Green Peas Paneer/Matar Paneer

A chunk of a paneer and fistful of peas are left over in refrigerator. So thought of preparing Matar paneer with rotis.This North Indian dish is a lip smacking recipe @ my home.Coming to the recipe..

Ingredients:

• 250 gms Paneer
• 1 cup fresh peas
• 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp green chilli paste,ginger paste,garlic paste
• 2 tomatoes finely chopped
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• pinch of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Kasuri methi(optional)
• 1 tsp malai(meegada)
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• salt to taste
• oil for frying

Procedure:

1. In a large wok heat oil and once it is hot add onions ,saute till transparent.
2. Add ginger garlic,green chilli paste,turmeric powder and combine
3. Now add tomatoes and bring to a boil until the oil separates.
4. Mean while saute the paneer pieces in 1 tsp ghee till they turn into light brown color.
5. Add 1 cup of water,green peas,paneer and boil for 5 minutes.
6. Add garam masala powder,chilli powder,malai,kasuri methi and cook for 5 more minutes.
7. Serve hot with rotis.

Sending this post to event hosted by akila Dish Name Starts with G

Masala Jeedipappu/Masala Cashew

A very quick nutritious snack.With a bit of chilli powder and dallop of ghee you can pass around with drinks when you warm up guests.Preparing this is little tricky.Sprinkling the masala powder on roasted cashews makes masala and ghee stick to the vessel instead of cashews.Take a wide plate and spread cashews.Now sprinkle the masala powder and toss well until the masala coats well to the cashews.

Oats Buttermilk

I am not a good fan of oats.But Sri likes to have oats as a part of breakfast/dinner. The other day when I was going through some journal's health column it was mentioned that oats when consumed with buttermilk than milk is more healthy and helps in reducing weight faster.Though Sri and me are not obese to follow this recipe,I just want to try this combination as I heard fr first time.This can be prepared in jiffy and I love the taste of the recipe of course I love all recipes made of buttermilk.Coming to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quaker oats
• 1 cup thick butter milk
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp chopped green chillies
• 1 tsp chopped ginger
• pinch of Asafoetida 

Procedure:

1. Boil oats until they become soft.
2. Add the boiled oats in butter milk and combine with all ingredients.
3. Serve cold.You can also add curry leaves and cilantro which enhances the taste.

Chicken Fry

My sister is one big chicken freak and Srikanth too. They will eat it for breakfast too if possible. This simple recipe learned from my mom is a hot favorite to all of my family members.

Ingredients:

• 500 gm chicken(cane be either bone/boneless)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp oil for frying

Coarse Powder:

• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder(adjust as per spice levels)
• 2 tbsp grated dry coconut
• 8-10 garlic pods

Procedure:

1. Wash the chicken thoroughly in Luke warm water.
2. In a deep pan add 1 cup water,chicken pieces,turmeric powder and salt.
3. Cook until all the water evaporates stirring in between.
4. Once the water is about to evaporate reduce the flame to low.
5. Add oil and stir it carefully so that the chicken pieces do not break for 2 minutes.
6. Now grind the ingredients mentioned in the coarse powder and add to chicken.
7. Stir fry so that all the pieces are well coated with masala powder.
8. Cook for 3-5 minutes and serve hot along with rotis/rice.

Rotini Pasta-tomato twist

Though Pasta is an Italian cuisine there is a short shorty on its birth.Pasta is believed to have originated in China, but it was rediscovered by Marco Polo, an Italian explorer who ventured to China in the time of the Yuan Dynasty. After Polo's visit, he brought back the noodle to Italy, where it was modified. There are different varieties of pasta based on its shape. This post is on Rotini Pasta..Rotini is a type of helix shaped pasta mostly consumed with tomato based sauces. Coming to the recipe..

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rotini Pasta
• 1 big tomato cooked and pureed
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 small onion grated(yes its grated not chopped)
• 4 garlic pods chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• pinch paprika
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano(optional)
• 1 tsp olive oil

Procedure:

1. Add olive oil in a deep pan and once it is hot saute garlic and onion for few minutes.
2. Now add tomato puree, on boiling add pasta and all other ingredients.
3. Open cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
4. At the end reduce heat to low and stir continuously so that the puree is absorbed by pasta.Turn off the stove when pasta absorbs all the ingredients.
5. Serve hot.

Thota kura aloo fry

Bunch of amarnath leaves were sitting in the refrigerator.Today I want to try some new recipe with this greeny vegetable.When I was go-ogling I found the combination of stir frying amarnath with my(of course everyone's) all time favorite aloo in Sailu ji's blog.Especially I just want this recipe to be consumed by my sister as she avoids greeny vegetables.The taste is heavenly and my sister too liked it. 

Coming to the recipe..

Ingredients:

• 2 large potatoes peeled,cut into small cubes and cooked
• 2 large bunches of amarnath leaves
• 1 medium sized onion cut into small pieces
• pinch f turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsps oil

For popu/tadka:

• pinch of mustard seeds,fenu greek seeds,cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black gram
• 2 red chillies teared into small pieces
• curry leaves
• coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp Chick Pea powder/pappula podi
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp roasted grated dry coconut(optinal)

Procedure:

1. Boil amarnath leaves and aloo separately.Drain water and keep aside.
2. In a pan add oil,once it is hot add all popu seeds on spluttering add onion pieces.
3. When the onion pieces turns transparent add turmeric powder,red chilli and saute for 2 minutes.
4. Now add boiled amarnath and aloo to the popu and saute for few seconds.
5. Add pappula podi/chick pea powder,red chilli powder,roasted coconut and cook for 5-8 minutes.
6. Finally garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis/rice.

Phirni

Phirni is a kind of kheer made from rice and milk. This dessert of rice is thickened in milk, set in earthenware cups with nuts.It is a tradition in Bangladesh to serve Phirni in Eid days for Muslims.The dish is mostly consumed at Muslim weddings and prepared on the feasts of Eid ul Fitr.Mostly eaten in  majority areas of North India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. This can be prepared in flavors of mango,saffron etc. Tahemeem should know more on this recipe..Are you there dear!!...
Coming to recipe..

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsps Basmati rice soaked in water and made into fine paste,
• 1 ltr low skimmed milk,
• pinch of cardamom powder,
• 1 cup sugar,
• 10-15 pistachios,blanched,peeled and sliced,
• pinch of saffron color.

Procedure:

1. Bring milk to a boil. Add rice paste dissolved in a little water or cold milk. 
2. Cook till rice is completely cooked, stirring constantly otherwise it forms lumps.
3. Add saffron and mix well.
4. Now add sugar and cardamom powder and cook till sugar is completely dissolved. 
5. Pour into earthenware and garnish with pistachios. 
6. Chill in a refrigerator for an hour before serving. 

Saturday Brunch:Aloo-Gajar Kati roll/mushroom soup/Raw Mango dal

I was so busy this week with office work and could not blog any posts.Last week I visited in laws house and totally enjoyed roaming here and there .. no cooking.... no status calls..nothing.. hmm .. so I don't have no posts in drafts too to submit..During week days there is a sort of routine in the food too. So I try to avoid routine food and spend much time in kitchen as the weekend provides two days to recharge. This week end its veggie brunch in my home. I prepared alu-gajar kati roll for breakfast and mushroom soup for appetizer following rice with mamidikaya pappu,rasam and thick curd.

Kati roll is street-food originating from Kolkata.pretty much any filling rolled up in any kind of Indian flatbread is called a kati roll. Kati Roll comes in a large number of variants. The innovations tend to be in two areas - the fillings or the wrap. Common variants on the filling are egg, potato, paneer, mixed vegetables and curried chicken or mutton.One can put various kinds of sauces, a dash of vinegar, a squeeze of lime, sometimes a shake of chaat masala and maybe some julienned carrots.I tried with julienned carrots and aloo along with some green peas.

Kati Roll Ingredients:

For rotis:

• 1 cup atta(wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup low fat milk
• pinch of salt

For filling:

• 1 cup julienned carrots, aloo
• fistful of boiled peas
• 1 tbsp green chilli ginger garlic paste
• pinch of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp amchur powder
• 1 onion finely sliced
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsps oil
• small cup green chutney(mandatory)

Procedure:

1. Dissolve salt in 1 tbsp of water and mix with wheat flour,slowly add milk and form a soft dough.Cover with you lid for 10 minutes until you prepare the filling.
2. Heat oil in a vessel, add the ginger-green chili-garlic paste and saute for few secs. Add blanched carrots, alu, green peas and saute for 10 mts.  Add turmeric pwd, amchur powder,salt and coriander powder and combine.Pour 1/4 cup of water and cook until water evaporates.Turn off heat.
3. In a small bowl, combine the raw sliced onions with green chutney and keep aside.
4. Prepare rotis and let the cook lightly on both sides.
5. Spread some onion green chutney filling and place 2 tbsps of carrot-aloo filling in the center of the roti. Now roll the roti to form a roll and wrap  the lower part in an aluminium foil.Serve hot.

Procedure for preparing Green Chutney:

• 1/2 cup coriander leaves
• fistful of mint leaves
• dash of lemon juice
• 1 tbsp ginger-green chilli paste
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsps water

Wash coriander and mint leaves thoroughly,drain water. Grind all the ingredients mention above into fine paste.

Mushroom Soup:

Ingredients:

• 4 mushrooms cleaned and chopped into small pieces
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 2 tbsp spring onion greens cut into small pieces
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• 2 cups water
• salt to taste
• pinch of pepper powder

Procedure:

1. Add mushrooms,garlic paste to water and boil till mushrooms are soft.
2. Now add pepper powder and salt.
3. Combine corn flour with 1 tbsp of water and add slowly to the boiling mixture.Mix it well.Cornflour adds thick consistency to the soup.
4. Finally add spring onion greens and serve with corn flake crumbs.
5. Serves as a very good appetizer.

Mamidikaya pappu:

Summer is about to start and rythu bazar(Sabzi Mandi) is full of raw mangoes. I love recipes of raw mango in any form like pachadi or pappu.I remember those hot sunny summer school days where mom was busy in preparing pickles.I used to take of handful of mango pieces and eat along with salt and chilli powder.. Yummmmmmm.. the thought itself makes my mouth water,hope yours too..The combination of raw mango with lentil dal is a heavenly recipe.Coming to the recipe its very easy and can be prepared in few minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup lentil/tur dal
• 1/2 cup raw mango pieces(adjust as per sour levels)
• 4 green chillies
• a pinch of turmeric powder
• salt to taste

For popu/tadka:

• few mustard seeds,fenu greek seeds,cumin seeds
• 2 red chillies
• 5-6 garlic pods
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 medium sized onion cut into small pieces
• few curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Procedure:

1. Soak tur dal for 20 minutes. Pressure cook dal,mango pieces,turmeric powder upto 4 whistles or until dal gets soft.
2. Mash the dal and keep side.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard,fenu greek and cumin seeds.On spluttering add onion pieces and saute till transaparent.
4. Now add garlic pods,red chillies. Combine the above popu and dal and cook for few minutes.
5. Finally add coriander leaves and serve hot with a dallop of ghee.