Chilli Gobi- The Chinese connection

With the monsoon around the corner, it feels like winter every day with gloomy days with hardly any sun anywhere in sight. Rainy evenings have the best of us craving for spicy warm food, which not only to perk us up but brighten our days. 

These are the times which calls for all those nice appetizer dishes like Manchurians, Pakodas, Bhajjias and the likes. With the search on for a perfect appetizer dish, we can't ignore Chilli Gobi which is commonly found in restaurant menus.Chilli Gobi is very similar to Gobi Manchurian but with spice levels at a new high and more indianised. Also unlike Manchurian, chilli gobi is not a chunky or wet, this is very dry with less saucy stuff.

Things you need:

To prepare cauliflower florets: 2 pinch salt, 1 cauliflower, florets separated, 3 drops white vinegar, 5 cup water

To make the coat for cauliflower: 5 tbsp Maida (Plain flour), 5 tbsp corn flour, 2 pinch Ajinomoto, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp red chilli powder, 1.2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp salt for bhajji, 1 tsp dark soy sauce (2 tsp light soy sauce), 1 tsp chilli sauce, 3/4 tsp ginger garlic paste, 2 pinch Food grade colour Red (I don't prefer using it), 2 Pinch black pepper powder, 1 cup onions roughly chopped 

To make the gravy: 3 nos onions diced big, 6 nos green chilli slit open, 1/2 tsp ginger finely minced, 1/2 tsp garlic finely minced, 2 tsp red chilli sauce for sauteing, 4 stalks spring onions chopped finely, 4 stalks coriander leaves chopped finely, 2 pinch ajinomoto, 1/4 tsp salt to taste, 4 cup oil for deep frying, 2tbsp oil for sauteing, 1 no capsicum diced.

How to make it:

Blanching Cauliflower: It is better to use a whole medium sized cauliflower which would feed 3 to 4 hungry stomachs' approximately. Separate the florets, wash them and keep aside. Bring the water to boil with salt and vinegar. Add the cauliflower florets to boiling water for 3 minutes. Turn off the stove and let it stay in warm water. Finally drain all the water and pat dry the cauliflower in a clean kitchen towel and keep aside.

Batter for deep frying: Mix maida, corn flour, salt, ajinomotto, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder, food colour, ginger garlic paste, soy sauce and red chili sauce. Add the steamed cauliflower to the mix and coat. No water is necessary as the steamed cauliflower will release water to make it into a thick paste similar to bhaji batter. Keep adding the florets until you get a thick batter. 

Heat 4 cups of oil and deep fry the florets until crispy on the outside. Just to increase the volume of the dish and its flavour, I usually add some roughly chopped onions and capsicum to the leftover batter to make similar bhajias and add them finally to the fried cauliflower.But this step is optional.

Final dish: Heat little oil, fry the slit open green chilies and then add diced onions, chopped ginger and garlic. It would take roughly 4 minutes on medium flame to become slightly brown. If you want to increase the volume of the final dish you can add chopped capsicum at this stage, but it is entirely optional. Now add the fried cauliflower, capsicum and onion bhajias along with red chili sauce, ajinomotto, salt and green spring onions. Fry over low flame till rolls up to a dry fry in about 6 minutes. Switch off and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. 

This is a very famous Indo-Chinese recipe which works well with fried rice, noodles or rotis but you would be highly surprised if this would ever makes it to the table as it vanishes within minutes of making literally. The real flavor of this dish is in the sauce that gets coated with the cauliflower. No doubt as this will be a great hit at parties.

Punjabi tadka: Baingan ka bartha

Since today is the end of the week and I feel so energised to cook something extravagant I went through my fridge and found two eggplants sitting comfortably in the box. I wonder how it got there, cause i don't ever remember buying one of these from my trip to the market...My husband must have got them seeing how he loves to eat this king of vegetables...that is what it is called as such...

Some little facts about this wonderful vegetable are as follows. It is called the eggplant, aubergine, melongene, brinjal or guinea squash or nightshades and is a native of India. The fruit is botanically classified as a berry and contains numerous small, soft seeds which are edible, but have a bitter taste because they contain nicotinoid alkaloids; this is unsurprising as it is a close relative of tobacco.

Enough of facts, though interesting it is getting me hungry. So lets start cooking. Todays recipe is Baingan ka bartha, to put it in layman terms it is Smashed Eggplant curry....This dish is very popular in Punjab and it takes its roots from there....This works wonders with a nice roti....

Things you need are:1 medium Baigan (eggplant), 1 Finely chopped onions, 2 Finely chopped tomatoes, 1 Finely chopped green chilli , 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder, 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp dried mango powder, 3 tbsp Vegetable oil , Salt to taste , Chopped green coriander leaves for garnishing

How to make it: 

There are two steps to this curry. First, you have to roast the eggplant till the skin chars. To do that, brush baigan (eggplant) with oil and roast it on a gas burner over medium heat or use a grill too. Frequently turn the eggplant upside down, until fully roasted. Once done, hold it under cold running water or in a bowl full of water. Cool it and peel off the blackened skin. 

Second and the final step towards making this mouthwatering curry is to mash the flesh of the eggplant and keep aside. I prefer to add some amchoor or dry mango powder to get rid of its bitterness and some turmeric powder to avoid further blackening.

Now to make the curry,heat oil in a pan/kadai . Add green chilli and onion and fry over medium heat until light golden brown. Add tomatoes and cook until tender. Now add the mashed baigan (eggplant) and fry till the baigan is coated well and oil starts to separate, this should take about 5-7 minutes over medium heat. Then add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt and stir. Garnish the baigan bharta with green coriander leaves and serve hot.

Note: People who don't love the eggplant and have nightmares of eating this beautiful vegetable you should try this recipe. I hate eggplants but manage to eat this curry as it doesnt look like an eggplant in the end.

 

Hyderabadi Style: Mirch ka salan

This morning when I went shopping for some fresh veggies my eyes fell on this luscious green long chillies, not the regular short, small spicy one but the longer and fatter version of green chillies. I bought some thinking I would make my hubi a Mirch ka salan with rotis for tonight's dinner since he loves spices so much.....

So here it goes.....the process is quite simple but it involves a lot of ingredients to make it nice and spicy.... 

Things you need for the gravy: 200 gms long green chillies, 1 tsp jeera, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1/4 tsp nigella seeds , 6 curry leaves , 1/4 tsp turmeric powder , 2 tbsp coriander-cumin seeds (dhania-jeera) powder, 2 tsp chilli powder, 4 tbsp tamarind water, 2 tbsp chopped corriander, 5 tbsp oil, salt to taste

To be ground into a paste: 6 cloves of garlic, 12 mm. (1/2") piece ginger, 1 onion, 2 tomatoes, 3 tbsp grated coconut

For the dry powder: 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, 2 tbsp sesame seeds, 1 tbsp cumin seeds 

How to do it:

For the dry powder:  Roast the peanuts, sesame seeds and cumin seeds lightly. Remove and powder.

For the gravy: Heat the oil in a kadai. Wash and slit the green chillies. Remove the seeds and fry in hot oil until they turn white. Remove. In the same oil, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds and curry leaves. Cook until the seeds crackle. Add the paste of onions and tomatoes and fry for a while. Add the turmeric and coriander-cumin seed powder, chilli powder and dry powder masala. Cook for a few minutes until the oil comes on the top. Add 2 cups of water and the tamarind water and cook until thick. Add the fried green chillies, coriander and salt and cook for a few minutes. The gravy should be thick. Serve hot.

 

 

 Note: This dish doesnt work good with green capsicum or bell peppers.....

Punjabi tadka: Paneer pasanda

India has long been witness to a number of invasions. Be it the Greeks, Turks, Afghans, French, Portuguese and of course the British are some of the invaders, who plundered the wealth of our nation. Over the centrues these invaders also brought with them, a number of culinary delicacies to share making the Indian cuisine perhaps the most varied cuisine in the entire world.

Mughal cooking is famous for its use of combination of ground masalas giving a unique texture to its food. Mughlai cuisine provides a collection of dishes that are acclaimed all over the world like pulav, kormas, naans, biryanis and many paneer dishes. The gravy is heavy and rich most of the time because of the use of dry fruits, ghee, butter and heavy cream. These ingredients give a silky smooth texture to the sauce or gravy and enhance the taste of the dish.

Paneer pasanda is one such exotic and delectable dish from the Mughal cuisine which will end up making you only want more. Pasanda is a Urdu word which means ‘liking’. This dish is a popular North Indian and Pakistani vegetarian dish, derived from a meal served in the Court of the Moghul Emperors. This dish is rich in protein and low fat making you crave for it over and over again.

In this dish, the paneer is sandwiched with pleasant spices and then cooked in a delicate gravy reflecting the dish’s flavour and blend. Pasanda is a mild curry sauce made with cream, coconut milk, and almonds and is heavily seasoned with cumin, kasuri methi and rest. but  milder in comparison to most Indian dishes making it palatable to most westerners. 

Things you would need: For filling: 400 gms of Cottage cheese (Paneer) cut and grated, 18-20 Cashew nuts roasted and coarsely ground, 18-20 raisins, freshly chopped coriander leaves, chopped green chillies, 1 cup maida, 1 cup cornflour

For the gravy: 2 medium onions roughly chopped, 1 inch piece of ginger, 3-4 garlic pods, few coriander leaves, 5-6 Kashmiri Mirch, 1 tbsp poppy seeds paste, 1 tbsp almond paste, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 2 cloves, an inch of cinnamon, 2 tbsp watermelon seeds,

Oil for shallow frying + 2 tbsp, 1 cup tomato puree, 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 tsp sugar, salt to taste

So how do we cook this:

Paneer sandwich: Cut paneer into triangles. Slice the triangle pieces up until the three quarters. Please do not cut in the end. For the stuffing, in a mixing bowl add grated paneer, raisins, freshly chopped coriander leaves, chopped green chillies, roasted cashew nut coarse powder and mix all of them well. Put this sweet and tangy stuffing in between the slit triangle paneer pieces and keep aside. Take equal quantities of maida and cornflour, add little water and form to a batter. Coat these stuffed paneer pieces with the batter well and fry them it slightly golden brown. Keep the aside.

Soak the poppy seeds in a little water for 1 hour and grind into a smooth paste. Grind all the contents of gravy together with a little water. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan and add the gravy and cook it on low flame till the raw smell of onion disappears and the oil leaves the edges. Now mix in the tomato puree and cook for further 2 minutes on high flame. Add about a cup of water if the gravy is thick. Let the gravy simmer for a few more minutes until the fat separates. Simmering is an important technique especially for making curries/gravies as the spices get cooked and blend with each other on low heat. Cover and cook till the raw flavors are gone. Check for seasoning. Add pinch of sugar, kasturi methi powder, and little cream to make it rich. Add the fried paneer to this and cook it for a while in low flame. The dish is ready to be served. To give a little sourness to the dish you can also add amchur powder.

It works wonders when served with Naan or Zafrani pulao.

Punjabi Tadka: Paneer bhare bhindi

By now the regular reader of my blog would have realised how much I love Paneer. This time I am posting a recipe of Stuffed Bhindi Masala which I cooked last night without following any recipe in particular. I used the ingredients which I thought would enhance the flavour of Bhindi and fortunately they did. By the time I finished stuffing and sautéing, I had already gobbled up a few. Add to it, the blend of tomato gravy and you are tossed into a sea of exotic taste.

Stuffed Bhindi with Paneer is a very popular and exotic North Indian recipe, often served with curd and roti. This is prepared by stuffing the Bhindi (ladyfinger or okra) with a rich filling of Paneer (Indian cottage cheese), roasted peanuts and few spices which give a pleasant nutty flavour with touch of spiciness to the okras, while onions add more crunch and sweet note, and tomatoes lends a lovely tangy flavour to the dish.. This works as a perfect recipe to treat the guests, also stuffed Bhindi with Paneer is a commonly served dish in most wedding ceremonies in India. Such a wonderful dish shouldn’t go to waste so I am hereby sharing the secret to this wonderful dish. Make it in your kitchen tonight and enjoy this exotic dish.

Things you need for this recipe are: 200 grams Bhindi (Okra/Ladyfinger), 1 medium sized onion, grated, 2 large tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon chilly powder, 1/4 teaspoon Garam masala, 2 tablespoons ghee or oil, 4 tsp ginger-garlic paste, Salt to taste, 2 tablespoons chopped coriander for garnishing

For Stuffing/Filling: 100 grams Paneer cut into small pieces, ¼ cup Roasted Peanuts, 1 tbsp Channa Dal/Split Chickpeas, 1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds, ½ tbsp Coriander Seeds, 4-5 Dry Red Chillies (adjust acc to taste), ¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida, 1 tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder, ½ tsp Turmeric Powder, Salt to taste

Let’s get cooking: Take a pan and heat 1 tbsp oil in it. Add Paneer pieces to it and fry till they turn golden in color. Wash okras and spread them on dry kitchen towels to remove excess water or simply pat them dry with kitchen towel.

While the okras are drying, heat a pan and dry roast channa dal, dry red chillies, hing, jeera and coriander seeds till they turn golden red and fragrant. Let them cool completely before you powder them. Add these roasted spices with roasted peanut, turmeric, amchur and salt to taste and grind them to coarse powder. Mix in with the paneer into a nice paste and keep aside. Use only enough spice powder to make the paste. Store the rest for later use. Now trim the okra ends and carefully make a slit on one side and stuff it with ¼-½ tsp of spice powder and paneer mixture.

Heat about a tbsp of oil in a pan and sauté stuffed okras on high flame, if required in batches, for about 4-5 minutes till brown spots start to appear and it is half cooked. Place them on paper towel till needed. Now heat another tbsp of oil in a pan and add cumin seeds to it. When jeera starts to sizzle and turn light shade of brown, add finely chopped garlic, ginger and slit green chillies. Sauté till garlic turns light shade of brown, about one minute. Add thinly sliced onion and sauté on medium flame till it turns golden brown for about 3 minutes. Now peel off the skin of the tomatoes and mash the pulp to form a thick paste. Add this to make thick gravy.  Finally add the stuffed okras and sauté for 5-7 minutes on medium flame till the okra is cooked through and the flavours blend well.

Your Stuffed Bhindi with Paneer is ready to serve. You can serve it with chapattis, paratha, roti and yoghurt.

Punjab to China: Chilli Paneer

Paneer or cottage cheese is a integral part of the North Indian cuisine, specially Punjab. It has been here since God knows when. China being just a few stones away from the Northern part of our country has had their influence in our recipes bringing out these wonderful Indian recipes with a Chinese twist to it making it saucy and different. 

Of all the Paneer recipes I have already posted, Chilly Paneer is one of the most popular even amongst kids. This dish is heavily influenced by its non-vegetarian cousin, the Chilly chicken. It came into origin to satisfy the palette of the vegetarians. Since I love cooking and always wanted to try out the recipes restaurants make, I looked through the recipes and I was flummoxed to find so many recipes of Chilly Paneer. I tried some of them, and found this recipe the most appealing and easy. 

Things you need are: 400 gm Paneer, 8 tbsp Corn flour, 4 tbsp Oil, 4 Onions, 6-8 cloves Garlic, 6-8 Green chilly, 2 large Capsicum, 1 cup Vegetable stock, Salt to taste
1 tsp White pepper powder, 4 tbsp Soy sauce, 1/2 tsp Ajinomoto, 2 tbsp Chilly sauce

Preparation:

Drain Paneer and chop into medium bite sized pieces. Heat sufficient oil in a wok, roll the Paneer pieces in corn flour and deep fry them on medium heat till the edges turn golden brown. Set them aside on a tissue to drain.

Blend remaining corn flour in quarter cup of water and set aside. Chop the onions into thick slices and crush the garlic cloves. Chop green chillies and cut the capsicum into thick stripes and set them aside.

Heat two-tablespoon of oil in a pan, add crushed garlic and then stir-fry till golden and then add green chillies, onion and capsicum and sauté for some time till onions look translucent. Then add the fried paneer pieces and stir in the vegetable stock. Season with salt, pepper, soy sauce, chilli sauce, Ajinomoto and blended corn flour and keep stirring all the while cooking on high heat until sauce thickens and coats the Paneer pieces. Chilly Paneer is ready to serve. Serve hot with Fried rice or nice stir fried noodles.

Punabi tadka: Mughlai Shahi kofta

Over the centuries, India has been invaded by the Aryans, Greeks, Persians, Huns, Turks, Arabs, Afghans, the Portuguese, Dutch, French and the English! The Mughals of Turkish-Persian origin, came in the 16th century. Their cuisine which is hugely popular up until this day, fuses Indian, Middle Eastern and Persian styles of cooking. Their food is known for its richness and the use of exotic spices, dried fruit and nuts, cream and milk combining to create rich, regal dishes often garnished with rose petals, silver foil - food fit for the Kings! . The Mughals did everything in style and splendour from their living to their eating everything was exotic. Since they ate very rich food (high in fat, carbs and proteins) they reduced the number of intake during the day. 

One of the most sorted of recipes, Shahi Kofta is the perfect vegetarian alternative to meatballs. It goes very well with naans (tandoor-baked flatbread) or Jeera Rice. The recipe involves very few steps to create the best shahi kofta I have ever tried. This recipe is from my mom's kitchen .....a recipe I have tried over the years and always loved.....So please try this and enjoy!

Things you need: Potato – 250 gm, Tomato – 250 gm, Boiled peas – 1 cup, Onion paste – 2 tsp, Cooked rice – 1 ½ cup, Grated coconut – 1 cup, Curd – 1 cup, Oil to deep fry, Turmeric powder – 1 tsp, Chili powder – 1 tsp, Coriander powder – 1 tsp, Butter – 2 tbsp, Fresh cream – 2 tbsp, Cashew nut – 12, Almond – 7, Raisins – 15, Chopped Coriander leaves – 1 cup, Ginger-chili paste – 2 tsp, Paneer/cottage cheese – 150 gm, Salt to taste, Water – 1 cup

The rich process of Shahi Koftas

Grind tomatoes and keep aside. Chop onions and puree them as well. Boil, peel and mash the potatoes. Add cooked rice, coriander leaves, ginger-chili paste, salt and grated coconut to the mashed potatoes. Knead and divide into 12 portions and make balls. Chop the cashew nuts and almonds finely. Add raisins and chopped nuts to paneer/cottage cheese and make 10 balls. Now flatten the potato balls and stuff in the paneer balls. Seal them properly and make balls or oblong shape. Deep fry them in oil and keep aside.

Heat butter in a pan. Sauté the onion paste till golden brown. Add the tomato puree, salt, turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder and sauté till the oil starts to separate. Add 1 cup water and let it boil. Add the boiled peas and let the gravy boil for 5 minutes. Add the beaten curd and put the flame off. Mix well and add the koftas to the gravy. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves and fresh cream.

Voila!!! Perfect koftas for a nice rich dinner.