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.

Punjabi Tadka with an Italian twist- Paneer tikka chutney pizza

Pizza!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...............The word alone brings out the craving to gobble up a huge juicy slice of the gooey, cheesy, yummy pizza.....

Pizza though originally has been in existence in Italy from the 1800s but since then has spread to nearly every country on earth, with many adding their own culinary twists to it to make it a hot favorite in their markets. India is not far behind in this too....We have a range of pizzas which include the bests of Paneer and Punjabi twists to it.....all the retail giants bring out so many good and spicy yet tangy pizzas for the likes of the Indian crowd.....from the hot chatpata chaat pizza to the Paneer jalfrezi pizza...and lets not forget the hot favorite tikka masala pizza.......boy don't we love our spices.....

But what has been your favorite, the one that you ordered over and over again......Mine has always been the paneer tikka chutney pizza......do you want a slice.....then why not make it at home.....Just follow me and you would end up with the best and yummiest pizza in the whole wide world......

This one recipe I recently tried at home and it is less complicated, but probably tastier. Paneer (my left over paneer tikka from the barbecue party), creamy sauce, spices like dried fenugreek, which provide a soft, sweet aroma – all topped off with some mozzarella cheese and oregano....sounds like a nice dinner to me....What do you guys think.....

Things you would need are: 1 handmade pizza crust (recipe below), Mango chutney, cream cheese, Tomato sauce, Paneer Tikka Masala (recipe in previous post), 1/4 cup oregano, Shredded mozarella cheese and gouda cheese

How to assemble the gooey pizza

To assemble the pizza: Lay out the dough. Spread a very thin layer of mango chutney on the dough followed by the cream cheese. If you want, place some onion slices on top, or top with some capsicums, it is totally upto you....go crazy.....

Then, spread a couple large spoonfuls of tomato puree on top of it. Now, take your paneer tikka masala and gently spoon it on the pizza, spreading it with a large spoon or spatula. Sprinkle with mozarella cheese and gouda, and bake in a preheated oven at 180 C till the cheese melts coating the paneer tikka and goes golden brown in the edges. When it comes out, sprinkle with oregano and enjoy!

Note: It’s definitely time-consuming to make paneer tikka if you don't have left overs from the party or the other night– but you can always shorten it up by buying a paneer tikka masala as take-out from an Indian restaurant and just make the pizza for yourself yourself.

The pizza base: Home made

Buying a premade pizza base from the market is not my idea of cooking. Remember, there are loads of varieties of pizzas and pizza crust out there. So, get free and create a work of art and personalize your pizza, just the way you want it. The hand made version of a pizza base is tastier and ends up bringing the best flavors in a pizza. If you are one who likes to spend some quality time in your kitchen, this is  certainly for you! 

I am going to share with you the basic pizza base method. It is easy and can be made using a food processor or bread maker. But I prefer to make it with my very own hands leaving my prints on the base and bonding with the food by doing  a ton of mixing and kneading, Add anything you like to the dough which you feel might go good with the topping as well as the base......I've often added chopped garlic, oregano, cheese, cilantro and chilli flakes.

Things you need are: 3 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup warm water, 1 package dry yeast, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 3/4 cup water

Lets get cracking:

Sift in salt and flour. Dissolve the yeast in warm water; let it sit for 10 minutes. Add oil, honey yeast mixture and warm water to the flour.The dough should make a ball after kneading, but just in case it doesn't turn up into a ball it might be because it is too dry. Don't fret just add water one tablespoon at a time until it does turn into a ball. If your mixture is more like a semi-solid then add flour one tablespoon at a time. Keep adding water or flour as required to get the right consistency up until you always get a perfect dough. Just remember, do it in small amounts to avoid having to repeat the whole procedure.

Place the dough ball onto a floured board to knead for another minute which assists the gluten to build up making the dough to rise into a fluffy base when cooked. Place the dough in a covered bowl and store in a warm, dry area to rise. I always prefer to leave them in my Oven or OTG for about 45 minutes resulting in the dough to double in size. Press it down and leave it to rest for another 1-1.5 hours after which the dough ready to be rolled out. But the choice is yours, if you want to press it down again and leave it for another hour or two before rolling it out into a base.

A major trouble with most of us is we don't put in enough work on the dough. This is an excellent opportunity to get some workout for your arms and hands, the dough will not be damaged or hurt. So loosen up folks! 

I always use both hands, one on top of the other to press the dough from centre to out to start the stretching process, which results in pushing the dough a little on each push. I also pick up the dough to squeeze its edges and imagine I am turning a steering wheel, but this allows to stretch the dough with its own weight.  Keep repeating this until the dough is about 1/2 inch thick all the way around, then I always use a rolling pin to flatten it out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick making it even. Puncture holes all over the dough using a fork which  keeps it from bubbling up and holds the sauce on while baking. Almost there, now the only thing you need to do is to spread the sauce pf your choice, cheese and your choice of toppings and bake at 400 F /180 C till the crust is golden and the cheese melts.

Punjabi Tadka: My version of the famous lehsuni tikki

Following my posts for the Paneer dishes in the Punjabi Tadka is my next try the not so famous starter the Lehsuni tikki (Garlic tikkis). Call it a starter or an appetiser, these lehsuni tikkis are a wonderful combination of the strong odour of garlic and the potatoes. The odour of the garlic flakes doesn't prove to be revolting due to the perfect blend between the Paneer, garlic and the potatoes. 

Having a party at home, why not try these with the Paneer tikka post I had written earlier, works wonderful. Don't you think so!!

Things you would need: 

Garlic Flakes – 4 to 6, 

Medium onion – 1, 

Coriander leaves – ¼ cup, 

Red chili powder – ½ tbsp, 

Medium sized potato - 6, 

Cashew nuts – 6 to 8, 

Cottage cheese grated – ¼ cup, 

Oil to deep fry, 

Salt to taste

The making process:

Wash, boil, cool, peel off and mash potatoes thoroughly. Mix in salt to taste and knead mashed potatoes to make smooth dough. Divide into ten to twelve equal portions. Chop the onion and garlic finely. Clean, wash and finely chop the coriander leaves. Crush cashew nuts and mix with cut onion, garlic, coriander leaves, red chili powder, salt, and grated cottage cheese. Divide the mixture into ten to twelve equal portions. Stuff each portion of mashed potato with a portion of the cottage cheese mixture. Roll and shape into tikkis of approximately two-inch diameter and half inch thickness. Heat up oil in a pan and deep-fry the tikkis till golden brown. Take off and remove on to a clean and absorbent kitchen towel or paper. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or mint chutney.

Note: The left over tikkis and some paneer tikka from the other post can be used as a stuffing for a nice wrap, roll it between the roti or tortilla, after layering with Mayonnaise, sauce of your choice, cheese slice, some nice fresh vegetables. Pack off to work as a nice lunch........

Punjabi Tadka- Tandoori masala

Will it not be wonderful if we knew how to make the secret ingredients the cooks use in all those popular crowded restaurants. So here am sharing with you guys the recipe I managed to get off a cook in one of the restaurants I had the famous Paneer Tikka masala.

Make this popular masala ahead of time and store in an air-tight container. Creating a tasty meal will then be a simple procedure just to marinate, grill and serve! 

Things you need are:

100 gms cumin seeds, 35 gms coriander seeds, 20 gms cloves, 5 pieces of 2" cinnamon sticks, 20 gms ginger powder, 20 gms garlic powder, 20 gms red chilli powder, 20 gms turmeric powder, 20 gms mace powder, 20 gms salt, 1 tsp orange food color if desired or substitute with 20 gms of Kashmiri red chillies.

Note: If you have used Kashmiri Red Chillies, then please leave out the chilli powder mentioned as the recipe would end up very spicy. Before you use the red chillies, lightly toast them on a hot pan till aromatic, then grind to a fine powder in a clean, dry grinder.

How to make the masala:

Dry roast the cumin, coriander seeds, cloves and cinnamon sticks in a pan on a low flame, till they begin to release their aroma. Remove from fire and allow to cool. Grind all the ingredients (including the powder made from the Kashmiri Red Chillies) together in a coffee grinder to make a smooth powder. Store in an air-tight container for upto 6-8 weeks.

Store and have fun making the wonderful tikka masala the restaurants have to offer but in the comforts of your home!

Punjabi tadka- Tandoori Paneer tikka

How many of us have loved to just bite into the juicy bits of paneer tikka in restaurants as starters. I always loved them and thought it would be so difficult and such a hassle to make them. So always ordered them to make life easier. But this recipe i found and tried made me go against my feeling of never being able to make them in my kitchen. So please do try this recipe and let me know how you liked it. Also I am giving the recipe of how to make the tandoori masala which is used in big restaurants. 

This tandoori paneer tikka can serve as a wonderful starter for a barbecue party for vegetarians. This can be grilled with vegetables too. I used home made paneer for this recipe.

Things you need are: 

30, 2" cubes of paneer (cottage cheese) , 3 tbsps Tandoori Masala (see in the next post), 1/4 cup yogurt, 1 large onions cut into 1" square pieces, 1 capsicum diced into cubes, 2 tomatoes deseeded and diced, 5-6 tbsp vegetable/ sunflower cooking oil, 2 tbsps Chaat masala, Lemon wedges to garnish

How to make the juicy tikkas:

Make a smooth past of  2 1/2 tbsps of Tandoori Masala, yogurt, 2 tbsps cooking oil and salt to taste. Put the paneer chunks into this smooth paste and fold it in gently to coat all the paneer. Keep it covered and leave in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours to let all the spices go into the paneer pieces making it soft and juicy. Mix the remaining 1/2 tbsp of Tandoori masala with the onion pieces to coat them well too. Thread the marinated paneer and onion pieces onto bamboo skewers in a combination of your choice. Preheat a grill on medium or if you don't have a grill you can use the grill tawa which is available off late in shops. 

Place the paneer with the skewers on it and brush with a little cooking oil and grill till paneer turns light golden and the onions and capsicum soft. Do not overcook them as the paneer tends to become rubbery. 

Remove onto a  serving plate and sprinkle with chaat masala. Squeeze some lemon juice over the paneer and garnish with lemon wedges and serve smoking hot and wait for all those praises!

Punjabi tadka-Paneer Bhurji

Following my post yesterday to the very simple process of making paneer at home, I am going to share a very easy basic recipe of cottage cheese (paneer). They say Learning is fun, One step at a time. 

Paneer bhurji is the easiest of the paneer dishes which is made with very less effort and time. This was the first time I was making this without my amma's supervision. I had this all the time in big restaurants. Now its almost 3-4 years, so I thought it would be best to try things at home when everything is available. I loved it a lot and its is a simple way to make too! This can be a perfect lunch box idea, you can even wrap the paneer bhurji in roti for your kids. They would love it too. It also makes a quick and easy dinner dish when teamed with hot Chapatis or Parathas or rotis.

I made this with cottage cheese I myself prepared at home. All you have to do is crumble the paneer before using it for the dish.

Things you need:

300 gms fresh paneer (mashed into a crumbly texture), 1 medium onion chopped fine, 1 small tomato chopped fine, 1 green chilli chopped fine, 1 green capsicum chopped into cubes, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil, Chopped fresh coriander to garnish, Salt to taste

How to make it:

Heat the oil in a pan on a medium flame, till hot. Add the cumin seeds and fry till spluttering stops. Add the onions and fry till soft. Now add the green chillies and tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are pulpy. Add the capsicum and fry till cooked a little.  Add all the powdered spices and mix well. Fry for 2 minutes. Add the paneer. Mix well and cook for 2 more minutes. If the paneer gives off water at this stage, cook till the water has dried up. Turn off fire. Season with salt, if desired. Garnish with the chopped fresh coriander and serve hot with Chapatis or Parathas. Paneer Bhurjee also makes a great topping for fresh, hot toast! Top with lemon juice to make it a little tangy if preferred. 

Try this easy recipe and enjoy it for a sumptuous dinner.

Paneer: From Milk to the cheese

I am deviating from my South Indian origin and recipes due to a major request from a dear follower who wanted to know about Paneer dishes as it is his absolute favourite. So I thought why not have a mix of recipes here on the blog since I have my roots from the South and married into the North. So let's start by giving some information just the basics on how to make the Paneer itself from milk.

Paneer is available at any supermarket, but homemade paneer adds a freshness to curries and other Indian dishes and also the process is quite simple. I remember doing this with my mom when I was a kid.

Paneer is an Indian cheese variant which is very similar to a dense ricotta cheese. The cottage cheese (Paneer) is a hung cheese, which is pressed into blocks and then cut into cubes to be used in curries and other recipes. As it doesn't melt, can be used to stuff into breads, even grilled or barbecued. You can also use it in place of tofu if you are looking for variety in dishes and taste.

The results of making paneer at home gives you the freshest, tastiest and soft paneer which can be used for any recipe. This simple process has to just be timed precisely. There are various methods which can be used one of them is using milk and lemon juice, but the process which yields the highest quantity is when milk and plain yogurt is used.The process is to just boil the milk and add the yogurt, watch it curdle, and strain the curds out by hanging them and later pressing them down.

Items needed are:

6 cups of whole milk, 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

Supplies needed are:

1 Colander or strainer, Few Cheesecloth, 1 Kitchen twine, A very large heavy pot

The process is simple, just follow this process and see for yourself.

The first thing to do is to find a suitable place, probably just above the kitchen sink where you can place the colander lined with few layers of cheese cloth. Then in a large pot bring the milk to boil over medium to high heat. Don't let it froth over, so use a large pot. Stir continuously while bringing the milk to boil to avoid the bottom from burning. Just in case the milk is a little burnt, you can still save the paneer by transferring the milk to another pot. As soon as the milk starts to boil, stir in the yogurt to the pot and stir gently. This causes the fuming milk to break into soft fluffy clouds in a clear greenish liquid which is called the whey. Switch the gas off and carefully pour the contents into the cheesecloth lined strainer, which strains the curd from the whey. Now leave it to sit and cool down. When good to handle, pull together the edges of cheesecloth thereby squeezing the excess liquid out, forming a ball. To further remove whey, squeeze the top of the cheesecloth and then tie it with twine and hang it from the sink faucet for half hour to further drain out the whey. Now, we are close to finishing the process. Place the hung ball inside a large saucepan and place a smaller pan with a heavy object in it over the top of the cheese for the next 30 minutes. This ensures to increase the firmness and forms a nice block of cheese which can be cut into cubes. Finally, carefully unwrap the cheesecloth to avoid crumbling the perfectly formed paneer unless the recipe it is to be used for demands crumbling (Bread, salads or pizza). Cut the paneer into perfect cubes and store in the fridge in a sealed container until required. The shelf life is a maximum of 3 to 4 days in the fridge but can be kept frozen to increase shelf life to several months.

Now guys, give it a try when you find time on your hands, as this not only tasty but rewarding.