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.

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-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.

Egg paratha

Ingredients:

4 Eggs
2 Cups wheat flour
1 Chopped capsicum
1 Chopped tomato
2 Chopped onions
Chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp Red chilli powder
2 tbsp Cooking oil
Clarified Butter or Ghee

Cooking Instructions: Pour oil into a frying pan and heat it. Add chopped onions and fry on medium heat till they become golden brown. Add the tomato and capsicum and fry it for few minutes. Now add eggs, salt, red chilli and mix it properly. Cook the mixture until eggs are well done. Put coriander leaves into the mixture. Take off from the flame and leave the mixture aside. Make the dough by adding sufficient water to the flour. Knead it to convert into soft dough. Add 2 tbsp of clarified butter to it and knead it again for some time. Make small balls out of the dough. Roll the balls to give them roti shape.Take one roti and put the egg mixture. Cover it with another roti. Roll this roti a little and fry both sides properly in butter. Egg Paratha is ready to serve.

Paneer Paratha

100 gms Grated Paneer
1 finely chopped Onion
Coriander leaves finely chopped
Small piece of Ginger (grated)
1 or 2 finely chopped green Chilies
Salt, Red Chili powder and Graram masala as per taste
1/2 tsp Ajwain (optional)
Butter / Oil for frying

Make dough out of whole wheat flour (atta), as you would do for any paratha/roti. In a bowl mix all the stuffing ingredients. Make two medium size chapati, add the filling to the one chapati and cover it with the second one. Now roll it slightly. Cook on a pre-heated Tawa (flat griddle plate). Turn it and pour half tablespoon oil or butter. Spread it on the paratha and shallow fry over low heat. Turn it and again pour oil or butter on the other side. Cook on a low heat till golden brown. Serve paneer paratha hot with yogurt (curd) and your favorite chutney or with pickle.