Kadai Paneer

There are several versions of this popular side dish. some prepare it as a dry veg others in tangy tomato gravy, but I like this one better mildly spiced with a creamier taste.

1 cup diced green capsicum
100 g paneer/cottage cheese cut into small cubes
1 or 2 green chili chopped
1 large onion chopped
1 large tomato chopped
7-8 cloves garlic, crushed
1 inch piece ginger, crushed
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds crushed
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves, crushed)
1/4 cup cream
4 tbsp ghee/oil
salt to taste


Heat oil or ghee in a wok/kadhai add crushed corriander seeds, garlic-ginger paste saute for few seconds and add chopped onions. Saute until lightly browned, add chopped green chili and saute for another minute.
Add chopped tomatoes and cook until soft. Add chili p'dr and coriander powder and cook until the fat separates.
Add diced capsicums, cover and cook for a few minutes until the capsicums are soft. Now add paneer, salt,garam masala and cumin powder. cook for another 1 or 2 min. Add the cream and kasoori methi and cook for another few min.
Serve hot with Indian breads.

French Bean Kadhi

My mother used to make this kadhi for me when I was a child and till date its my favorite.
Very simple dish which can be prepared in a hurry.

300 ml yogurt/curd
200-300 ml water
2 tbsp besan/gram flour
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 cup chopped french beans

For Tempering
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1tsp ginger paste/crushed
1 tsp garlic paste/crushed
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 dry red chilies/slit green chili

Boil the beans with very little water so that we do not have to discard the liquid.You can pressure cook for 1 whistle, but do not leave it in the cooker for long to prevent over-cooking .
Take yogurt in a microwave safe bowl (for microwave) or a sauce pan (for stove top) , the bowl/pan should be slightly bigger to avoid the kadhi from overflowing while boiling.
Add besan to it. Whisk well so that no lumps remain.
Add Salt and turmeric powder to it.
Add water, the amount of water depends upon the consistency and sourness of yogurt. If yogurt is too sour or thick then more water will be needed.  Whisk well.
Kadhi can be made both in microwave or on stove top. I have mentions both the methods here.

Microwave Method:
Microwave this mixture on high for 3 min., whisk the kadhi and reduce the power to 360 and microwave     for 5 min.
Add the boiled beans along with its stock and microwave at the same power level for another 3 min.

Stove-top:
Cook this mixture stirring continuously until it comes to a boil. Stirring is necessary else the kadhi will curdle.
Once it starts boiling lower the flame and simmer for 5-6 min. Stirring occasionally.
Now add the beans along with its stock and simmer for another 5 min.

To make tempering:
Heat oil, add mustard seeds, whole chilies. Add crushed ginger and garlic saute it for a min and switch of the gas.
Immediately add chili powder to it and pour the tempering over the kadhi.

Serve with steamed rice or chapatis.

Ghar ki rasoi Tip:
1. If kadhi is too thick then add some water and bring to a boil.
2. If kadhi is too watery then mix a little gram flour in a little water and add it to the kadhi. Now boil it stirring continuously for 4-5 min.

my entry for
http://www.fullscoops.net/2014/11/event-announcement-in-my-veg-box.html
http://citrusspiceuk.com/

Sweet Tamarind sauce - Imli ki chutney

Cannot imagine chaats without Imli ki chutney and when you have this chutney ready, chaats can be made in no-time at any short notice demands from your little-ones.
Other than chaats it is an excellent accompaniment as a dip for any kind of pakoda, chips, cutlets, boiled potatoes etc....

One day I just mixed 1 tbsp of this sauce in chilled water, added some more salt and cumin powder and gave it my daughter, Since then its her favorite drink.






This recipe can be stored at room temperature for more than a year.

250 g tamarind
3 cups sugar
1 tbsp rock salt
1 tsp plain salt
2 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp kalonji
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1/4 cup pitted and sliced dates
handful of broken cashew nuts and raisins(optional)

1.  Soak the tamarind for about 30 min-1 hr in enough warm water. Mash the tamarind and strain to extract the pulp. 
2. Add some more water to the tamarind , mash and strain. Repeat this process until all the pulp is extracted from the tamarind. This will give you near about 1 1/2 litre of tamarind extract.
3. Now add sugar and switch on the gas. Stir on medium flame until all the sugar dissolves in it.
4. Simmer for about 10-15 min. Keep a check on its consistency, it should be less than 1 thread consistency. It doesn't matter even if it looks a little watery, when cool it will turn thick and saucy.
5.  Add Remaining ingredients and bring it to a boil.
6. Cool and store in sterilized bottles. 

Orange-gram salad

Serves 3
A unique combination of vegetable, fruit and cereal loaded with different flavors.
Tangy mandarins/oranges, pungent and spicy radish, sour lime , Crisp Lettuce, and wholesome sprouted black grams along with sweet honey make this salad my favorite.

2 oranges/mandarins
1 raddish
1 cup sprouted black grams
5-6 lettuce leaves torn
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp powdered sugar/honey
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lime juice
5-6 mint leaves for garnishing

Boil the grams with little salt for 1 whistle in a pressure cooker. Drain the grams and allow to cool.
Lettuce can be kept in ice cold water for some time to make it crisper.
Peel and take out the segments from oranges.
Grate the radish and combine with orange, grams and lettuce.
Mix together lime juice, sugar/honey, olive oil, salt and pepper for the dressing and pour over the salad.
Toss lightly and garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Related Recipes:

Stir Fried Garlic Beans

Stir Fried Vegetables are usually a favorite during cold evenings. They can be served as warm salad or as a side dish.

For this recipe the beans used must be fresh. These crunchy-garlicky beans are a good accompaniment for dal-chawal.

200g Fresh tender french beans

7-8 garlic cloves chopped

1 tbsp olive oil   

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Boil the beans until half done. Strain and keep aside.

Heat olive oil and add garlic and saute for a min. 

Add the beans and again saute for 2 min.

Add the seasonings and sprinkle roasted sesame seeds.

Serve immediately. 

my entry for
http://www.fullscoops.net/2014/11/event-announcement-in-my-veg-box.html
http://citrusspiceuk.com/

Capsicum Paneer in cashewnut sauce

3/4 cup capsicum diced
1/2 cup paneer diced
3 tbsp ghee/oil
1 stick cinnamon
1 black cardamom
4 cloves
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup curd
salt to taste




to be ground into a paste
handful of cashew-nuts
1 onion
2 green chilies
1 inch piece ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper

Heat ghee and add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and add capsicums saute for 2 min.
Add  the ground paste and cook stirring in between until the oil starts separating, it will take approx 5 min.
Now add coriander powder, turmeric powder and cook for another 2 min.
Add paneer and little water and cook for 2 min.
Add salt , beaten curd and garam masala. simmer for another 2 min.

Bajri Dalia- Pearl Millet Porridge

A desi alternative for ready-made cereals/cornflakes.
It can also be served during illness as it is rich in fiber and easy to digest.

The flour for Bajri daliya can be prepared at home. Grind the Bajri/pearl millet in a mixie, don't make it too fine, the texture should be somewhat like semolina. Pass through a sieve just to make sure no whole grains are left. Store in refrigerator.

serves: 2
ingredients:
3 tbsp bajri daliya flour
1/2 tsp salt
a pinch turmeric powder
300 ml water
To serve:
milk/yogurt/ghee

Boil water and slowly add bajri daliya flour stirring continuously so that no lumps are formed.
Add salt and turmeric powder. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 10 min. stirring frequently so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan or overflow.

Serve hot with milk or ghee and at room temperature when serving with yogurt.

Related recipes:
Dova ki Rabdi
Bajra Roti-flat bread from millet flour


Sending this recipe to Kid’s delight – Cooking with whole grains happening at My Cooking Journey and to Srivalli’s page.

Warm Carrot-basil salad

During winters, cold and cough is very common among children. Cucumber, tomatoes and most of the fruits have cooling tendency, I was wondering what should I give my child other than soup, as the doctor had asked me to avoid feeding any fruit(except chikoo and pomegranate) to my baby when she was suffering from cold.  So I came up with an idea of making a warm salad for her using carrots, basil, lemon and coriander,all  these ingredients are considered good for curing respiratory diseases.

2 carrots cut into strips
2 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
6-7 basil/tulsi leaves,torn
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp honey
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Microwave the carrots with 1 tsp water for 1 min.
Add all other ingredients to the carrots and toss.

Related recipes:

Garden Salad

Carrot Halwa

my entry for the event In my Veg Box-carrots

Gond ke laddu

A very Happy and Prosperous New Year to all my readers.
This is my first post for 2014 so I thought I should start with something sweet.












Gond is an edible gum. Gond laddu is a traditional Rajasthani sweet usually consumed during winter as it generates heat in the body.

Gond is considered to have several healing properties especially post delivery. But khoya is eliminated from the recipe for those mothers who have recently given birth to a baby. It is also very good for lactating mothers.

Add caption

This recipe demands a little effort and perfection. I've seen even perfectionists go wrong with this one. A few tips may help with this
1. gond has to be fried properly and after that picking up some of the unpopped gond  is also very important else you will end up with laddus where gond keeps sticking to your teeth. And trust me this spoils the whole taste.
2. The laddu has to be moist and not too dry or hard, this depends on the sugar syrup consistency.



ingredients:


250g gond/edible gum
300g desiccated coconut (I Prefer fresh khopra, remove the skin and cut into pieces and run in a mixie)

450g maida
50g fine semolina
500g fresh khoya
900g sugar
1/4cup milk+ 4 tbspwater
Ghee for frying (approx 500g)
7 cardamoms
1 cup boiling water
for garnishing a few almonds and pistachios
silver foil optional

1. Spread the gond in a metal plate and keep in sun for about 30 min to 1 hr. Don't leave for long. This will remove the moisture and reduce the chances of having unpopped gum while frying.
2. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat and put a tbsp of gum in it. The gum starts popping and it immediately rises up. Carefully but quickly strain it from the ghee(before it turns red) with a strainer without disturbing the lower layer, as the unpopped gum if any will settle down in the ghee. Fry the remaining gum similarly. You can use more ghee as required. I know its a difficult process but after one or two tries you will gain mastery over it.
3.Allow the ghee to cool. By that time start picking up unpopped or deep red coloured gum from the fried gum.
4. Grate the khoya and keep aside.
5. Strain the ghee. Take a heavy bottomed pan (you can wipe and use the same pan). Add the flour and semolina and add enough strained ghee needed to saute the flour. On a slow flame keep roasting the flour stirring continuously until it starts releasing aroma. It will take near about 30 to 40 min.
6. Once the flour is roasted, add khoya and roast again for about 10 min. Be careful as it will stick to the bottom very quickly, so keep stirring.
7. Now add khopra(dry coconut) and saute for another five min. Allow to cool. 

For the sugar syrup:
8. Take sugar in a pan and pour water just enough to cover the sugar. Switch on the gas and dissolve the sugar.
9. Once the sugar syrup starts frothing add milk and water mixture slowly to it. And allow it to boil on high flame without disturbing.
10. Now you can see the scum collecting to the sides of the pan. Remove the dirt with a ladle. After removing all the scum you can see a clear sugar syrup.
11. Now boil it until you get a multiple thread consistency, this you can check by taking a drop of the syrup in between your thumb and index finger and press it a few times, if you see more than two threads, its ready.
Remove from fire and Add crushed cardamom seeds to it. Keep stirring the syrup continuously for 5 min.

Final touch:
12. At this stage keep the boiling water ready. Slowly add the sugar syrup to the mixture and mix well. Add the boiling water quickly to it and mix thoroughly.  Add the fried gond to the flour mixture (the mixture should be cool). If cutting into squares(chakki) reserve a little gond for topping.mixvwell and add almond and pistachios to this mixture, if preparing chakkis than you can reserve it for topping.

13.  Now either make small balls(laddus) out of this mixture by pressing in between your palms while warm or flatten into a greased tin to make chakkis. For chakki top with the fried gum and nuts and press lightly or alternatively you can put a silver foil on top of it.
To cut into squares make lines with a knife while warm. After cooling carefully release the squares with a spatula one by one.
14. Store in airtight boxes.



my entry for

http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.in/2013/11/celebrating-3-years-of-blogging-with.html