Monday 23 April 2012

Kadai Paneer/Cottage cheese with capsicum




Paneer is Indian cheese which is made by curdling heated milk with lemon juice or vinegar.It has got very high nutritional value and is a good protein substitute specially for the vegeterians..


Ingredients -
cottage cheese/paneer
onion(1 big)
tomato(1 big)
capsicum/shimla mirch(1)
garlic (5-6)
dry red chillies(4-5)
whole garam masala-cinnamon/dalchini(1 small stick),cardamom/elaichi(3-4),cloves/laung(2-3),peppercorns/kaalimirch(3-4),bayleaf/tejpatta(1)
crushed corianderseeds/coriander powder
turmeric powder
salt
fresh corinder leaves
oil




Method -
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.Need not be a kadai.
Add the whole garam masala as mentioned in the ingredients.
Put in the dry broken red chillies.
Chop the onion and tomato finely.
Add the mashed garlic and chopped onions to the pan.
Let it saute for a min or so.
Crush coriander seeds to a powder or ready-made coriander powder can also be used.Add this to the pan.
Put in the chopped capsicum and cook.
After a min add the chopped tomatoes and salt.
Add a pinch of turmeric powder and cook.
Finally add the paneer pieces and mix.
If you are using home-made paneer then shallow fry the paneer lightly and then add to the pan.Incase of ready-made paneer it can be directly added without frying.
Let the paneer cook for sometime.This dish doesnt have a lot of gravy.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot :-)


Wednesday 18 April 2012

Shrikhand




Shrikhand is a sweet dish made of strained yogurt and is famous in the states of Maharashtra,Goa and Gujarat.Shrikhand-puri is a favourite combo in konkani or marathi cuisine.This is a very simple dish which can be served as a dessert with minimum effort :)


Ingredients -
yogurt/curd
powdered sugar
cardamom/elaichi  powder
almonds(optional)


Method -
Place the curd in a cotton cloth and hang it for about 7-8 hours or overnight.
This drains off all the excess water from the curd.
Add powdered sugar in it as per taste and mix thoroughly.
Add cardamom powder,finely sliced almonds and refrigerate.
Chilled Shrikhand is ready to serve :-)



Friday 13 April 2012

Tandoori Prawns




Tandoor fish or chicken has always been our favourite starter.So we thought of trying these tandoori prawns..and the outcome was just awesome..This is one very easy and simple delicious starter which your guests will love :)


Ingredients -
prawns
lemon juice(2-3 tspns)
red chilly powder(1-2 tspns)
salt
curd(1 tspn)
ginger-garlic paste
turmeric powder
coriander powder
cumin powder
garam masala powder
oil




Method -
Wash the prawns.
Mix together lemon juice,red chilly powder and salt.
Apply this to the prawns.
Now mix the following ingredients and apply to the prawns : oil(1tspn),curd,ginger-garlic paste,turmeric powder,red chilly powder,coriander powder,cumin powder,garam masala powder and salt.
Refrigerate them for 5-6 hours or overnight.
Preheat the microwave to 180deg.
Sprinkle some oil on the prawns.
Grease the grill stand with oil.
Keep the prawns on the stand.
Set the grill option for 10min.
Turn the prawns on the other side,sprinkle oil and again grill for 10min.
Serve the grilled prawns with onion rings and lemon wedges :-)




Monday 9 April 2012

Masala Dosa



A very healthy breakfast/snack item.This requires some preparation as in fermenting the batter...but the end result is worth the effort :)



Ingredients -
rice(2 cups)
urad dal(1 cup)
chana dal(1 tbspn)
fenugreek seeds/methi (1 tbspn)
poha/puffed rice(1/2 cup)
salt
oil
masala - potato bhaji

Method -
Wash and soak the rice,urad dal,methi seeds,chana dal and poha for 6-7 hours.
Grind them together to a fine paste.
Keep the mixture covered overnight(outside the fridge) for fermentation.
Next day morning add salt into this batter.
Heat a dosa tawa.
Put a ladle full of batter on the tawa and spread into circular motions to make a thin dosa.
After a min sprinkle oil on the sides and top of the dosa.
Slowly loosen the outer edges of the dosa,place masala in the centre and roll/fold it.
No need to turn the dosa.
Serve hot with sambar or chutney :-)

Note-
For potato bhaji -Heat oil,temper it with mustard seeds,green chillies,turmeric powder,onion,boiled potatoes and salt.
For sambar - refer the moong dosa recipe



Friday 6 April 2012

Crunchy Chicken Burger




All of us love to have crispy fried chicken at KFC.Well this is not exactly the same but yes it is very close..and if you can have a similar crispy fried chicken burger at home !! what else would you wish...........well try it out for yourself :)


Ingredients -
chicken breasts(4)
ginger-garlic paste
red chilly powder
turmeric powder(a pinch)
salt
lemon juice
egg(1)
cornflakes(1 cup)
all purpose flour/maida(1 tbspn)
oil for deep frying
burger buns(4)
mayonnaise
lettuce leaves
tomato slices
chips(optional)


Method -
Slice the chicken breasts thinly.
Apply salt,red chilly powder,turmeric powder,ginger-garlic paste and lemon juice to the chicken.
Beat 1 egg in a bowl.
Crush cornflakes lightly with hand and mix 1 tbspn of maida in it.
Dip the chicken in the egg,then roll it in the cornflakes-maida mixture and deep fry till crispy.
Take a burger bun,open it and apply mayonnaise generously on both halves.
Place a lettuce leaf and tomato slice on one half and fried chicken on the other half.
Serve chicken burger with chips or just as is :-)


Monday 2 April 2012

Walnut Chocolate Brownie




Chocolate brownies are a hot favourite of many of us...they have a texture which falls between that of a cake and a cookie.Sometimes they also contain nuts or chocolate chips or cream.They can be served as a dessert or accompanied by coffee :)


Ingredients -
3/4 cup maida(all purpose flour)
1 tbspn baking powder
3/4 cup butter
3 eggs
1.5 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa pwder
1 tbspn vanilla essence
Crushed walnut pieces(2-3tspns) 


Method -
Mix together maida and baking powder.
Take a bowl and beat the butter and sugar till fluffy.
Now add the eggs,maida and cocoa powder alternately.
Add essence and beat well.Sprinkle the walnuts.
Grease a baking dish with butter.
Pour the batter and bake for 35-40 min.
Serve it hot with chocolate sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream as a dessert or it just goes well with coffee too :-)