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.

Cucumber Plum Salad

In this heat and humidity salads are God send. I made a quick salad today with Cucumber, carrot and plum with some seeds, nuts and raisins. 

Raisins are my new found love in salads. 

I like the way they cut the tartness of the dressing. 

Ingredients

Cucumber.          1 very small

Carrot.                1 very small

Plum.                  1

Baby spinach      8-10 leaves

Raisins.               1 tbsp

Sesame seeds      1 tsp

Walnuts               1 tbsp 

Dressing

EVOO.                1 tsp

Lemon juice        1 tsp

Pepper pd.           1/8 tsp

Salt                      1/2 tsp

Mint leaves          2 

Method

Wash and peel carrot and Cucumber.

Chop cucumber into very small cubes.

Using a peeler peel thick strips of carrot. Now cut them into small pieces.

Cut plum also into small pieces. 

Mix Cucumber, carrot, Plum and raisins and keep it in the fridge. 

The juices from the salad will help the raisins to plump up.

Roast walnuts and Sesame seeds.

Wash baby spinach and pat dry.

Mix the dressing ingredients with a whisk . 

To plate: 

Arrange baby spinach. 

Arrange the Cucumber mix on top.

Pour the dressing and toss lightly.  Sprinkle walnuts and Sesame seeds. 

Garnish with mint leaves and serve immediately. 

My One Tablespoon Cookies

The name sounds weird, right?  I was trying a recipe with millets. So I took One Tablespoon of each ingredient so as to make a small test batch. Hence the name.

These cookies have all the healthy ingredients. Please don't be frightened by long list of ingredients. You can use whatever is available with you. Primarily you must have peanut butter and Tahini.

Do a test batch like me and if you like the taste, you can make a large batch. 

I have made these with 1 tbsp oil and without. With oil they are richer where as without oil they were slightly crumbly. 

Ingredients 

Bajra Flour                1 tbsp 

Ragi Flour                 1 tbsp 

Jowar Flour               1 tbsp

Oatsmeal                   1 tbsp

Dessicated coconut   1 tbsp

Peanut butter             1 tbsp

Tahini                        1 tbsp 

Jaggery pd                 1 tbsp

Raisins                      1 tbsp

Dates                         1 chopped

Crushed Peanuts       1 tbsp

Pumpkin seeds          1 tbsp

Baking powder          1/2 tsp

Oil                             1 tbsp 

Water                         1 tbsp

Method 

Whizz all the flours, coconut,  Jaggery pd and baking pd in a food processor. 

Now add peanut butter, Tahini Dates, raisins. 

Whizz again. 

Now add seeds and crushed peanuts. 

Add water and whizz to bring the dough together. 

Check if you need more water. Add a tsp at a time. 

Let the dough rest for atleast 30 minutes. 

Divede the dough into 6 equal parts. 

Press to flatten. 

Keep the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Bake at 180 degrees for 8-10 minutes till the edges  become slightly dark. 

Let them sit on the baking sheet for five minutes, then remove them on a wire rack. 

Store in an airtight container once completely cool. 

The name sounds weird, right?  I was trying a recipe with millets. So I took One Tablespoon of each ingredient so as to make a small test batch. Hence the name.

These cookies have all the healthy ingredients. Please don't be frightened by long list of ingredients. You can use whatever is available with you. Primarily you must have peanut butter and Tahini.

Do a test batch like me and if you like the taste, you can make a large batch. 

I have made these with 1 tbsp oil and without. With oil they are richer where as without oil they were slightly crumbly. 

Ingredients 

Bajra Flour 1 tbsp 

Ragi Flour 1 tbsp 

Jowar Flour 1 tbsp

Oatsmeal      1 tbsp

Dessicated coconut 1 tbsp

Peanut butter 1 tbsp

Tahini 1 tbsp 

Jaggery pd 1 tbsp

Raisins 1 tbsp

Dates 1 chopped

Crushed Peanuts 1 tbsp

Pumpkin seeds 1 tbsp

Baking powder 1/2 tsp

Oil 1 tbsp 

Water 1 tbsp

Method 

Whizz all the flours, coconut,  Jaggery pd and baking pd in a food processor. 

Now add peanut butter, Tahini Dates, raisins. 

Whizz again. 

Now add seeds and crushed peanuts. 

Add water and whizz to bring the dough together. 

Check if you need more water. Add a tsp at a time. 

Let the dough rest for atleast 30 minutes. 

Divede the dough into 6 equal parts. 

Press to flatten. 

Keep the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Bake at 180 degrees for 8-10 minutes till the edges  become slightly dark. 

Let them sit on the baking sheet for five minutes, then remove them on a wire rack. 

Store in an airtight container once completely cool. 

Amaranth, Oats, Almond Meal Cookies

In my endeavor to create healthy yet delicious cookies so that you  and I can indulge in guilt free snacking, this is another gem from my kitchen. These are crispy on the edges but soft and chewy in the centre. If you want crispy all the way then then let them sit in the hot oven for some time but keep an eye on them so that they don't burn.
These cookies are  made with alternate flours, contain no baking powder, no baking soda and no sugar.
These are made with Jaggery powder or Shakker and are overloaded with Almonds, pumpkin seeds and raisins.
I have used half butter and half virgin coconut oil, you can use either by itself also.
If you find it tough to beat the fats then keep it in the fridge for an hour and then beat it into a light and airy mass.

Ingredients 

Butter                        40  gms
Coconut oil               40 gms
Amaranth flour        125 gms
Oats flour                  50 gms
Almond meal            50 gms
Jaggery pd                100 gms
Almonds                     25 gms
Pumpkin seeds           20 gms
Raisins                        1/3 cup
Water                          1/4 cup
Ginger pd                       1 tsp

Method

1. Boil raisins and Jaggery in 1/4 cup water till the mixture thickens. It should be little short of one string consistency.
2. Keep it aside to cool.
3. Whip butter and coconut oil using a hand beater.
4. Beat for 3 minutes or  till its light and fluffy.
5. Now add in the Jaggery and raisin mixture.
6. Beat well to mix.
7. Now tip in the dry ingredients and mix well.
8. Add Almond pieces and seeds and mix well.
9. Keep it in the fridge for atleast an hour.
10. Take small pieces of the dough, flatten between your palms.
11. Place them 2" apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
12. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees celsius for 12-15 minutes.
13. Keep a close watch after 12 minutes as Amaranth tends to burn very fast.
14. Let them sit on the baking sheet for atleast 10 minutes before you remove them to a cooling rack.
15. Store in an airtight container once completely cool.