Paneer Butter Masala (Paneer Makhni)

This is a very rich and delicious dish and is specially prepared on festive occasions.I love this dish and would like to share it with you..enjoy!!

Things you will need:

Paneer/Cottage Cheese - 1 lb ; cubed (Shallow fried Paneer can be used)
Tomatoes- 2 ; peeled
Green Chilli-1 or 2
Green Peas- 1/4 cup
Ginger- 1 inch piece
Cashews- 1/2 cup;powdered
Heavy Cream- 1/2 cup
Cumin Seeds- 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder- 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder- 1/2 tsp (Adjust as per your taste and tolerance)
Turmeric Powder-1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Asafoetida - a pinch
Oil- 2 tbsp
Kasuri Methi/Dried Fenugreek Leaves - 1 tsp; powdered
Sugar- 1/2 tsp
Cilantro/Coriander leaves- for garnishing


Preparation Method:

Heat oil in a pan.
Add asafoetida and cumin seeds and wait till the cumin seeds crack.
In the mean while blend green chilli,tomatoes and ginger to make a fine puree.
Now add the puree to the pan along with sugar,turmeric, coriander,red chilli and garam masala powder.
Stir this mixture on low-medium flame until the tomato puree separates from the oil.
At this point the mixture is cooked.
Now add salt, heavy cream and powdered cashew and cook for 4 minutes with constant stirring.
Then add the main ingredients- paneer and peas; and cook covered on low-medium flame until the peas are tender.
Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with Chappathi/Indian Bread.



This is my entry to Purva's Festive Food event.

Simple Fish Fry / Meen Varuthathu

Things you will need:

Catfish Fillets - 1 lb;boneless, skinless
Coriander Powder- 2 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder- 1 tbsp, adjust according to your taste and tolerance
Black Pepper Powder- 1 tsp
Lime Juice-1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil- 1/4 cup

Preparation Method:

Wash the fillets well, and cut it into 1 inch square pieces.
In a bowl add salt ,lime juice,coriander,red chilli and black pepper powder.
Using about 1 tbsp water mix the powders into a smooth paste.
Marinate the pieces with this paste and set aside for 30 mins.
Heat oil in a frying pan.
Add the pieces one at a time and fry in low-medium flame.
After about 3 or 4 mins turn the pieces over and fry for 4 mins on low-medium flame.
Be careful not to break the pieces when turning them over.
Once done the fillet pieces will have nice brown color on both sides.

Serve hot with steamed rice and a curry like Mango Curry.

Wish you a HAPPY and PROSPEROUS DIWALI !!

Kadala Varuthathu ( Black Chick Peas Fry)

Things you will need:

Kadala/Black Chick Peas- 1 cup
Grated Coconut- 1/2 cup (I use the frozen kind)
Shallots( Pearl Onions)-8 or 10,finely chopped
Red Whole Chillies- 3 or 4
Coriander powder-2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder- 1 tsp
Black Pepper Powder- 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder-1/2 tsp
Garlic 5 or 6 pods; chopped
Ginger- 1 inch piece; grated or finely chopped
Mustard Seeds -1 tsp
Cumin Seeds- 1 tsp
Curry Leaves- few
Coriander Leaves (Cilantro)- few chopped
Salt to taste
Oil- 2 tbsp; preferably Coconut oil

Preparation Method:

Soak black chick peas overnight.
Then, using a pressure cooker,cook the soaked chick peas along with salt and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder until they are soft.
This will take about 10 minutes.
Now heat the oil in a pan.
Add mustard seeds and red whole chillies and wait till the seeds splutter.
Now add cumin seeds,curry leaves, pearl onions(shallots),ginger and garlic, and saute on low-medium flame until the shallots turn light brown in color.
Then add coriander powder, turmeric powder,garam masala powder, black pepper and red chilli powder and saute till the raw smell is gone.
Now add the black chick peas (without the water that was used in the pressure cooker) and coconut, and mix well.
Add salt to taste and cook covered for 5 minutes on low flame.

Kadala Varuthathu ( Black Chick Peas Fry) is now ready and can be served with hot steamed rice and Mango Curry or Kanji (Rice Gruel).

Puli Inji- Ginger Tamarind Sauce (Condiment)

It is a combination of sweet and sour together at its best.This sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in a refrigerator. Its typically served with Kerala Sadya (Thali in hindi) items.It can be used as a tasty condiment for a variety of dishes.

Things you will need:

Ginger- 200 gms;peeled and grated
Tamarind paste- 5 tbsp
Jaggery- 1 cup
Curry Leaves
Red Whole Chillies-4 or 5
Mustard Seeds- 1 tsp
Oil- 2tbsp; preferably coconut oil
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder- 1 tsp
Green Chillies- 3 or 4 ; finely chopped
Asafoetida powder- 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek powder- 1/2 tsp
water-1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Preparation Method:

Heat oil in a pan.
Add mustard seeds, red whole chillies,green chillies, curry leaves,asafoetida,fenugreek powder and wait till the mustard seeds splutter.
Then add ginger and fry well by stirring continuously until they turn red in color.
Add tamarind, salt, water and bring to a boil.
Now add jaggery and simmer for a few minutes.The sauce will start to thicken.
Reduce the heat and stir until the sauce has reached desired consistency.
Turn off the flame and set it aside to cool.

Delicious Ginger Tamarind Sauce(condiment) is now ready.

Ada Payasam-Rice Chips Pudding (Kheer)

This is also called Kheer/Pudding made with Ada (aka rice chips). I am using ready-made Ada for this recipe here.This dish is typically made in Kerala for festive occasions . Very easy to make, its delicious and completes a Kerala Sadya (Thali)....enjoy!!

Things you will need:

Ada (Rice Chips) - 1 Packet, about 1/2 lbs
Regular Whole milk - 3 cups
Coconut Milk - 1 can
Sugar - 1.5 lb
Ghee- 2 tbsp or Unsalted butter - 1 stick
Water
Raisins - 1/2 cup
Cardamom - 5-6
Cashew nuts - small pieces ,1 cup


Preparation Method:

Boil the Ada in water until it is soft/cooked.It takes about 25-35 minutes for this process.
Drain the water, add the sugar and whole milk in low heat.
Boil the mixture until it is of the right consistency/becomes thick.
Add 3/4 stick of butter or 1 tbsp ghee and continue cookng for another 15 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and boil for about 10 minutes until the payasam(kheer) is reduced well/ looks thicker.



In a separate pan, fry the cashew nuts and raisins using the remaining 1/4 stick of butter or 1 tbsp ghee until the cashews start to turn light brown.
Add the fried cashews and raisins to the payasam(kheer) and remove from heat.
Add the powdered cardamom.

Let it cool and serve after a delicious meal.

This is my entry to Purva's Festive Food event.

Thanks for the Award!!

Thanks a lot to Sangeetha Subhash and all who have visited , encouraged and inspired me to put this blog together....Thanks again....

Dosa

Things you will need:

Split skinless Urad Dal(aka Black Gram)- 1 cup
Rice (Long grain or Parboiled)- 4 cups
Whole fenugreek Seeds- 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil- preferably coconut oil

Preparation Method:

Wash the rice and urad daal well.
Soak the urad dal with fenugreek seeds for 6-8 hours.
In another vessel, soak rice for 6-8 hours.
Then drain all the water from the rice and urad dal.
Now using a food processor , grind both urad dal and rice seperately, adding very little water if necessary,to a smooth yet slightly grainy paste.
When all the rice-daal mix is ground , put it into a large mixing bowl and add enough water to make a batter.
The consistency of the batter should be such that it thickly coats a spoon dipped in it.
Now add salt to taste and keep the batter aside in a warm, dark spot, covered, for 6-8 hours for fermentation.
(For people residing in cold countries- pre heat the oven or microwave to make it warm.Now turn off the appliance and place the batter in oven /microwave for fermentation.)
After fermentation, stir the batter well and it is now ready to make Dosa.




Heat a flat nonstick pan.
Now turn on the heat/ flame at medium high.
Fill the ladle upto the 3/4 level with Dosa batter.
Gently pour this batter onto the center of the pan - just as you would for a pancake - till the ladle is empty.
Now begin to spread the batter in sweeping circular motions to form a pancake of roughly 7" diameter.
Do not be alarmed if the Dosa develops tiny holes as you spread the batter. This is normal.
As soon as you have finished spreading the batter out on the pan,drizzle a few drops of oil all over the surface of the dosa and also around its edges.
When the upper surface begins to look cooked (it will no longer look soft or runny), flip the Dosa.
By this time, ideally, the surface that was underneath should be light golden in color.
Allow to cook for 1 minute after flipping.
Once it has golden brown color on both sides, Dosa is ready.

Serve Dosa hot with Sambhar and Onion Chutney.

Onion Chutney

Things you will need:

Onions- 3; large size, thinly sliced
Tomato- 2; medium size,diced
Green Chillies- 2;cut in half
Curry Leaves- 3 or 5
Oil- 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Preparation Method:

Heat oil in a pan.
Add the onions and fry until they are golden brown.
Add tomatoes and curry leaves, green chillies and saute well.
To reduce the spice/heat you could use lesser green chillies.
Add red chilli powder and salt to taste.
Grind the above with little water(make sure you use just enough water to grind the mixture) to a coarse paste.

Chutney is now ready to be served with Dosa or Idilli(steamed rice cakes) or Cutlet.