Palak Paneer.... Cottage Cheese Cubes Cooked In Creamy Spinach Gravy..!!!

Palak paneer is one of the most popular vegetarian dishes originating from the Punjab region of the Indian Subcontinent.  Fundamentally,  in this recipe, soft paneer or cottage cheese cubes are cooked in a smooth gravy of pureed spinach and tomato. It  is mainly served with roti, naan, or boiled rice. It is very nutritious with all the goodness of spinach and paneer.

Here comes the recipe :

Ingredients:

•        Spinach: 2 Bunches
•        Paneer ( Cottage Cheese) : 400gms
•       Onion: 3 tbsp Paste
•       Ginger: 1’’ (Smooth Paste)
•       Garlic: 4-5 Cloves (Pasted or Grated)
•       Green Chillies: 1-2 (Finely Chopped)
•       Tomato: 1 Large (Finely Chopped)
•       Oil: 2 tbsp.
•      Salt: to taste
•     Cumin Seeds: ½ tsp.
•     Garam Masala Powder: ½ tsp.
•     Milk: 1 Cup
•    Water: As required
•    Fresh Cream: 1 tbsp. (Optional)
•  

Process:

• Blanch the spinach in boiling water for just 2-3 minutes.
• Drain the excess water and let it cool for some time and then blend it in a mixer grinder to make a smooth puree. Keep aside the puree.
• Meanwhile fry the paneer cubes slightly in a separate pan using little oil. While frying them sprinkle little salt on the paneer cubes. Keep the fried paneer cubes aside.
• Now heat oil in a kadhai, add the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start to splutter add the onion paste. Saute it on medium flame until the onion becomes translucent.
• Now gradually add the ginger paste, garlic paste, green chillies, turmeric powder and salt .Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the spinach puree and the milk. Cook until the gravy becomes thick enough.
• Add the paneer cubes and fresh cream.Mix carefully and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
• Check the seasoning. Sprinkle the garam masala powder. Give a nice gentle stir and turn off the flame.
• Palak Paneer is now ready to serve.

                                                                            Enjoy Your Food..!!

•  

Punjabi Chholay Masala... Spicy Chick Pea Curry In Punjabi Style..!!!!!

Punjabi cuisine is related with food from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. Among them the most common one is Chana masala or Chole. Chana masala ,also known as chole masala or channay or Chholay  is a prevalent dish in Indian cuisine. It is popular mainly in northern India, and also remarkably in the region of Gujarat. In Gujarat and Rajasthani areas, it is commonly cooked dry, with tangy spices.

In India, it is often eaten with a type of fried bread and is known as “chole bhature”. It is commonly sold by street vendors but also can be found in restaurants.

In Kerala, white appam and Chana Masala is one of the main dishes for breakfast. Chana Masala is known as “Kadala Curry” amongst Keralites. 

In this recipe, channa or chick peas are boiled with tea powder or tea bags to get a darken color. But I usually cook this without the tea powder or tea bags as I don’t like the blackish color.

Here comes the detailed recipe of chana masala :

Ingredients :

• Chick Peas: 250 gms.
• Cumin Seeds: 1/4th tasp.
• Ginger: 1 tbsp (grated)
• Onion: 2 (finely chopped)
• Garlic: 3,4 cloves (minced)
• Tomato: 2 (finely chopped)
• Turmeric Powder : ½ tsp.
• Red Chili Powder : 1 ½ tsp.
• Coriander Powder: 1 tsp.
• Chana Masala Powder : 2 tsp.
• Oil: 2 tbsp.
• Garam Masala Powder : 1/4th tsp.
• Water : 4 cups for boiling the chana + 1 cup for cooking.

Process :

• Soak the chole or chick peas overnight and boil it with 4 cups of water in a pressure cooker upto 2 whistles. Further cook it on simmer for 30 minutes. Check whether the chick peas become very soft or not. If not cook for some more time. When it is done, drain the excess water using a strainer and keep aside the cooked chick peas.
• Now heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start to splutter add the ginger and the garlic.
• Now add the chopped onions and tomatoes and add a pinch of salt. Fry till the onions becomes translucent.
• Now add the coriander powder and fry for sometime.
• Add the turmeric powder,chili powder, salt and the chana masala gradually and cook for sometime. 
• Now it’s time to add the boiled chhole. Add it and mix thoroughly with all the spices. Cook until oil starts releasing from the sides of the pan.
• Pour 1 cup of water and cook for few minutes until the water dries up.
• Now sprinkle the garam masala powder.
• Turn off the flame and garnish it with onion rings and coriander leaves.
• Serve it hot with puris, parathas, chapatis or rice.

                                                                    Enjoy Your Food..!!

Chili Baby Corn With Gravy...!!!

“Chili Baby Corn Gravy”….! As the name implies, it is an Indo Chinese Preparation which has a thick gravy with it. But there is another edition of this dish called, “chili baby corn” which is a dry version with no gravy. The dry version is best for starter or first course of a meal while the gravy edition can be served as a side dish of the main course of a complete meal. I prepare this now and again when I wish for a healthy side dish to serve with roti or paratha.
Before I leap to the recipe, the goodness of this vegetable should be discussed a little, though I don’t have a great deal of knowledge about this. However, baby corn is a rich source of fiber. It has complex carbohydrates which keep you keyed up all the way through. It helps in  fight against many infections. In addition the anti-oxidants in it aid in the prevention of cancer. It helps to defend the heart ailments also.

Nonetheless, the chili baby corn gravy recipe I am going to share today is little spicy.Actually, its spiciness depends upon the type and the amount of chili you are using. As I personally like the zestier version of any Indo-Chinese food I used moderately hot chili but you may choose  less hot chili or even you may skip the use of the chili too. I also don’t use chili whenever I prepare any Chinese dish for my little one.
Now let’s talk about  the recipe:


Ingredients:


To Fry The Baby Corns:

• Baby Corns: 15-16 pieces
• All Purpose Flour: ¼ th Cup
• Corn Starch: ¼ th Cup
• Water: 4-5 tbsp
• Salt: to taste 
• Black Pepper Powder: ¼ th to ½ tsp.
• Oil: 3-4 tbsp.

For the Gravy:

• Bell Peppers:  Thin slices of ½ Red, ½ Yellow and ½ Green Bell Peppers ( In absence only green bell pepper is ok too)
• Onion: 1 Medium (Finely Chopped) 
• Green Chili: 2-3 fiery hot (Chopped)
• Garlic: 7-8 Cloves (Crushed or finely chopped)
• Ginger (grated) : 1tbsp.
• Spring Onion: 2-3 strands (very finely chopped)
• Soya Sauce: 2 tbsp.
• Tomato Sauce: 2 tbsp.
• Vinegar: 1/2 tsp.
• Corn Flour: 1 tbsp (make a smooth paste of this with 2 tbsp of water).
• Sugar: ¼ th tsp.
• Salt:  To taste 
• Water or Vegetable Stock: 2 Cups.

Process:



How to make fried baby corns:

• At first wash the baby corn and slice them vertically or horizontally. Here I want to mention that I discarded the hard middle portion of them with a sharp knife. But if the baby corns are very small you don’t need to do that.
• Prepare a smooth batter with the all purpose flour, corn starch, salt, black pepper powder and water. Keep them aside.
• Now heat oil in a pan . Dip each of the baby corns into the batter and coat it well with the same. Now fry it on medium flame till golden yellow. In this way fry all the baby corns. Once done,Keep them on a tissue paper or kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.

How to make the gravy:

• In the same pan heat little more oil. Then add the crushed garlic into it. Once it becomes little brown add the chopped onion and the ginger. Fry these for another 3-4 minutes keeping the flame medium to low. Now add the chopped green chili and sauté for 2-3 minutes. 
• Now add the slices of the bell peppers. Once the bell peppers become little tender add the tomato sauce. Give a nice stir.
• Sprinkle salt, sugar and black pepper powder.Be very careful while you are adding salt as soya sauce will be added later which has salt itself.
• Now lower the flame little add the soya sauce  and stir well.
• Pour the water and increase the flame and bring it to boil.
• Once it starts boiling make the smooth paste of the corn starch and the water and pour it into the pan. Keep stirring continuously so that no lump could be formed.
• Now add the fried baby corns into the pan. Simmer for 5-6 minutes and when the sauce becomes thick gradually and the baby corns become soft sprinkle the chopped spring onions and the vinegar. Give a nice stir. Check the seasoning. Add more soya sauce, salt, sugar or black pepper powder if required.
• Turn off the flame and serve hot with chowmein, fried rice or even roti or paratha too. 

                                                                            Enjoy Your Food..!!

Bitter Gourd & Capsicum Fry...!!!

Ruthless summer and its consequences don’t persuade me to stay inside the kitchen for a very long period of time. That’s why these days I am sharing some very easy and fuss free recipes. But I promise I will be back with some other recipes soon. Today I am going to share an incredibly trouble-free, as well as hale and hearty recipe for everyone. This is not only the first-rate recipe for the diabetic people but also it is good for the non diabetic ones.

Here comes the process:

Ingredients:

• Bitter gourd: 2 nos.
• Capsicum (Green Bell Pepper): 2 nos.
• Onion: 2 nos.(thin sliced)
• Garlic: 4-5 cloves(crushed)
• Green Chili: 2-3 (Chopped or halved, adjust the number according to your tolerance)
• Turmeric Powder:1 tsp.
• Salt: To taste
• Onion Seeds ( Kalonji):1/2 tsp.
• Coriander Leaves: Chopped to garnish.( Optional)
• Oil :1-2 tsp.

Process:

• Wash, Pat dry both the capsicum and bitter gourd. Remove the tapering ends of the bitter gourd and make thin slice of them. Keep separately. Discard the seeds of the capsicum in the middle and make thin slice of that also. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add the kalonji or onion seeds. Feel the fragrance. Then add the crushed garlic. Once it becomes little brown add the onion slices and fry it on medium flames till translucent. Now add the bitter gourd and the capsicum slices. Add the turmeric powder and salt. Stir it for 2-3 minutes. Then cover and cook until both of them become  tender.
• After few minutes uncover and cook for another few minutes on medium flames. Add the chopped green chili. Give a nice stir. Once the bitter gourd and the capsicum become well fried turn off the flames.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

                                                                                                            Enjoy Your Food...!!!

Paneer Tikka Kathi Roll...!!!

"Kathi"is a Bengali word that means stick or skewer which is generally used to make kebabs. Kathi Roll is a famous street food and it is said that it was originated in Nizaam Restaurant ( the famous restaurant which sold paratha and kebabs and other Mughlai foods),in Kolkata, India. The original kathi roll is  kathi kebabs enclosed in a paratha(fried Indian flat bread). At the very beginning ,in Nizaam restaurant,the iron skewers were used to make the kebabs but later they moved to the bamboo skewer because of its light weight and easy availability. In this way, the name kathi roll was originated .But with time huge variants of this kathi roll have evolved and nowadays any type of Indian flat bread(roti, paratha ,romali roti or even naan)  stuffed with any filling or stuffing (even when neither kebabs nor the kathi is involved)  is called kathi roll.


Today I am going to share the recipe of Paneer Tikka Kathi Roll recipe where marinated and slightly fried paneer cubes  are wrapped in chapati/roti ( whole wheat Indian flatbread). It is a very delicious and filling preparation which is equally good for the adults and the little ones.

So here goes the process.


Ingredients:


A.   For the Marinade:

• Unsweetened Yogurt:1/2 Cup
• Chili Powder:1/2 to 1 tsp.
• Turmeric Powder:1/2 tsp.
• Ginger Paste:1/2 tsp.
• Garlic Paste:1/2tsp
• Besan (Bengal Gram Flour):1/2 tsp.
• Chat Masala Powder:1/2 tsp.
• Garam Masala Powder:1/4 tsp.
• Kasori Methi,(Dried Fenugreek Leaves):1/2 tsp.
• Salt: To Taste.

B.    For Paneer Tikka:

• Paneer/Cottage Cheese Cubes: 1 Cup
• Capsicum:1 medium (diced)
• Onion:1 medium (diced)
• Oil: 1 tbsp ( for greasing and cooking)

C.   Few Other Ingredients:

• Onion Rings: 3/4 th Cup
• Chaat Masala: To Taste.
• Roti/Chapati :4 ( I made the rotis with the whole wheat bread, but you may used paratha or store bought tortilla too)

D.  For Making Roti:

• Whole Wheat Flour: 1 Cup
• Water: Enough to make a soft dough.
• Salt: A Pinck
• Oil: 1 tsp.

Process:

                                                         Marinated Paneer..!

                                                            Paneer Paneer Tikka

                                                             Stuffing the Roti..

• Take all the ingredients mentioned to prepare the marinade ( in A.) in a big bowl and add the paneer cubes, diced onions and diced capsicum.Mix very well. Keep it covered for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Mean while combine all the ingredients mentioned to prepare the roti ( in D.) and make a soft yet firm dough. Divide the dough into four equals balls. Using little wheat flour roll out each of the balls and make a round roti. Heat a tawa ( griddle ) and cook each of the round roti properly on both sides until the golden spots appear appear. Now carefully transfer it on the flame ( let it be in  high flame).Let it puff and immediately transfer it to the casserole or hot pot. .You may make paratha also instead of roti or even you may use the store bought tortilla to warp the stuffing.
• Now heat a non stick tawa(griddle) or flat pan and grease it with the oil.Now on medium flame saute the paneer,capsicum and onion marinade for few minutes. Don't over fry it. Once it is done keep it separately.
• Now in a separate bowl mix the onion rings with the chaat masala.
• Then take a roti and place it on a clean,dry flat dish or plate. With a spoon add 1/4 th of the prepared paneer tikka and the chaat masala mixed onion rings and then covered the stuffing with the roti. If required insert a bamboo skewer in the middle of the wrap so that it cant open.
• Repeat the same process for the rest of the rotis.
• Serve & Enjoy.

                                                                            Enjoy Your Food...!

Soya Granules & Peas Cutlet...!!!

I know all the moms out here who have little toddlers or kids will support me in this fact that feeding their little ones is one of the most difficult jobs for them. Being a mom of a five year old kid I am not an exception. Most of the time I literally fight with her while I try to feed her something healthy. According to her, I will be the "best mamma" if I could allow her to eat loads of fried and junk foods. But you all know very well that it's just impossible. Therefore sometimes I try to make some fried foods at home which in disguise provide some nutrition too.

Soya Granules and Peas Cutlet is one of them.I usually make it for her evening snacks when  she returns back from school.The recipe is easy , fuss free ,very good to eat and moreover it is nutritionally good too. We all are aware that soya chunks or soya granules contain all the necessary macro nutrients(protein, carbohydrate and fat) required for good nutrition and as well as these are rich in vitamins & minerals including calcium,iron and folic acid. Moreover it provides all the necessary amino acids required for good human health. On the other hand peas are the power house of nutrition .My daughter doesn't eat any of these separately and therefore in this way I have found a way out by which I can make her eat soya granules and as well as peas.

Here is the entire process:

Ingredients:

• Soya Granules:1/4th Cup
• Green Peas:1/4th Cup ( Boiled)
• Potatoes:1/4th Cup ( Boiled and smashed)
• Chat Masala Powder:1/4th tsp.
• Dry Mango Powder ( Amchur Powder):1/4th tsp.
• Ginger Paste:1/4th tsp.
• Asafoetida : A pinch .
• Green Chili : 2/3 (chopped, optional, I didn't use)
• Salt:to taste
• Dry Roasted Cumin Powder:1/4th tsp.
• Dry Roasted Coriander Powder:1/2 tsp.
• Freshly Prepared Bread Crumb: 4 whole wheat bread (toasted and ground to a coarse powder)
• Garam Masala Powder:1/4th tsp.
• Oil : to Fry

You may add chopped onion ,.garlic or any other boiled vegetable of your choice.



 Process:

• At first soak the soy granules in 1 cup of water ( preferably warm water) for 15 -30 minutes.Then drain and squeeze out the excess water and keep it in a mixing bowl.
• Mean while boil and peel the potatoes and smash it. At the same time boil the green peas and smash . Add both the smashed potatoes and the green peas into the mixing bowl.
• Toast the whole wheat bread using a toaster or bake the bread slices at 300 degree F or 150-160 degree C for 10 -15 minutes and then grind to a coarse powder.
• Add all the other spices and the bread crumbs into the same bowl and combine very well to make dough. If you find that the dough is little sticky just add 1-2 tsp of flour into it.
• Now divide the dough into few equal small round flat cutlets.
• Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry them until these become golden brown in color and crisp from all sides.
• To absorb the excess oil keep them on a tissue paper for few minutes and then serve with your little one's  favorite dip or tomato ketchup.

                                                             Enjoy Your Food...!!!