 1 packet Eno

Salt to taste

For Stuffing:

5 medium sized potatoes

2 medium sized onion (sliced)

1 tbsp green peas

½ tsp mustard seed
1 tsp chana daal

2-3 green chili sliced vertically

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 bunch of Coriander leaves

2 tsp oil

Salt to taste

 

Direction:

 

Masala stuff:

• Boil potatoes and peel it.
• Heat oil in a pan and add green chilli, chana daal, mustard seed in it. Wait till popping sound comes from it and add onions in it.
• Cook onion on medium till golden brown.
• Add peas,salt, turmeric powder and other spices (as per your taste) and stir for about 3 minutes.
• Put in potatoes and mix well.
• Add chopped coriander leaves and stuff is ready to place in.

Dosa crust:

 

• Wash rice and urad dal one by one and soak them for about 4 to 6 hrs or overnight.
• Grind dal and rice separately to a paste but be careful that in case of rice paste would be a little rough.
• Mix them together in a deep pan. Add soda bi-carb/Eno and salt and mix well.
• Sprinkle a little water if required to make batter. Make sure the batter should be rather thick.
• Cover and keep aside in a warm place for about 7 to 10 hours, untouched.
• Add curd and mix well.
• Heat pan on a medium flame and put oil with the help of cotton or tissue paper.
• Pour the batter on pan with the help of bowl in circular motion to make it skinny.
• Flip the side and add previously prepared stuff inside Dosa and turn round.
• Serve hot with Sambhar and Coconut Chutney.