Non-Fried Dahi Wada (Dahi Bhalla)

I bought a new non-stick appam patra (Appam Mold) last week and to say that I have been using it non-stop will be a serious understatement. I have made sweet appam by the dozens for the first time ever and  impressed my family, but the really really impressive bit came when I made wadas for my dahi wada dish in my appam mold. Yesss ! Wadas in made in appam style. Frankly though I cannot take the credit for this idea. It was my Aai who came up with this idea a couple of years back and always told me to do the same to make dahi wadas oil free. Many of you might also be doing it the same way but when I told my friends what I done , it was a completely novel idea to them and they loved it, not to mention they loved the Dahi Wadas too. It was their praise that prompted me to immediately blog about them. 

The entire process of making the wadas is just the same as you would for the fried version. Even the ingredients are absolutely the same. Only while preparing the wadas instead of deep frying the batter, pour spoonfuls into the appam mould. Now because I wanted them to taste just as good as the fried ones I put a few drops of oil on each wada (and I seriously mean a few drops) Cook on moderate heat for 4 to 5 mins on either side and pop them out.

Ingredients for the wadas:

3 cups urid dal (Split black lentils) soaked overnight or for 5 to 6 hrs

1 cup fresh grated coconut,

10-12 chillies,

3 tblspns cumin

2 to 3 tspns sugar

salt to taste.

Ingredients for the yogurt mix:

1 litre and a little more thick whole milk yogurt,

sugar to slightly sweeten the yogurt,

3 tspns of ginger  and chilly paste,

1 tspn cumin and coriander powder each

salt to taste

Ingredients for the tempering:

3 tblspns of oil,

2 tspns mustard

10 to 12 curry leaves finely chopped

1/2 tspn asafoetida (hing)

Method:

Soak the urid dal overnight or at least for 5 to 6 hrs,

•Grind the soaked urid dal finely along with the grated coconut, chillies , cumin, salt and sugar . While grinding the dal add water in small quantities only as much as needed to aid the process of grinding.

•Keep aside for a little while.

•Prepare the yogurt by whipping the yogurt to a smooth consistency.

•Add some milk to the yogurt to give it the consistency of a thick pouring sauce. Mix in the sugar ,salt and ginger, cumin and coriander powders and the ginger-chilly paste.

•Before cooking the wadas keep a large pan of lukewarm water at hand . Add to the water a little yogurt and mix it well . This water is used to soak the cooked wadas .

•Drop tblspnfuls of wada batter into the the mold and cook  on a very moderate heat turning them over once.

•After cooking  the first batch let them cool . After they have cooled pop them into the lukewarm water and let them soak in the water for a while until they become slightly soggy

•Repeat this process with all the wadas, putting them in water only after they have cooled slightly

•Note: if hot wadas are put in cold water they remain hard at the centre, so let them cool slightly first.

•When all the wadas have been put in the water squeeze out the water from each wada by pressing it gently between your palms and place them flat one next to the other in your serving dish.

•Pour over the prepared yogurt evenly over all the wadas

•Prepare the seasoning by adding the mustard seeds to hot oil. When they begin to splutter add the hing and the curry leaves and switch off the gas.

•Spoon this seasoning over the dahi wadas carefully . Sprinkle some chilly powder over the finished dish and garnish with coriander . Let your guest help themselves to the date and tamarind sauce

•Also offer your guests extra cumin and coriander and chilly powder .

This makes a wonderful side dish during a meal or a main snack at tea time and now you can enjoy these in unlimited quantities as they are NOT FRIED . YEHHHHHH!!!!!

Kadhai Paneer and Hot Phulkas (A Killer Combination)

Ooooh it really feels good to blog again. I have been away from the blogging scene for so long that that it feels like it did when I had just started Food-n-More in UK. It was the only thing I could think about . I used to constantly check (like about 50 times a day) to see if there were any new comments and everytime I made something new I wouldn't let hubby or son have a taste of it until I had photographed the dish from all possible angles and was finally satisfied with my amateurish photography attempts. They have always been so sweet and indulgent about it . Hubby has always proudly shown off Food-n-More to all his friends and colleagues and son is so sweet that he has started his own blog in which he posts about the different construction toys he makes. He also calls it by a name similar to my blog . He calls it Struxx-n-More because he wanted something just like Food-n-More. Needless to say that they are both very happy that I am blogging again.

There have been times when I made food especially for blogging and then at other times I have blogged about recipes that are firm favourites in my house with classic ingredients. A very hot favourite of mine is Paneer. Just thinking about it makes me smile. I love to cook with paneer, so much so that if I am having guests over hubby usually asks me  "So what paneer recipe are you thinking of madam?" And he is usually not wrong in guessing that there will be atleast one paneer dish.

I don't exactly remember when I made this Paneer Kadhai because I cook so often with paneer, but I thought it good enough to share with you guys. Chapatis is another thing I love to make. Whenever we had get togethers in the UK where all of us pooled in and prepared the meal ,chapatis were always alloted to me, or rather I always volunteered to make chapatis. Believe me well made soft chapatis can very often be the show stopper.  So this makes the picture above my all time favourite meal. Delicious Paneer and  soft pliant chapatis hmmmmmm !!!!

Recipe for Paneer Kadhai: (taken from Tarla Dalal and tweaked a bit here and there)

500 gms paneer 

2 cups capsicum (or coloured bell peppers which I have used)

2 tsp coriander seeds

5 whole red chillies

3/4 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)

2 green chillies, chopped

2 tsp chopped ginger

4 tomatoes, chopped

2 tbsp chopped coriander

3 tbsp ghee

salt to taste

For the paste

6 cloves garlic (lehsun) mixed with a little water

Method

1.Cut the paneer and capsicum into cubes

2.Pound the coriander seeds and red chillies together.

3.Heat the ghee, add the garlic paste and cook on a slow flame for a few seconds.

4.Add the capsicum and pounded spices and cook on a slow flame for 30 seconds.

5.Add the green chillies and ginger and fry again for a few seconds.

6.Add the tomatoes and cook until the ghee comes on top.

7.Add the kasoori methi and salt and fry again for a few seconds.

8.Finally, add the cubed paneer and cook for a few minutes.

9.Sprinkle coriander on top serve hot and enjoy it yourself too.

Mango Bread and Butter Pudding and Round-Up : Mango Moods

OK People ! Thanks a ton for being ever so patient while I was roudning -up all the gorgeous and lip-smacking  that were sent by you all to make Mango Moods a super duper success. We have 28 entries from 17 blogs and they are all just mind-blowing. So without much further delay here's presenting the Grand Mosaic of Mango Moods

I have lined up all the recipes below . Follow the pics row by row from left to right and you will find the corresponding recipe in the list below. My contribution to the event is at the very end of this post. Hope you like it. Thanks once again for your very enthusiastic response. Enjoy the Round up.

1.Eggless Mango Custard by Pavithra of Binge On Veg

2.Mango Mousse by Jayashree of Spice and Curry

3.Mango and Banana Bake from Guyana by Bala of  A Life Journey Together

4.Mango Puree Coconut Cream Panacotta by Lakshmi of Palate Desires

5.Mango Swiss Roll also by Lakshmi of Palate Desires

6.Paneer Burrito again by Lakshmi of Palate Desires

7.Coconut and Mango Agar Agar by Lakshmi again !! Yes from Palate Desires!!

8.Mango Chutney from Nayna of Simply. Food

9.Mango Bread by Rachana of Sizzle N Spice

10.Mambhazha Kuzhambu by Nithu of Nithu's Kitchen

11.Nuts and Fruits Dessert another yummy creation by Nithu from Nithu's Kitchen

12.Mango Dessert : A third delicious recipe by ...yes  Nithu again from her kitchen

13.Ripe Mango Chutney : The fourth fantastic dish by Nithu.... Looks like all the mangoes in the market are going to Nithu's Kitchen

14.And to top all that we have a Spicy Fruit Salad yet again from Nithu's Kitchen

15.A beautiful Mango Trifle by Cooking Foodie  from 365 Days of Eating

16.A spicy hot entry from Pranis Kitchen is her Kadu Mango Pickle

 

17.A very exotic Prawn with Mango Curry comes from Sudha of Malaysian Delicacies

18.Beat the heat with Lalaine's cool Chamango

19.Priya of Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes very proudly sends Aam ki Launji  

20.Sisters Harini and  Jaya of Tamalapaku have teamed up to send not one but three great
recipes : First one is Bisipinakaya (Rasa Gaya)

21.Next from them  is Mango Palak Carrot Chapati

 

22.Priya  from Priya's Easy and Tasty Recipes sends her Mango and Chocolate Chips Bread


23.The delectable Mango Muffins are from Neeta of Chatak Matak

24.And the third tasty dish from Harini and Jaya is Raw Mango Rice

25.Ayeesha sends her fabulous Mango and Cardammom Gateau from Taste of Pearl City


26.Divya of Divya's Kitchen has made a beautiful looking Mango Sesame Curry

27.The Mango Sesame Chutney is another creation again from Divya


28.Priya from Priya's Easy and Tasty Recipes has sent us Multi-grain Mango Scones which look and sound just absolutely gorgeous.

And now for my entry to the event. This must be the quickest pud I have ever made. And surprise surprise it turned out great. But recipe will be posted tomorrow. Promise!!  So keep watching this space.

If I have missed any entries do let me know as I am quite a scatter-brain about things like this and absolutely unorganised. 


Leaving you all for now. Will be back tomorrow.

Spicy Chicken Burgers (Simply delightful and very satisfying)

Hi everyone! I am so glad to be posting again. Last week was a good week food-wise . I tried out a few new recipes and they turned out pretty neat. One of them was this burger recipe that was a complete hit. Recently I have taken to watching re-runs of 30 Minute Meals by Rachel Ray and there is something about that show that really inspires me to just get up and spend time in the kitchen trying out recipes. It's probably Rachel enthusiasm on the show and the very homly no-fuss dinners that she makes that I find very appealing. So a few days back I saw her cook some burgers and cole slaw and I decided then that I wanted to cook burgers for dinner too. I already had chicken in the fridge. But I also wanted really spicy burgers.

So I surfed the net for some good burger recipes and was completely impressed by a recipe put up by Kevin on his blog Closet Cooking. Its a fab idea to use curry powder for burgers. My family just loved these burgers, so thanks Kevin for a great recipe.I tweaked it a bit here and there to suit my taste and it came out awesome.

What you need:

500 gms chicken mince (you could buy chicken breast and mince it in your processor)

4 spring onions finely chopped,

1 cup finely chopped coriander

1 tblspn minced ginger

1 tblspn minced garlic

1 cup bread crumbs

2 tspns lemon zest,

4 tspns hot curry powder,

2 tspns chilly powder,

2 to 3 tblspns tomato ketchup

salt to taste

To assemble the burger you need:

Burger Buns,

Mayonnaise,

Lettuce

Tomato slices

Cheese slices

Ketchup or Hot Jalapeno Relish

Method:

Mix all the above ingredients well , but do not overmix. Use a gentle hand. This prevents the chicken patties from drying out.

Shape them into equal sized patties shallow fry for 10 to 12 mins turning them once over half-way through.

Assemble the burgers as you like and enjoy with some oven chips and a glass of icy coke.

ENJOY!!!! I know we did

Delicious Butter Chicken with the Restaurant Taste

Hi everyone ! So Diwali is behind us now and so are all the rich sweets and treats. So it's time for something different now. I tried out this Butter Chicken a few days back and it turned out pretty good and tasted just like the restaurant one we get in India. I checked out a recipe from http://www.videojug.com/ which is a fabulous site with very clear and step-by-step easy videos on how to make lots and lots of delicious recipes. Do check it out yourself sometime. I almost followed the entire recipe just as shown except for one step, and that is regarding pre-cooking the chicken. On videojug they have sauteed the chicken before adding it to the curry but I find that makes the chicken very chewy. So I grilled the chicken breasts in the oven until completely cooked and then cut them into bitesize pieces.

You will need…
2 chicken breasts,
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garlic, crushed
1 tsp ginger, crushed
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp ground almonds
220 g can of whole peeled tomatoes/ or chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp natural yoghurt
2 tbsp fresh coriander or spinach, chopped , 1 heaped tblspn kasoori methi (which was not in the original recipe )
salt and pepper

Method:
Step 1:
Smother the chicken breasts with the vegetable oil and season well with salt and pepper
Step 2:
Grill the chicken breasts in the oven at approx 200 deg C for around 30 mins or until completely cooked .
Step 3: After removing from oven let it rest for a few minutes before cutting it into bite-size pieces and put it aside
Step 4:
In a frying pan melt the butter.
Step 5:
Fry the onion with the cinnamon.
Now add the onion and cinnamon and fry together in the pan.
Step 6:
Add the remaining ingredients.
At this point add the crushed garlic, crushed ginger, turmeric, chilli powder, almonds, peeled tomatoes, tomato paste and the natural yoghurt. Stir all of the ingredients together and mix thoroughly.
Step 7:
Bring to the boil and cook.
Bring the ingredients to a boil and stir for 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 8:
Add the chicken.
Put the chicken back into the pan and combine with the other ingredients.

In last stage of cooking add the kasoori methi. Before adding it microwave it for a few seconds and then crush it slightly between your fingers to release it's flavour.
Step 9:
Add the fresh coriander.
To compliment the dish, garnish with coriander,or fresh spinach ,or finely chopped spring onions and mix with the sauce.
Step 10:
Serve steaming hot and eat up with Naan Bread or Rice!

S.P.D.P

Have you heard of the abbreviation S.P.D.P before? Well if you are from Pune or have lived in Pune for a while you are sure to know what I am talking about. It's the most popular dish in the most popular cafe in Pune. The dish is Sev Potato Dahi Puri , a tantalising combo of crisp puris filled with boiled potato, beaten yogurt, sweet and sour tamarind chutney, hot chilly and mint sauce, finely chopped onions and tomatoes all topped with more yogurt and crispy sev. In short it is heavenly.

The cafe is of course Vaishali on Ferguson College Road . For those of you who don't know Pune so well Vaishali is the most popular hangout for people of all ages in Pune. Mostly frequented by college going teenagers, it is also a favourite with ladies who come there in groups maybe for theie kitty parties or just to catch up on the latest with their friends , with people who come there for steaming hot idlis and delicious coffee after a session of tennis or badminton in the morning , and of course with pensioners who come there to relax and enjoy the youthful atmosphere . It is considered a great achievement to get a table in Vaishali as soon as you get there. Normally you need to wait at least 10 to 15 mins unless you are fortunate to know a waiter there who will be kind to procure a table for you at once.

So coming back to S.P.D.P it is a dish I have eaten umpteen times at Vaishali and have of course replicated it at home on many occasions too. I made it a few days back and could barely spare a few puris to take a picture of the dish. In my family we are notorious for devouring all kinds of chaat items in a matter of minutes

Making this in the UK requires a bit of planning as the puris are available only at the Indian grocers (you can make them at home but I find that a bit tedious ) and you must have plenty of coriander ,mint and chillies at hand not to mention tamarind and palm sugar or demerara sugar for the chutney .

So you need:
1box of Pani Puris or flat Puris (whichever you prefer, it is easier with the pani puris as they are puffed and therefore easier to fill )
2 large potatoes boiled and coarsely mashed,
3 to 4 cups of sprouted moong beans (this is optional but I recommend it , soak green moong lentils one day earlier and then wrap them up the next morning in a thin cloth till they sprout )
1 large onion finely chopped,
1 large tomato finely chopped,
Sweet and sour tamarind chutney (recipe given below)
Chilly and mint sauce (recipe below)
2 cups beaten yogurt (add a little sugar and salt to this)
Chilly powder to sprinkle on top
Chaat masala to sprinkle on top (available at Indian stores)
Fine Sev (available at Indian stores)
Fresh coriander for garnishing

Whew!! thats quite a list.

Prepare ahead:
Tamarind Sauce or chutney
Boil a handful of tamarind fruit in water till the tamarind goes all soft and pulpy, let it cool a bit, then check to see that there are no seeds in the pulp, remove seeds if you find any. Strain this boiled tamarind so that you have a smooth pulp left ,
Add double the quantity of palmsugar (jaggery) to the pulp, 1 tspn chilly powder, 1 tspn salt, 1/2 tspn each of cumin and coriander powder and blend it all together in a blender. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning. If you find it too sour add more jaggery and blend again.
Your tamarind sauce is ready

For the mint and chilly sauce:
Blend together a handful of mint leaves, 3 green chillies, and a handful of coriander with 2 to 3 tspns of lemon juice and a tspn og salt. Add a little amount of water while blending but keep it to a minimum as we do not want a very runny sauce.

Now the assembling:
To serve place 6 puris on a plate. Make a hole on the top of each one them to put in the different fillings.
First put in the boiled potato bits, then come the sprouted moong beans, now the onion and tomato, , next add the yogurt and the two sauces, and finally top it all with plenty of sev, another lashing of yogurt and season with chaat masala ,chilly powder and salt. Garnish with corainder and serve.

Don't get discouraged by all the prepping that is involved. The final product is worth every bit of effort it takes

Amazingly Delicious Paneer Potato Bites

A very warm Hello to all my dear readers. Sorry I have been away for so long. Had a lot of other tasks to do and somehow in all the rush to do 20 things at the same time it is always my blog that takes a back seat. But it is never far from my thoughts. Whenever I cook something different from the ordinary my mind is planning out how I can present this on Food-n-More. In fact in the last fortnight it so happened twice that I did make some tasty snacks and was determined to take pics of the dishes but somehow I left it too late and the food was over and gobbled up (don't ask by whom) before I could get my camera out of it's case. But not this time. This time I did take pics before anyone had a chance to set eyes on what I had made. And what did I make? Yes these very delicious ,crispy and mouthwatering Paneer Potato Bites.
They were practically made in minutes . They are a great starter for any party or get together and my friends loved them. So will you!

Here's what you need:
1 large potato and 1 small one cooked ,peeled and mashed
150 gms paneer grated
2 cubes of cheddar cheese (approx 40 gms),
a handful of fresh mint leaves finely chopped,
some coriander (optional)
cumin and coriander powders 1 heaped tspn each
1 tspn sugar,
1 tspn garam masala,
1 and 1/2 tspn chilly powder
salt to taste
Oil for frying

1. Mix all the above ingredients together (except of course the oil) very well .
2. Make small bite sized balls and keep aside.
3. Heat the oil and fry the balls until golden (hardly takes a few seconds)
4. Serve on cocktail sticks with your favourite dip. I used Thai Sweet Chilly Sauce.

Now wasn't that quick?
N.B : I fried them a little before my guests were due to arrive and left them in the oven at 100 deg C. They were nicely warm and crispy when I served them. These are excellent finger food for kids' parties too.

Layers of Chocolate Delight (For a sweet Christmas)

A very warm Hello after a long time. I believe we all need all the warmth we can get in this cold cold weather. My long break this time is due to the fact that my broadband connection was cut off and I could not access the internet for quite some time. But all is fixed now I am back. While I was away from blogging I did do a couple interesting things that I would love to share with you all.

I sold my first cake ever . Yesss ! I did. It was at the Christmas Bazaar in my son's school that I got the opportunity to do so. They had a cake stall at the bazaar and I made a Banana Cake. I was very happy .

And secondly I gave my first ever cooking lesson. OK maybe calling it a cooking lesson will be an exaggeration, as it involved only showing a friend how to prepare some Indian dishes. But all the same I did prepare for it very thoroughly. I showed her Chana Bhatura and Paneer Tikka . The Paneer Tikka will soon feature on Food-n-more. I really enjoyed doing it.

So doing these two things in the last 2 weeks has given me great joy. Today I am going to share with you another dish that I tried out a couple of days back for the first time.It's a very quick Chocolate Pudding. I saw this one on TV . It's a dessert that has maximum flavour with minimum efforts and ingredients. It's simply delicious and with the Christmas holidays coming up, it's the thing to make.

Ingredients:

200 gms dark chocolate,

200 gms double cream,

250 gms ready to eat custard,

one small plain sponge cake coarsely crumbled (or any other plain cake),

Method:

• Place a heat proof glass bowl over a saucepan with simmering water, break the chocolate into small pieces, place these in the bowl and melt the chocolate slowly. Take care that the water in the saucepan is just simmering and not boiling. Also the base of the glass bowl should not touch the water.
• After the chocolate has melted set it aside and let it cool down.


• In another bowl whip the double cream until it has soft peaks,


• When the chocolate cools add the chocolate to the whipped cream and fold it in gently.


• Next add to this the custard and again mix it in gently. This mixture has the same consistency as that of a mousse. And it's delicious to eat even at this stage. But let's take it a step further .


• I used ordinary glasses to serve this pudding. In the bottom of the glass first put a layer a layer of the chocolate mousse, then a layer of crumbled cake and then again a layer of mousse and continue alternating these layers till you come to the top. at this stage chill the pudding well . When serving decorate the top with a big dollop of whipped cream and grate a bit of chocolate for a special touch.

Believe me your guests will be asking for seconds. I am now going over with this delicious treat to Tasty Treats where JZ of Tasty Treats is hosting Santa's Holiday Challenge, a fabulous Christmas Event which will showcase all kinds of delicious Christmas Sweet Treats.

Hot Crispy Spicy Samosas (Just the thing for a rainy day)

Just the thing to eat on a rainy day. That's what came to my mind when I made these. Crispy and spicy they are the kind of food that everyone fantasizes about on a wet rainy day, don't we? . So for a perfect ,almost Utopian afternoon indulge yourself with these samosas , make yourself a hot cup of alyacha chahaa (ginger tea) to go with them , settle down near a window where you can see the rain pouring outside with a book by your favourite author and sink into complete bliss. Wow!! Wouldn't we all just love that!
Well to bring this into reality you have to first start making the samosas at least. Right? Well here goes then.

I made these with Filo Pastry and that made my task oh so easy. I used Filo for the first time and was not sure how exactly to go about it but the instructions on the pack were so clear with such good illustrations that it was a breeze.

For the Filling I used:
3 cups frozen green peas (I thawed them in the microwave before cooking them)
1 onion chopped finely
1 cup dessicated coconut
Paste of 5 to 6 green chillies,
1 tblspn minced garlic
1/2 tblspn minced ginger
1 tblspn garam masala
1 tspn red chiily powder
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tblspn whole cumin
1/2 tspn hing (asafoetida)
1 tblspn sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Oil for cooking
salt to taste

Method:
Before starting the actual cooking I put half the peas in a dry grinder and coarsely ground them while leaving the other half of the peas whole. This lends a nice texture to the filling.

1. In a heavy bottom pan heat 2 tblspns of oil and add the whole cumin first. After a few seconds add the hing followed by the chopped onion. Fry the onion lightly . Doesn't have to be browned.
2. Next add all the spice powders and the green chilly paste and fry further for about half a minute.
3. Now add the green peas (crushed and whole), coconut ,salt ,sugar and lemon juice. Give it all a good stir. Add a little water to the mixture and cover and cook until the peas are completely cooked. Keep adding small amounts of water intermittently if the mixture becomes too dry.
4. Give it a taste and adjust all the seasoning as necessary. Let the filing cool completely before assembling the samosas.

Assembling the samosas:
Now the Filo pastry that I bought was the frozen kind and came in a pack of 6 sheets placed one on top of the other. I left the pastry in the fridge overnight to defrost and then at room temp for 1/2 an hour before using it. I cut all 6 sheets at once into 4 long strips each measuring about 2 inches in width. So I made 24 samosas from one pack.

Place a tablespoonful of the filling at one end of a strip and pull the left corner of the sheet diagonally to the right so that it forms the first triangle . Keep rolling the samosa further in the same way maintaining the triangle shape.
Apply a few drops of water to the last bit of the sheet to seal the samosa tightly. Assemble all the samosas in the same way while keeping the ones already done covered so that the pastry does not dry out.

Fry the samosas in hot oil at moderate to high heat and serve with a combo of mint chutney and hot and sweet tomato sauce. These go very well together.

Paneer Jalfrezi (A spicy end to a very sweet Diwali)

After a very sweet Diwali I thought a spicy Jalfrezi was a good recipe to post . This is a firm favourite in my house. Actually anything with paneer is always welcome in my family, that's particularly because I adore paneer. My husband teases me by saying that my face glows with happiness when I cook ,eat or even buy paneer. I don't believe him and know he exaggerates. But I can't deny the fact that I love it. I don't know what the word Jalfrezi means but I have always associated the word Jal with fire and therefore make this dish a little more fiery than normal.

So here's my very simple recipe for a spicy and mouth-watering Paneer Jalfrezi:

Ingredients:

200 gms Paneer cubes,

1 large onion chopped (chop them into small square shapes if possible),

3/4 cloves garlic crushed,

1/2 inch piece ginger grated or 1 tspn ginger paste,

2 large tomatoes coarsely pureed,

1 tspn concentrated tomato puree (optional),

1 large green capsicum cut into small square shapes,

4 baby corn (each one cut into 2 to 3 chunky pieces)

1 tspn garam masala,

2 tspn chilly powder,

4 tblspn oil for cooking

salt to taste,

lots of coriander for garnishing and a few cherry tomatoes if available.

Method:

Note: Before starting the actual cooking immerse the paneer cubes in warm water and leave them in the water until the time you need them. This makes the paneer beautifully soft on cooking and doesn't turn it leathery.

1. Heat the oil in a kadhai and saute the onions ,ginger and garlic for a few mins,

2. Next add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and cook thoroughly on a medium heat. Add small amounts of water if the mixture begins to stick to the pan,

3. Now add garam masala, chilly powder, salt and stir it all in,

4. At this stage add the baby corn and the capsicum and half a cup of water . The baby corn and capsicum should be cooked but there should also be a bit of crunch in them. So don't overcook them.

5. At the last stage add the paneer and give the whole jalfrezi one last boil on medium heat and switch off the gas.

Decorate with whole cherry tomatoes, thin slices of raw capsicum , fresh coriander and serve with parathas or rotis

Palak Paneer from UK

I call this dish Palak Paneer from UK because I saw this recipe on a show on UKTV Food. I am always intrigued when English chefs cook Indian food on TV. All the ingredients seems so much more exotic when they talk about it. Everyday items from an Indian Kitchen like curry leaves, cumin powder, garam masala, fresh coriander and ginger-garlic paste which are used by me without giving them a second thought appear so much more glamorous on TV.

Terms like beautiful and gorgeous are used very frequently to describe very commonly used spices,but I must say they do make you see stuff in your own kitchen from a different perspective. And I like that. sometimes while cooking something mundane I pretend I am on a TV show and say things like "Now lets put some of this gorgeous yellow turmeric powder in our curry" or "I am going to chop some of this beautiful fresh green coriander and garnish my lovely crunchy salad" It really makes me laugh while cooking and takes away some of the boredom out of everyday cooking .

I am sure by now all of you are thinking "This Anupama has really lost it this time" But you know what even as a kid of 12 or 13 I used to browse through Tarla Dalal's recipe books while eating something very ordinary at home like rice and dal or something similar and pretend that I was eating the dish that was reading about.

Before I saw this recipe on TV I always made Palak Paneer in a slightly different way. I never used tomato in it and I admit I always felt that my dish always lacked something that I could not really put my finger on. But I loved it this time.

So these are the things I used:

2 bunches of baby spinach leaves finely chopped , 1.5 onions finely chopped, 1 large tomato finely chopped, 4 cloves garlic crushed, 1/2 inch piece of ginger, 1.5 tspn coriander powder, 1.5 tspn cumin powder, 1/2tspn garam masala, 1 green chilly chopped, 1/2 cup milk, 2 cups paneer cubed, salt to taste, 3 tblspns oil

And this is what I did:

1. Heat the oil and saute the ginger , garlic and chilly for few seconds,

2. Add the chopped onions and fry these for a minute,

3. Next add the chopped tomato and the spice powders and cook until the raw smell of tomato disappears. Add small quantities of water so the masala does not stick to the bottom of the pan,

4. Now add the spinach, lower the heat to medium and slow cook the spinach until completely cooked,

5. Next add the milk. You can use cream here but milk also gives a great creamy flavour without all the unnecessary calories,

6.Cook further for 2 to 3 minutes until the whole dish gets a creamy texture, now add salt, and check the seasoning

7. At the final stage add the cubed paneer (I did not fry the paneer, but while I was cooking the spinach I immersed the entire block of paneer in warm water. This really softens the paneer beautifully) and cook on a low heat for just one min and switch of the gas.

Palak paneer never tasted so good to me . So do give it a try.

Two Cultures and Two Kinds of Dumplings (Mix Veg Tawa Fry with Methi Muthia)

Mix Veg Tawa Fry with Methi Muthia, originally uploaded by Anupama 72.

I must admit this was a dish cooked totally on the spur of the moment. It was Sunday, a day when everyone at home wants to eat something different than everyday cooking but also a day when I experience some kind of inertia which makes me feel extrenely lazy. Come to think of it I would happily live on Toast and Coffee on Sundays , but the husband loves to eat all kinds of tasty food. Poor guy has to eat a packed lunch everyday at work, so obviously he prefers a nice leisurely lunch on Sunday with at least one unique item on the menu. So it was this wish of his 2 Sundays back that motivated me to make this. Its a very simple recipe which looks as if it has taken a ling time to make. But no. I am not one to toil over the stove for hours together to produce one dish. So here's how you go about it:

For the Muthia:

I followed the recipe for the Muthia word to word from Tarla Dalal's Book "Roti-Subzi " which my dear friend Tanuja gave me.I have always been a great Tarla Dalal fan.

• You need: 2 cups fresh Methi chopped or 1 cup kasoori methi
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour,
• A pinch Asafoetida,
• 1 tspn sugar,
• 1 tspn red chilli powder,
• 1tspn ginger paste,
• 2 tblspns hot oil,
• oil to fry

Mix all the ingredients adding water just enough to form a firm dough. Roll out into small balls and fry these in hot oil on a gentle heat. Keep aside. Your Muthias are ready.

For the Tawa Fry:

• 2 cups mixed vegetables chopped but not finely:(Potatoes, carrots, beans, capsicum, baby corn, peas, asparagus tips and even mushrooms if you like them)
• 1 large onion,
• 3 tblspns thick tomato puree,(I used the store-bought)
• 4 cloves of garlic crushed,
• 1 inch piece ginger ground into a paste,(or better still use ready made ginger-garlic paste)
• 1 small stick cinnamon,
• 2 to 4 cloves,
• 2 tspn red chilly powder,
• 1 tspn turmeric,
• 1 tspn garam masala,
• 1/2 cup milk or 2 tblspns cream,
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tblspns oil for cooking
• salt to taste
• chopped spring onions or coriander for garnishing

Heat the oil in a pan. First add the bay leaf, cloves, and cinnamom. Let these fry a bit. To this add the garlic and ginger pastes. Fry these for a few secs. Then add the chopped onion. Fry till golden. Now add the tomato puree and some water so that the puree does not burn. Cook this mixture for few mins. Then add the garam masala, red chilly powder, turmeric, salt and mix well. Keep adding small amounts of water to the mixture. When this is nicely cooked add some more water. You now need to blend this masala mixture with a hand blender. Before blending remove the bay leaf . Now blend the masala well to a smooth paste. Return the blended paste to its original pan and add the milk and more water to thin it out a bit . The milk brings a creamy flavour to an otherwise spicy dish and kids eat it well. Simmer this masala and add the mixed vegetables. Simmer till all the veggies are tender. Check seasoning and adjust as per your taste. Just before serving add the muthias into this curry and decorate with coriander or finely chopped spring onions as I have. Goes very well with plain parathas.

After cooking this dish inertia struck me again and we had this curry with frozen stuffed parathas which I just microwaved . I always have those in my freezer. You should too

Two Cultures and Two Kinds of Dumplings

Veg Chinese Manchurian

Veg Manchurian, originally uploaded by Anupama 72.

Now before I give the recipe there is one thing that I would like to tell you all. This Manchurian is a total indianised version of the real Chinese dish. I am sure no one in China has ever eaten this unless they have come to one of the indian metropoles and visited a road-side chinese stall . These chinese stalls (at least the ones I have seen in Pune) have really fantastic names like Kung Fu Chinese , Wild Dragon Chinese or something like Great China Darbar. Now why a chinese eatery has to be called a Darbar is beyond me. To add to the authentic feel of the eatery the owner of the joint hires all chinky eyed waiters who resemble the chinese but are probably from Assam or Mizoram come to the big cities in search of work. But the fact remains that most of these joints serve great tasting food. It is spicy and can be ordered with as much chilly as you like.

And hereI have tried to capture all those flavours. I made this for a lunch get- together which 7 of us have once every week . Its a pot-luck affair where all of us decide the kind of food we would like to eat and each of us brings along one dish.This week the favoured food was Desi Chinese. So I made this Veg Manchurian

Ingredients: For the Dumplings: 1cup shredded cabbage, 1 cup grated carrots, 1 large onion, 4 to 5 mushrooms finely chopped, 2 tspn salt, 2 cloves of garlic crushed, Cornflour as per requirement.Oil for frying.

For the Sauce: 3 cups water , 1 tblspn brown vinegar, 1tblspn Soysauce, 2 tblspn tomato Sauce, 4 green chillies cut into very small pieces, 1 inch ginger chopped, 3 to 4 cloves garlic chopped, 2 tblspns Cornflour to thicken the sauce, half a green pepper cut into long strips, 1 tspn sugar and salt to taste 2 to 3 spring onions finely chopped for garnishing.

Procedure:

For the Dumplings:

Mix the carrots, cabbage , mushrooms and onions in a bowl. Add to this the salt, mix well and leave this mixture for 1/2 an hour. After about half an hour drain out the water that is formed due to the salt. Add cornflour to this moist mixture just so that you can shape the mixture into ball with your hand.Have hot oil ready in a wok and fry these balls on a medium heat . These can be made one day in advance and stored in a tight container in the fridge.

For the Sauce: In a little oil saute the chillies and he grenn pepper for a feww mins. Then add the ginger and garlic and saute further for a few mins. Add to this the sauces, vinegar, sugar and salt. Immediately add the water and bring to a boil. when the water begins to boil lower the heat to a simmer and add cornflour mixed in a little amount of water. The sauce will thicken a little. Do not thicken the sauce too much when it is hot as it thickens even more once it begins to cool . Taste the sause and add more sauces or vinegar if needed.Before serving add the cumplings to the hot sauce and garnish with chopped spring onions. Serve with Chinese Fried Rice or Noodles

Now after typing so much I think I'll do the next recipe tomorrow. Blogging takes more time and energy than actual cooking.

Veg Tawa Fry with Methi Muthia

Mix Veg Tawa Fry with Methi Muthia, originally uploaded by Anupama 72.

Will share both the recipes very soon.