Paneer Butter Masala is a famous North Indian dish where paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese) cubes are cooked in thick and creamy gravy of fresh tomatoes. North Indian foods are just my most favorite. But if I am asked to choose only one, I will surely select Paneer Butter Masala . Most of the time in restaurants I order for the same and often prepare at home also. Since a long time I was thinking of sharing the recipe in my blog but somehow missed to take the photos all the time.
Yesterday again I made it and here comes the process of making Restaurant Style Paneer Butter Masala at home.
Ingredients:
- Paneer: 200 gms
- Butter:3/4 tbsp.
- White Oil:1 tsp.
- Tomato Puree: 1/2 cup(fresh)
- Onion Paste:3 tbsp.
- Ginger Paste:1 tsp.
- Garlic Paste:1 tsp.
- Cashew Paste:2 tbsp.
- Turmeric Powder:1 tsp.
- Salt:As per tatse
- Coriander Powder:1 tsp.
- Chili Powder:1 tsp.
- Garam Masala Powder:1 tsp.
- Sugar:1/2 tsp.
- Kasori Methi ( Dried Fenugreek Leaves):1 tsp.
- Warm Water:1/2 cup
- Cardamoms:3/4
- Cinnamon:1 stick
- Cloves:4/5
- Bay Leaves:1
- Fresh Cream:2 tbsp.
Process:
- Soak the paneer cubes in warm water for 10-15 minutes and then saute them with little butter,pinch of salt and chili powder and keep them aside.
- Take 3/4 fresh tomatoes. Roughly chop and boil with 2 cups of water and little salt for 10-15 mins. Then make a smooth paste and keep the puree separately.
- Soak 10-12 cashews in luke warm milk for half an hour and blend to make a smooth paste.
- Now take a deep bottomed vessel and melt the butter along with the oil and add the bay leaves and the whole garam masala(cinnamon stick, cardamoms and cloves). Feel the fragnance and then add the onion paste. Fry on medium flame until the onion becomes translucent .
- Then add the ginger and the garlic paste.
- Now add all the spices accordingly, salt, sugar, turmeric powder, chili powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder and mix thoroughly.
- After few minutes add the tomato puree and cook until the raw smell goes off and oil starts to release from sides.
- Now add the cashew paste and mix well.
- Add 1/2 cup of warm water , sauted paneer cubes ,kasori methi and mix well. Cover and simmer it for 8-10 minutes.
- Uncover the vessel, taste the seasoning, add more salt/sugar if required.
- Finally beat the cream and add.
- Garnish it with coriander leaves, I couldn't add it this time as it was not their in my veg basket.
- Now your Restaurant style Paneer Butter Masala is ready to serve.
- Enjoy with Pulao, roti, naan or paratha.
Enjoy Your Food...!
I know for all my Indian friends the word "Rasmalai" is sufficient enough to describe this heavenly delicious sweet. But for my other friends , I must introduce that Rasmalai is a very famous , lip smacking Indian dessert where sugary white, creamy or yellow coloured cheese balls (or flattened cheese balls) of paneer( Indian Cottage Cheese) soaked in malai (milk cream) flavoured with cardamom. Rasmalai ( "Ras" means juicy or and "Malai" means thickened milk or cream) was originated in Odisha and mostly found in India and Bangladesh. Actually it's a close variation of another famous sweet Rasogolla/Rasgulla (puffed cheese balls).
Very often at my home I prepared this sweet as this is one of my most favourite dessert. Once making this sweet was a very big deal for me when I couldn't make perfect rasgulla (puffed cheese balls) but repeated trials enabled me to make this dessert successfully.
Here is the step by step process of making Rasmalai.
Ingredients:
- Milk: 2 lt. + 2 lt.
- Vinegar: 3 tbsp.
- Sugar: 4 Cups + 1/2 Cup
- Water:8 Cups
- Cardamom Powder:1/2 tsp.
- Dry Fruits: Chopped Cashews and Slivered Pistachios (handful)
- Saffron: A pinch.
Process:
- Divide the milk equally into two different deep bottomed vessel. Keep boiling the first one until it becomes thick and concentrated . Add 1/2 cup sugar into the milk and dissolve the sugar. Add the cardamom powder and saffron and half of the dry fruits and mix. Turn off the flame and pour it into a big bowl. Your milk cream is now ready. Keep it separately.
- Now start boiling the second half of the milk and while it starts to boil properly add the vinegar. Soon the milk starts to curdle and the cottage cheese or chena will be formed.When you will see a greenish diluted water which is easily separating from chena, then it's done. Now using a muslin cloth drain the water and wash the chena under the running tap water . If you are using lime juice to prepare chena, this wash will remove all the lemony taste or smell. Now tied the two ends of the muslin cloth tightly and let it drain all the excess water for atleast 15-20 minutes. And at this time you may put a heavy weight on the muslin cloth for better draining.
- Now mash the chena(cottage cheese) using your palm on the kitchen slab or on the cutlery board till it’s very smooth and creamy and has absolutely no lumps. Remember this mashing is the most important step of making rasogolla because the quality of this sweet depends on its smoothness ,sponginess.
- Now Divide the chena into equal parts. With your palm give them nice and even flattened shape.The balls should have no cracks otherwise it may break off during boiling.From 2 lt. milk you can make about 20 pieces of flattened cheese balls of equal sizes.Keep one thing in mind that these ball will be double in size after boiling in sugar syrup. So be sure to take a pan for boiling sugar syrup where the flattened cheese balls can easily play around.
- Now make the sugar syrup using 4 cups sugar and 8 cups of water. The syrup should not be thick and will be on the thinner side. This is very important.
- Then add the prepared flattened balls in this syrup, cover it tightly with a lid and let it boil for 20 -25 mins.
- Now using a perforated ladle take out the flattened cheese balls from the syrup and gently press them while taking them out .
- Transfer these flattened cheese balls into the warm concentrated milk prepared previously. Garnish it with rest of the chopped dry fruits and little saffron. Now mouth drooling rasmalai is ready to serve. Serve this excellent dessert warm or chilled.
Enjoy Your Food....!
Before I start to write the recipe , I would like to give a very brief introduction about Janmashtami Festival to all my Non Indian Friends. Sri Krishna is considered as the one of the most powerful human incarnations of the Lord Vishnu.The birthday of Lord Krishna is known as Janmashtami which is celebrated with great devotion and enthusiasm in India in the month of July or August. Being an Indian I am not an exception though I have very little knowledge about all the rituals of the puja. But I celebrate His birthday in my own way. I usually prepare a sweet dish , decorate my lord Krishna with lots of flower, light up diya & candles and then pray for my family in front of my god.
As a self proclaimed sweet lover, preparing dessert at home, gives me an immense pleasure and honestly, I never ever feel guilty while making or eating dessert. :P I believe that the feeling of guilt will restrict myself from enjoying its taste to the fullest.
Apple Kheer(sweetened milk) is a creative dessert where the grated apples are cooked with sugar , milk, ghee and cardamom powder. This is an ideal sweet dish for any type of fast or any festival or puja. I learned this recipe from my mother. I bet that the irresistible aroma of this dessert will attract your entire family and it will be relished by each and every member of the same.
Here is the process of making Apple kheer / Sev Kheer.
Ingredients:
- Apples: 2 (Medium size,)
- Milk:1 lt.
- Cardamom Powder:1/4 the tsp.
- Sugar:1/3 Cup(adjust according to your taste)
- Dry Fruits :Chopped Cashews, Sliced Almonds, Slivered Pistachios.
- Ghee: 1 tsp.
Process:
- Take a deep bottomed vessel. Non stick vessel is preferable and pour the milk. Boil the milk until it reduces to half and becomes thick.
- Meanwhile grate the apples and heat ghee in an another pan . Add the grated apple to the pan and fry it for 3-4 mins in medium flame. Then add sugar and stir it continuously so that the sugar gets dissolved with the grated apple. At this point the grated apple will turn into a yellowish colour.
- Now add the apple mixture into the boiling milk and mix very well and add the cardamom powder.
- Simmer it for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the dry fruits and turn off the flame.
- Now your Apple kheer is ready.
- Serve it hot or chilled.
Enjoy Your Food...!
Sponge Cake is a cake based on flour(basically wheat flour), sugar and eggs ,sometimes leavened baking powder which has a firm yet well aerated structure similar to a sea sponge. It is a very basic cake and once its art of making is mastered you can easily prepare amazing birthday cakes. Not only the birthday cakes, with this basic recipe ,a lot of variations like cup cakes, pound cakes, pastry ,muffins, cup cakes etc. etc. can also be prepared very easily.
The process of making a sponge cake is very simple and easy. Following all the steps with little care and attention you will be able to make an extremely good sponge cake.
With this basic sponge cake recipe, I usually make cup cakes very often for my daughter.
Here is the process:
Ingredients:
- Refined Flour: 225 gm.
- Butter: 250 gm.
- Eggs:4
- Vanilla Essence: A Few Drops
- Sugar:250 gm.
- Milk: 1/2 Cup.
- Dry Fruits: Raisins, Cashew or any other
- Tutti Frutti: A handful
Process:
- Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius. Place the cup cake lines into a cup cake mould. If you are making a pound cake then grease your baking pan with little butter and dust it with little flour.
- Break Eggs in a bowl and add the vanilla essence (remember the vanilla essence helps to get rid of the smell of the eggs. Beat well with an electric beater for 8-10 mins or till the ribbon stage.
- Cream together the butter and the sugar n an another bowl till fluffy with an electric beater at low speed for 2-3 mins.
- Sieve the flour into the creamed mixture, add the beaten eggs and mix well by cut and fold method. Add the remaining eggs and mix well.
- Add milk and mix well. At this time you may add the tutti frutti and dry fruits of your choice. Pour the mixture into the cup cake liners and fill 3/4 portion of each of the liners and place the baking tray into the preheated oven.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until a tooth pick inserted into each of the cupcakes comes out dry.
- Remove the baking tray from heat and let it cool for 15 minutes.
- Remove the cupcake liners and serve.
Enjoy Your Food...!
