Friday Food: Panner Butter Masala and Peas Pulao

This Friday, I was a little lazy to try out any new recipes. Hence browsed through some of my old recipes to decide what I should cook. I finally decided on Peas Pulao and Paneer Butter Masala.

Hopefully I'll try something new next Friday.

Vazhai Pazha Dosai/Banana Dosa

 Banana is a staple food in my house and most of the times it becomes so ripe that both of us do not want to eat it. Hating to throw away food in trash, I am always thinking of ways to include them in everyday food.

The other day when we were watching Pandiyaraj's son's debut movie Kai Vandha Kalai. In the movie Pandian makes Vazhai Pazha dosai for his future son-in-law.  What a great way to use those left over ripe banana's. So here it is. The recipe for Banana Dosa.

Ingredients:
2-3 Ripe Banana's
2 cups Rice- 2 cups
1/2 cup Aval/Poha/beaten rice
1 tsp methi seeds
Salt to taste

Soak the rice, Aval and methi seeds in water for 5 hrs. Peel the Banana's and mash them. Put the banana, soaked rice, aval and methi seeds in a grinder or blender. Add some water and grind to the consistency of a Dosa Batter.

Tip: It is always good to add water in little increments while grinding as this will give us a good idea on the consistency of the batter we are preparing.

Remove and keep it over night for fermentation.

When you are ready to eat the dosa, add salt to taste, mix the batter and make dosas on a non stick pan.

Serve with Cutney of your choice.

Friday Food: Mullangi/Mooli Paratha

Diakon Radish Paratha 

 

Its that time of the week again when I am ready to cook up something nice and head out for the evening. Last time I was on vacation in Bangalore, I and my sister were discussing about the health benefits of veggies and how she gets my nephew and niece to eat up theirs. One of the way was the Mooli Paratha. The budding cook in me was very interested in it and got the recipe from her. I am really not sure if the Punjabi's cook it this way, but she did mention that she got this recipe when she was residing in Delhi a few years back.

Ingredients:

1 large Mullangi/Mooli/Daikon
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp Ginger(grated)
1/4 tsp salt
few sprigs of cilantro chopped finely
2 cups wheat flour
1-2 tbsp yogurt(if required)
Ghee(as required)

Method:

Grate the Mullangi and keep aside for 15-30 minutes. You'll see that the mullangi will leave out a lot of water. Take handful of this grated mixture and squeeze out the water. Keep this water aside as this can be used when mixing the wheat flour.

In this dry and squeezed Mullangi/Mooli mix garam masala,chilli powder, a pinch of salt and cilantro. Keep aside.

Now in diffirent container take wheat flour and add salt. Use the mullangi water to mix this into a soft dough (chapathi consistancy). If the mullangi water is not enough use some yogurt.You can add a tsp of oil if required. Set aside for atleast 30 minutes.

Now make balls out of this dough and flatten them between you palms. Roll it out a little in round shape and add a tablespoon of the filling in the center and then bring the edges over and close. Roll it into circles (like chapathi).

Heat a non stick pan and cook the paratha. Turn side when done. Add a little oil and coat the paratha well on both side. Ghee can also be used instead of oil. Paratha should cook well on both the sides and Serve hot.

I served it with yogurt and Paneer Butter Masala.

Paneer Butter Masala

Today I decided to make Mooli Paratha from a recipe I got from my sister, but my taste buds were not ready to eat it with just yogurt. I wanted something spicy which will be a good combination with the Paratha and later for a cup of rice.

At the beginning of every Sunday, I have loads of veggies in my fridge, but as the week progresses, I find that I am normally out of most of them but only have a few left like beans, carrots(which are a must have in my fridge). Today other than the beans and carrots I also had Paneer and Mullangi(Mooli) left. Hence dinner for today was Mullangi/Mooli Paratha and Paneer Butter Masala.

A little searching on the internet led me to this video by vahrehvah chef Sanjay for Paneer Butter Masala. 
Wow..this sounded simple enough.

I made a few changes to this recipe like using fresh tomato puree, a cup of peas, frying up the paneer, some cumin, using onion and ginger-garlic. I also skipped the kasoori methi powder. The end result was ultimate paneer masala. Believe me when I say it was THAT good!!

I am adding this recipe for my own reference. The original recipe can be found at this link.

Ingredients:
250 gm Paneer
1/2 cup peas
1 cup tomato Puree
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp Cumin
1 cup milk
1/2 onion chopped finely
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 stick butter

Method:

In a bowl, mix coriander powder, garam masala, cilli powder, tomato puree and milk. Keep aside.

Cut Paneer into bite size pieces and shallow fry in a skillet and keep aside.

Heat the butter in a pan and when the butter melts add cumin. When the cumin splutters add the onion and fry until it turns brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell leaves.

Now add the milk and spices mixture, salt to taste and cook for 10 minutes on medium. Add a little more milk if the mixture is too thick. Add the peas and fried paneer and cook for another 5-10 minutes on medium-low.

Remove from heat and serve.

Gobi Manchurian

There were only a handful of things that I knew to cook before marriage and the list included making tea, pressing chapati successfully into round shape, Okra stir fry, Vegetable Cutlet and Gobi Manchurian.

I had all forgotten my love for Gobi Manchurian until my recent trip to India when my 14 year old nephew Sanjay reminded me of the Gobi Manchurian I used to make and asked if I had made it for his Chithappa.

I have cooked Okra and Vegetable cutlet a couple of times in the past, but never got to post those recipes. Will do it soon.

For me the key to making the Gobi Manchurian which is much loved food is to have the right ingredients. Adding Capsicum, Soy Sauce, Chilli Sauce and Tomato Sauce plays such a important part in the flavor of this food.  This week I had all these with me and decided to make it right away.

Ingredients:

General:
2 cup cauliflower florets(bite size pieces)
Oil for Frying

For Cauliflower fry/fritters:

1 cup besan flour(channa dhal flour)
3 tsp rice flour
1 tsp corn flour
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste(I added about 1/2 tsp)


For Manchurian:
1 cup onion (cut into bite size cubes)
2 tbsp Spring Onion (chopped)
1 green chilli (chopped finely)
1/2 cup Capsicum or green bell pepper (chopped - bite size pieces)
2-3 pods of garlic(chopped finely)
1/4 inch piece of ginger(chopped finely)
2 tsp Soy Sauce
2 tsp Chilli Sauce
2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan on medium. Mix all the ingredients in "For Cauliflower fry/fritters" with a cup of water to form a thin batter(consistency of a dosa batter).  Dip the florets one at a time in the batter and fry in oil. Remove to oil absorbing tissue paper when golden brown. (Heating the oil on medium will help in cooking the cauliflower while its turning golden brown). Keep aside.

Tip: Do not add all the florets to the batter and then take each one to fry. This will make the batter more water and cauliflower may not get well coated with batter. Dip each of the florets separately.

Now heat oil in a non stick pan. Remember to cook the entire Manchurian on high heat. Add the chopped ginger-garlic, green chilli. Fry for few seconds. Now add the capsicum/bell pepper and cubed onion. Add salt to taste(I added 1/2 tsp).  Fry until the onion is translucent and capsicum is a little soft. Add the soy sauce and chilli sauce and mix. Also add tomato sauce and mix. I used 2 tsp of tomato ketchup, u can add more if you like the taste.

Tip: Remember Ketchup is the key and a normal tomato sauce does not give that flavor we get when we buy in restaurant in India.

Now add the fired Cauliflower fritters and mix well until all the florets are well coated with the sauce. Add a little water if required. Fry for a few minutes on the high heat.

Decorate with the spring onion and serve hot with Vegetable Fried Rice.

Vegetable Fried Rice

 Ingredients

1 medium onion(chopped finely)
1/4 cup Beans(chopped finely)
1/2 cup carrots(julienned)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 cups cooked rice
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 pods of garlic
2 green chilli

2 tsp Oil

Smash the garlic and chili using a mortar and pestle. If you do not have a mortar, then you can cut the garlic and chili into fine pieces.

Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over high heat. Add the smashed garlic/chilli and fry for a few seconds and then add onion and fry until light brown. Now add Beans, Carrots and Green onions. Stir-fry until vegetables are tender. I have chopped the beans finely because beans normally takes a long time to cook.

Tip: The vegetables need not be completely cooked. They should only lose their raw taste.

Add Soy Sauce. Now mix the cooked rice and stir-fry on high heat for 2 minutes.Push rice mixture to sides of pan, forming hole in center. Add egg to center of pan, and let cook for few seconds.Mix the rice, and stir-fry until egg is cooked.

Tip: There is usually no need to add more salt as soy sauce usually contains lots of salt. If required you can add more salt.

Serve Hot.

Broccolini Pulao

Guess what I did with my Broccolini/Baby Broccoli that found in the farmers market? I made pulao out of it to go with Kadai Mushroom.

The recipe for Broccolini Pulao is same as my Simple Peas Pulao. I have replaced the peas with Broccolini chopped into bite size pieces.

What a yummy way to eat the greens!!

Kadai Mushroom

Kadai Mushroom

Ingredients:

1 lb Button Mushroom (Cut into bite sized pieces)
1 medium onion (chopped finely)
1 small onion(cubed)
2 tomatoes (chopped finely)
3 pods of garlic
1/2 inch piece of ginger
1.5 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 cup water
2 tbsp oil
2 sprig spring onion (chopped)
Salt to taste

Take the ginger and garlic and smash it finely in a mortar and pestle.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a Kadai and add cubed onion, mushroom, fry for a minute or two until the mushroom shrinks in size. Remove from the oil and keep aside.

In the same oil, add the finely chopped onion and fry until the onion is translucent and light brown. Add smashed ginger/garlic and fry for a minute.

Add the chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt to taste. Cook until the tomato is well cooked.  Add 1 cup of water and cook for a few minutes.

Add the fried mushroom, cubed onion in this gravy. Check for salt and spices and add more if required. Remove from heat once done. Garnish with spring onion or cilantro and serve hot. I served it with Broccolini  Pulao.

Kadai Mushroom gets its name from the cooking vessel - Kadai which is similar to a wok.

Grape Sorbet

Its has never been a good idea to buy fruits and vegetables for just the 2 of us at a wholesale clubs like Costco that we go to couple of times a month. With just both of us to eat it never gets over and I hate throwing it to trash. Last week we bought a box of grapes and when I checked today, it was far from over. In fact more than half of it still remained and its just a matter of days when it will find its place in the comfort of trash.

So when I searched the internet for some good grape desserts I came across this Grape Sorbet recipe and wow, what a way to eat grapes!!

There are some changes I made from the original recipe like adding 2 tsp of Honey coz our grape wasn't sweet enough and it needed a little more sweetness. I also did not use grape juice using fresh grape instead.

Ingredients

2 cups red seedless grapes

1  envelope unflavored gelatin

2 tsp honey

1 cup water

1 mint sprig

Preparation

Wash the grapes and get the juice of the grapes using a juicer or a mixie. Add 1 cup water to this juice. You will now have 2 cups of grape juice.  Heat 1 cup of grape juice in a deep bottom pan and add the gelatin, 2 tsp honey and stir until the gelatin, honey mixes well. Remove from heat and mix with the 1 cup of cold juice.

Pour the juice into a container and freeze. When the mixture is firm, remove from freezer, break into pieces and place in a food processor; process several seconds or until fluffy but not thawed. Return to freezer, and freeze until firm.

Scoop sorbet into individual dessert dishes using an ice cream scoop. Decorate with Mint Sprig.

Baby Broccoli

We got up earlier than usual today and we had absolutely nothing planned for today. One of those rare weekends when we have time for ourselves. We decided we'll get out of the house and get some fresh air. What better than visit the farmers market and get some fresh veggies.

While we were shopping I saw some fresh Broccoli. While I was at the stall, the lady there introduced me to these Baby Broccoli. She said they are more flavorful and can be used with the whole stem and leaves. When I came back home I did my little internet search on this and this is what I found:

Asparation, Broccolini, or Baby Broccoli are actually a natural hybrid of the cabbage family Brassica oleracea, a cross between broccoli and Chinese flowering green kale. The stem is completely edible without peeling, and the florets hold up well after cooking.

Hmmm...Now I need to decide how I want to cook it. I usually make Broccoli Poriyal with Broccoli. I could try the same or make something new. Let me think about this a little more...

Friday Food: Besi Bele Huli Anna/Besibele Bath

Its Friday again and today's special is Besi Bele Huli Anna.

Being a Bangalorean I have eaten and made this version of yummy rice with toor dhal and seasoning numerous times. Even after making this a lot of times, I have never used my own blend of seasoning but instead have always used the bisebele bath powder available in the grocery stores. Maybe one of these days I'll make the powder at home and give a full home made version of Besi Bele Huli Anna. But for now, here is recipe to the normal version I make.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup toor dhal(soaked in water for 30 minutes)
1 cup rice
3 cups water
1/4 lb beans
1 small carrot
1/4 small onion(finely chopped)
2 tbsp besibele bath powder(Store bought)
1 cup tamarind juice(made from a small ball of tamarind)
1/2 tsp mustard
1 Sprig curry leaves
1 tsp ghee
Salt to taste

Take the tool dhal, rice, salt to taste and add 3 cups of water. Cook this until the dhal and rice is cooked( The rice need not be over cooked, as we will be cooking it some more later).

Chop the beans and carrot and cook it with little salt and water. Remove from heat once this is cooked.

Now heat a wide bottomed pan and add the cooked rice, cooked vegetables, tamarind water and  besibele bath powder. Check the salt and add more if required. Cook on medium-low for 5-10 minutes until the rice reaches its slightly mushy texture. Remove from heat once done.

In another small pan, heat some ghee and add mustard seeds. When it splutters add little onion, curry leaves and fry until onion is light brown. Add cashew and saute a little. Add this to the bisebele rice.

Serve with Khara Boondi/Khara Sev or Appalam.

Kathirikai Varuval/Brinjal Fry

Brinjal/Eggplant Fry

Ingredients:
4 Eggplant or Kathirika cut round(I got the green variety but you can use any)
2 tsp Sambhar Powder(Store bought)
1 tsp Rice Flour
Salt to taste
3-4 tbsp Oil

Method:
Mix the sambhar powder, rice flour and little salt. Apply this on the cut Brinjal and let it marinate for 15-30 minutes.

In a non-stick pan take a few tablespoons of oil. Put the marinated Brinjal in the oil and fry until one side is golden brown. Flip the Brinjal to the other side and fry until its golden brown.

Note: Sambar powder is made from toor dal, cumin, coriander seeds, dried whole red chili, fenugreek seeds, coriander leaves. Roast the spices and grind into a fine powder.