Paneer Makhanwala

Wonder how I am posting this recipe now? Simply because I thought I have already posted it. But my friend David from Tasmania asked for one, maybe pointing out indirectly to post a recipe of Paneer Makhanwala. So here’s is my take, kept it simple and easy to make.

Ingredients:

Paneer (cottage cheese) 300 grams, 2 tabspoon of oil, and 100 grams of butter. Cumin seeds 1 tsp, dry spices – turmeric 1 tsp, chilli powder 2 tsp, coriander cumin seeds powder 1 tsp. Chat masala 1/2 tsp. Tomato puree 200 ml, tomato ketchup 1 tabspoon. Milk 1 – 1/2 cups, Julienne of ginger 1 tsp. Salt to taste. Paste of cashewnuts 1 tabspoon. Cream and coriander leaves  for garnish.

Method:

Heat oil and half butter in a wok. Tamper it with cumin seeds. Add chopped onions and ginger. Saute it till it becomes translucent. Add the dry spices, tomato puree and ketchup. Stir well and add 1 /2 cup of water so that the masala does not burn. Now add the milk and cashewnuts paste. Season the curry with salt. And little coriander leaves chopped. Cover it and let the curry cook on low heat for 5/7mins. Just before serving add cubes of Paneer and dollop of butter. Garnish with cream, coriander leaves and ginger. Serve hot with malabar paratha and jeera rice.

N.

Panna Cotta

Here is my take on Panna Cotta, an Italian dessert which I made using the milk Europaea gifted by the Olive Tree Trading and Food Bloggers Association India (FBAI). Normally cream is used along with the milk for making Panna Cotta. I haven’t used cream purely because of the richness if this milk. The Panna Cotta turned out to be soft, silky , wobbly and beautiful. I used the mulberries grown in my terrace garden. It gave an altogether a different taste and look.

Ingredients:

Europaea milk 7 cups, vanilla pods 2, vanilla sugar 2 tabspoon, gelatin 1 tabspoon. Strawberries with sauce for garnish and fresh mulberries.

Method:

Put the milk for boiling in a deep pan, slit open the vanilla pods and extract out the mushy vanilla seeds, add it to the milk. Add the sugar. Keep it aside to cool . In a small bowl add gelatin with  1/2cup of lukewarm water. Mix well and stir it in the mixture of milk and vanilla. Stir well and transfer it into small bowls or moulds. Can add strawberries to it. Allow it to cool completely and place it in the refrigerator to set for a couple of hours. To serve simply take it out of the moulds on the bed of strawberry sauce and some more strawberries or mulberries. Enjoy the wibbly wobbly fun desert.

N.

Pasta

The FBAI and Olive Tree Trading had gifted me with a hamper of their Products – olive oil, Europaea milk and Quinoa. Asked us to try these products in the daily dishes we prepare. I have been using these products in salads, pastas and dessert I make for my family. I am really impressed by the quality of these products. The milk is so rich and pure that no cream was required when I made the Panna Cotta. Also the simple pasta which I made using olive oil took us to the Italian Nonna’s kitchen. I will be sharing the Panna Cottas recipe in my next post ,in this will share the pasta recipe.

Ingredients:

Spaghetti 1 pack, garlic 3/4 cloves finely chopped, 1 onion chopped. 1 capsicum chopped. Handful of basil. Olive oil 5/6 tabspoon. Parmesan cheese 1 cup grated. Whole wheat flour 1 tabspoon. Milk 3/4 cups. Salt and pepper as per the taste.

Method:

Boil water enough to soak the Spaghetti and cook it not fully. Leave it little uncooked / al dente. Drain and drizzle a few drops of olive oil. In a heavy bottom pan heat some olive oil and saute onions, capsicum and garlic for a few mins. Drizzle some wheat flour and stir fry till it becomes golden. Pour hot milk and let it boil into a beautiful white sauce. Add the Spaghetti and season with salt and pepper. Tear some basil and garnish. Just before serving drizzle some more olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese.

One can add meat, seafood or veggies of your choice to this pasta.

N.

Sanjoree

On every possible occassion we make Sheera. Be it a Birthday ..a pooja or any auspicious day, Sheera is made. Sheera is a dessert made with semolina (rava) slow cooked in ghee, milk, banana and flavoured with cardamom. Loved by everyone so it is made in larger quantities. So now what do we do of the leftover, after it is relished? My anwer is I make Sanjoree that is simply stuff it in a paratha like we make the Aaloo paratha. Simple, quick and with a twist of health, here is my take on Sanjoree.

Ingredients: 

Whole wheat flour or the flour which I use is a mix of whole wheat, soyabean, fenugreek and flaxseeds 2 cups. Salt to taste. Ghee for frying and Sheera. Recipe posted earlier. (Can just google it Nainasrecipes Sheera)

Method:

Knead the flour with water not to tight. Divide into small lemon size portions. Roll small and thin chapatis, stuff the Sheera, cover it with another rolled chapati. Press it gently and place it on a hot iron or any non stick griddle. Slow roast the paratha drizzling ghee till it turns golden. 

Enjoy hot. This is also and excellent option for our little ones break box.

N.

Multigrain Churma laddoo

What do we give our kids in their school break box? This is a universal question we as mums ask ourselves. It’s not an easy job to please the child with healthy snacks. I thought over this and came up with this recipe in which we satisfy both the aspects, the taste and the health. Digging from my Rajput roots I picked up my mum’s recipe of Churma and twisted it a bit by adding the healthy ingredients. So here’s my take on quick and easy Churma laddoos. 

Ingredients :

Flour mix – (This formula I use it for my daily rotis, so make in larger quantities and use it for a month.)

Whole wheat 1 kg, Soyabean 50 grams, Fenugreek seeds 2tabsp, Flax seeds 2/3 tabsp. Grind them into a fine powder and Do Not Sieve it.

Ghee preferably home made 2/3 tabsp. Sugar as per your choice 5/6 tabsp and salt to taste.

For the flavouring – nutmeg powder, cardamon powder 1/2 tsp each.

Optional – Finely chopped nuts like cashew nuts, almonds, pistachios.

Method:

Take a deep mixing bowl. Take the flour mix , season it with salt. Knead the flour with water or milk. The dough should be not too loose nor too stiff. Now make small balls and make chapatis /parathas. Slow roast the parathas by using little ghee. Make the parathas flaky by layering it with ghee and dry flour. After the parathas are cooled break them into small pieces and grind it into a coarse powder. Add sugar (preferably castor or powdered) , ghee, the flavouring of nutmeg and cardamon. And finally the chopped nuts. Mix it thoroughly and make small laddoos.  Store it in an airtight container.

Enjoy the healthy yet tasty bites. I always carry these while traveling. One doesn’t feel homesick nor do you end up eating junk food.

N.

Upaasache Thalipeeth !

Upaasache Thalipeeth, sends me down  the memory lane . As a teenager when I had got nothing to do with cooking…my Dadi caught hold of me one fine day and asked me to assist her with this dish. Did not realise at that time..that this whole experience would turn into a beautiful memory. So here I share a precious memory with you.

Ingredients:

Soaked sago (sabudana) 2cups, boiled potatoes grated 1 cup, samo seeds 3tabsp, peanuts powder 2 tabsp, ginger 2 tabs grated, green chillies 6/7 (as per your taste), cumin seeds 1 tabs, juice of 1 lemon,  flax seeds 1 tabs. Salt to taste. Ghee for shallow frying.

 Method:

 Grind ginger, chillies, cumin seeds and flax seeds with the lemon juice into a rough paste. In a mixing bowl take sago, potatoes, peanuts powder and samo seeds. Add the freshly grinded paste and season it with salt. Knead into a nice dry dough. Make small balls (lemon size). Flatten it and shallow fry it till it turns Golden and crispy. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Happy fasting !

N.

Varicha Bhaat Ani Shengdanyachi Aamti !

With the onset of Navratri, many people fast (including myself), here is my take on the special meals prepared during this period to keep the hungry stomach not only full but to nourish your body with nutrition and fibre. Varicha Bhaat is made from Samo seeds is accompanied by Aamti made of coconut and peanuts. 

Ingredients:

Bhaat – Vari (Bhagar) 1/2 cup, a tabspoon of ghee, cumin seeds and salt to taste. 

Aamti – grated coconut 1/2 cup, 2 tabspoon crushed peanuts, green chilli 4/5, cumin seeds 1tsp, curds 1 cup. Sugar 2 tsp, salt to taste and juice of lemon 1/2 tsp. Ghee 1 tsp.
Method –

Bhaat – Heat  ghee in a pan and tamper with cumin seeds. Wash the Vari and add to the tampered cumin. Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups water and season it with salt. Let it boil on high flame and then simmer it to cook. Keep the lid on. It takes Max 7/8 mins to cook.

Aamti – In a wet grinder add curd, coconut, chillies, peanuts, cumin seeds, sugar and lemon juice. Grind it into fine paste. In a sauce pan heat some ghee and add the grinded paste to it. Pour a cup of water or more as per your consistency. Season it with salt. Let the curry boil on high for 7/8 mins. 

Serve hot … varicha Bhaat with shengdana aamti.

Happy fasting !

N.