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 :-)
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 :-)
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 :-)
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
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 :-)
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 :-)
Vermicelli upma is yet another variation with vermicelli(apart from the sweet version).This is nutritious too as it is full of veggies and it makes a good breakfast or snack item which takes very less preparation time :)
Ingredients -
vermicelli
onion(1 medium)
green chillies(2-3)
carrot
green peas
cauliflower
asafoetida/hing
mustard seeds
cumin seeds/jeera
curry leaves/kadipatta
turmeric powder
oil
salt
Method -
Cook the vermicelli in boiling water till they are half done.
Drain the water out and rinse the vermicelli under cold water so that they don't become sticky.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Add hing,mustard seeds.Once they splutter add cumin seeds and curry leaves.
Add the chopped green chillies,onion and a pinch of turmeric powder.
After a min add the finely chopped veggies.
Add salt and cover and cook till the veggies are soft.
Finally add the cooked vermicelli,add salt and mix.
Serve hot vermicelli upma with tea :-)
Happy Gudi Padwa to all !! I made this sweet potato kheer on Gudi Padwa.It is known as Kanangachi kheer in konkani and Ratalyachi kheer in marathi.The distinguishing factor of this kheer is the coconut milk used..which makes it tasty and special :)
Ingredients -
sweet potato(2-3)
sabudana/tapioca(1/2 cup)
coconut milk(1 cup)
jaggery
cardamom powder
salt(a pinch)
water
Method -
Soak the sabudana in water for 5-6 hours.
Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them thin.
Heat little water in a pan.Add the sliced potatoes so that they get boiled.
Once done add the soaked sabudana.
After 5 min add jaggery as per taste and then coconut milk.
Add cardamom powder and a pinch of salt and turn off the flame.
Cashew nuts may be added if required.
Serve the sweet potato kheer warm :-)
This is a healthy variation to the typical plain parathas :)
Ingredients -
spinach(3-4 leaves)
cabbage(small piece)
wheat flour(atta)
gram flour(besan)
oil
salt
carom seeds/ajwain(a pinch)
turmeric powder
green chillies(3-4)
water for kneading
Method -
Chop the spinach and cabbage finely.
Slit and chop the green chillies.
Mix together - atta,besan,spinach and cabbage leaves,salt,turmeric powder,green chillies,carom seeds and few drops of oil.
Knead this dough with the help of water.It will be a soft dough.Make small balls out of it.
With the help of a rolling pin roll out parathas out of the balls.
Fry them on a tava with ghee or oil.
Serve hot parathas with curd/pickle or sabzi of your choice :-)
Thukpa is a Tibetan noodle soup.It is popular in Tibet,Bhutan and Nepal.In India it is very famous in Sikkim and is traditionally served with steamed momos..We heard about thukpa from a friend who had it in Darjeeling.Out of curiosity we gave it a try and it turned out delicious :)
Ingredients -
chicken stock
maggi noodles(1 packet)
carrot(1)
bellpepper/capsicum(1)
onion(1)
garlic(3-4)
ginger(1 small piece)
green chillies(2-3)
tomato(1 medium)
turmeric powder
red chilly powder
blackpepper powder
chilly oil(1-2tspns)
salt
oil
Method -
To prepare the chicken stock - boil the chicken pieces in water with a few drops of oil,salt and chopped onion.Discard the froth appearing on the surface.Strain this and chicken stock is ready.
Cook the noodles in boiling water until slightly undercooked.Typically rice noodles are used but I have used maggi noodles.
Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water.
Thinly slice the carrot and capsicum.
Chop the remaining onion,tomato and mince/mash the garlic and ginger.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Add onions and fry till light brown.
Add green chillies,turmeric powder,minced ginger and garlic.
Stir for a minute.
Add the chopped carrots and capsicum.
Add tomatoes,salt and red chilly powder.
Cook till the veggies are tender.
Add the chicken stock and cook for 5-10 min.
Add black pepper and salt if required.
Turn off the flame and add red chilly oil.
Put the thukpa into a serving bowl and add the cooked noodles and serve immediately :-)
Eating grilled fish or grilled chicken is very healthy since it contains less oil. Apart from this reason needless to say it is a hot favourite of almost all of us :)
Ingredients -
chicken drumsticks(4)
pomfrets with slits(2)
lemon juice(5-6 tspns)
red chilly powder(3-4 tspns)
salt
curd(4 tspns)
ginger-garlic paste
turmeric powder
fenugreek(methi) powder
coriander powder
cumin powder
garam masala powder
carom seeds/ajwain(1/2 tspn)
Method -
Wash the chicken drumsticks and fish.
Mix together lemon juice,red chilly powder and salt.
Apply this to the drumsticks and fish.
Now mix the following ingredients and apply to the fish and drumsticks : curd,ginger-garlic paste,turmeric powder,red chilly powder,coriander powder,cumin powder,methi powder,garam masala powder and salt.
Sprinkle few carom seeds on the fish.
Refrigerate the drumsticks and fish for 5-6 hours or overnite.
Preheat the microwave to 180deg.
Sprinkle some oil on the fish and chicken.
Grease the grill stand with oil.
Keep the fish and chicken on the stand.
Set the grill option for 15min.
Turn the fish and chicken on the other side,sprinkle oil and again grill for 15min.
Serve the fish and chicken platter with onion rings and lemon wedges :-)
Vada pav is a very popular snack of Maharashtra.Pav stands for bread or bun.Batata stands for potato.Vada pav mainly consists of batata vada sandwiched inside pav.
Ingredients -
pav(4)
potatoes(2 big)
green chillies(3-4)
garlic cloves(4)
asafoetida(hing)
turmeric powder
salt
fresh coriander leaves
gram flour(besan)
red chilly powder
water
oil for deep frying
Vada Pav Chutney -
garlic cloves(7-8)
red chillies(3-4)
freshly grated coconut(2-3 tbspns)
red chilly powder
salt
oil
Method -
Boil the potatoes and mash them.
Make a paste of garlic cloves and green chillies.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Add hing and garlic-chilly paste.
Add the mashed potatoes.Put in salt and turmeric powder.
Cook for 2 min and add fresh coriander leaves.
Mix together besan,turmeric powder(a pinch),salt,red chilly powder and water to form a batter.The batter should be little thick and not watery.
Make balls out of the potato mixture.
Dip them in the besan batter and deep fry till crispy(golden-brown).
Chutney preparation-
Heat 1 tspn oil in a pan.
Add the coconut and garlic to it.
Turn off the flame,let it cool and then grind this along with salt and red chilly.
Add red chilly powder and mix well.
Take 1 pav and divide it into 2.
Apply the chutney on one half.Place the vada over it and press with the other half.
Serve vada pav hot with tea :-)
A very easy and tasty carrot burfi recipe worth giving it a try :)
Ingredients -
carrot(1)
sugar
freshly grated coconut(3-4 tbspns)
ghee for greasing
Method -
Wash and peel the carrot.
Boil it so that it becomes soft enough to mash.Grate it now.
Mix together the grated carrot and coconut.
Measure this mixture in a bowl.This is important because you need to take the measure of sugar from this.
Take exactly th same quantity of sugar as the carrot-coconut mixture.
Heat a pan,add the sugar and carrot-coconut mixture to it.
Stir it continuously till the mixture gets hard.
Grease a plate with ghee.
When the mixture is done transfer it to the greased plate.
Flatten it with a spatula and cut into desired shapes.
Once the mixture hardens it is not possible to cut it hence cut it when hot.
Once cooled store carrot burfis in an air-tight container :-)
