Mutter Paneer Masala!

Recently while on my way back to home, I saw a bicyclist peddling away very fast! It was a busy crowded road, yet he was riding quite confidently and dodging away very well. Seeing him, I was reminded of my own cycling and for a moment something hit me so hard. Will I ever cycle again? I used to be so fond of cycling and have been doing since I was 10 yrs old. I even rode to my collage, which was easily some 6+ kms in one. Yes I remember sharing my first experience with cycle. But I never thought I would completely give it up!

Wonder how such small things kindles so much thoughts and all while trying to wade my way through the traffic. Life has been pretty hectic off late, I guess its same with most of you! Some of my friends and colleagues tell me that they are just unable to handle the pressure. I wonder why life is become so hard. Was this period really so hard for our parents. I should remember to ask Amma about it. To what I remember it was kind of ok, we atleast had time to sit together and spend sometime.

Anyway today's dish was something I prepared couple of weeks back. Mutter Paneer Masala is one of those first few dishes that introduced me to the fancy North Indian dishes. Though I don't really like munching on the fresh peas, its always been a favorite of mine. Most times I remember this dish to be quite strong and pungent as served in restaurant here. I really don't know how authentic dish is supposed to be. I remember a Bengali version which was very tasty and mild. But I always liked whatever was served on my plate!

I enjoyed eating this after a long time and of course promptly forgot to click the pictures. That's why you can see that its taken in the smallest possible bowl I could find. And before I rattle away, do check out the Town Square, created by Roma. Kudos to her for creating such a wonderful space for the bloggers to hang around. I can imagine how much of work this would have involved!

Mutter Paneer Masala!

Ingredients Needed:

Paneer - 250 gms
Fresh Peas - 100 gms
Onions - 2 medium, pureed
Tomatoes - 1 medium pureed, 1 whole
Grated ginger - 1"
Finely chopped garlic - 2 nos
Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nut powder - 2 tbsp
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1"
Turmeric powder a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Oil for frying paneer

Method to prepare:

Wash and cut paneer into cubes. Fry in oil/ghee to golden colour. Keep aside.

Heat a pan with oil, add the garlic and ginger along with cloves and cinnamon. Fry for a min, then add the onion puree. Saute well.

Next goes the tomato puree along with the fresh peas. Except cashew nut powder, add all the masalas along with salt. Simmer and cook with lid covered for 10 mins.

Remove the lid, add the roughly chopped tomatoes and mix well. Cook for 2 mins, add required water and bring to boil.

Add the cashew nut powder and simmer for 2 mins. The tomato chunks gives a good body to the gravy and chewing that gives a good taste. Finally when the gravy is thick enough, add the fried paneer. Cook in high for a min and switch off.

Serve with Roti or Naan!

Hope my Indian Cooking Challenge members are busy with this month's challenge, if you haven't had a look at the Logo, then please do!

End of the week, will be updating on my latest project which has me really excited, will update once its done! Until then have a great week ahead!

Lunch Box Series : LBS#49 ~ Potato Pulao!

"You want Pokil?..a vigorous nod of the head said no and I then heard a firm aaplam" This was my conversation with Chinnu a week back. It was after knowing that Chinnu wanted to eat his friends apalam during their lunch! Till then somehow I never gave them apalams, though Friyams are an everyday dish. Konda was all excited that evening when I reached home, saying the boy's teacher asked me to send them Apalam for lunch from now. Chinnu was frivolous in demanding the apalam that was his friend's lunch box item.

Pokil, what is this you might ask. Oh that's a long story! This is the word the boys use for friyams, those golden fries made with sabudana. One fine day I remembered that Konda used to love these and got two packets, one coloured and other plain yellow ones. Both the packets were completed almost the same day. They were even fighting over which colour they want. It had green, yellow, orange, white and pink. While Konda wanted only pink, Chinnu refused to share. Peddu was content as long as he got the Pokil. Two days later, Peddu came back home asking for pokil. I didn't have a clue on what he was referring too. We had completely forgotten about the friyam episode.

None of us realized what it was but he cried a fitful for it for days. Every time he will come to the kitchen, asking for Pokil, Pokil. I open all the shelves and ask him to show me. He will have that forlorn look and pout his lips and say Pokil Amma Pokil. As if that would make me understand what he was referring too! I was feeling sad, angry and wild and lost all in one go. I know their language well but this was getting way too out of control. So whenever I thought he was going to say Pokil, I tried distracting him somehow.

Few days later, I was playing the videos I had shot of them. few weeks back Both the boys were on my lap, watching the videos. All of sudden I heard a shrill and felt Peddu becoming jubilant. He was shouting Pokil Pokil seeing the videos. I turned and saw all three of them were eating those friyams in the video! Imagine for Friyams there was so much hungama and confusion. I somehow convinced him that I would get the "Pokil" soon. Hubby dear and Athamma were laughing knowing what Pokil means.

Anyway in the end I am sending them Pokil or Aapalam on alternative days and they thoroughly enjoyed eating this Potato Puloa that I made for us last week!

Today's Lunch Box had

Potato Pulao
Tomato in coconut Milk curry
Cumin pepper Rasam
Curd Rice
Papaya




Potato Pulao!

Ingredients Needed:

Rice - 2 cups
Potatoes - 2 big
Onions - 2 medium
Tomato - 1 medium
Curds/ Yogurt - 3 tbsp
Green Chilies - 2 -3 medium
Red Chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 3 & 1/2 cups
Mint leaves - 5 -6 springs
Coriander leaves for garnish

Whole spices

Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf - 2 small
Star Anise - 1
Cardomon - 2
Cloves -2
Cinnamon - 2"
Mace - 1




Method to prepare:

Wash and soak rice for 15 - 20 minutes.

Chop onions as juliennes, tomatoes very finely. Slit green chilies in middle.

Heat a pressure cooker with ghee and oil. Once its hot, sauté all the wholes spices for 1 min.

Then add the julienne onions along with green chilies, mint leaves and fry till the onions starts sweating. Add in the ginger garlic paste. Fry till it turns brown.

Peel the potatoes while the onions are getting brown, cube them into 2" chunks. And add to the pan. Simmer and cover with the lid for the potatoes to get little soft.

Add in the chopped tomatoes along with chili powder and salt. Fry well till the tomatoes are well mashed. Simmer this for 2 mints. At this stage add the curds and drained rice. Sauté will so that the rice gets well coated.

Add water and adjust salt, combine everything well and cover with lid and pressure cook for 3 whistles.

Notes: If you are using Basmati rice, use 1: 1 ratio of rice & water. Cooking this rice in pan gives the best results. But when you are hurried on a weekday, pressure cooker gets done in 15 mins. Only have to keep an eye on the water added. So always soak rice for longer time and cook with exact measurement of water.

Roasting the Potatoes along with the onions will give a beautiful brown coating to potatoes.

*****Reads from my other Blogs*****
Dietary aspects in the management of diabetes
Pasta for Kids ~ Mallugirl!

July Challenge for Indian Cooking Challenge will be announced today, members please check the ICC blog!

To my readers from US, Happy July 4th! and happy weekend everybody!

Microwaved Mor Kali and Rava Laddo revisted for Indian Cooking Challenge!

Inspiration at times seems very late in coming. Especially when its with cooking in Microwave. My own event, Microwave Easy Cooking was basically to help us discover the wonders of cooking in Microwave and having more time on hand to do other things. But if you know how it goes, having those glass bowls handy is such a risky thing with kids being around all the time in the kitchen. I almost think my boys will learn cooking soon. They always want to be carried to see what's getting cooked.

Like last night I was making dosas for them, while having the Idlis steamed for the rest of us. All of them wanted only dosa. In a week its almost 3 times that I give them dosa, still they only want it again. Anyway hubby dear was carrying Chinnu, he wanted to know what was on the stove. I lifted the lid and showed the pristine while idlis, he was so excited that he asked that for dinner too.

Coming back to the recipe on hand, I had planned on making the Mor Kali last night but kids refused to sleep before 10 and after that I was too tired to even think about making it. So got up early this morning and proceeded making it. Being in TN so long, I have heard and seen this eaten so often at friends place, though I have never made it myself. I even had the recipe written down, planning to make it in Microwave but never came around. What really surprised me that this never came to mind when Simran wanted to host breezy breakfast. Believe this Mor Kali is as breezy as it can get!

Cooking on stove, you got to be vigilant ensuring it doesn't get burnt. You got to keep stirring it frequently. Even for the measurement I prepared, it was supposed to take more than 15 mints. But in MW, it just took about 6 mins. Imagine having your breakfast getting ready in 10 mins. Of course you need to have all ingredients on hand.

Also these are normally tempered with Red Chilies, but I used Mor Milagai, (Sun dried chilies soaked in curds/yogurt) for added taste

Preparation time: 2 -3 mins
Cooking time in MW - 5 mins.

Ingredients Needed

Rice Flour - 1 cup
Butter Milk - 3 cups ( 2 tbsp of curds)
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

Seasoning

Red Chilies/ Sun Dried Chilies - 2 -3 medium
Mustard Seeds, Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 4 -5 leaves.

Method to prepare:

In a deep bottom bowl, add about a tsp of oil, drop in chilies, curry leaves along with Mustard and Urad dal. Stir well and micro for 1 min. If you think its needed, stir in between. End of the minute, my kitchen was filled with the wonderful aroma of sun dried chilies being fried along with curry leaves.

Take the curds/yogurt, add salt and beat well. Then add water to get thick butter milk.

In a bowl take rice flour and slowly add the buttermilk and mix well to get a lump less batter. The consistency can be more or less a dropping liquid .

Grease a square or rectangle microwave safe bowl with little oil. Pour the rice batter into it. Add the tempering to this batter and mix well.

Micro for 5 mins. In intervals of 2 mins, keep stirring. Once done, check if the kali is getting struck to the ladle.

Grease a bowl and transfer to it. Pat it well and unmold it for the click!

Notes: The curds/Yogurt I used wasn't sour, Athamma felt had it been a bit more sour it would have been even more tasty! So maybe increase the curds used which can also be sour.

You have your breakfast ready? Hurry up today is the last day. Sending this Mor Kali to dear Simran, who is going to have quite a few dishes to help her out busy mornings!

Finally as things would always happen, I procrastinated making Rava Laddos for the Indian Cooking Challenge till the last moment. Though I had planned to make it with powdered semolina, ended up making the same way again!

Will be back with the round up of all Rava Laddoos made by the members! So watch out!

Mutton Kura ~ Weekend Cooking with Sunday breakfast!

Having a two week off from cooking on Sundays is good enough reason to indulge in elaborate cooking I should say. That's exactly what I did. The last two Sundays were either spent on visiting friends or touring around the place, that I somehow had a relaxing day. Of course the breakfast has to be Poori with Channa Masala. Even if I want something else the kids won't let me think. So I decided when I am at it, I might as well enjoy it. Not that I don't ok!

Its a race against time trying to make it on time for the kids to be ready to eat, else they get hungry and eat something junk. And because I had planned on an elaborate lunch, hubby dear took the kids for shopping. I was happy that all 3 of them came back only with 2 sets for each. But that time off came me all the time I needed to get my act together. Though nothing major got done during their absence, I had time to plan. We had invited Daddy to join us. The kids enjoyed their time with their Thatha.

Before that since I remembered that I had to send Divya something for her interesting post, I clicked my plate. Afterall whats so tough about just clicking one's plate right, you need not think much or plan for something new!..

I also made Mutton keema balls to be featured in my book. So getting them in the prefect shape was another story!

Mutton Kura:

Ingredients needed

Mutton - 500 gms
Onions - 2 medium
Clove - 2
Cinnamon - 1"
Cardamon - 1
Tomatoes - 1 medium
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Mint leaves - handful
Coriander Leaves - handful
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Coconut paste - 2 tbsp


Weekend lunch Menu: Masala Vada, Mutton Keema Balls, Mutton Kura, Plain Rice.

Method to prepare:

Clean and chop mutton to required size. Wash and let drain. Chop Onion, tomatoes to fine pieces.

Heat oil in a kadai, add the whole spices. Then add onion and sauté till its brown in colour. Add ginger garlic paste, fry well. Then add mint leaves and half of coriander leaves.

After few mins, add mutton pieces with salt and turmeric powder. Cover it with lid and let it get browned well. Water will come out at this stage, so you got to cook till its all evaporated.

Add the chopped tomatoes along with chili powder and coriander powder. Cook for another 10 mins.

Then transfer this to pressure cooker, add required quantity of water and cover with lid and pressure cook for 5 whistles or till the mutton is well cooked.

Once the pressure is off, remove add coconut paste and coriander leaves.

Notes: There is lot of difference with cooking directly in the pressure cooker and cooking it first in the kadai and transferring it .

Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

Lunch Box Series : LBS#48 ~ Dosakaya Kootu!

In my venture to try all the veggies that I find in the shop, my eyes fell on this rounded one. When I asked the shopkeeper, he said its the Dosa kaya, the one that's used in curries or gravies. Having heard so much about this veggie being quite a famed one in Andhra cuisine, I have always wanted to try this out. Not being one from the actual local, I miss most of these famed ones. If you ask me something from good old Madras I may be able to voice something. My knowledge to vegetables or ingredient usage depend so much on what my Amma knows or my Athamma does. Naturally it boils down to the fact that they make only those that they liked. I have never known Amma making any dish with Dosakaya or Athamma even uttering a word.

When I finally got a Dosakaya home, Athamma said her neighbors always cooked with this, but she never tried as her family weren't so keen on vegetables. Well there went my cents more of knowledge! And Amma has been so much influenced by her tamilian neighbors that she makes kolambu or kootu with back of her hands. Maybe I can say I am glad that I could learn both the cuisines a little better from their knowledge. So my experiments started with this Dosa kaya after seeing so many bloggers raving about the wonder of this veggie and after seeing couple videos. I planned on making a dal or pappu in Andhra style, I ended up making a kootu in a tamilian way. Whatever, the lunch was most enjoyed. Me along with my colleagues licking the bowl clean and Konda calling up to tell me that she loved it and Hubby dear nodding his head in approval, this made my day and a permanent member of my monthly menu!

You know what, while I was giving Peddu his bath last night, he suddenly caught my face with both his hands, put his cherubic face near my ears and told me "Amma neeni Girl ila, neeni Boy!" (Mom, you are not a girl, but a boy!) then his singsong Nani Boy, Daddy Boy, Chinnu Boy, Nanamma Gurl, Akka Gurl! Gosh how I loved his statement, but I was laughing for a long time, thinking his expression which said as if he discovered something new, to the bran of my mom, I always wanted to be a boy! Finally it took my lil one to thrill me that I am one...:)

Before checking this, please check out the guest post on Kids food by Mallugirl!


Today's Lunch Box had

Dosakaya Kootu
Sun Dried Fries/ Vadiyalu
Cumin pepper Rasam
Curd Rice




Dosakaya Kootu

Dosakaya/ Yellow Cucumber - 1 medium
Toor Dal - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Oil - 1-2 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch

For the paste
Coconut - 2 -3 tsp
Green Chilies - 2 long
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

For seasoning

Onions - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds + Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
Red Chilies - 2 -3





Method to prepare:

Pressure cook the toor dal till soft. Mash well if you like.

Peel the dosakaya and scoop the seeds inside. Cut into small chunks.

Grind the coconut, green chilies and Cumin seeds to a smooth paste by adding some water. Keep it aside.

Wash and heat the pressure cooker again with oil, add the mustard, red chilies, curry leaves and then onions. Sauté for a min.

Then add the ground paste, sauté well. Add the chopped cucumber. On high flame, sauté well for a min. Then simmer and cover with lid and leave it for 5 mins.

Once the paste gets cooked, add required quantity of water. Cover it with the lid and pressure cook for another whistle. The gravy you get is more of a thick but loose liquid, which goes excellent with steamed rice and vadams!

Note: This is no way an authentic way of making a kootu but then I never know one. Also I believe innovation leads to new dishes. But most important of all, Konda loved it, which should say a lot about this dish.

Adding red chilies was purely to satisfy hubby dear, you can omit it or increase the green chilies. And of course miss those onions too.

Rajma Masala!

I think Rajma Masala for ever will kindle those memories back to mind. The first time I actually remembering giving this lentil some thought and enjoying it, was when I had it at my friends place. She is a Gujarati and her mom was an awesome cook. Previous to that I don't' remember Amma making this or had she even made, I may not have actually paid much attention. But after eating at my friend's place, I was so much in love with that dish. I must have asked her many times for the recipe and recreated it at home. Though it never came as good as the first time. I finally concluded that certain dishes require a touch!

Do you think so? Well I am not sure, but it sure looked that way to me. The many times I made this dish at home, everybody liked it. But I was never satisfied as it didn't' match my first impression. Anyways after getting this blog I always thought I should get in touch with my friend to get the recipe again.

Meanwhile I have only my own way of making this simple gravy!

Ingredients Needed:

For pressure cooking

Rajma - 1 cup
Clove - 1
Cardamon - 1
Garlic julienne 0 2"

For the gravy

Onions - 1 medium
Tomato - 2 medium
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Black cardamon - 1
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf - 1 small
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method to prepare:

Wash and soak Rajma overnight. Before cooking, wash again, add fresh water along with the clove, cardamon and ginger julienne. Add enough water to cover the rajma and pressure cook till tender. It normally takes about 5 - 6 whistles for me.

Meanwhile, heat a pan with oil and add the cumin, bay leaf and black cardamon. Saute for a min, then add the onions.

Fry till the onions start turning brown. Add the tomato puree, along with the chili powder, garam masala, salt and turmeric. Simmer for 10 mins with lid.

Remove lid, add the cooked Rajma. Bring to boil and cook till you get a thick gravy.

Serve with rotis or rice.

Note: You can remove the ginger julienne from the rajma.

If you want your gravy to be thicker, mash handful of rajma before adding to the gravy.

Sending this to Apu who is hosting the wonderful MLLA twelfth edition, MLLA is the brain child of the lovely Susan!

Bottle Gourd Curry ~ Sorakaya Kura!

It feels good to be back to regular blogging! My PC got bonkers and I had all my pictures stored in there. Well that left me without any picture to talk about. And last one week was really hectic with both Mithai Mela and the Indian Cooking Challenge. The polling just got over! On top with work becoming even difficult I was wondering how I am still sane! One thing I miss most is not recording what my kids are up. The boys have started speaking a language of their own, its really so sweet to hear it. Chinnu speaks like a foreigner would speak telugu and Peddu speaks a typical marwari way! Both so sweet to hear, I have even recorded their conversations during their bed time. They both say "nanni" for "me or I". Daddy has given up trying to correct them. But we have started speaking their language.

Every other time, Peddu would come and tell me, "Deppu ooruki podam (We will go for trip tomorrow)" so last night while I was trying to make them sleep, he suddenly started telling me this line, I readily agreed that we shall. Then he said we all will go to his aunts place. "Oruu bavyuntundi," I asked how we will go, he replied "Naadichi Podam" (by walking), I again asked how?.he immediately stood up and showed walking. And said that by walking it will be best! Gosh imagine walking all the way across the border to Andhra! I guess in a child's mind, everything is so simple.

Anyway I am happy to share this simple recipe with Sorakaya / Bottle gourd, that was so common at my parents place. Dad likes this a lot and it used to frequent the table quite often. Hubby dear doesn't like it much, so you can imagine how rarely this figured on our table. But this time, he had no option out!

Soraya Kaya Kura

Ingredients Needed:

Soraya Kaya - 250 gms
Mustard seeds+ Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves few
Onion - 1 medium
Garlic - 2 - 3 flakes
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 - 2 tsp
Groundnut powder - 1 -2 tsp




Method to Prepare:

Wash and peel bottle gourd. Cut into 2" size pieces.

Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds along with curry leaves. Then saute onions till light brown.

Then add sorakaya pieces along salt and turmeric. Simmer with lid for 5 mins.

Once the veggie gets little soft, add chili powder, coriander powder. Simmer again with lid covered for 5 mins. Fry well.

Then add 1 cup of water and allow it to get cooked slowly. Simmer again for 10 mins. Finally add groundnut powder and can be removed immediately.

Serve with chapati or rice.