Chettinad Rajma( Kidney Beans) with Veg. And Paneer

This dish is a unique medley of Rajma , paneer, and vegetables. I have used beans and carrot , you can also add cauliflower . When I got my packet of Chettinad mix I didn't know what to make . I didn't want to make a typical mix veg. coz honestly I am not very fond of it.  So I just picked up whatever was available at home and tried my luck. I have to say it turned out to be a great dish.  It is a wonderful option for vegetarians like me.

Ingredients :  serves 5-6

Oil1                                1 + 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds               1 tsp
Curry leaves                  10-12
Onion                             1 large finely sliced
Onion                             1/2 cup chopped
Tomato purée                1 1/2 cup (homemade)
Garlic crushed               1/2 tbsp + 1/4 tsp
Ginger paste                 1/2 tbsp + 1/4 tsp
Carrot, beans                1 cup ( chopped into cubes)
Boiled kidney beans     1 1/2 cup
Paneer                           100 gms ( cottage cheese)
Turmeric pd                   1/2 tsp
Water                             2 1/2 cups
Chettinad spice mix       2 1/2tbsp + 1/2 tsp
Coconut paste               1/4 cup
Salt                                to taste
Lemon juice                  1/2 tsp
Whole red chilly(dry)     2

Method :

1. Cut paneer into 1 " cubes and soak it in warm water for 10 minutes to soften it.
2. Drain out the water completely and marinade it  for 10 minutes in 1/2 tsp Chettinad spice mix, 1/4 tsp ginger paste , 1/2 tsp crushed garlic , a pinch of salt and lemon juice.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan , sauté paneer pieces till golden on all sides.
4. Remove on a kitchen towel to drain off excess oil.
5. In the same pan add the remaining oil. 
6. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
7. Add sliced onion. Sauté.
8. Once onions start softening add chopped onions and garlic.
9. Sauté on low heat, stirring, in between crushing with the tip of wooden spatula so that onions are slightly mashed.
10. Cook till they turn soft and pink.
11. Tip in tomato purée and ginger paste.
12. Cook covered  on low to medium heat till oil separates.
13. Tip in salt and turmeric pd, chopped vegetables, kidney beans and 1 cup water.
14. Cover and cook till vegetables are done.
15. Now add in paneer and Chettinad spice mix.
16. Check and add more water if needed.
17. Cook for two minutes.
18. Tip in coconut paste.
19. Bring it to a boil stirring all the time.
20. Remove from fire.
21. Taste and adjust salt.
22. Heat oil in a small pan, fry whole( dry ) red chillies .
23. Pour it over the ready dish.
24. Garnish with chopped coriander .
25. Serve hot with plain rice or an Indian bread of your choice.

Note: while boiling Rajma care should be taken that it is just ready and not too soft.
adjust the quantity of water as per your preference. The gravy  should be thick.
In individual bowls you  can top the gravy with  a boiled egg if you like.
I do it for my son and husband and they love it.

Chenna Poda

A delightful cottage cheese aka Paneer dessert. It's light and mildly sweet.
Chenna Poda is a very traditional dessert from the state of Odisha. When a member shared it in  one of the food groups that I follow, I wanted to try it immediately.
Since my husband and I have a sweet tooth, I am always on the lookout for simple, light and mildly sweet desserts.
It's best to use fresh homemade Paneer for this dessert. You can increase the quantity of Jaggery if you like it sweeter.

For 250 gms of Paneer you will need 1.5 lit. of milk.
Do try it. You won't be disappointed.
RC: Ashish Panda

Ingredients
Chenna (Paneer)              250 gms
Jaggery pd                         6 tbsp + 2 tsp
Semolina                            2 tbsp
Cashew                               1 tbsp
Raisins                                1 tbsp
Cardamom pd                   1/2 tsp
Ghee                                    1 1/2 tsp
Water                                  1 tbsp
Vinegar                               1 tbsp

Method

1. Heat a tsp of ghee and fry cashew nuts and raisins until golden.
2. Remove them on a paper towel.
3. Heat the milk in  a heavy bottom pan.
4. Once it reaches a boil, lower the flame, and add a tbsp of vinegar.
5. Stir, you will see the milk curdling.
6. Place a colander over a bowl and pour the curdled milk.
7. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Don't squeeze the Paneer. We want the Paneer to be juicy, so a little bit of whey will be helpful.
8. Now mash the Paneer with the heel of your palm till it becomes smooth.
9. Add in semolina and Jaggery pd.
10. Knead well again.
11. Mix in cardamom pd and half of the nuts.
12. In the pan in which you had fried nuts, add a few drops of ghee and 2 tsp of Jaggery pd.
13. As soon as the Jaggery pd starts melting add a tbsp of water.
14. Heat it till it thickens a little.
15. Now pour it in two ramekins, swirl so that it coats the bottom fully.
16. Place the fried cashews and raisins.
17. Divide the Paneer mixture into two.
18. Roll into smooth balls.
19. Place them in the ramekins, press lightly.
20. Cover them with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
21. Insert a toothpick, if it comes out clean, remove them else bake for a few more minutes.
22. Let them cool for a while, then refrigerate for an hour.
23. Carefully unmold on a platter, slice and serve.

Notes: Don't throw away the whey. Use it in gravies, soups or for kneading dough.

No knead Grapes and Rosemary foccacia

One thing I cannot resist making once the black grapes hit the market is grapes and rosemary foccacia. It's crusty yet  juicy exterior with a soft crumb, the hint of sweet and savory in each bite just uplifts your taste buds.
My whole house smells of rosemary. It's so inviting. The best part is it's very easy to make. Please use only extra virgin olive oil.
So what are we waiting for. Let's make Grapes and Rosemary Foccacia.

Ingredients
All Purpose Flour      1 cup and 2 tbsp
Water                           1/2 cup
Yeast                            1/2 tsp
Castor sugar               1+1 tbsp
Salt                               1 +1/2 tsp
Rosemary                   1/2 tbsp
Olive oil                      1+2 tbsp plus for greasing the pan
Grapes                        10-12 cut into half lengthwise

Method.

1. Take warm water.  Water should be just warm to touch. If it's warmer than that then the chances are that you will kill the yeast.
2. Add a pinch of sugar and yeast. Mix well.
3. Leave it for ten minutes. You will see a slight froth on top of water.
4. Take flour in a bowl. Mix in 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp sugar.
5. Pour in the yeast water and 1 tbsp oil.
6. Mix well. Cover and leave either for 10 minutes.
7. Knead it for a minute or two to just mix the dough properly.
8. Grease another bowl. Shift the dough into this bowl.
9. Now wet your fingers. Lift the dough from one end and stretch as much as you can without breaking. Fold it over the dough.
10. Rotate the bowl a quarter. Repeat the above step.
11. Rotate the bowl twice more and repeat the step.
12. This completes one set of stretch and fold.
13. Cover the bowl. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
14. Do another set of stretch and fold.
15. Let the dough rest again for 15 minutes.
16. Repeat a set of stretch and fold.
17. So in total we have done 3 sets of stretch and fold.
18. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it.
19. You can leave either in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
20. Whenever you want to bake it, take it out from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. I left it for one hour.
21. Generously grease a 10" round pan with olive oil.
22. Transfer the dough to the pan.
23. Dip your fingertips in oil and press the dough outwards from the center.
24. This takes time. Be patient and be gentle.
25. The dough should cover the entire pan.
26. If you feel the dough is resisting, leave it for 5 minutes and the start again.
27. Cover and leave it for 30 minutes.
28. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 230 degrees celsius.
29. When the oven it almost preheated, place the grapes all over the dough, cut side down.
30. Sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp sugar and 1/2 tbsp rosemary.
31. Pour 2 tbsp oil all over.
32. Bake it at 200 degrees celsius for 10minutes.
33. Reduce the temperature and bake it at 180 degrees Celsius till it is nice and golden. Should take approximately 10 minutes.
34. Remove it from the oven and remove the bread immediately from the pan and let it rest on a wire rack.
35. Slice it once it's cooled down.
36. Serve it warm.

Pickled Jalapeños

If you love Jalapeños, you must try pickling them at home instead of buying those super expensive bottles.
Finding Jalapeños is a tad difficult in India, and even if you find them they are very expensive. So the whole point of pickling them at home is defeated.
But not to worry, our red and green big  chillies or aachar ki mirch serves the purpose perfectly.
I have been pickling these for many years now and have not missed store bought pickled Jalapeños at all.
It's a very simple and easy recipe. Once pickled, these are ready to be used in a week's  time. And they last the whole year if stored properly in the fridge.
So what more do you need?

Ingredients
Red or Green chillies                    8
Garlic cloves                                   4
White Vinegar                                1cup
Water                                               1 cup
Sugar                                                1 tbsp
Salt                                                   1 tbsp

Method

• Wash the chillies.
• Pat them dry on a kitchen towel.
• Cut them into one inch roundels.
• Crush the garlic cloves slightly.
• In a sauce pan mix water, vinegar, sugar and salt.
• Put it to boil. Once it starts boiling, tip in chopped chillies and garlic.
• Mix it  well  and wait for it to once again come to a boil. Keep the flame high.
• Once it comes to a boil, switch off the gas and let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Place a colander on a bowl and pour over the contents.
• In a clean, dry, preferably sterilized glass bottles  fill in the chilli and garlic pieces.
• Now pour in the liquid right up to the top.
• Let it cool completely.
• Close with the lid and refrigerate.
• You can use them immediately also but if  you want that pickled taste, I would say give them a week.

My Whole Wheat Bread

From the time I ventured into making bread at home I have not looked back. This time I bring for you a healthy Whole Wheat Loaf for guilt free breakfast.

Two most important things in bread making are: Milk should be just warm, approx. 48 to 54 degrees Celsius .
Second is kneading. You have to knead it for good fifteen minutes for the gluten to develop, which helps the bread to rise.
Use only organic whole wheat flour or freshly milled flour for best results.
Read the entire recipe carefully , including notes before you start.

Ingredients :
Whole wheat Flour.                         2 cups
All Purpose Flour ( maida)            1 1/2 cups
Gluten.                                               2 tbsp
Flaxseed meal.                                1 tbsp
Milk (warm)                                    1 1/2 cup
Instant Yeast                                   1 1/2 tsp
Honey                                               1 tbsp
Salt                                                   1 tsp
Oil                                                    2 tbsp
Milk Powder                                  1/4  cup
Water                                              2-3 tbs 

Extra oil and milk                    for brushing

Method

1. Take whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup maida, gluten, yeast,honey and warm milk. Mix well with a wooden spoon. 
2. Cover it and leave it for 30 minutes. This is called autolyse. This will help gluten to develop better.
3. Turn the contents on the counter top. Add remaining maida, milk powder, salt and flaxseed meal.
4. Mix well  and start kneading . 
5. As you knead ,  after a couple of minutes you might find the dough to be slightly tough.
6. Add a tbsp of water at a time and continue kneading. I had to use 3 tbsp of water.
7. When you feel the dough is sticking to your hand, add a little oil. So this way slowly incorporate 2 tbsp of oil in the dough.
8. Knead for good 15 minutes. By now the dough will become soft and smooth.
9. Keep the dough in a well greased pan, turn it around so that it is coated with oil on all sides.
10. Cling wrap it and keep it in a warm draft free place till it doubles in size , say for an hour and half to two depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
11. Grease and flour 9 by 5 inch tin. I have used a long but narrow  12" pan.
12. Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it again for a couple of minutes to expel out all the air.
13. Be very gentle with the dough.
14. Roll the dough into a large rectangle. Say 12 by 14".
15. From the end farthest to you fold the dough by an inch and half and pinch it to seal it.
16. Repeat till you get a  roll, pinch to seal.
17. Check the length of the roll against your pan and accordingly fold and seal the ends.
18. Now carefully lift the ready roll and place it in the prepared pan with the seam side down.
19. Brush it lightly with oil. Cover with a cling film and let it sit undisturbed in a warm place.
20. It is ready to be baked when the loaf rises about an inch above the pan. This will take anywhere between 30 to 45 minutes.
21. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
22. Brush the loaf with milk and oil for a nice colour.
23. Place it carefully in the oven.
24. On the bottom tray of the oven  quickly throw a  few ice cubes . I throw in a full ice tray.
25. The steam from the ice cubes will help in oven spring and also prevent from developing cracks on the surface of the loaf.
26. Bake for 40-45 minutes, till the top gets a nice brown colour.
27. The bread is ready when it sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped.
28. You can also use a bread thermometer to check if the bread is ready. It should read 190 degrees farenheit.
29. Once the bread is done turn it on a wire rack.
30. Brush the top with oil if you want a soft crust. Let it cool completely on wire rack before you slice it.

Note :
if you are using active dry yeast then take 1/4 cup warm milk  from the recipe . Now sprinkle yeast and a few grains of sugar and mix it lightly.
Keep it in a warm place  for 10 minutes. You will see yeast would have ballooned by  now.
Now add yeast milk  mixture  to all the ingredients needed for autolyse and proceed.