Kadhai Paneer

Ingredients

• 8 oz Cottage cheese (paneer)
• 3 Bell peppers)
• 4 Onions
• 4 Tomatoes
• 1” Ginger
• 1 tsp Red chili
• 2 Bay leaves
• 4 Cloves 
• 1 stick Cinnamon
• Pinch of orange color
• 4 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
  

Method:
Cut cottage cheese, bell pepper in longitudinal pieces. Grind onion, tomato, ginger, salt, red chili powder and orange color. Crush cloves and cinnamon.

Heat clarified butter in a pan. Add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon. Then add onion, tomato, ginger paste. Continue cooking on medium flame till ghee/oil begins to separate.

Add cheese and bell pepper. Cook on a low flame. When bell peppers are done switch off stove.

Serve while hot with naan or parathas.

onion bhaji

onion bhaji (pakora or fritter), a fried appetizer of onions, potatoes, and spinach dipped in gram flour. Mmm. Fried. I rarely eat fried foods, but, when I do, I enjoy the heck out of them. These fried balls had subtle Indian spices peeking through the grease. its tasty....

Spicy Tiffin Eggs

Eggs are high in nutrients and can be a part of healthy diet. Children should be given an egg daily to promote growth. This egg preparation can be taken as a snack or included in your breakfast. These baked eggs have a crunchy brown crust on top, with each bite melting in your mouth.

Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 20 min Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 7 large eggs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 250 g grated carrot
• 2 heaped tbsp korma curry paste (available readymade in market)
• 200 g breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper, to season
• 85 g roasted cashews, finely chopped

Method

Put six of the eggs in a pan of cold water and bring to boil. Boil for five minutes, then cool quickly in cold water. Carefully shell them.

While the eggs are cooling, heat the oil and fry the onion for five minutes. Then add the carrot and cook for 10 minutes until soft. Stir in the curry paste and fry for a few minutes.

Stir in the breadcrumbs. When the mixture is cool, beat the remaining egg and stir in with the seasoning to make a paste.

Divide the mixture into six proportions and flatten with your hands. Then wrap one portion around each egg. The mixture will seal well as you press it together.

Roll each wrapped egg in the cashews and chill until ready to cook. The prepared eggs can be kept in the fridge overnight.

Heat the oven to 190-degree Celsius and bake the eggs for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for five minutes and then carefully cut in half using a very sharp knife. Serve with a bowl of mango chutney.

TIP: Wetting your hands while rolling and portioning the mixture makes the process easier.

Parsi Pakoras

     Paneer and Green Chutney Pakoras and Parsi Pakoras,

served with Tamarind-Date Chutney 

2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
vegetable oil, to deep fry
2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 green chilies, stems removed
small handful cilantro/coriander leaves
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 dried small red chili, or 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon salt, divided, plus more for boiling potatoes
2 very ripe bananas, peeled 
2/3 cup (160ml) water
1 1/2 cups (150g) gram (chickpea) flour 2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate (available at many Indian stores and supermarkets)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 

Par-boil the potatoes in salted water for 5-7 minutes, then drain and cool. When cool enough to handle, grate coarsely. Heat the vegetable oil to 350F/175C in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and deep fry the sliced onion until golden brown and caramelized. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Take the oil off the heat and reserve to fry the pakoras.

Put the green chilies, coriander, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender or mini processor and blend to a rough paste. Mash the bananas in a medium bowl, stir in the grated potatoes, onion, and spice paste. In a separate bowl mix together the water, chickpea flour, tamarind, baking soda, turmeric and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt until smooth. Combine with the vegetable mixture and stir just until combined.

Reheat the oil to 375F/190C. Deep-fry tablespoonfuls of the batter until brown, about 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

 Paneer and Green Chutney Pakoras 

I've been making this fantastic recipe for several years, and use it when I want a rich, sophisticated pakora. It represents the perfect marriage of piquant and creamy, and an additional bonus is that if you make the full recipe for green chutney you'll undoubtedly have some left over for dipping or any other purpose. As for the paneer cheese, you can make your own or take the fast route and buy a block in Indian stores and many supermarkets.
Source: Adapted from Neelam Batra's 1,000 Indian Recipes 

For green chutney:
2-5 fresh green chilies, stemmed
8 scallions, coarsely chopped
1 cup (250ml) fresh mint leaves, packed
2-3 cups (500-750ml)  fresh cilantro/coriander (about 1 large bunch), including soft stems
3-4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For pakoras:
8 oz (225g) paneer cheese, crumbled
1 teaspoon chaat masala
3/4 cup (75g) chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup (80ml) water

vegetable oil, for frying 

For the chutney, blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until pureed. Combine the paneer, chaat masala and 1/2 cup (125ml) of the chutney (save the rest for dipping) and set aside to marinate for 1-2 hours at room temperature. Mix the remaining ingredients for the batter in a separate bowl until smooth, and stir into cheese mixture.  If the mixture is too thick, stir in a couple more tablespoons water - it should be thick enough to hold its shape but not dry.

Heat the oil to 375F/190C. With wet hands, form balls of the mixture and deep fry until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Tamarind-Date Chutney
This might just be my favorite chutney, with its perfect balance of sweet, salty and sour and its unbelievable ease of preparation. In all honesty, though, I should admit that I rarely measure the ingredients, instead tasting my way to the perfect balance of flavors, so feel free to adjust the quantities here. Also, I've made it with and without dates; if you choose not to use them just add a little extra sugar to compensate.

8-10 large dates (such as medjool), pits removed
3/4 cup (packed) jaggery (Indian unrefined sugar) or dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (325ml) water
4 tablespoons tamarind concentrate or paste (available at Indian stores and many supermarkets), or to taste
1/4 teaspoon hot chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground garam masala
pinch black salt (optional, available at Indian stores)
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Place the sugar, dates and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 7-8 minutes, until the dates are very soft. Stir in the tamarind. Very carefully, pour the ingredients into a blender, clamp the lid down tight and blend until smooth (or blend in the pot with an immersion/stick blender). 

Return the mixture to the pot and boil until thick enough to thinly coat the back of a spoon (the chutney will thicken more as it cools). Stir in the spices and salt. Taste for seasoning: the chutney should be equal parts sweet, salty and sour. Add more tamarind, sugar or salt if any of these needs a boost. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. 

Green tomatoes and Green Tomato Chutney

GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY

(Makes 4 lb jars)

2lb green tomatoes (chopped)

8 oz onions (chopped)

1 lb cooking apples (peeled & chopped)

8 oz sultanas (or raisins, cranberries, chopped dried apricots etc)

8oz brown sugar

1 pint vinegar spiced or malt (but any other will do)

2 tablespoons mustard seed

1 inch fresh ginger (peeled & finely chopped) or 2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon (or spice of choice)

1. Put all ingredients into a large pan and bring to the boil.

2. Simmer uncovered until reduced to a thick mix. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking. It should take 2 3/4 to 3 hours. Test by scraping a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan. If the pan bottom shows clear for a while before the chutney slowly fills the gap then it is ready. (In other words there should be very little thin liquid sloshing around).

3. Put into hot sterilised jars and seal.

4. Label when cool. Chutneys improve in flavour if kept for at least a couple of weeks before use.

GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY
(Makes 4 lb jars)

2lb green tomatoes (chopped)
8 oz onions (chopped)
1 lb cooking apples (peeled & chopped)
8 oz sultanas (or raisins, cranberries, chopped dried apricots etc)
8oz brown sugar
1 pint vinegar spiced or malt (but any other will do)
2 tablespoons mustard seed
1 inch fresh ginger (peeled & finely chopped) or 2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon (or spice of choice)

1. Put all ingredients into a large pan and bring to the boil.
2. Simmer uncovered until reduced to a thick mix. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking. It should take 2 3/4 to 3 hours. Test by scraping a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan. If the pan bottom shows clear for a while before the chutney slowly fills the gap then it is ready. (In other words there should be very little thin liquid sloshing around).
3. Put into hot sterilised jars and seal.
4. Label when cool. Chutneys improve in flavour if kept for at least a couple of weeks before use.

Green Tomato Chutney simmering

Green Tomato Chutney - testing if it's ready. It is!

Green Chutney Recipe

Ingredients:


1 bunch coriander (cilantro) chopped
3-4 green chilies
1 small onion
1 lemon juice
3 tsp sugar
A pinch of amchur
2-3 flakes of garlic
Salt To Taste
red chili powder to taste

How to make coriander chutney :

• Mix and blend all ingredients thoroughly in a mixie to make a paste.
• Add little water if required. Your hari chutney is ready.

Shrikhand

I never thought of starting with something sweet... Huh...!!! bt here i am to share the recipe of shrikhand..

 Ingredients (approximate measurements) Serves 2

• 1-1/2 to 2 cups Greek Yogurt (No Greek style yogurt? See Note)
• 2 tbsp milk, warmed
• generous pinch of saffron threads
• 1/4-1/2 cups sugar (or as per taste)
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of cardamom powder or as per taste
• about 1 tbsp charoli nuts to garnish

Note:If you don’t have Greek styled yogurt, take plain yogurt, hang up in a clean muslin cloth for at least 4-5 hours (preferably overnight). Discard the whey. Use this thick yogurt for the recipe below.

Method

Take the warmed milk in a small bowl. You can heat it for few seconds in your m/w. Add the saffron to it, give it a quick stir and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

In another bowl, take the Greek Yogurt.

See how thick the yogurt is? The benefits are awesome – 1 cup of fat free Greek yogurt has about 20 gms protein. The thick yogurt is essential for this recipe.

Add sugar to it and mix.

I beat it well until well blended and smooth. It takes on a creamy consistency – about 5 minutes worth of making those muscles work!.

Now add the saffron milk along with the spices. You can add more cardamom powder if you like. Since everyone has different idea of how “strong” cardamom powder is, I recommend starting with little and adding more if needed. But keep the nutmeg bare minimum since it has strong flavor and little goes a long way.

Give them all a mix until well blended. You can chill this at this point since it helps to fuse the flavors well together. And this is traditionally a dessert which is served chilled.

Pour into glasses and top with charoli nuts along with saffron threads (optional of course). Simple, quick and a yummy low calorie dessert at your disposal