Paneer Bhurji

Ingredients(Serves –4 ):

Paneer                          -- 250 gms
Onion                            -- ½ cup, finely chopped
Ginger Garlic Paste  -- 1 tsp
Green Chillies             -- 2
Tomato                         -- ¼ cup, chopped
Turmeric Powder     -- ¼ tsp
Garam Masala            -- ½ tsp
Cumin seeds               -- ¼ tsp
Coriander leaves      -- 1 - 2 sprigs
Oil                                   -- 1 tbsp
Salt                                 -- as required

Preparation :

If you are making paneer at home(refer here), you can avoid the steps of shaping it up. If using store brought paneer, grate it and keep aside.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add the cumin seeds, chopped onions, green chillies and ginger garlic paste. Saute until the onions turn brown.

Add the tomatoes and saute until they turn mushy.

Add turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt mix well. Saute until the raw smell goes off.

Add paneer and saute until the paneer blends into the masala.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.

Pappadam

Ingredients (Yields 20 - 25 based on size):

       Urad Dal whole        -  1 cup
       Baking soda             -  ½ tsp
       Salt                           -  1½ - 2 tsp    
       Oil                            -   2 - 3 tsp
       Water                        -  ½ cup

       All purpose flour      -  as required, while rolling

Preparation:

       Grind the urad dal into a fine powder. Sieve it using a strainer/sieve with small holes.

       Add the baking soda and salt to the urad flour. Give a quick mix. Add oil and start mixing to just incorporate the oil into the flour.

       Add water and mix well to form a thick rough dough. At this stage add more oil if needed, not more than a teaspoon.

       Transfer the dough onto a clean chopping board / counter top / any clean hard surface. Use a pestle to pound the dough. I actually started with the base of the mortar first and as the dough became softer, used the pestle to pound it better. This step takes approximately 15 - 20 minutes of continuous pounding.(Yes thats a good workout for your arms.) The dough would be now soft to handle.

        Roll the dough into a log, approximately half inch diameter. I divided the dough into two before I rolled. Using a knife cut the log into approximately an inch pieces.

        Roll each portion into small rounds, dusting with all purpose flour. Using a cookie cutter, or any round lid, cut the rolled ones into perfect rounds. I used a small lid and hence my pappadoms were a bit smaller than the regular size ones. However, size doesnt matter.

         Spread the pappadoms on a clean cookie sheet and let it dry under sun for 10 - 15 minutes. Flip them in 10 minutes to have it completely dry. Do not dry it too much as it might get stiff. It should still be pliable.

         Fry the pappadoms in hot oil. We fried all of it right then and hence not sure about the shelf life.

Recipe Courtesy: Ria's Collection / Story telling camera

Idly Bajji

Ingredients:

Idly                                          --    8 - 10 

Besan flour                             --   1 cup

Rice Flour                               --   ½ cup

Red chilly powder                 --   1 ½ tsp

Black Pepper Powder           --   ½ tsp

Asafoetida                              --   ¼ tsp

Oil                                           --    to deep fry

Salt                                          --    to taste

Water                                      --    as required

Preparation of the Bajji:

Mix the besan, rice flour, pepper, chilli powder, baking soda and salt. Add water little by little to form a batter similar to the dosa batter consistency.

Slice the idly into four.

Heat oil in a pan for frying. Dip the idly pieces in the batter; let the pieces be well coated with the batter and deep fry until they turn brown and crispy.

Serve hot with ketchup or any chutney. 

Kothu Poratta / Chilly Poratta

Ingredients (Serves 3 - 4):

Plain parottas         -- 6 small
Onions                        -- 1 cup, chopped
Green chillies           -- 2, slit lengthwise
Ginger                         -- 1 tbsp, chopped finely
Garlic                          -- 1 tbsp, chopped finely
Tomatoes                  -- 1 cup, chopped
Cumin Seeds             -- 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder   -- ¼ tsp
Red Chilly Powder -- ½ tsp
Garam Masala          -- ½ tsp - Increase it to 1 tsp, if you do not have the left over gravies
Left over kurma or any similar gravy -- ½ cup
Pepper Powder        -- ½ tsp
Eggs                              -- 2
Coriander leaves     -- ½ cup, chopped
Oil                                  -- 2 tbsp
Salt                                -- as required

Preparation:

Chop the parottas and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, preferably something like a wok. Add the cumin seeds and let it splutter.Add the chopped onions, green chillies, ginger and garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent.

                 

 

Add the turmeric powder, chilly powder, and  garam masala and sauté until the raw smell disappears. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute until they are mushy. Add the left over gravy at this stage.

Break in the eggs into the pan and do a quick mix with the masala. Throw in the chopped parotta when the eggs are still wet. Mix well, gently though to coat the parottas with the eggs and let it cook. Saute until the eggs are cooked and the gravy is completely absorbed.

                 

If you would like to add chicken, add 1 cup of cooked and shredded chicken along with the chopped parottas.

Sprinkle the pepper powder and garnish with the coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients (Serves 10 - 12):

Butter                       -- 2 tbsp
Olive oil                    -- 2 tbsp
Onion                         -- 1 cup, diced into small pieces
Garlic                         -- 1 tbsp, minced
All purpose Flour -- ½ cup
Heavy Cream          -- 1½ cup
Chicken stock         -- 1 cup
Cajun Spice Blend -- 1 tsp
Sugar                          -- 2 tsp
Hot sauce                  -- 1 tsp
Lemon juice             -- 1 tbsp
Sour cream               -- 1 cup
Cream cheese           -- 8 Oz., softened
Spinach                       -- 1½ lb, frozen
Artichoke Hearts    -- ½ lb.
Parmesan cheese    -- 1 cup,grated
Monterey Jack Cheese -- 1 cup, shredded
Paprika                        -- ½ tbsp

Preparation:

Thaw the spinach to room temperature and drain the the excess moisture. You will end up with 1 lb or more of the thawed/drained spinach.

In a large sauce pan, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute until they are translucent.Add the flour and mix well. Saute until the flour absorbs all the moisture and starts turning light yellow.

Add the heavy cream and warm chicken stock and using a wire whisk blend the mixture until smooth. Simmer over low heat for 5 - 8 minutes.

Add the Cajun spice blend, sugar, hot sauce, lemon juice, ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese, sour cream, and cream cheese and stir well with a large spoon to incorporate.

Add the spinach and artichoke hearts and mix well with a large spoon, continue to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Transfer to an oven proof dish and then sprinkle the shredded Monterey Jack cheese and then the remaining Parmesan cheese, and then sprinkle the paprika over the top.

Heat the dip in a 375º F oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly browned on top.

Serve with chips of your choice.

Recipe Courtesy: CajunChef

Sundal–Black Chickpeas

Ingredients:

Black chickpeas  -- ½ cup
Mustard seeds    -- ¾ tsp
Urad dal                -- ¾ tsp
Green chilly         -- 1 chopped
Dry Red chilly     -- 1
Asafoetida            -- a pinch
Grated coconut  -- 1 to 2 tbsp
Curry leaves        -- 10 to 12
Coconut oil          -- 1 tbsp
Salt                          -- as required

Preparation:

Soak the black chana overnight or for 8 hours.

Cook the chana in a pressure cooker adding 3 - 4 cups water and salt for 4 - 5 whistles. Once done, drain and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and urad dal.Let the mustard seeds splutter and the urad dal turn golden brown.
Add the curry leaves, red chillies and asafoetida.Saute for 10 - 15 seconds

Then add the cooked black chana. Mix well. Add the shredded coconut and mix.

Switch off the flame.

Serve as a snack or with rice.

Mushroom Fry

Ingredients(Serves 2 - 3):

Button mushroom --  12 - 15
Cashew Nuts             --  10, broken into pieces
Onion                           --  1 medium sized, chopped
Tomato                       --  1/2 of a medium sized, chopped
Ginger                         --  1 inch piece
Garlic                          --  6 - 8 cloves 
Green chillies           --  2
Curry Leaves            --  1 sprig
Turmeric Powder   --  ¼ tsp
Chilly Powder           --  1 tsp
Garam Masala           --  1 tsp
Mustard seeds          --  ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds              --  ¼ tsp
Oil                                  --  2 tbsp
Salt                                --  to taste

Preparation:

Clean the mushrooms, cut them and keep aside. I usually remove the skin, wash and drain it. It is better not to soak the mushrooms in water as they will become soggy at times.

Finely chop the onions, ginger and garlic. Slit the green chillies and chop the tomato.

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add the cumin seeds followed by the curry leaves, green chillies, ginger and garlic. Saute for a minute.

             

Add the chopped onions and salt, saute until they turn brown. Add the cashews and tomato and saute until the tomatoes are squishy.

Now add the turmeric powder, chilly powder and the garam masala. Saute until the raw smell goes off. The mixture should be really dry at this point.

Add the chopped mushrooms and mix well. Reduce the flame to medium and let it cook without the lid. We just need the water coming out from the mushrooms, closing with the lid will add in the condensed water too which will make this watery.

It takes just 3 - 4 minutes to get it cooked. You can garnish with coriander leaves if you choose to.

Serve hot with rice or chapathi or any breads.

Chilly Paneer

Ingredients: (Serves 3 - 4 as starters):

Paneer(cubed)      --   200 gms  
All purpose flour  --   1½ tbsp
Corn flour                --   1½ tbsp

Onion                         --   1
Capsicum                 --   1
Green chillies         --   2 - 3
Garlic                         --   5-6 cloves
Soy sauce                 --   2  tsp
Chilly sauce             --   1 tbsp, I used green chilly sauce
Tomato sauce         --   1 tbsp
Vinegar                     --   1 –2 tsp
Pepper powder      --    ½ tsp
Coriander  leaves  --  3 - 4 sprigs , chopped
Salt                              --   as required
Oil                                --   as required

Preparation:

Mix the all purpose flour and corn flour. Add salt and few tablespoons of water and mix well to make a semi-thick batter. Dip the paneer cubes in this batter and deep fry until it slightly turns brown. The paneer should have/only have a thin coating of the batter just to hold its shape.

You can omit the above step of frying, but make sure that you don't break the paneer cubes in further steps. Otherwise, store bought fried paneer works good too. I did not fry it this time, but it was the cubed ones from the store – so I could manage without breaking it.
 
Cut the onion and capsicum into small cubes. Slit the green chillies and thinly slice the garlic and keep aside.

In a pan add 2 - 3 tsp oil and once it gets hot, add the green chillies and garlic. Sauté for a minute and then add the cubed onions. Saute until it gets transparent. Add the cubed capsicum. Increase the flame to high and sauté for 2-3 minutes until the raw taste of the capsicum is gone. You can see that the colour changes slightly when capsicum is done.

Reduce the flame and add the soya sauce, chilly sauce, tomato sauce and vinegar. Mix well. Do a taste test and then add required salt. The sauces will already have some salt in it and hence make sure you do a test before adding the salt.

Add the fried paneer cubes and carefully mix well until the paneer is well coated with the sauces. Garnish with pepper and coriander leaves.

Serve hot.

Chicken 65

Ingredients (Serves 2 - 3):

Chicken                      --   1½ lb
Turmeric powder  --   ½ tsp
Kashmiri Chilly powder         --   4 tsp
Coriander powder --  3 tsp
Garam masala         --   ½ tsp
Pepper                       --    ½ tsp
Fennel powder       --   ½ tsp
Ginger                        --    1 tsp, crushed & 1 tsp finely chopped
Garlic                         --   1 tsp, crushed & 1 tsp finely chopped
Corn Flour               --   2 tbsp 
Egg                              --   1
Lemon Juice           --   1 tbsp
Salt                              --   To taste
Red Colour               --   a pinch, optional - I have never used this
Oil                                --   to deep fry
Curry leaves            --   2  - 3 sprigs
Green Chillies          --   3 – 4

Preparation:

Clean and cut the chicken into small bite size pieces.Preferably use boneless thigh pieces.

Marinate it with all the ingredients except oil, chopped ginger, chopped garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Keep it for at least 2 - 3 hours or overnight. I always marinate it over night.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the marinated chicken pieces in batches and deep fry it on medium heat. Roughly tear 3 - 4 curry leaves and add it along with each batch. Once done, drain it and place it on kitchen towel for further draining.

The oil level should be above the chicken pieces. Make sure that the chicken is browned well, but not over cooked. Keep in mind that the colour changes / darkens slightly once it is out of the oil. If over cooked, the chicken will turn rubbery. It took around 10 - 15 minutes on the electric stove, but this can change on the type of the pan and the level of oil. Check the doneness in-between, so that you can judge your cooking time.

When the last batch is almost done, add the slit green chillies, finely chopped ginger and garlic and the remaining whole curry leaves to the pan. Let it fry along with the chicken and drain it together.

Finally give a good mix with remaining fried chicken and serve hot.

Chicken Puffs

Ingredients (Makes 9):

Puff pastry sheets  --   1
Egg white                   --   1 large
Chicken                      --   ½ lb
Onion                          --   1 small
Ginger                         --    1 inch piece
Garlic                          --   3 - 4 pods
Turmeric powder  --   ½ tsp
Chilly powder         --   1½ tsp
Coriander powder --  2 tsp
Garam masala         --   ½ tsp
Pepper                       --    ½ tsp
Fennel powder       --   ½ tsp
Coriander leaves   --   2 - 3 stalks
Oil                                --   1 tbsp
Salt                              --   To taste

Preparation:

Clean and cut the chicken into small pieces.Preferable use boneless pieces. Marinate it with half of the turmeric powder,  chilly powder and required amount of salt. Keep if for couple of hours and cook it until done. Add water only if required. We can also cook in a pressure cooker for easy cooking.If in a pressure cooker, add ¼ cup of water.

Let it cool and then shred it. Save the stock, if you have any.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the finely chopped onions, ginger and garlic and saute until golden brown.  Add the remaining turmeric powder and chilly powder,coriander powder, garam masala, pepper and fennel powder. Saute until the masalas are well blended and the raw smell goes off. Add the cooked chicken and mix well. Add the saved stock or ¼ cup of water and mix well. Saute until the mixture is dry enough.

Keep it aside and let it cool.

              

Follow the instructions on the puff pastry to thaw. Most brands come with 2 sheets. The sheets will be folded in three, so it is always easy to divide it into multiples of 3. Depending on the thickness of the puffs required, we can make 6 or 9 from one sheet. I usually roll it a bit and make out 9 from one sheet. Cut and roll, if required, into required shape.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Divide the masala into equal number of portions. Make sure that each portion is not more than 2 tbsp. If you have excess, then save it for later use.

Fill the masala in each portion of the pastry and fold it.Brush the edges with a little water and seal it. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper and grease it slightly. Arrange the prepared puffs on the sheet. Beat the egg white and brush it on the top of each puffs.

Keep the sheet on the middle rack and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.

Idly with Sambar

Idly:

Ingredients (Makes 20 – 25 idlys):

Parboiled rice / Idly rice   --    3 cup
Cooked rice                              --   ½ cup
Whole Urad dal                      --   1 cup
Fenugreek seeds                   --   1 tbsp
Salt                                              --   to taste

Preparation:

Wash and soak the rice for 6 - 8 hours in a closed container.

In another vessel wash and soak the urad dal and the fenugreek seeds for 6 - 8 hours in a closed container.

Drain the water from the urad dal into another vessel and grind it. Use the soaked water and water little by little to make sure you do not use excess. Grind this into a thick and VERY fine paste. Transfer this to a big container.

If using your mixer, you might have to do this in batches or pause at intervals.

Drain the water from the rice and grind it. Use the remaining water from the urad dal and once that is over, use the water in which the rice was soaked. If more water is required, use some chilled water.

Once the rice is half done, add the cooked rice.Grind this into a fine mixture.

Add the batter to the urad dal batter and mix well. I am not sure how to explain the consistency of the batter. It should be thick for the idly to hold its shape and at the same time thin to freely flow into the idly plates.

Keep it in a warm place for 6 - 8 hours to let it ferment.

Back in India, we just had to keep it at room temperature, and my mom leaves it overnight. The batter would be fermented and ready for next day. But here, especially during winter, its hard to get the batter fermented. I preheat my oven to 200 degree Fahrenheit and switch it off. And after 10 - 15 mins, I keep the batter inside the oven and leave it overnight. This helps in fermentation.

Before it is ready to use, add salt to the batter and mix well.

Boil water in the idly pot and grease the idly plates.

Scoop the idly batter into the moulds and steam cook it for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove the plates from the pot as soon as the idlys are done. You can test it using the back of a spoon or a knife. Let it slightly cool before you unmold. Scoop out the idly using a spoon - Now you have the soft -and light idly ready for breakfast J

Serve with hot sambar / chutney / chutney powder.

Ulli Sambar:

Ingredients (Serves 6 - 8):

Toor dal                    --   ½ cup
Tamarind                 --    a small lime - sized ball / 1 tsp of tamarind paste.
Turmeric powder --   ¼ tsp
Shallots                    --   20 - 25 whole
Green chilies         --   2
Tomato                    --   1 medium sized, well ripen
Coriander leaves --  3 - 4 sprigs, chopped into big pieces
Salt                            --  To taste

To roast and grind:

Sambar Powder  --  1 ½ tbsp, I prefer Brahmins brand. You can also roast and grind from scratch as given here.
Garlic                      --  3 - 4 medium cloves
Curry leaves        --   1 sprig
Grated coconut  --   ½ cup

For seasoning:

Coconut oil          --   1 tbsp
Mustard seeds    --    ½ tsp
Dry red chilies    --   3

Preparation:

In a heavy bottomed pan, fry the coconut, curry leaves and the garlic on a low flame until the coconut becomes dark brown in colour.Switch off the flame and add the sambar powder to it and mix well. Keep aside and let it cool. Grind this into a smooth paste.

You can omit the fried coconut if you don’t want a rich gravy. For this version add more dal for a thicker gravy, if required.
 
Soak the tamarind in 1 cup warm water and extract its juice.

Wash the toor dal in water twice or thrice. Add the dal, peeled shallots, slit green chillies and turmeric powder to the pressure cooker and cook(2 - 3 whistles) adding enough water.

When the pressure is completely released, open the cooker and mix them well. Try not to mash the onions. Add the ground mixture to the tamarind extract and add this to the cooked dal. Add more water if required.Bring it to a boil.

When it starts boiling add the cubed tomatoes.(If the tomatoes are not well ripen, add them during pressure cooking.)

Let it boil for 2 - 3 minutes.Add the chopped coriander leaves.

Heat coconut oil in a small pan.  Splutter mustard seeds and fry dry red chilies. Pour over the prepared sambar.

Serve hot with idly / dosa.

Recipe Courtesy : Amma

Beetroot–Ginger Squash

Ingredients(Serves 20 - 25):

Beetroot      --   1 kg
Ginger          --   250gms
Lemon         --   6 big / 1½ cup juice extracted
Sugar            --   approximately 2 kg.
Citric Acid  --   1 tbsp

Preparation:

Cut/ Grate the beetroot and ginger into small pieces. Cook them in 6 cups of water until they are tender. Let it cool completely. Grind it in a mixer and strain the juice.

Measure the juice extracted in a cup and add double the amount of sugar. ie for 1 cup of juice add 2 cups of sugar.

Let it boil and once it starts boiling add the lemon juice and the citric acid.

Let it boil for 4 - 5 minutes, until the juice is slightly thick and then switch off the flame.

Let it cool completely. Pour the squash into sterilized bottles and store. Optionally, you can omit the citric acid, but you ll need to store it in the refrigerator.This can be stored for more than a year in the refrigerator.

To serve, add ¼ cup of squash into a glass and fill it with chilled water.Mix well. Add more sugar, if required.