Bajji Milagai Thogaiyal, T&T Kadai Paneer

So I am back... A whirlwind trip I should say! Phew... But we thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it! This time it has been a pure mana Andhra affair as parents have also shifted base to AP by virtue of dad's work and in-laws always been in AP. Thankfully we didn't get affected by any of the current political situation.

Needless to say, how it feels to be with parents and relatives after a long gap of one year! Lots of pampering and good food has generously donated a few extra kgs and a few inches around the waist line! ;) But who cares!!! This is the time to binge on all those stuff we miss abroad. So did I!
Coming to our recipe of the day, I apologise for not posting the picture of the same; my laptop has been formatted and I am yet to install the photo editors and camera-related softwares. So I shall update the pic as soon as I can! But be assured, this has been one of the tastiest thogaiyal/pachadi my MIL prepares and a true spicy andhra accompaniment for rice, idlis, dosas. I have always regarded this yummy Mirchi as a 'bajji' thing and was pleasantly surprised to know that it tastes so well in the form of thogaiyal and also as a sambar-veggie.

Image Courtesy: Wikipedia

Do try this one and you'll know why I am raving about it so much!

Bajji Milagai Thogaiyal / Mirchi Chutney
A chutney/dip made from Chilli Peppers

What we need:
Bajji Milagai / Mirapakaya / Chilli Peppers - 5 to 6
Tamarind - a lemon sized ball
Salt - according to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp.

For tempering:
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Mustard - 1 tsp.
Cumin - 1 tsp.
Broken Urad dal - 1 tsp.

How to do:
1. Wash, cut and de-seed the chillies.
2. Heat a tbsp. of oil in a pan and fry the chillies till the they turn soft.
3. Allow them to cool and blend to a smooth paste along with tamarind, salt. Do not add water.
4. Heat a tbsp. of oil and add the mustard, followed by cumin and urad dal. When they are done, add the blended mixture and keep stiring them till oil starts to separate. Remove from flame.
5. Cool it and transfer to an air-tight jar. This has a longer shelf life and comes very handy during travel.

Serve with steaming hot rice drizzled with sesame oil and a roasted papad. Now, do I hear you saying,"Mmmmm....." ? :)

T&T Kadai Paneer from Vidya's blog


How many times in a month would you like to eat Paneer? I never, never, never get tired of this one. Sometimes it gets boring when we make the same stereo-typed recipes again and again. So when my dear friend, Sree Vidya posted this Kadai Paneer, I slurped, rolled my sleeves and got into action. It was yummy and so flavorful that I had to click it straight from the pan; the moment it got transferred to the serving bowl, there was no stopping me and DH!! He he.. The only change was adding red capsicum instead of the green ones. Thanks Vidya, it was a definitely wonderful recipe!

So see you all soon with another interesting post! Till then, Happy Cooking and Happy Blogging!

Vegetable Pulav, T&T Chilly Paneer

Yay, I'm back! Thanks a bunch friends, for all your concerns, tips and wishes, my laptop has gotten itself some life and is normal (at least as I am typing this post!) For anybody who is facing this issue, I uninstalled and re-installed my Anitvirus and did a couple of malware scans and that did the trick. Please do write to me if you would like to have the complete steps.

Coming to our recipe for today, Vegetable Pulav is one yummy, complete meal that is a sure hit in most of our homes, be it a party or a lazy sunday lunch! I have about half-a-dozen pulav recipes, with difficulty level ranging from easy to high, the simplest (yet tasty) one being my MIL's version. I shall post that some time soon!

Here is a version that calls for a little bit for work before hand, but is well worth the effort. So without much talks, let's see how I made Vegetable Pulav.

Vegetable PulavBasmati rice cooked with marinated vegetables and spices
Serves 2


What we need:
Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Onion, big sized - 1, thinly sliced
Tomato, big sized - 1, roughly chopped
Vegetables - 1 cup ( I have used Carrot, Beans, Peas, Cauliflower, Potato)
Soya chunks - a handful - Optional
Green chillies - 2 or 3, minces
Mint leaves - less than a handful
* Pulav Masala powder - 1 tbsp.
Bay leaf - 1
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp.
Ghee/Oil - 3 tbsp.
Water - 3 cups
Salt - according to taste
Coriander - chopped, for garnish

To marinate:
Thick Curd - 3 to 4 tbsp.
Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp.
Cumin powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Salt - a little
Kasoori Methi - 2 tbsp., crushed
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp. - Optional
A few mint leaves

* If you don't have store-bought Pulav masala, you can dry-roast 3 to 4 cloves, 1" inch cinnamom stick, a black cardamom, 2 or 3 green cardamom, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and powder them.

How to do:
1. Wash well and soak the basmati rice in water for 30 to 40 minutes.
2. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients given under 'To marinate'. To this, add the vegetables and give a good mix. If you are adding soya chunks, boil them for 3 to 4 minutes, squeeze the excess water and add them to the marinade. Let this also sit for 30 minutes.
3. Heat ghee/oil and add the bay leaf and cumin seeds.
4. When they are done, add the onion, green chilli, mint leaves and saute well.
5. When the onions turn translucent, add the tomatoes, salt and Pulav masala powder.
6. After the tomatoes turn soft, add in the marinated vegetables and the remaining marinade if any.
7. Drain and add the rice; mix well. Now add water (1 cup of rice: 1.5 cups of water)and cook till the rice is done.

Notes:
Take care when adding salt, as our marinade has a bit of salt.
If you are using Pressure cooker, in step 7, add boiling water, add a few drops of lemon juice and cook for 1 whistle.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with a raita of your choice!!

T&T Chilly Paneer from Kanchan's Personal Tadka

Paneer is my all-time favorite ingredient, and am sure it is for most of us too! (That is evident from so many Paneer-related events in the blogsphere!) But for snacks, I stick diligently to Paneer tikkas or Paneer bites. Kanchan's Chilly Paneer kept coming back to me, so I made it one evening. Only change I did was to add red bell peppers instead of green ones, as I didn't get the green ones that week.
And the outcome: DH and myself, ate in complete silence!!! It was sooooo tasty and finger-licking-delicious (in our case, fork-licking!) Thanks Kanchan, I am passing to you my DH's thanks too :)

See you all soon! Till then, Happy Cooking and Happy Blogging!

Mutter Paneer, T&T Snakegourd Poriyal/Kura

It took me some time to realise "Less is More"! If you are wondering what I am talking about, it is about the number of columns I was considering in my new template! Though my older one wasn't that bad, I wanted a change. I strongly follow the mantra "Variety is the spice of Life" (although there are exceptions ;) ) Hope you like this new look; please do let me know if there is room for any improvisation!

Coming to our recipe for today, Mutter Paneer is one of those favorite dishes we like to order when eating out. I hadn't considered making it at home, but then one fine day I was bored with the usual Paneer Butter Masala and wanted some different side for the rotis. Hence presenting you the yummy "Mutter Paneer"..

Mutter Paneer
Indian Cottage cheese and Green Peas cooked in rich creamy gravy
Serves 2

What we need:
Paneer - 150 g, cut into 1" inch cubes
Green Peas - 1 cup, frozen/fresh
Onion, big - 1
Tomato, big - 1
Tomato puree - 2 tbsp.
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tbsp.
Kasoori Methi (Dry fenugreek leaves) - 4 to 5 tsp., crushed
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Cumin powder - 1 tsp.
Garam Masala - a pinch
Cumin - 1 tsp.
Salt - according to taste
Heavy cream - 3 to 4 tbsp.
Butter/Ghee - 1 tbsp.
Water - as needed

How to do:
1. Blanch the Onions (i.e. boil them as whole in water for 10 minutes with vetical slits) and grind them to a smooth paste. Chop the tomatoes finely. If you are using fresh green peas, cook/microwave them till they are soft.
2. Heat ghee or butter in a pan and fry the paneer cubes till they start to turn brown. Drain and keep them in warm water.
3. In the remaining ghee/butter, add the cumin seeds. Whey they crackle, add the ground onion paste, followed by ginger-garlic paste and salt.
4. Fry till the mixture turns brown and the raw smell of garlic starts to leave.
5. Now add the tomato, tomato puree (diluted with little water). Fry till the oil starts to separate.
6. Stir in all the dry powders except garam masala and half of the Kasoori Methi and give a good mix.
7. Now add green peas and half a cup of water. Bring to a boil, and add the paneer pieces.
8. Sprinkle the remaining Kasoori Methi, garam masala and add the heavy cream. Mix well and remove from stove top after a minute.

Garnish with fresh chopped coriander and serve with roti, naan or parathas.

Note:
I add chopped tomato to give a texture; you can also omit it and increase the tomato puree.
Be generous when adding cream, it gives a really good taste and texture.
For added spicy tasty, add some chopped green chillies in step 3.

T&T - Snakegourd/Podalangai Poriyal/Kura from Rak's kitchen and Prathiba's blog

Snake-gourd or podalangai falls under the not-so-interesting category for DH. He doesn't fuss, but from his consumption, it will be evident that he doesn't prefer it either. So I was determined to make him like this vegetable. So when Raji and Prathiba posted two different varieties of the same poriyal, I decided to give both a try.

Raji's version:
I add either coconut or onion but not both. So Raji's version was new to me. Adding some dal to the vegetable made it all the more healthy and tasty. It was a welcome change for the usual Poriyal I make and both of us loved it! Thanks Raji dear, for sharing it!

Prathiba's version:
Adding coconut wasn't new, but grinding them along with green chillies and then adding them was something that caught my attention in Prathiba's kura. Turmeric powder altered the boring smell of the vegetable and coconut-green chilli mix enhanced the taste many folds, and made the kura utterly yummy. So thanks Prathy, we both enjoyed every bit of it!
So that's all for now folks! See you all soon! Till then, Happy Cooking, happy Eating and Happy Blogging!

Paneer Pulav, Reposts, Awards

Uff... A gentle bark shook me out of the reverie! It was our neighbour's playful Jack Russell on his morning walk who pulled me out of the daydream. I had been sitting on my dining table munching by favourite butter croissant, scratching my brain looking for something to write about this recipe!

But no, I am at loss of words, my mind preoccupied with my forthcoming Deutsch Certification exam that is driving me to my wits' end! Okies, it is not rocket-science; but I always get this familiar queasy feel in my abdomen whenever there is an exam, big or small, awaiting me! ;)

So with no more further rants, I am going to the recipe. This is a very simple, easy to make Pulav in a short time, provided you have paneer in your fridge!

Paneer PulavIndian Cottage Cheese cooked with basmati rice and mild spices
Serves 2

What we need:
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Paneer - 100 g, cut into 1" inch cubes
Onion, medium sized - 1, finely chopped
Tomato, medium sized - 1, finely chopped
Green Chilli - 1 or 2, minced
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp.
Cumin (Jeera) seeds - 1 tbsp.
Chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Jeera powder - 1 tbsp.
Dhania powder - 1 tbsp.
Mint leaves - 5 to 6
Salt - as needed
Oil - 2 tbsp.
Water - 3 cups
Kasoori Methi - 1 tbsp.
Saffron - a pinch, dissolved in water Optional
Fresh chopped Coriander - 2 to 3 tbsp.

How to do:
1. Wash and soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil and fry the paneer cubes till they turn slight brown. Drain and set aside, preferably in warm water.
3. In the remaining oil, add Cumin and allow it to sputter. Now add the onions, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and salt. Fry till the onions turn brown.
4. Add the tomato, mint leaves, chilli powder, jeera powder, dhania powder. Mix well and fry till oil starts to separate.
5. Drain and add the basmati rice and mix. Add 3 cups of water (1 cup of rice: 1.5 cups of water). Cover and cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
6. When all the water gets evaporated, and holes start to form on the surface of rice, add the paneer cubes, crushed kasoori methi and mix.
7. Let this cook for another 6 to 7 minutes, or until the rice is done.
8. Dissolve the saffron powder in a tbsp of water/milk and drizzle it over the rice.

Remove from flame and let this sit for 3 to 4 minutes. Mix well, garnish with coriander and serve hot with onion raitha.

Note: Addition of Saffron is purely optional. Usually it is done only in biriyanis; but when added in Pulav, it gives a nice flavor and color. Pssst... it tastes so good the next day!! ;)
Since Paneer is the Indian Cottage Cheese, sending this entry to Say Cheese event @ Sara's Corner

Also I am re-posting my other Paneer dishes for the same event

Palak Paneer, Paneer Butter Masala, Paneer Bites

Now coming to awards, It is raining awards again! :) Vidya has been so generous to pass on these awards!






Don't miss her blog; She has a neat, well-organized space and a wonderful collection of recipes! Thanks Vidya, it was so sweet of you!

Since I had already passed on the first 3 awards, I would like to pass on these 2 awards:





to my buddies Pavithra, Sree, Sangeetha, Jeyashri, Raje, Nithya

To be honest, I am so sad to pick out just 6 people to pass the awards. I really don't want to miss anyone as I absolutely enjoy reading each and every one of your blog! So I am sorry to have missed some of you!

Happy cooking and happy Blogging!

Paneer Puff Flowers

How many times have we started to do something, ending up with something else? How many of us start doing something simple, ending up with something exotic? Well, I am also just one of you who is now nodding in agreement. What started out as a simple paneer puff, resulted in Paneer Puff Flowers!! :) Yay, I am all set to send this to 2 upcoming events!!

To cut the long story short, there was a portion of pastry sheet in my fridge calling for attention. I decided to make some paneer puffs to go with evening tea, that way I can also use up the small amount of paneer remaining. I didn't seal the flap of the puff properly which resulted in the puff opening up like a flower ;) But I was still skeptical if it was luck or it happened naturally. So I made another batch just to confirm that this way puff sure opens up!!

Paneer Puff Flowers

What we need:
Puff pastry sheet - a small packet or about 100 g
Paneer - 100 g
Onion, medium sized - 1, finely chopped
Green chillies - 1 or 2, minced
Garlic - 2 pods, minced
Ginger - 1" inch, grated
Kasoori methi - 2 or 3 tbsp., crushed Optional
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp.
Cumin (Jeera) powder - 1 tbsp.
Cumin - 1 tbsp.
Oil - as needed
Salt - as needed

How to do:
For the filling:
1. Grate the paneer.
2. Heat oil in a pan add cumin seeds. When they start to sputter, add onion, green chilli, garlic and ginger. Fry till the onion turn soft.
3. Now add grated paneer, chilli powder, salt. Mix well and add crushed Kasoori methi.
4. Remove from flame and let it cool.

For the pockets:

1. Cut out the pastry sheet as much as required. Dust a little bit of flour and roll out the sheet to a large square.
2. Cut out into medium sized squares as in step 2.
3. Take a spoonful of cooled paneer mixture and heap it in the center of the square.
4. Bring together the opposite ends (diagonal ends) and seal lightly with the tip of finger. Do not press too hard.
5. Do the same with the other ends. Before sealing the fourth end, it will look as in step 4. (How stupid of me to forget to click them with all sides sealed!) Make as many pockets as desired.

Baking:
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees for 5 minutes. Arrange the pockets on a baking sheet and drizzle a little bit oil over the pockets, if required.
2. Keep the sealed side on the top and bake the pockets in the oven in 200 to 250 degrees for 5 minutes.
3. Now turn them to the other side and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes or till the side starts to turn brown.
4. Now that the back side is evenly browned, flip the pockets back to the top and again bake it for 5 to 7 minutes. By now, the sealed edges will open up and look like petals.
5. Carefully set them on a serving plate and serve with tomato or chilli sauce.

Since this is a high-cal food, I felt it should be balanced with a healthy company. So I garnished with carrots, lightly steamed green peas, and baby corn.

Sending this entry to:
1. Nithya and Pavithra's "Garnish the Dish"

2. Though I don't have one yet to vouch it :) , I am sure kids will love this dish. Hence to Srivalli's Kid's Delight

Happy cooking!!

Paneer-liciously Yours!!!

I know, by now the title should have suggested my love for Paneer...! So is the case with my dear hubby. As I has said in my previous post, I have started trying out different varieties with this yummy dairy product and the results are always edible!

But Paneer Bhurji was one recipe that didn't come up to my expectation. Because when I grate and add paneer, I feel that oil starts coming out of the dish, and in the end, I end up having more oil in my plate that what I had actually added. Maybe it is my mistake in the way of doing it.

So I have started chopping Paneer into fine small pieces (yes, of course a lot of work, but really worth the effort!). Now I see that it is no more oily as it used to be. And yes, the texture of the dish is too good, as the pleasure of biting into chunky paneer pieces is definitely INCREDIBLE!

Quick Paneer Bites
Indian cottage cheese snack
Serves 2
What we need:
Paneer - 150 g, chopped into small fine pieces
Onion, medium sized - 1, finely chopped
Tomato, medium sized - 1, finely chopped
Green chillies - 1 or 2, minced
Ginger - 1", grated
Garlic - 2 to 3 pods, minced
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp.
Cumin (Jeera) powder - 1 tbsp.
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Cumin (Jeera) seeds - 1 tbsp.
Kasoori Methi (Dried Fenugreek) - 2 tbsp.
Salt - as needed
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Chopped Coriander - for garnishing

How to do:
1. Heat oil in a pan, and add the cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle, add onion and salt.
2. Fry till the onions turn soft. Add green chillies, ginger, garlic. (You can also use a tbsp. of ginger-garlic paste).
3. Once they are done, add the tomato and dry powders (chilli, turmeric, jeera powders). Stir and mix well till the tomatoes are soft.
4. Now half of the kasoori methi (crush gently before adding) and the paneer. Mix well, and coat the paneer pieces with the masala.
5. Reduce the flame and let this sit for 3 to 4 minutes.
6. When the paneer starts turning brown, add the remaining kasoori methi and remove fro flame.

Garnish with fresh chopped coriander and serve as a snack. It also goes well with rotis and naan as a dry side dish.

Paneer Butter Masala

This dish is one item that recurs every time we go to a restaurant! It is our love for paneer, and simplicity of the dish that makes me crave for it. Having smitten by "Paneer Bug", nowadays I am trying out a lot of varieties in Paneer, and this one never fails me.

Tastes best with Rotis and Nan, my (weird) choice is to have it with Chinese Veg. Fried rice. (Psst, it tastes so good!!)

Paneer Butter Masala
Indian Cottage cheese cooked in mildly spiced gravy
Serves 2

What we need:
Paneer - 150 g, cut into cubes
Butter/Oil - 3 to 4 tbsp
Tomato Puree - 1 cup
Green Chillies - 1, minced
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tbsp.
Cumin (Jeera) Seeds - 1 tbsp.
Chilli powder - 2 tsp.
Cumin powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1tsp.
Yoghurt - to 4 tbsp.
Garam masala - 1 tsp. Optional
Coriander - for garnishing
Kasoori Methi/Dry Fenugreek Leaves - 1 tbsp. Optional
Salt - as needed

How to do:
1. Heat Oil (or butter) in a kadai and fry the paneer. Drain and keep it aside.
2. Heat the remaining butter (or oil) and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the ginger-garlic paste and green chillies.
3. When they are done, add the tomato puree, turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder and salt.
4. Fry well till the oil starts to separate. Now add 3 to 4 tbsp. of yoghurt and stir well. Reduce the flame to low.
5. Add the fried paneer cubes, mix well, and sprinkle a tsp. of garam masala.
6. Remove from the stove and garnish with fresh chopped coriander.

Note:
1. Sprinkle crushed Kasoori methi for a better flavor (at step 5).
2. If dealing with calories is not a problem, you can drizzle a dollop of butter over the gravy before serving.
3. Those who don't eat garlic, can omit it and use only ginger. It has a flavor of its own.

Palak Paneer - An unbeatable partner for Naan!

So, having ended my cold war with palak, I have now started experimenting this nutritious greens in my daily menus.

The other day, I switched-over to my SCIENTIST mode (to the horror of V!) and tried my hand at Palak Paneer. Not to mention that I had a backup plan of ready-made Aloo Mutter if this doesn't come out well! :) But luckily, it was lip-smacking!!

Do try out and let me know if it was the same for you as well!

Palak Paneer
Indian Cottage cheese cooked in a spinach gravy
Serves 2

What we need:
Spinach leaves - 200 g (or Frozen Creamed Spinach - 150 g)
Tomato puree - 2 cups (made of 1 big ripe Tomato)
Paneer - 100 g, cut to 1" inch cubes
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Cumin powder - 1 tbsp.
Dhania powder - 1 tbsp.
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Ginger paste - 1/2 tbsp.
Garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp.
Asafetida - 1 pinch
Oil/Butter - as needed
Salt - as needed
Cream - 3 to 4 tbsp.

How to do:
Preparing the palax mix:

1. Wash, clean and boil the spinach leaves.
2. Drain the excess water, allow them to cool and blend them in a mixer.
This step can totally be avoided, if you are using the frozen spinach.

Main preparation:
1. Heat Oil in a pan/kadai and fry the Paneer cubes till they start to brown out on the edges. Remove them, set them aside.
2. Heat Oil/Butter in a kadai and add cumin seeds.
3. When they start to sizzle, add a pinch of asafetida and red chilli.
4. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder.
5. When the raw smell of garlic starts to leave, add the tomato puree, salt, cumin powder, dhania powder.
6. Fry till the oil starts to separate from the gravy.
7. Now add the Spinach. (Spinach stock can be added at this point if you want to loosen/dilute the gravy a little)
8. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
9. Now add the fried paneer, cream, mix well and remove from the flame.

Serve with Naan and rotis. Indeed an irresistible combo, isn't it? :)