Butter Paneer Masala

Butter Paneer Masala

BY:www.srinainika.blogspot.com

Ingredients: 

250 gms paneer Рcubed and saut̩ in a tbsp of ghee till golden brown, remove into a dish and add a cup of hot water to the fried paneer cubes and let them sit in it for 5mts,then drain the water and keep aside
2 big onions (blanch for 10 mts and puree)
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli pwd (I used kashmiri chillis) you can increase to 1 1/2 tsps
3 big ripe tomatoes (blanch ,de-skin and puree)
3 tbsps cashewnut paste
1 tsp coriander pwd
1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric pwd)
1 tsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
garam masala pwd (make a pwd of 3 cloves,1 green cardamom and 1” cinnamon)
salt to taste
3 tbsps butter
2 tbsps fresh cream

Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a pan, add the onion paste and sauté till light brown (approx 8-10 mts). Add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 3 minutes. Add chilli pwd and combine, followed by the cashew paste and combine.

Add tomato puree, crushed kasuri methi,coriander pwd, haldi, garam masala and salt. Stir and let it simmer for 4-5 mts.

Add the paneer and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add a small cup of water and let it cook on medium heat for 10 mts or till you get the desired curry consistency. Remove from fire, stir in remaining butter and fresh cream.

Let the curry sit for 10-15 mts before serving. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rotis, naan , paranthas or simple steamed white rice.

Butter Paneer Masala is cooked on the same lines as Kadai Paneer , a creamy curry where paneer is cooked with bell peppers and tomatoes and served in a kadai (restaurant style).

I enjoy these melt-in-the-mouth tender cubes of paneer, appealing velvety texture and color, bursting with flavor butter paneer masala with rotis, salad and a glass of mango lassi. I love the color, texture and taste of this delicious vegetarian curry. So, now that you have Paneer Butter masala recipe, will you make it? 

Vegetable Kati Roll

BY:www.srinainika.blogspot.com

Vegetable Kati Roll Recipe

Prep & Cooking: 30-40 mts

Makes 6-7 rolls

Cuisine: North Indian

.

Ingredients:

For rotis:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour/atta

1/2 cup maida/all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

water to knead the dough

For filling:

2 cups julienne mixed vegetables, beans, carrot, capsicum, beans and cabbage

1 tsp ginger-green chili paste

pinch of turmeric pwd

1/2 tsp chaat masala pwd

1 tsp Kitchen King Masala (optional)

2 eggs, beaten (optional)

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 onions, finely sliced

few tbsps of green chutney

few tbsps of guacamole

2-3 tbsps olive oil

salt to taste

1 Add salt to the wheat flour and maida, combine, slowly add water to form a soft yet slightly firm dough. Cover and let it rest till you get the stuffing ready.
2 Blanch the french beans for 3 mts and keep aside. Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a vessel, add the ginger-green chili paste and saute for few secs. Add carrots, cabbage and capsicum and saute for 7-8 mts. Add the blanched beans and saute for another 3 mts. Add turmeric pwd, kitchen king masala and chaat masala pwd and combine. Turn off heat.
3 Add the lemon juice and salt to taste and mix. Keep aside.
4 In a separate bowl, combine the raw sliced onions with 2-3 tbsps of green chutney and keep aside.
5 Beat eggs in a bowl, add salt and pepper and keep aside. (Vegetarians can omit this step)
6 To prepare rotis, pinch a large lemon sized ball of dough, dust the working surface with some atta and roll out the stuffed dough to form 6″-7″ diameter circles.
7 Heat a iron tawa and once its hot, place a parantha and let it cook lightly on both sides. Prepare all the rotis and place them in a casserole to keep soft.
8 At the time of serving, drizzle some oil on a tawa, fry the roti on one side for 4-5 secs and on top pour 2-3 tbsps of the beaten egg and flip over the roti so that the egg gets cooked.
9 Remove from tawa, place the egg coated side of the roti up and sprinkle some lemon juice on the egg coated side. Spread some guacamole or you can skip this part if you do not have guacamole. Place 3-4 tbsps of vegetable filling in the middle of the roti and sprinkle the onion-green chutney filling over it and roll the roti tightly to form a roll. To serve, wrap the lower part of the rotis in a butter paper or tissue. Enjoy!

You can find Chicken Kathi Roll recipe at my other blog, Kids Zone.

Note:www.srinainika.blogspot.com

Vegetarians can omit the egg part of the recipe. Use a spread like Guacamole, eggless mayonnaise or green chutney and follow the rest of the recipe.

Momos chutney

Momos chutney recipe

• Prep time: 20 min
• Cook time: 15 min
• Serves: 5

Main Ingredients:

1. garlic
2. red chilies

Ingredients

• Tomato – 1
• Garlic - 8 cloves
• Red chilies - 3-4, tear, de-seed and soak in 1/2 cup warm water for 15-20 mins
• Soy sauce - 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Vinegar - 1 tbsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Oil – 1 1/2 tbsps
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil, place the tomato in the hot water and cook for 6 mins on high heat. Drain the red chilies from the water and add it to the boiling water. Cook on high for 3 mins. Turn off the heat. Drain water and cool the tomato and red chilies.
2. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a pan, add the garlic cloves and saute for a min. Turn off heat and set aside.
3. Once the tomato and red chilies reach room temperature, peel the tomato and discard the skin. Blend the peeled tomato along with red chilis, roasted garlic, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and salt to a smooth paste. Add 1/3 cup water for a smooth flowing consistency.
4. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan, add the ground paste and cook on medium heat for 4 mins stirring constantly so that it does not burn. Turn off heat and remove to a serving bowl.

Tips

• You can use up to 6 red chilies for a fiery chutney. I used 3 red chilies for a medium spiced chutney.
• You can omit tomato and increase vinegar by a tbsp.
• If the texture is too runny, mix a tsp of corn flour in little water and add it at Step 4 and keep stirring till it thickens.
• You can omit roasting the garlic and blend it along with rest of ingredients.
• I have used small garlic flakes. If using the large sized ones, use 4 garlic flakes.

Broken wheat upma

www.srinainika.blogspot.com

Broken wheat upma recipe

• Prep time: 10 min
• Cook time: 30 min
• Serves: 5

Main Ingredients:

1. broken wheat

Ingredients

• Broken wheat - 2 cups
• Onions - 1, medium, sliced
• Tomato - 1, small, finely chopped
• Green chilies - 2, slit lengthwise
• Ginger - 1/2" knob, finely minced
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves (optional for garnish)
• For tempering:
• Mustard seeds - pinch (optional)
• Cumin seeds - pinch
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Cinnamon - 1" stick
• Cloves - 2-3
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Oil – 1/2 tbsp
• Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsps

Method

1. Heat 1/2 tbsp ghee in a cooking vessel, add the broken wheat and toast it on low flame for 6-7 mins. Turn off heat and wash it thoroughly. Drain water and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining oil and ghee in a cooking vessel, add the mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, asafoetida and curry leaves and saute them till a nice aroma emanates the kitchen.
3. Add the chopped onions, green chilis, and ginger and saute for 4 min.
4. Add the turmeric powder and mix. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute on medium heat for 4 min. Add 4 1/2 cups of hot water and bring to a boil. (be careful as you add the hot water to the cracked wheat, it will splutter)
5. Reduce heat and slowly add the cracked wheat to the water and stir it continuously so that lumps don’t form and it combines well with the water.
6. Place lid and simmer for 20-22 mins or till the water is completely evaporated and the upma is done. Turn off heat and remove to a serving bowl.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves if using and serve warm with pickle or chutney of your choice.

Tips

• You can add a fistful of chopped mixed vegetables like carrots, beans and peas. Add them after frying the onions. Saute for 4 mins and then add tomatoes.
• For a thick, sticky consistency upma, you can use 5 cups of water.
• If the broken wheat is not soft at the end of 25 mins, add a few more tbsps of hot water, cover, and simmer for a couple of mins.
• You can add few broken cashew nuts or peanuts at the time of tempering.
• Vegans can omit ghee and use coconut oil instead of ghee. It enhances the flavor of the upma.
• If the tomato is not sour, drizzle 2 tsp of lemon juice after turning off the heat.

Spicy Chicken Masala Curry

BY:www.srinainika.blogspot.com

There are endless variations to the chicken curry and today’s chicken curry is prepared with the same basic ingredients as any normal chicken curry, the only other major ingredient is cashewnut paste. The spice level of the curry is high due to the use of black pepper and chilli powder. But the blending of cashewnut paste with the spices offsets the spicy flavor of the curry and gives this dish its unmistakable, not-too-rich, subtly sweet, warm and spicy flavor.

Spicy Chicken Masala Recipe

Recipe source: From my recipe files

Prep & Cooking Time: 30-35 mts

Serves 4-5 persons

Cuisine: South Indian

.

Ingredients:www.srinainika.blogspot.com

Marinate:

½ kg chicken, washed and cut into medium sized pieces

3 tbsp curds

1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to suit your spice level)

¼ tsp turmeric pwd

salt to taste

Make a paste:

6-7 cashewnuts

4-5 tbsps milk

Dry roast and make a fine powder:

1” cinnamon

10-12 curry leaves

3 cloves

Rest of the ingredients:

3-4 tbsps oil

2 big onions finely chopped

1 large tomato finely chopped

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp coriander powder

3/4 tsp black pepper powder (adjust to suit your spice level)

¼ tsp cumin powder

coriander leaves for garnish

1 Marinate chicken pieces in chilli powder, turmeric powder, curds and salt for 20 mts.
2 While the chicken pieces are marinating, make a paste of cashewnuts and milk. Keep aside.
3 Dry roast cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves for 1 mt and make a powder of them. Keep aside.
4 Heat 1 1/2 tbsps of oil in a cooking vessel. Add the onions and saute till pink. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute further for another 3-4 minutes on medium heat.
5 Add coriander pwd, cumin pwd, pepper pwd and combine well and fry for another minute.
6 Add the tomatoes and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Combine well and cook till oil separates.Turn off heat. Cool and grind the cooked masala. Keep aside this masala paste.
7 Heat 1 1/2 tbsps oil in a cooking vessel and add the marinated chicken and cook on high flame for 4-5 minutes, reduce heat and cook covered for another 4-5 minutes.
8 Add the ground masala paste, cashewnut paste and ground powder of cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves and combine well. (Add a cup of water for more gravy consistency). Cook till chicken pieces are soft and you get the desired curry consistency. Adjust salt.
9 Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

                                                                                                          www.srinainika.blogspot.com

Andhra Tomato Pickle

Andhra Tomato Pickle Recipe

BY: www.srinainika.blogspot.com

• Prep time: 15 min
• Cook time: 90 min
• Serves: 25

Main Ingredients:

1. tomato

Ingredients

• Tomatoes - 2 kgs, wash, cut into half and slice each half into 10-12 thin slices
• Salt - 2 1/2 to 3 tbsps
• Sugar - 1 tsp (optional)
• For tempering:
• Oil - 200 ml
• Mustards seeds - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp (optional)
• Urad dal - 1 tbsp
• Dry red chilis - 6, tear and de-seed
• Curry leaves - 4-5 sprigs
• Asafoetida - 1 heaped tsp
• Red chili powder - 2 1/2 tbsps (can be increased by another 1/2 tbsp)

Method

1. Wash the tomatoes and slice them into slightly thin long pieces. Set aside.
2. Heat 50 ml oil in a large vessel, add the tomatoes and cook on high flame for 2 mts. Reduce flame and cook for at least an hour or so. Mix the tomatoes once in a while. Continue to cook till the water is almost evaporated. Towards the end of the cooking process, keeping mashing the tomatoes lighly with a ladle. It should be like a thick yet slightly loose consistency chunky sauce. Turn off flame.
3. Heat 150 ml oil in a separate pan. Once hot, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add urad dal and dry red chilis and allow the dal to turn red. Add curry leaves, asafoetida and mix for a few secs. Turn off flame and allow to cool for a mt before adding the red chili powder. Mix and add this tempering immediately to the cooked tomato mixture.
4. Now turn on flame, add 2 1/2 tbsps salt and cook the tomato mixture till the oil floats on top. Check the salt and if required add more. Turn off flame. Cool completely and remove to a serving vessel.
5. Serve with any tiffin like idli and pongal OR with rice OR as a dip or salsa with chips.

Tips

• Use heirloom tomatoes or a mixture of heirloom and hybrid variety of tomatoes. Use 750 gms hybrid variety and 1250 gms heirloom variety.
• Do not skimp on the oil.
• If using cumin seeds, add them after the mustard seeds splutter along with urad dal.
• You can increase the amount of red chili powder based on your taste preference.
• Be careful when you add red chili powder to the tempering. Please tie a cloth around your nose and mouth when adding red chili powder to the tempering. It can give out an aroma that is slightly harsh on the senses. See that the oil is hot but not very hot when adding chili powder.
• Ensure you do not burn the red chili powder in the tempering.
• The quantity of salt will vary according to the sourness of the tomatoes.
• You can add a tsp of jaggery or sugar if the tomatoes are too sour.
• It can be stored at room temperature for only 48 hours during winters. During summer months, it should be refriegrated on the day of preparation. You can store in the fridge upto 6-7 days. Not more than a week

www.srinainika.blogspot.com