Paneer Burji - Scrambled Paneer

There is a myth among so many folks that consuming paneer can lead to weight gain which is totally false. Paneer is a major source of protein especially for vegetarians. This is a dish one must definitely include when they are on a weight loss mode. This is also good for bones strength. This is a super food that is not only tasty, but also has various health benefits. This makes you feel sumptuous and satiated quickly and is also a treat to taste buds. These are some of the sin free and guilt free indulgence that leaves you stress free while on a weight loss mode. This is easily a vegetarian substitute for scrambled egg or what is called Egg Bhurji. You can make this and stuff inside sandwich or stuff inside chapati and make paneer chapati rolls. Options are plenty with this recipe. I had made Paneer Burji Stuffed Peppers for a dinner. Check out that recipe as well:)

Serves:3

Ingredients

1. Paneer/cottage cheese - 250 gms (Grated)
2. Tomato - 2 (chopped)
3. Onion - 2 big (chopped)
4. Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
5. Oil - 1 tbsp
6. Green Chili - 1 (finely chopped)
7. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
8. Coriander leaves - (chopped) fistful for garnishing
9. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
10. Garama masala powder - 1 tsp
11. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
12. Chat Masala - 1 tsp
13. Kashmiri red chili powder - 1 tsp
14. Needed salt

                          

                          

Method

1. Heat a pan and add oil and cumin seeds. Once cumin seeds crackle, add green chili and chopped onions and ginger garlic paste. Saute well until onions turn translucent.

2. Add tomatoes and all other powders and saute well on a low-medium flame.

3. Cover the lid and cook for 5 mins until the tomatoes are cooked well and mushy.

4. Add grated paneer to the above along with needed salt and give a nice mix.

5. Add chopped coriander for a final garnish.

6. Hot Paneer Burji is now ready to be eaten with your favorite rolls, sandwich, chapati or anything of your choice:):)

Aloo Capsicum Masala

Aloo or potato and capsicum is a common vegetable in every household. Aloo being the king of vegetables always makes a great choice for any gravy. This is also a commonly available gravy at any restaurant or dhaba. Let's see the preparation of this gravy.

Serves:4

Ingredients

1. Potatoes - 2 Big
2. Capsicum / Bell Pepper(Green/Yellow/Red) - 1 big or 2 small
3. Medium size tomatoes- 4
4. Almonds (Blanched)/ Cashews - 7
5. Big Onions -2 
6. Mustard Oil or any cooking oil - 3 tbsp
7. Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
8. Ginger garlic paste- 2 tbsp
9. Red chili powder- 2 tsp
10. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
11. Coriander powder- 2 tsp
12. Garam Masala powder- 2 tsp
13. Whisked thick Curd - 3 tbsp
14. Fresh Cream - 2 tbsp (Optional)
15. Cinnamon stick-1 piece
16. cloves-3
17. Bay Leaf - 1
18. Kasuri methi crushed- 1 tbsp
19. Coriander leaves - few for garnishing

Method

1. Boil the potatoes separately in a pressure cooker with pinch of salt.

2. In a separate pan, add oil and saute capsicum for 2 mins with a dash of salt and keep it aside.

3. Grind onion and ginger garlic paste together. In a pan, heat oil. Add cumin seeds,bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cloves and saute on a medium flame.

4. After cumin seeds crackle, add the onion + ginger garlic paste and saute well until the paste turns to golden brown color. The raw flavour of onion ginger garlic paste should completely go off.

5. Grind the tomatoes and (almonds/cashews) together and add it to the above pan.

6. Add turmeric, red chili, coriander powder and needed salt to the above pan, mix well and cover the pan and cook for about 5 mins.

7. Now add the whisked curd and garam masala and mix gently. Add the cooked potatoes and fried capsicum to the above gravy mixture. Allow it to simmer on low flame for another
5 mins.

8. Add some fresh cream and simmer for 2 mins.

9. Add crushed kasuri methi.

10. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any Indian Breads.

Notes,Tips & Add-on's

1. If you are using cashews, soak them in warm water for 15 mins before grinding it. This ensures a smooth paste is formed.
2. You can either use almond or cashew, this is added to enhance the flavor,richness and provide a creamy texture to the gravy.
3. Fresh cream is added to balance the tanginess of tomato and curd and also to give a creamy taste and thickness.

Butter Naan

Hello folks, this is going to be my first post after a long gap. This is a very special menu that is very close to my heart.This is my husband's favorite dish. Butter naan has become a very popular staple not just in north India, but also in the down south.The combination of Butter naan and Paneer Butter Masala leaves your taste buds longing for more.How about making a very healthy, egg less and an easy version of this popular dish at our home?? Yes, that's what I tried and it came out really well.This recipe has been picked and tried from Sailu's Kitchen and it was super successful and very soft.My husband was surprised and loved it. I would like to share this recipe and my learning here on trying this.

Serves : 8 naans

Ingredients

All purpose flour/maida- 2 Cups
Warm milk-1/2 cup
Curd/Yogurt-1/2 cup
Salt-1/4 tsp
Sugar-1 tsp
Baking Powder-3/4 tsp
Baking soda-1/4 tsp
Coriander/Mint/any green herb-Chopped(handful)
Sesame seeds-1 tsp(Black/White)
Oil-1 tsp
Melted Butter-1-2 tbsp

Method

1. Mix the flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt nicely.Sieve this to form an even mixture.

2. Keep adding sugar,milk and yogurt little by little to the above dry mixture and start kneading the dough.

3. Knead hard and evenly until it forms a soft dough, something very similar to a soft clay.

4. Apply some oil to the dough and cover it completely by a thin film of oil coating.

5. Cover the kneaded dough with a damp cloth and allow it to rest for 2 hours.

6. After 2 hours, gently knead the dough.You can feel that it is much softer.

7. Make small lemon sized balls from the dough.

8. Dust the rolling surface with flour and roll the ball to a slightly elongated shape.

9. Sprinkle few sesame seeds and few chopped coriander and again roll it so that they stick well to the dough surface.

10. Heat an iron tawa and once its hot, place the naan on the tawa and close it with a lid and cook for 40-45 sec on a high flame.

11. When you remove the lid, we can see that bubbles are formed on the naan.

12. Cook the other side directly on the flame by flipping the tawa directly.The heat should be spread evenly and brown spots start appearing indicating that the naan is being cooked.Do this only for few seconds, else will get burnt.Alternatively, instead of flipping the tawa, just flip the naan to the other side on the flame using tongs and follow the same above procedure.

13. Pour some melted butter on the naan generously and serve with the ever delightful combination of Paneer Butter Masala.

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

• Make sure both sides of the naan are cooked well by the indication of brown spots.They should not be burnt.
• The oil coating of the dough helps it from drying up and becoming hard.

Cashewnut / Kaju Pulao

Cashewnut Pulao is one of my favourites whenever I am at Hot Chips Restaurant.A mild aromatic pulao seasoned with roasted cashewnuts and ghee.This is a very simple yet delicious and rich pulao that can be done in a jiffy.The coconut milk adds to the rich taste and hence I have used it.

serves:3

Ingredients

1. Basmathi rice-1.5 cups
2. Cashew nuts-2 tbsp (chopped into medium size)
3. Onion - 1 big (thinly sliced lengthwise)
4. Coriander leaves-fistful
5. Green Chili-2
6. Coconut Milk- 3 cups (diluted - 2 cups milk with 1 cup water)
7. Ghee-1 tbsp
8. Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
9. Salt to taste

Masala Ingredients

1. Bay Leaf - 1 Medium or Big
2. Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp
3. Jeera/Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
4. Cloves - 2-3
5. Green Cardamom- 3 
6. Black Cardamoms - 2 
7. Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
8. Star Anise - 2
9. Mace/Japathri -2

Method

1. Rinse well and soak Basmathi rice in water for about 30 mins.

2. In a pan, heat some ghee,add Bay leaf and saute for 2-3  mins.

3. Add cumin seeds and fennel seeds.After they crackle,add all other masala ingredients and saute for 2 mins on a low flame.

4.  Add Onions and green chili. Saute well until onions turns translucent. 

5. Add Ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell of garlic and ginger goes off.

6. Strain the soaked rice,some chopped coriander leaves and add it to the above pan.

7. Mix the rice well with masala and saute well.

8. Once the rice is mixed evenly and gently with the masala paste, remove the pan from the flame.

9. Transfer the rice to a pressure cooker,add salt and diluted coconut milk.

10. Cook the rice as mentioned here for 1:2 ratio.

11. Roast the cashew nuts in a tsp of ghee until they turn light brown in color.

12. Mix the roasted cashew nuts with cooked rice gently. 

13. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and some roasted cashews and serve hot with spicy accompaniments. 

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. Instead of coriander,you can use mint or celery leaves.
2. Remove the bay leaf from rice before serving as it is used only for infusing aroma.