PANEER TAWA MASALA

Source of the recipe & acknowledgement:
http://www.ticklingpalates.com

Dear Radhika,
Thanks a lot for this lipsmacking recipe. Little changes I have made according to my taste and choice.

This is a such cottage cheese gravy which is absolutely lipsmacking. Very flavorful, delicious & fabulous gravy with tomato and cream, with grilled spicy cottage cheese, tempts anyone's attention. Grilled tasty paneer cubes, itself a very good appetizer and goes well with soft/hard drinks. Caraway seeds, carom seeds and dry fenugreek leaves give an ultimate delightful touch in it. So, enjoy this Paneer Tawa Masala!  

INGREDIENTS:
400 gm Cottage Cheese (paneer)
1/3 tsp Caraway seeds (shah jeera)
1/3 tsp Carom seeds (ajwain)
2 medium Onions (finely chopped)
4 Tomatoes (pureed)
2 tsps Ginger paste
2 tsps Garlic paste
4 Green Chillies (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
3/4 tsp Red Chilli powder
1 tbsp Coriander powder
2 tsps Chaat Masala
3/4 tsp Garam Masala
2 tbsps Dry Fenugreek Leaves (kasoori methi)
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Milk
4 tbsps Vegetable Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Make puree of tomatoes. Chop onions finely. Keep aside.

Cut cottage cheese in cubes.

In a bowl, marinate cottage cheese with 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, chaat masala, 2 tbsps dry fenugreek leaves, 1 tbsps oil and little salt. Mix thoroghly, so that cottage cheese cubes are coated well with the spices. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cover a baking tray with alluminium foil. Spray little cooking oil on it.

Spread cottage cheese cubes on the foil, keep a little room between every cube.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Bake the cottage cheese for 12-15 minutes. You can see the cottage cheese would be dried up. Keep aside. (You may also shallow fry these cubes on griddle, instead of baking, but it consumes more oil).

Now heat oil in a pan. Add caraway seeds and carom seeds. When it crackles, add onions and fry till it turns golden brown. Now add remaining ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chillies, remaining red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala to it. Saute for 2 minutes. Add tomato puree and salt in it. Fry till tomatoes leave oil from the side of the pan.

At this time add 1 cup of water in it. Mix well.

When water starts boiling, add cream in it. Fold well.

At this time add baked cottage cheese cubes in it. If the gravy is too thick, add milk in it. Fold nicely for 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from heat now.

Garnish with dry fenugreek leaves. Serve hot with rotis, naan or pulao.

 

TIPS: This grilled cottage cheese cubes also a very good snacks or appetizer. You may use this as a
         flavorful starter with any type of drink.

KHEJUR PAK / DATES BARFI

Today is Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, also known as Krishnashtami, Gokulashtami or Srikrishna Jayanti. So, today we, most of the Indians are offering our devotions to Lord Krishna and celebrating his birthday. As an Indian, I made Khejur Pak, an authentic Indian dessert to offer Lord Krishna. It is made by dates and different dry fruits. Coconut gives an extra enhancement and poppy seed gives more extra flavor. Very simple dry fruits rich 'Khejur Pak' recipe is stated below:

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb/500 gm Dates (khajur)
2 tbsps Poppy seeds
1/2 cup grated Coconut
1/2 cup chopped Cashew Nuts
1/2 cup chopped Almonds
1 tsp Cantaloupe seeds
1 tsp Dried Cherry
1 tbsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)
1 tbsp grated Coconut & few Almonds for garnishing

METHOD:
Chop dates finely.

Heat clarified butter in a frying pan. Add poppy seeds and coconut in it.

Saute till it turns golden. Now add chopped dates in it, fold well.

Reduce the flame on low. Stir continuously and mix well. Dates are getting soft and mashy now. Mix up very nicely after 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place the mixture on a tray covered with aluminium foil. By pressing with your both palms, spread the mixture on aluminium foil evenly.

Sprinkle with cashew nuts, almonds, cantaloupe seeds and dry cherries on the mixture.

Now fold from the side and make it roll on the aluminium foil.

Slowly give a shape like cyllinder by both palms. Press slightly.

Sprinkle little grated coconut on the top of the cyllinder and roll on it.

Cut in horizentally and give a square shape to each barfi.



Garnish with almonds and offer to Lord Krishna..............................

Enjoy this absolutely delectable Khejur Pak!!!

Linking to: Pari's 'Only'-Recipes From The Royal Kitchens @ Divya's culinary journey

Linking to: Virtual Eid Potluck party @ My culinary adventures



DAL TADKA

Source of the recipe and acknowledment

http://www.tomatoblues.com

Dear Anusha,
Thank you very much for this easy and wonderful healthy recipe.

I feel really great that I cooked this dish first time today. A recipe which comes out really scrumptious and fabulous one. I made little bit changes according to my taste, but it is exceptionally delicious and nutritious too.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Whole Red Lentils / Puy Lentils
1/4 cup Yellow Lentils (moong dal)
4 Green Chillies (chopped)
1 large Tomato (finely chopped)
1 large Onion (finely chopped)
1 tbsp minced Garlic
1 1/2 tbsps minced Ginger
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
2 dried Red Chilli
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Nigella seeds (kalonji)
2 tbsps finely chopped Coriander Leaves
1 tbsp Sour Cream
1 tsp Clarified butter (Ghee)
2 tbsps Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Wash both lentils thoroughly. Pressure cook the lentils with chopped tomatoes, green chillies, ginger, garlic and turmeric powder. Cook till 5-6 whistles. Allow to cool it naturally.

Heat oil in a pan. Add dry red chillies, mustard seeds, asafoetida and nigella seeds in it. Saute for 40 seconds. Now add onions in it. Fry till onion turns golden brown.

Now add cooked lentils alongwith sour cream and salt. Fold well.

When it starts to boil, add chopped coriander leaves and clarified butter in it. Switched off the heat and keep it covered for another 5 minutes. Mix well.

 Serve hot with rice or rotis.

DIMER DALNA / EGG POTATO CURRY

This is a simple Bengali recipe, very quick, can be made ready within 30 minutes. You may call it 'spicy egg curry with potatoes'.  The best thing is to crinkly, shallow fried skins of hard boiled eggs, which put further in spicy curry, really makes significant difference.

INGREDIENTS:
4 hard boiled Eggs (peeled)
4 small Potatoes (peeled & parboiled)
1 medium Onion (half diced & half paste)
1 tsp Garlic paste
1 tsp Ginger paste
3/4 cup Tomato puree
3/4 tsp Turmeric powder
2 Jalapeno (seeded and minced)
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp Sugar
2 tbsps fine chopped Coriander Leaves
1 tsp Clarified Butter (ghee)
4-5 tbsps Mustard Oil or vegetable Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Cut peeled eggs two/three shallow slits diagonally. Smear with little salt and keep aside for 15 minutes.

Cut each potato in two pieces.

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet. Fry potatoes and eggs seperately till those turn into golden brown. Remove from oil with slotted spoon and set aside. Leave remaining oil in the pan.

Add bay leaf, sugar and cumin seeds in the remaining oil. Saute for 30 seconds. Now add diced onions and jalapeno in it. Fry till onions turn golden brown. Add onion paste, garlic and ginger paste in it. Fry another 4- 5 minutes in medium heat.

Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and saute for 2 minutes. Now add tomato puree with salt in it. Fry for another 4-5 minutes, till tomatoes well mixed up with the spices and masalas, leaves oil from the side of skillet. Add fried eggs and potatoes in it, Fold well for 2-3 minutes.

Pour 1 cup warm water in it. Keep it covered on low flame for another 5 minutes. Add coriander leaves and clarified butter in it. Mix nicely. Remove from heat.

Serve hot with steamed rice, roti or naan.

DHANIYA PARATHA

This is an Indian flat bread with simple coriander leaves and few spices, hot and crisp, tastes fabulous and amazing. You wont be disappointed with this paratha recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
1&1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
1 cup chopped Coriander Leaves (cilantro)
1/4 tsp Carom seeds
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/3 tsp Dry mango powder (Amchur)
1/2 tsp Roasted Cumin (pounded)
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)
1/2 cup warm water
A pinch of Salt

METHOD:
In a large bowl, add all dry spices, salt and coriander leaves.

Add all purpose flour, oil. Mix nicely. Add warm water in it, knead very well. The dough will be soft.

Cover with a moist cloth and keep it for 30 minutes. Now make three equal balls from the dough.

Make three paratha by using a rolling pin. Heat a griddle, when it is enough hot, place one paratha on it.

Keep it as it is for 2-3 minutes, till one side is not cooked and turns golden brown. Then turn the other side, spread a little clarified butter on the both sides of paratha.

Follow the same process for rest of parathas.

Serve hot with any curry.

Linking to: Nithubala's healthy-food-for-healthy-kids-event @ Latha's A Peek into My Kitchen



CHICKEN KASHA

'Chicken kasha' is a very popular & typical Bengali chicken dish, almost prepared at every Bengali households. It is actually a semi-dry preparation of chicken, takes little longer time than any other chicken curry, but it will taste totally different and is worth the extra effort, if you have time. Truelly finger licking chicken recipe is stated below:

INGREDIENTS:
20 OZ/600 gm Chicken, cut in medium sized pieces
2 Medium sized Onions (chopped)
1&1/2 tbsps Ginger paste
1&1/2 tbsps Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 lemon juice
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
2-3 chopped Green Chillies (optional)
1/2 cup Tomato puree
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp Chicken masala
1/2 tsp Sugar
2 tbsps finely chopped Coriander Leaves
3 tbsps Oil
1 tsp Butter
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Clean and wash the chicken nicely. Make it pat dry.

Marinate the chicken with lemon juice, ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Refrigerate the marinated chicken for atleast 2 hours.

Heat oil in a wok. Add sugar in it. Saute for 20-30 seconds, let it turn brown (it adds a very nice colour to gravy). Add onions in it. Fry till onion turns into light brown. Now add tomato puree and green chillies in it. Fry till oil leaves from the side of wok.

Now add marinated chicken in it. Mix nicely. Cover and cook chicken for another 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add chicken masala, garam masala and salt in it. Fold well. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 10 minutes, stir occasionally.

Add chopped coriander leaves and butter in it. Switch off the heat. Keep covered for another 5 minutes. Fold well.

Serve hot with Roti, naan, paratha or pulao. Enjoy this fabulous chicken kasha!

TIPS: You may grind onion, green chillies and tomatoes and fry. It gives a thick gravy.
          Personally I like to use chopped onions, it gives a better taste.
          You may add whole garam masala (e.g. clove, cardamom and cinnamon) instead
          of garam masala powder, it turns out great.
          Typical chicken kasha may be cooked in mustard oil, but I like to prepare it in
          vegetable oil.

Linking to: Pari's 'Only'-Recipes From The Royal Kitchens @ Divya's culinary journey

 

Linking to: Virtual Eid Potluck party @ My culinary adventures