Lunch Menu 25 - Jeera Pulav, Potato Fry and Mutter Paneer

A simple, quick and easy recipe to put together. It is so easy to prepare, however, it looks like you have put so much effort.

Click on the below links for recipes:

• Jeera Pulav
• Potato Fry (Will Update soon)
• Mutter Paneer 

Paneer Pakora/Pakoda/Cottage Cheese Fritters 

I am a huge fan of paneer, I have lots of Paneer recipes in my blog, please check it here. I am sure all of us know how to make pakora/Fritters. The important part of this is to make a batter that gives yu tasty and crispy fritters.

Ingredients:

Paneer - 200 Gms
Besan/ChickPea Flour - 4 Tablespoon
Maida/APF - 1 Tablespoon
Rice Flour - 1 Tablespoon
Rava or Sooji or Cream of Wheat - 1 Tablespoon
Corn Flour - 1/2 Tablespoon
GInger Garlic Paste - 1/4 Teaspoon
Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Garam Masala, Chat Masala, Asafoetida - A generous pinch of Each
Warm Oil - 1 Teaspoon
Oil - For Deep Frying
Water 1/4 Cup or as Required
Salt - To taste.

Method

• Heat Oil in a Pan/kadhai. 
• In a mixing bowl, place all the ingredients except Paneer, Oil and Water and whisk them together.
• To this add 1 teaspoon of warm oil and add water little by little to get a thick Batter consistency.
• Cut Paneer into cubes or strips.
• By this time, Oil should be at right temperature for deep frying.
• Test the oil by dropping a drop of batter, it should go down and then come up immediately. 
• If the batter sits in the bottom it keeps the oil is hot and if the batter browns immediately then the temperature is hot.
• Now that the oil, batter and Paneer is ready lets make some Hot Pakoras.
• Take a Paneer cube dip it in the prepared batter, allow it to coat it all over.
• Carefully drop this in the oil and fry it till gets a nice golden color.
• Using a slotted spoon remove the Paneer pakora and place it a a kitchen napkin to remove excess oil.
• Depending on the size of your kadai/pan you can drop 4-5 Paneer pakoras at a time.

Brown Rice Vegetable Pulav

The moment I hear the recipe name the one thing that comes to my mind is the Brown Rice ad with Chef  Sanjeev Kapoor. So I was always wanting to experiment different cuisines with Brown Rice. So some time last week, I made my first try with BR Veg Pulav and it tasted really good. So I felt motivated and tried with Brown Rice Dal Khichdi which was also yummy. I will share the BR Khichdi recipe sometime next week.

You can add any vegetables, Masalas that you have in your pantry. I have used what was available in my pantry on that. I have mildly spiced, if you want to make spicy, adjust to your preference.

Even though its seems like lot of work, it is not, each step will take a minute to 2 to complete. If your Rice is ready you can prepare this dish in less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients

Brown Rice - 1 Cup (Washed and Soaked in 2.5 cups of water for 30 minutes )
Onion - 1 (Medium, thinly sliced)
Cauliflower - 1/4 Cup (Broken into small florets)
Green Chilly - 1 (Slit)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Teaspoon
Paneer or Cottage Cheese - 1/4 Cup (Cut into 1" cubes)
Potatoes - 1 (Large, washed and cut into 1" cubes)
Cinnamon, Cloves, Bay leaves, Aniseed - 1 Each
Green peas - 2 Tablespoon (Boiled)
Red Chilly Powder - 1 Tablespoon
Green Coriander Leaves - 1 Tablespoon (Finely Chopped)
Mint leaves - 2 tablespoon (Washed and roughly chopped)
Salt - To Taste
Oil - As required
Clarified Butter/Ghee - 1 Tablespoon (Optional)

Method

Cooking the Rice:

• In usually soak my Brown Rice in 3 Cups (For a Cup of Brown Rice) for 15 minutes and cook it for 5 whistles in a pressure cooker.
• As I was making Pulav, I reduced the water by 1/2 Cup and increased the soaking time. So for this pulav I soaked 1 Cup of brown Rice in 2.5 Cups of water for 30 minutes and cooked for 5 whistles.
• The above is only an indication and may change depending on your quality of Rice and maturity of rice etc.
• I have used authentic thick brown Rice and not Brown Rice Basmati Rice. You can use any Brown Rice variant that is available/you like.
• So cook the Brown Rice and keep it aside.

Cooking the Veggies:

• Place a tava/Kadhai on stove and add a tablespoon of oil and arrange the Potato cubes.
• leave on one side for 2-3 minutes and then flip it cook.
• If you think it is taking too long to cook, then cover the tava with a lid.
• Once the potatoes are half done, arrange the Paneer and cauliflower also and cook till the Potatoes,cauliflower and Paneer are done and gets a nice colour.

Onions and Spices:

• Meanwhile, place another Kadhai/Wok and add a little more than a Tablespoon of oil.
• Once the Oil is warm, add the Whole Garam masala (Cinnamon, Cloves, Bay leaves, Aniseed) and saute till they are done. This may take couple of seconds.
• To this add the onions and saute till they are done.
• Then add the Mint leaves, Ginger Garlic Paste and Saute for a minute or two.
• Add the Red chilly powder and saute it around and to this add the boiled Green peas and Saute.
• Now add the sauteed veggies also to this (Potatoes, Cauliflower and Paneer) and saute it around a bit.
• Ensure that you maintain the shape of these veggies and don't mash them.

The Final touch:

• After tossing all veggies together, add the cooked Brown Rice and toss it around.
• Cover and cook for a minute or two to just allow the veggies and rice to come together.
• Garnish with Green Coriander leaves and pour a tablespoon of rice.
• Enjoy your Yummy and Healthy Brown Rice.

 

Mutter Paneer (Green Peas - Cottage Cheese Curry )


I am a huge lover of Paneer.When I was browsing my blog the other day, I found that I do not have the recipe for Mutter Paneer. I make it all the time, not sure how I missed to blog it. Anyway, better late than never. Right?

I noticed that I did not have Paneer Butter masala Recipe too? OMG I will make it and post it soon.

Ingredients

• Paneer – 200 Grams (Cut into 1” Cubes)
• Onion – 1 (Large, Finely Chopped)
• Tomato – 1 (Medium, Finely Chopped)
• Greens Peas – 1 Cup (Adjust to your Taste)
• Red Chilly powder – 1 Tablespoon
• Ginger garlic paste – 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder – 1 Teaspoon
• Garam Masala – ½ Teaspoon
• Fresh Coriander Leaves – Few Sprigs (Finely Chopped)
• Curd or Fresh Cream – 1 Tablespoon
• Kasoori Methi or Dry Fenugreek Leaves – 1 Teaspoon
• Oil – 1 Tablespoon
• Salt – To taste
• Turmeric Powder – ¼ Teaspoon
• Cumin powder – ¼ Teaspoon (Optional)
• Water – As Needed

Method

• Heat Oil in a Pan, and add onions and sauté till it is becomes transparent.
• Then add the finely chopped Tomato and salt and cook till it becomes mushy.
• Then add the Ginger garlic Paste and sauté till the raw flavor is gone.
• Then add all the Dry Masala powder and saute.
• Cover it with a lid and saute for 2-3 Minutes.
• If you feel the Masala is too Dry, then sprinkle some water.
• Add the Paneer cubes and saute, ensure that the Paneer is nicely coated with the cooking masala.
• After 2 minutes, add ½ cup of water and bring it to a boil.
• Then add the Greens Peas and cook for couple of minutes.
• Then crush the kasoori methi and mix well.
• Check Seasoning and add accordingly.
• Cook till the Peas are cooked, all raw falvours are gone.
• Then add a Tablespoon of Cream/ thick Curd and mix and leave for 10 seconds.
• Then switch off the flame and add Chopped Coriander Leaves and Serve with Roti or Rice.

Baby Corn- Capsicum- Cottage Cheese aka Paneer Gravy/Subzi/Sabji

 This is a famous curry for it tastes amazing. The combo works amazingly well. You can choose any English Vegetables based on your preference. Some Veggies I have tried this recipe with is Broccoli, Mushrooms, Carrots, Beans, Cauliflower etc. Do the basic Gravy and add the Veggies as per your Taste.

Ingredients
Baby Corn - 10 pieces (Washed and cut into 2")
Capsicum - 1 (Washed and Cut into 2")
Paneer - 1 Packet or 200 Grams (Cut into Cubes)
Peas - a Handful
Onion - 1 (Large, Peeled and boiled )
Tomato - 1 (Medium, Boiled and Peeled)
Red Chilly powder - 1 Tablespoon
Coriander Powder - 1 Tablespoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/4 Teaspoon
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 Teaspoon
Oil - 2 Tablespoon
Vegetable Stock - 1 Cup (Optional)
Fresh Cream - 2 Tablespoon
Coriander Leaves - Few Sprigs for Garnish

Method

• In a Mixer, pulse the Tomato and Onion separately till they become a nice smooth paste.
• In a Pan, warm some oil and add the Baby Corn and Paneer and cook till they get some nice colour on all sides.
• This step is optional, if you don't want then you can skip this step.
• If you plan to Pan roast the Baby Corn and Paneer, do it on Medium flame and don't move them around too much or else they may break.
• Once you get nice colour remove them and keep them aside.
• In the same pan, add 1 more tablespoon of oil and add the Onion paste and saute, and after a minute add the Tomato paste and saute.
• Please be careful while adding/cooking the Onion - Tomato paste as they tend to splatter.
• After 2 minutes of cooking it add Ginger Garlic paste and Dry masala Powders and saute.
• Then add the capsicum and saute for a minute. Now add the vegetable stock or water and stir it well and add the tossed Baby Corn and Paneer, Peas.
• Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes or the raw flavor is completely gone.
• Switch off the flame and add the fresh cream and Coriander leaves.
• Serve with Rice or Roti.

Note

• Adding vegetable stock gives a deep flavour to this dish. You can make your own vegetable stock (Will post a recipe soon) or use Storebought Stock.
• I use Maggi Vegetable stock Tablet. I just soak the tablet in some water and Voila you get your stock.

Lunch Menu 19: Baati with Panchmela Dal,Rice,Sambhar,Ginger Rasam,Cabbage Poriyal,Arbi Roast,Curd Rice, Poondu Kuzhambhu,Eggless Chocolate Mousse, Whole Wheat Orange Cake, Paneer Tikka, Alo Tikki,Gulab Jamun and Masala Vada

Happy New Year to all of you. Lets start this Year with a Wonderful Lunch Menu. I prepared this on New year.

Click Here for the Recipes

• Gulab Jamun
• Eggless Chocolate Mousse (Coming Soon)
• Masala Vadai (Coming Soon)
• Ladies Finger Sambhar
• Ginger Rasam 
• Paneer Tikka
• Potato Tikki
• Poondu Kuzhambhu
• Cabbage Poriyal
• Arbi Roast
• Baati 
• Panchmela Dal
• Whole Wheat Orange Cake 
• Curd Rice

Malai Kofta 

I have posted the Healthy Version of Malai Kofta already, this is the way of actually making Malai koftas. No doubt, these will taste double awesome.

Ingredients

For the Kofta:

Paneer or cottage cheese - 250 grams (Crmbled)
Potato - 1 (Medium, peeled, boiled and mashed - I did not add it as I was able to work with the Paneer, however if you are trying this for the first time, then use mashed Potato)
Green Chillies - 1 (Finely Chopped)
Ginger - Garlic Paste - 1/4 Teaspoon
Rice Flour or Maida or Corn Flour or Bread - 2 tablespoon or 2 slices made into crumbs
Salt - To taste
Oil - as required (Usually it is ssupposedto be deep fried, however I did shallow Fry)
Sooji or Bread Crumbs - To coat the Koftas

For the Gravy: 

Onion - 1 (Big, Boiled and made into a paste)
Cashew Nuts - 10 Nos (Boil it in some warm water and grind into a paste)
Tomato - 1 (Medium, Blanched and skin peeled and pureed)
Ginger - Garlic Paste - /2 Teaspoon
Red Chilly Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/4 Teaspoon
Milk - 2-4 tablespoon 
Salt - To Taste
Oil - 2 Tablespoon (I used Olive Oil)
Kasoori Methi - 1/2 Tabelspoon
Fresh Cream - 4 Tablespoon

Method

• Place the grated Paneer,Ginger garlic paste (1/4/teaspoon),,salt and green chillies and mix well.
• Add Corn Flour little by Little till you are able to knead it into a dough.
• Prepare Koftas using this prepared mixture and make them into koftas.
• Coat the koftas with Bread crumbs or Sooji. 
• Deep fry it or shallow fry it as per your choice. 
• Remove them and place them in a paper towel. 
• In a pan, add some oil and add Onion paste and cook well.
• Once it is cooked, add the Ginger garlic paste, Tomato purée and cook well.
• Once it is cooked add the Garam Masala and Red Chilly powder and cook till the raw flavour leaves.
• Now reduce the flame and add the Cashew paste and cook till the raw flavour of cashew goes completely.
• This may take 3-4 minutes
• Now add Milk and cook on low flame and cook.
• Crush the Kasoori methi and add it to this.
• Add salt and adjust the consistency to suit your need.
• To this add the Kofta and cook for a minute and serve immediately.
• Place the Gravy and kofta together only minutes before you serve. 

Paneer Baby Corn Subzi (Sabji) / Cottage Cheese Baby Corn Masala

I was in mood for a rich, tasting gravy and so made this Yummy Gravy with Onions and Cashews. They work fantastic with both Rice and Roti. I have used Paneer and Baby corn, you can use Mushrooms, some chopped Spinach too.

Ingredients
Paneer or Cottage Cheese - 250 Grams (Cubed)
Onion - 1 (Big, Boiled)
Cashew Nuts - 10 Nos
Tomato - 1 (Medium, Blanched and skin peeled)
Baby Corn - 10 Nos (Cut into 1 inch pieces
Green Peas - 2 Tablespoon
Ginger - Garlic Paste - /2 Teaspoon
Red Chilly Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/4 Teaspoon
Salt - To Taste
Oil - 2 Tablespoon (I used Olive Oil)
Fresh Coriander leaves or Parsley - Few Sprigs
Fresh Cream - 1-2 Tablespoon


Method

• In a mixer or food processor, grind the Cashew nuts and grind it into smooth paste using little water.
• To this add the boiled Onion and grind it into a smooth paste and keep this aside.
• Now grind the blanched tomato separately into a puree and keep it aside.
• In a kadai, heat some oil and add the Onion - Cashew Paste and saute.
• Cook this till the onion is cooked , it may take 3-5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, take another kadai and add a tablespoon of Oil and place the Paneer and baby corn and cook till the Paneer slightly get a brownish tinge and Baby corn is cooked.
• Once they are done, remove them in a plate and keep it aside.  
• Once the Onion is cooked add the Tomato Puree and saute.
• Be careful as the puree may splash.
• To this add the Ginger Garlic paste, Chilly powder and Garam masala and saute. 
• To this add the sauteed paneer- baby corn and Green peas.
• Add water to get the right consistency 
• Add required salt and cover the kadai with a lid and cook it for 8 - 10 minutes.
• Keep stirring them occasionally so the gravy does not burn.
• On the low flame. add the cream and stir it and switch off the flame and add some frehly chopped coriander or parsley leaves and serve.

Eggless Mango Cheese Cake - No Bake, No Egg. 

I have already posted the recipe for Mango Mousse with Mango Glaze. Using that on a biscuit base you get this beauty. The only requirement is you need a Tart Tin or spring form pan to make this. 

If not, you can use any tin with loose bottom or line the regular tin with cling Film so that it hangs over the side so it is easy to pull the cake. 

As I was busy with guests that day, I forgot to coer it with cling film and hence the Ice coating on top. Nevertheless, it tasted yum. So remember to cover it with Cling Film. 

Ingredients

For the Base:
Biscuit - 30-40 (I used 1 big packet of Marie)
Melted Butter - 100 Grams

For Mousse:
Paneer/Cottage Cheese - 1 Packet (I used Milky Mist 200 Grams)
Condensed Milk - 1 Tin (I used Milk Maid 400 Ml)
Gelatin - 3 Tablespoon+3 Tablespoon
Mango Pulp - 300 Ml + 300 Ml
Sugar - 2 - 4 Tablespoon (Optional, If your mango is sweet you can skip this)

For Mango glaze
Gelatin - 3 Tablespoon
Mango Pulp - 300 Ml
Sugar - 2 - 4 Tablespoon (Optional, If your mango is sweet you can skip this)

Method

• Powder the biscuit using blender or hand.
• Melt the butter and add the powdered biscuit to it and mix well.
• Take your Tart tin or Spring form pan and using your fingers spread the biscuit-Butter mixture. 
• Press to form a even base and put this fridge for 10 minutes. 
• Soak all (6 Tablespoon) of the Gelatin in little cold water for some minutes till it becomes fluffy. This may take 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, mix this soaked Gelatin in hot water and mix well till it becomes transparent. 
• Meanwhile, In a blender add Paneer, Condensed Milk, 300 ml of Mango Pulp and blend it well.
• To this add  half of the prepared gelatin and mix well.
• Take your serving dish and fill 1/2 or 3/4 of the dish with the prepared Mousse. 
• Pop this into the freezer for 10 -15 minutes.
• Meanwhile take the remaining Gelatin and Mango Pulp and mix them together.
• Now remove the Mousse from the dish and pour a thin layer of the prepared mango glaze on top of the mousse. 
• Pop this into the freezer for 10 -15 minutes.
• Meanwhile take the remaining Gelatin and Mango Pulp and mix them together.
• Now remove the Mousse from the dish and pour a thin layer of the prepared mango glaze on top of the mousse. 
• Cover the dish with some cling film and keep it in the freezer for 15-30 minutes or till the Mousse and Glaze is set.
• Serve it chilled.

Eggless Mango Mousse  with Mango Glaze 

Mango is in season and my house is filled with the sweet aroma of Mango. Personally I am not a great fan of Mango (which everyone think is rare), however, my mother, Brother and Hubby are crazy fans of mango. They survive of mango during the season.

As my house and my moms was filled with Mango I decided to do some desserts with Mango. SO I made Mango Mousse, Mango Cheesecake and Mango Cake. I will share the recipes of the other recipes soon.

In this recipe lets look at how to use Mango mousse. I recently learnt that Gelatin is a non vegetarian produce so I started using Vegetarian Gelatin which is available in majority of the supermarkets.

If you are unable to find them then you can use Agar Agar which is vegetarian.

Another issue is finding Cream cheese, the cost of this too much so i have found out the most economical alternative by using Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese) with Milk or condensed Milk.

 Ingredients
For Mousse:
Paneer/Cottage Cheese - 1 Packet (I used Milky Mist 200 Grams)
Condensed Milk - 1 Tin (I used Milk Maid 400 Ml)
Gelatin - 3 Tablespoon+3 Tablespoon
Mango Pulp - 300 Ml + 300 Ml
Sugar - 2 - 4 Tablespoon (Optional, If your mango is sweet you can skip this)

For Mango glaze
Gelatin - 3 Tablespoon
Mango Pulp - 300 Ml
Sugar - 2 - 4 Tablespoon (Optional, If your mango is sweet you can skip this)

Method

• Soak all (6 Tablespoon) of the Gelatin in little cold water for some minutes till it becomes fluffy. This may take 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, mix this soaked Gelatin in hot water and mix well till it becomes transparent. 
• Meanwhile, In a blender add Paneer, Condensed Milk, 300 ml of Mango Pulp and blend it well.
• To this add  half of the prepared gelatin and mix well.
• Take your serving dish and fill 1/2 or 3/4 of the dish with the prepared Mousse. 
• I used individual mousse shots to serve them. You can use any dish which is freezer friendly.
• Pop this into the freezer for 10 -15 minutes.
• Meanwhile take the remaining Gelatin and Mango Pulp and mix them together.
• Now remove the Mousse from the dish and pour a thin layer of the prepared mango glaze on top of the mousse. 
• Cover the dish with some cling film and keep it in the freezer for 15-30 minutes or till the Mousse and Glaze is set.
• Serve it chilled.

Healthy Malai Kofta (Steamed Malai Koftas)

Who does not like Malai koftas? However, the base gravy is loaded with Cashewnuts which makes the dish quite rich and if thats coupled with Deep fried Koftas it really becomes too heavy.

So I have steamed the Kofta and kept the gravy base as close as possible to original gravy.

Believe me, unless you tell them no one will ever figure that the Koftas are steamed and not deep fried.

This recipe is inspired from here.

Ingredients

Paneer - 100 Grams (Grated)
Onion - 1 (Big, boiled and made into a paste)
Tomato - 1 (Medium, boiled and skin peeled)
Cashewnuts - 2-3 Tablespoon (Paste)
Milk - 2-4 Tablespoon
Corn Flour - 1-2 Tablespoon
Green CHillies - 2 (FInely CHopped)
Kalonji seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon (Optional)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/4 Teaspoon+1 Teaspoon
Red Chilly powder - 1 Tablespoon
Garam Masala - 1/4 Teaspoon
Kasoori Methi - 1/4 teaspoon
Oil and Salt.

Method

• Place the grated Paneer,Ginger garlic paste (14 /teaspoon),kalonji seeds,salt and green chillies and mix well.
• Add Corn Flour little by Little till you are able to knead it into a dough.
• Prepare Koftas using this prepared mixture and steam them for 10 minutes using a steamer.
• In a pan, add some oil and add Onion paste and cook well.
• Once it is cooked, add the Ginger garlic paste, Tomato purée and cook well.
• Once it is cooked add the Garam Masala and Red Chilly powder and cook till the raw flavour leaves.
• Now reduce the flame and add the Cashew paste and cook till the raw flavour of cashew goes completely.
• This may take 3-4 minutes
• Now add Milk and cook on low flame and cook.
• Crush the Kasoori methi and add it to this.
• Add salt and adjust the consistency to suit your need.
• To this add the steamed Kofta and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Notes:

• Unlike the fried Koftas, you can add the Koftas to this Gravy and they will not crubmle.
• However, if you plan to serve this gravy post an hour or so of preparing I would recommend that you add the Koftas 10 -15 minutes before serving. 

Paneer Biriyani 

I am huge fan of Paneer, so I wanted to make a Biriyani using Paneer. This recipe is the outcome of that thought.

Ingredients
Onion - 1 Big (Sliced)
Bay Leaf- 1
Black Cinnamon - 1
Green Peas - 1/2 Cup (Optional)
Rice - 1 Cup (I have used Basmati Rice)
Water - 2 Cups (Depending on how much water your rice takes to cook)

For the Marinade:
Thick Curd - 2 Tablespoon
Paneer - 250 grams
Red Chilly powder - 1 Tablespoon
Corinader Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/2 Teaspoon
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Teaspoon
Salt - As per taste

Method

• In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients given under "for the marinade" and oat the Paneer well and leave it for 15-30 minutes.
• Wash and soak the rice in 2 Cups(or as appropriate to your rice)  of water for 30 minutes. 
• In a pan, warm some oil and add bay leaf,black cinnamon and add the sliced Onion.
• Cook till the onion is done, reduce the flame and to this add the prepared Paneer with the marinade and cook till.
• Cook till the Paneer is roasted slightly and the raw flavour of the marinade masala is gone. 
• To this add the water in hich you have soaked the rice and ad the required amount of salt and let it boil.
• Once the water starts boiling, add the soaked Rice and Green peas (if using) and stir once and cover it with the lid.
• Cook till the Rice is done, stirring intermittently.
• Serve Hot with Onion Raita. 

Lunch Menu 9 - Vegetable Biriyani, Onion Raita and Chilly Paneer (Chilly Paneer in under 10 minutes)

For this week lunch Menu, I have made a North Indian Rice dish and Indo Chinese Chilly Paneer.

Click on the Links below for the Recipes

• Vegetable Biriyani (I have added spring onions, Baby Corns)
• Spring Onion Raita 
• Chilly paneer in 10 Minutes on stove top 

Chilly Paneer in Ten Minutes

I have so many Paneer recipe in my recipe. However, I am not sure whether I have a Chilly paneer recipe. That too this recipe can be done in 10 minutes.

Ingredients
Paneer - 1 Packet
Onion - 1 Large
Capsicum - 1 Medium
Red Chilly powder - 1 Teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/2 Teaspoon
Amchur Powder/Tandoori Powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Salt and Oil

Method

• Cut the Paneer, Onion and Capsicum into squares.
• Cut them of same shape and size as much as possible
• Heat a tawa/Pan and add a teaspoon of oil.
• Once the oil is hot, place the chopped paneer,onion,Capsicum on low flame. 
• They will be done in 2-3 minutes. if you want them charred you can leave t for a minute more.
• Then flip them to the other side and cook them for 2-3 minutes.
• Remove them from the Tawa and keep it aside. 
• Meanwhile, in a plate mix chilly powder,Garam Masala,amchur powder,turmeric powder and keep it aside
• Heat a kadai with 1 teaspoon of oil on a low flame.
• Once the oil is hot, add the mixed spices powder and give it a quick stir and then immediately add the Tawa cooked Onion,capsicum and Paneer.
• Be very careful, that the oil is not too hot or not to leave the masala in oil for too long as it will burn.
• Cooking the Spices powder in the oil will ensure that they are cooked fast, however, we need to be quick to add the vegetables along with paneer.
• Now toss it around for couple of minutes
• Add required amount of salt and serve as a starter. 

Kadai Paneer

I am a huge fan of Paneer. I make it at least once in a week. I have got the recipe for Kadai Recipe from here. This recipe is spicy and it want fantastic with rice.

As this recipe is made with freshly prepared Masala, it tastes great.

Ingredients

For Masala:
Coriander Seeds - 1 Tablespoon
Dry Red Chillies - 5
Black Pepper Seeds = 5

Other Ingredients

Onion - 1 (Large, Finely Chopped)
Tomato - 1 (Medium, Finely Chopped)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 Teaspoon
Turmeric Powder, Garam Masala - 1/2 Teaspoon Each
Capsicum - 1 (Medium, cubed)
Paneer - 1 Packet (Cubed)

Method

Heat a pan, and dry roast Coriander seeds, Black pepper seeds and Dry Red chillies. Keep it aside till it comes to room temperature. Then grind it coarsely in a mixer grinder. Do not add water.

In a kadai, heat some oil. Once the Oil is hot, add the onions and saute. once the onion is cooked add the tomatoes and saute. Add ginger Garlic paste, Turmeric powder, Garam masala and saute.

Now add the Ground masala and saute it. Saute for 5 minutes till the raw flavor is gone. Now add the Capsicum and Paneer and Saute.

Now add water according to the consistency required, I have added 3/4 cup of water and cook it covered for 10 minutes.

Paneer Makhani 

Paneer Makhani is a rich dish made with Loads of Butter, Cashew etc. As I did not want to have loads of Butter, I have added Cashew Coconut paste to give the rich and creamy texture and omitted butter completely.

Ingredients

Onion - 1 (Big, roughly Chopped)
Tomato - 1 (Medium, Roughly Chopped)
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Garlic - 8 Pods
Red Chilly powder - 1 Tablespoon
Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin Powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Corinader Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Paneer - 1 Cup (200 grams cut into cubes)
Coconut - 2 Tablespoon (Grated)
Cashewnuts - 8 pieces
Salt and oil/Butter

Method

Soak the Paneer in warm water. I do not prefer to roast my Paneer as it makes the Paneer hard and rubbery.

If I make it at home then I do not soak them in warm water, however if it is store bought, w need to soak it in warm water.

In a Pan, warm a tablespoon of oil and saute the onion. once the onion is cooked, add the tomato and cook till it is mushy.

Then add the Ginger, Garlic, Red chilly powder, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder and saute for 5- 6 minutes.

If you think your mixture may burn, there is no harm in sprinkling some water.

After the mixture is cooked, bring it to room temperature and blend it to a paste using a mixer or blender.

Meanwhile, Add the coconut and Cashew in another blender and grind them into a smooth paste.

Now in a pan, take a tablespoon of oil and add this mixture and cook till all the Raw flavour is gone.

Now add the Coconut - Cashew paste and saute for 3-4 minutes on a low flame.

Drain the paneer and add the Paneer to the mixture in the stove and saute for 2-3 minutes. Do not over do this as the Paneer may crumble.

Serve with Vegetable Biriyani or Jeera Pulao.

Vegetable Cutlet

Cutlets/Tikkis is something I always I love to have on Weekends. So I made this Cutlet as a part of this week's weekend Brunch.

It is easy to make and you can had any vegetables you want. I did not add any Maida or Cornflour to make this cutlet.

I also added Cheese so this was too soft and was melt in the mouth.

Ingredients

Potato - 2 (Medium, Boiled,peeled and Mashed)
Mixed Vegetables - 1/ 2 Cup (I used Boiled Beans,Peas)
Paneer - 1/2 Cup (Shredded)
Cheddar Cheese - 1/4 Cup (Shredded)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 Teaspoon
Green Chillies - 3 (Finely Chopped)
Garam Masala - 1/4 Teaspoon
Chilly Powder  1/2 Teaspoon
Chat Masala - 1/2 Teaspoon
Mint Leaves - 1/4 Cup (Finely Chopped)
Sooji/Rava - 1 tablespoon
Salt and Oil - As required

Method

In a bowl, add all ingredients except oil and Rava and mix it well. Then take a Golf sized ball of this mixture and shape it into desired shape.

Coat the Cutlets made with the Rava and make them ready.

Heat a Tawa, and smear oil on it. Once the Tawa is hot, place the cutlets and cook them on each side for 5 minutes or till it is crispy and done.

Thai Green Curry

I was so bored with the dal, Sambhar so wanted to have some other cuisine. Usually I make Italian cuisine,but this time I did Thai cuisine.

I did not have lemon grass, Galangal etc so I substituted with what was available in my pantry. The taste was still good. In this recipe I will tell what is usually used and what substitution I used.

Ingredients

Coriander Leaves - 1/2 Cup
Pudinah Leaves - 1 Bunch
Green Chillies - 6 Pieces
Onion - 2 (Boiled)
Galangal -  1 inch (I used regular Ginger)
Basil leaves - 1 Handful
Lemon Grass - 1 Tablespoon (I used Lemon Juice)
Garlic pods - 8
Broccoli - 1 Floret
Paneer-1/2 Cup (Added as per my chioce, the original green curry will not have Paneer)
Carrot - 1/2 Cup
Capsicum - 1 cup
Mushroom - 1 cup
Baby Corn - 1 Cup (Boiled, I skipped this as I did not have them)
Coconut Milk -1/2 cup (First Milk - Refer to the tips section of the Coconut Milk Rice Recipe)
Salt - To taste
Butter or Olive oil (I mixed both)

Method

 In a blender, add the boiled onion,basil leaves, garlic coriander leaves,pudinah leaves,green chillies,ginger and grind it into a smooth paste. This can be stored in freezer for 7 - 10 days.

In a pan, add some butter or olive oil. Cook the paste till the Raw flavor is gone. Then add the vegetables (Broccoli,mushroom,carrot,capsicum) and cook.

After few minutes add water and salt and cook for few minutes. After 5-8 minutes of cooking , add the coconut milk.

After adding the coconut do not cook for long, just cook till it boils once.

Then remove it from heat and garnish it with baby corn and some basil leaves. Enjoy it with Thai Red Spicy Rice.

Paneer Tikka Masala

I made Paneer Tikka, had some has starter and with rest made the Paneer Tikka Masala and it tasted awesome. Hmmmmm.. It was so delicious.

Ingredients

Paneer Tikka - 6 Pieces
Onion - 1 (Big Finely Chopped)
Tomato Puree - From 1 Tomato
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Teaspoon
Dry Fenugreek Leaves/Kasoori Methi - 1/2 Teaspoon
Cream - 2 Tablespoon
Chilly powder - 1 Tablespoon
Garam masala - 1 Pinch
Turmeric powder - pinch
Salt - to taste
Oil

Method

In a Pan, add a tablespoon of oil. After the oil is heated add the onion and fry them well. Then add the tomato puree and cook them Then add the ginger garlic paste and cook for 3 minutes.

Then add the chilly powder, garam masala,turmeric powder and cook till the raw flavour of the masala is gone. qAdd little water and cook well.

Add the Paneer Tikka Pieces and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the Dry Fenugreek leaves, Cream and Serve hot with Phulka.

Paneer Tikka - Indian Starter

 Paneer is my favourite ingredient to cook with. It is so versatile, easy to cook and tasty. Paneer Tikka has been in my list for a long time and at last I made this at home. The taste was out of world. Once you make it at home and have, believe me you will never eat it outside.

Ingredients

Thick Curd/Yoghurt - 1 Cup
Ginger - 1/2 teaspoon
Garlic - 1/2 teaspoon
Kashmiri Red Chilly Powder  - 1 tablespoon
Coriander Powder  - 1/2 Tablespoon

Cumin powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Black Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Dry Mango Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Chat Masal - 1/2 teaspoon
Carom Seed Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Capsicum - 1/2 (Diced)
Onion - 1 Diced
Paneer - 200 Gms (Cubed)
salt - To taste

Method

In a bowl add the thick yoghurt. if you dont have thick yoghurt, tie the yoghurt in a muslin cloth and squeeze all the water.

To the thick Curd add all the dry ingredients,ginger,garlic and mix well.

To this prepared marinade add the onion,capsicum and paneer and marinate for an hour minimum.

After 1 hour, arrange the marinated veggies and Paneer in the skewer and cook them in Rotisserie and grill mode in your Oven for 10 minutes.

If you don't have a oven, arrange them in a toothpick or wooden skewer and cook them in a Tawa/pan.

Serve with Mint Chutney.