Patrani Paneer

My first Parsi Dish - and it turned out pretty good.

I was always fascinated by the dish --  Patrani Fish, famous Parsi dish. Many of my friends swear by it.  The idea of trying a vegetarian version had been playing on my mind for quite sometime but  could not bring myself to do it .

Yesterday, I saw banana leaves at my vegetable vendor and the rest as they say just unfolded. With great anticipation I tried  Patrani Paneer. To my surprise it turned out to be delicious.

Serves 3

Ingredients :

Paneer.	200 gms.
Water.	2 cups
Vinegar.	2 tbsp.
Banana leaf.	1 no.

To be ground to paste :

Coriander chopped.	5 heaped tbsps.
Fresh coconut grated.	3 heaped tbsp.
Mint leaves.	8 - 10 .
Curry leaves.	10 .
Green chillies.	2
Cumin seeds.	1/2 tsp
Garlic.	6 cloves
Sugar.	1tsp
Lemon juice.	1tbsp
Salt.	to taste
Turmeric pd.	a pinch.
Water.	As required.

Method :

1. Grind all ingredients ( mentioned under paste ) into a fine  and thick paste using minimal water.
2. Cut paneer into six equal sized pieces -- roughly 2 inches long and 1/4 inch thick.
3. Remove the central ridge of the banana leaf . Now cut the leaf into six pieces.
4. Coat each paneer piece on all sides with the paste .
5. Place the paneer slice in the centre of the banana leaf and wrap the leaf around the paneer, taking care  that the paneer is well covered.
6. Tie these paneer parcels with a string and keep aside for 15 minutes.
7. Heat water and vinegar in a large, deep pan. Place the paneer parcels in a large sieve. Keep this sieve over the pan and cover and steam on slow heat for 15 min.
8. Turn the parcels over once.
9. Serve hot with any kind of Indian bread.
10. Let each person have the pleasure of opening his/ her own parcel.

Tip : If you can't find banana leaf, don't worry. You can use aluminium foil instead.

Onion Paratha

Yummy Parathas - My all time favorite
I would like to share another 'school lunch box recipe' which my son and his friends  just love.
Paratha in any form is everyone's favourite. Paratha for breakfast, paratha for lunch and again paratha for dinner. You can pack this in the school lunch box with pickle or ketchup, as your child prefers. Hot onion paratha with butter for breakfast  is divine.

Makes two Parathas

Ingredients:

Onion.	1/2 cup , very finely chopped
Green chilly.	4-5 pieces, very finely chopped
Coriander leaves.	a few, very finely chopped
Red chilly pd.	half of 1/4 tsp
Garam masala pd.	half of 1/4 tsp
Dry Mango pd.	half of 1/4tsp.
Salt.	To taste

You will also need :

Roti dough.*.         2 small balls - *refer to my wheat flour dough recipe below. It can be used for making plain chapatties and  all kind of stuffed parathas.
Dry flour for rolling parathas.
Oil for cooking parathas.


Method:

1. Place  the girdle(tawa), preferably  non stick  on flame to heat.
2. Mix all ingredients except salt and dry flour.
3. Take one ball and roll it in dry flour and press it a little to flatten it.
4. Roll it out  into a small disk with a rolling pin.
5. Sprinkle  a pinch of dry flour on the disk.
6. Now keep half of onion mixture on the centre of the disk.
7. Again sprinkle a pinch of dry flour.
8. Now sprinkle salt to taste and mix lightly.
9. Pull up all sides of the disk carefully and seal it like you would seal a momo. Pinch of excess dough and  roll it lightly in your palms.
10. Roll this stuffed ball in dry flour, press it lightly  and roll it into a six inch diameter disk, very carefully as onion releases juices  when mixed with salt.
11. It is a little tricky to roll it out as it sticks to rolling pin, so flour your rolling pin also and keep sprinkling flour on the paratha also.
12. Try using  as little dry flour as possible.
13. Now gently lift it and put on a hot and greased girdle.
14. Cook on one side till dotted with golden spots.
15. Turn it and apply a little oil on the cooked side. Repeat on the other side.
16. Now cook your paratha till it is nice and golden.
17. Repeat the process to make another paratha.
18. Cook parathas on medium to low heat.

* Wheat Flour Dough for Parathas.

This is basic wheat flour dough recipe which can be used to make plain chapatti es as well as all kind of stuffed parathas. This recipe  will give 4 - 5 chapatti es or parathas.

Makes 4-5 

Ingredients :

Wheat flour.	1cup / 145 gms.
Oats.	1 heaped tbsp. / 11gms.
Water	150 ml.
Salt.	A big pinch.

Method :

1. Mix all the dry ingredients . Now slowly add water to make a soft dough.
2. Quantity of water may  vary depending on quality of flour.
3. Knead the dough well to make it pliable.
4. I like to knead the dough with hand.
5. You can use a  food processor if you like but adjust the quantity of water.
6. Cover and keep it for at least half an hour.
7. Use it as required.
8. Left over dough can be stored in the fridge for at least 24 to 48 hours.

Fenugreek leaves with potatoes ( methi aloo)

Sabzi with all the goodness

Fenugreek leaves are my all time favourite. I love them in any which form they are cooked. Luckily we get fenugreek leaves  almost all the year round in Bangalore. An easy but delicious preparation is  Methi Aloo, which goes very well with roti or paratha. You can also roll it in roti/ paratha for kids lunch boxes. 
Left over methi aloo can be used to make stuffed parathas,



Ingredients :

Fenugreek. Leaves.	150gms(after cleaned), 4small bunches.
Potatoes.	250gms, 3 med. sized.
Oil.	1 1/2tbsp.
Cummin seeds.	1/2 tsp
Asafoetida	a pinch.
Green chilly.	4-5 pieces ( finely chopped)
Red chilly pd.	3/4 tsp
Turmeric pd.	1/2tsp
Coriander pd.	2 1/2tsp.
Ginger paste.	1/2tsp
Dry Mango pd.	1/4tsp
Garam masala pd.	a big pinch.
Sugar.	1/2tsp.
Salt.	to taste.

Method - Sabzi:

1. Pick leaves from stems of fenugreek. Use only tips or very tender parts of stem, discard rest of the stems. Wash leaves and tender stems in running water till all the mud is removed. Now chop it finely.
2. Wash and peel potatoes. Chop into small cubes.
3. Heat oil in a wok. Add asafoetida and cumin seeds.
4. When cumin seeds turn golden,  lower the flame , add red chilly pd, turmeric pd, coriander pd, salt  and ginger paste. Stir well and add fenugreek  leaves and potatoes. Mix well. Cover and cook on slow flame till  potatoes are done.
5. In between remember to check  and stir. If you feel it is sticking to the wok, sprinkle some water.
6. You may have to sprinkle water a couple of times as I have used very little oil.
7. Once the potatoes are done, add dry mango powder, sugar and Garam masala pd. and stir on medium to high flame for a minute  or two till the vegetable looks absolutely dry.
8. Serve hot.

Method - stuffed Parantha:

1. simply crush the veg properly so that potatoes in it are crushed, add salt and red chilly pd.. Your stuffing for paratha is ready.

Almond Pistachio Kulfi (Indian Icecream)

Kulfi is a dessert that was bought always from shops. Never realised it can be made at home.Yesterday, for the first time i tried it home and it turned out to be  a super hit. Everyone at home , including my mom loved it. Here I am sharing  the recipe with you. My kulfi is medium sweet. If u want it sweeter add an extra tbsp of sugar. The recipe gives four pots of the size as shown in picture

Ingredients :

Milk full cream.          1/2 lit.

Sugar.                        3 tbsp

Cream.                       100 ml

Pistachio  flakes.        2tsp

Almond.   flakes.         2tsp

Cardamom pd.           2 large pinches

Saffron.                      a few strands

Method:

1. Boil milk in a heavy bottomed pan. 
2. Take out 2tbsp milk and soak saffron strands in it.
3. Simmer  rest of the milk on slow heat till reduced to half.
4. Remember to stir constantly so that milk doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
5. Every time layer of cream (malai) forms on milk, remove it and keep it in a separate bowl.
6. Once  the milk reduces to half, remove from fire.
7. Add saffron milk and sugar . Stir till sugar dissolves.
8. Let it cool to room temperature.
9. Now add cream and mix well. I used Amul. *
10. Break the malai that we had kept separately, into small bits and add it to the above mixture.
11. Now mix cardamom pd., almond and pistachio flakes .
12. Keep it in the freezer to set. Mine took 7-8 hours to set.
13. You can freeze it in kulfi moulds or earthen pots like I did. Cover the pots with aluminium foil.
14. To unmould dip the bottom of the mould in hot water for a second or two. Now run a sharp knife around the edges of kulfi and over turn the mould on a plate. It will pop out.
15. Cut and serve.

* I used only the thick part of Amul cream. To do that ,pour the entire contents of tetra pack(200ml) into a bowl and  use the thick part for this recipe. Remaining cream you can store in the fridge in an air tight container and use it later .

Egg in a Bread Roll

Creating delicacies for kids which will excite them is no mean feat. A bigger challenge is to  make food that can be packed for school. 

This is for my son. When I cut open the bread roll in front of him, the look on his face made my day! 

Ingredients :

• 2 slices of bread
• 1 boiled and mashed potato
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• Oil for frying
• Spice: salt, red chilly pd., garam masala to taste
• Chopped coriander.

Method:

1. Heat oil in a wok for frying.
2. Mix spices in mashed potato.
3. Soak one bread slice in water, gently lift it , press it between your palms to squeeze out excess water.
4. Spread little spiced potato and place one boiled egg on it. Now carefully fold the bread over to cover the egg properly.
5. Repeat the same with the other bread slice.
6. Deep fry on med.heat till golden brown. Remove and keep on kitchen towel.
7. Serve with ketchup .

Capsicum Paneer

Paneer sabzi - light and really tasty.

Tired of having  paneer recipes full of tomatoes, cashew paste,cream etc. I decided to make something that would be light on stomach but yummy. Suddenly I remembered having capsicum with paneer at a frinends place. Voila , , I decided to give it a shot. Lucky me, I found a few capsicum languishing in the fridge. So here is my :

Capsicum Paneer,  yummy and healthy.

Very little oil is used in this recipe.

Ingredients:

Oil.	1 tbsp
Mustard seeds.	1/2 tsp.
Fennel seeds.	1/4 tsp.
Onion.	1 no.finely chopped.
Garlic.	1 /2 tsp crushed.
Ginger paste.	1/2tsp.
Red chilly pd.	1/2 tsp
Turmeric pd.	1/4tsp.
Coriander pd.	1tsp.
Fennel pd.	1/2tsp.
Garam masala pd.	1/4tsp.
Capsicum.	350 gms. cubed
Paneer.	300 gms. cubed
Tomatoes.	3no. grated.
Coriander leaves.	1tbsp chopped.
Salt.	to taste.

Method  :

1 .Heat oil, crackle mustard seeds,fennel  seeds. 

2. Add  chopped onion and crushed garlic. Sauté till onions are soft and light brown. 

3. Add red chilly pd, turmeric pd. , coriander  pd., salt to taste.Stir and add capsicum. Cover and cook till half done.  

4. Add tomatoes and ginger paste. Cook for 5min.

5.  Now add cubed Paneer . Cook till oil separates and it is dry. 

6.Add  fennel powder,  garam masala pd. Mix well and remove from fire. 

7. Garnish with coriander leaves.

8. Serve hot.

Tip : To add more color to it, you can add half a yellow capsicum cubed

Rajasthani Garlic Chutney

This one is hot
My husband is very fond of Rajasthani garlic chutney. I  made it for him using several variations but he was not happy. This April I happened to meet an aunt of mine , who is from Rajasthan, after several years. I asked her  for the recipe. It turned out brilliant.  I'm  sharing her recipe with you all.






Ingredients :

Garlic Pod.    1no.
Fresh red chillies (small)    6 to 8
Salt   to taste
Cumin seeds       a large pinch
Oil    1 tbsp.

Method :

1. Peel and wash garlic.
2. Wash red chilies.
3. Coarsely grind garlic and chilies using little water.
4. Heat oil in a pan, crackle cumin seeds.
5. Add chilly garlic paste and salt.
6. Cook till oil separates.
7. Cool and keep in an airtight bottle.
8. Lasts for more than 2 weeks  when stored in fridge.

Tip : I chop the chillies and crush garlic. Then it's very easy to grind it.
       You can adjust the no. of chillies depending on your taste.
       This chutney has to be fiery.

Rava Idly

I just Love these Idilies

Nobody in my family is really fond of traditional idly, unless it is served with sambhar.

I find it little tedious making sambhar and chutney both for breakfast . Secondly sambhar itself is neither on my husdand's nor my wishlist as it causes acidity so I rarely make it . And when I do , it's mainly for lunch to be served with rice and Purp Usli ( I'll post these recipes later).  

So, Rawa Idly, a healthy and easy breakfast option. Use coarse rawa. Down south we get something called upma rawa, I have used that. You can use any coarse rawa.

Ingredients : (Serves 5.   Gives 24 medium sized idlies.)

Rawa.	1cup , 170 gms
Oats	1/3 cup , 30gms.
Curd.	1/2 cup, 125 ml
Water.	1cup, 240ml
Roasted peanuts.	1/2cup,
Salt.	1tsp or to taste
Red chilly pd.	1/2tsp
Carrot.	1no. Small grated
Eno salt.	1tsp heaped or 1 sachet
Coriander	1 tbsp chopped.

.

Tempering :

Oil..	2tsp plus oil for greasing the moulds.
Mustard seeds.	1/2 tsp.
Whole red chillies.	2 no. Broken inti pieces
Curry leaves.	10 no. Chopped
Chana, urad dal mixed.	2tbsp.

Method:

1. Mix all dry ingredients except Eno salt.
2. Add carrot, curd and 3/4cup water and mix well. Cover and let it rest for 30 min.
3. Heat  oil in a pan , crackle mustard seeds, add rest of the ingredients meant for tempering, stir for  half a min. and pour it into the batter.
4. Check consistency of batter and add remaining water . It should be thicker than cake batter.
5. Adjust the amount of water .(you can add more water if needed).
6. Grease idly molds and keep water to boil in cooker.
7. Now add Eno salt to the batter and mix well. Pour into moulds and  place it in the cooker and steam on slow , without weight for  30 min.
8. Remove idli stand from cooker and let it cool for 5 min. 
9. Serve it with sweet chilly sauce and mint chutney, or ketchup or coconut chutney, as per your taste.

Note : If you don't  have idly stand, no worries. Grease a baking tin which will fit in your cooker and steam the batter in that, like you would steam dhokla. Fill the tin only half. Once done cut into squares and serve.

Tea time Cake

TEA CAKE

My favourite tea time cake.

Ingredients:

Oil. 125gms.

Sugar. 150gms.*

Maida. 175gms.

Cocoa pd. 1tbsp.

Baking pd. 1 1/2tsp.

Eggs. 3.

Vanilla essence 1tsp

Salt. a pinch

* I prefer using fine granulated sugar . You can use powdered sugar also. Measure before powdering it.

Method :

1. Prepare an 8 inch round or square tin.
2. Sieve all dry ingredients . Whisk them using a balloon whisk or fork.
3. Beat oil and sugar using an elec. beater for 3 min.
4. Add one egg at a time and beat for 1 min. each time.
5. Add vanilla essence and beat for 1/2 min.
6. Now add dry mix to egg mixture in small batches and mix using cut and fold method.
7. Pour the batter in the prepared tin and bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees for 35 to 40 min.
8. Cool on wire rack.
9. Cut into slices when completely cooled.