Paneer Tukariya (lipsmacking snack made of cottage cheese marinated and fried to a crunchy texture)

Ingredients:

10 oz paneer

2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp onion paste

1 tbsp chaat masala

1 tsp chilly powder

1 tsp garam masala

salt to taste

3 tbsp all purpose flour

1 cup cornflakes, crushed

Method:

Cut the paneer into cubes

Mix ginger-garlic paste, onion paste, chaat masala, chili powder, garam masala and salt in a bowl.

Add paneer and keep aside for 20 minutes to marinate

Add water to the flour and make a thick paste.. add a little salt to it and keep aside

Head oil in a pan. Dip the paneer pieces one by one in the flour paste, roll in crushed cornflakes.

Fry until golden brown.

You can enjoy this with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

By Deepika Gupta

Instant Pedha/Barfi (Healthier version of traditional Indian sweet)

Ingredients:

 

2 cups milk powder (nestle), you can look for 2% milk if you can find, i used normal milk powder

 

1/2 cup sugar (I like little less sweet, increase this if it suits your taste,

 

10-12 table spoons skim milk (enough to get this wet and mixed up)

 

Any flavoring of choice – Almond powder (4-5 table spoon), Pistachio powder, saffron, cardamon powder (any or all of these)

Method:

Mix the milk powder and sugar in glass bowl.

Microwave for 55 sec. (assuming avg. microwave power).

Take it out stir it and add milk, little by little.

We want to add milk enough to just get it wet and mixed up. Will look something like shown in picture.

Again mircowave for 40 – 50 secs. Take its out stir. Put back in microwave again for 40-50 secs. You may have to do it 2-3 times, use your judgement, when the mixture looks dry, add the flavouring (almond, saffron, cardamon, pistachio).

Again stir and microwave for few seconds and let it cool. After 5-10 mins, make the barfi/pedhe style balls.. Use your creativity and style. You can shape them any form at this point, the mixture is nice like a dough. You can als make like the modak shape for ganapati.

Given that we are not using butter/ghee or heavy cream still taste wise this comes out much closer to the mava barfi back home.

 

By Priya Vaidya

 

Spicy Carrot and Cabbage Wadi

This dish I have learnt from my grandmom, an amazing cook. To her I owe all my cooking inspiration and skill…this one is right from her kitchen.. has my childhood memory of aromas to make it even tastier for me 🙂

Ingredients:

1 cup of shredded cabbage

1 cup of shredded carrots

1 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

4-5 green chillies chopped finely per taste

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp corriander powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp amchur powder

2 tsp sesame seeds

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh corriander

oil for shallow fry (optional)

1/2 – 1 cup  (besan, atta, or rice flour, or mixture of them, enough to make a dough, this quantity may vary depending upon how much water cabbage loses)

salt to taste

Method:

Mix all the ingredients above and make a dough, little thinner than normal chappati dough is fine, dont keep it too long otherwise cabbage loses water and makes it thinner than you would need more flour.

Grease pressure cooker pan (dhokla pan, or normal pressure cooker pan) with little oil on all sides. Add the mixture to the pan and pat it down. Steam it for 10-15 mins without the whistle like you would steam idli or dhokla.

Once cooled down, cut them into square or diamond shape. At this point they are ready to eat. If you want to keep it healthy just eat it as is. But it tastes better if you shallow fry it with little oil. Serve hot with mint chutney, tomato sauce or any other condiment.

Variations: I have tried this receipe with spinach and methi instead of cabbage and carrot and that comes out equally tasty and very healthy …

Enjoy… !

By Priya Vaidya

Tofu and Soya (soy chunks) sabji

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp garam masala/curry powder (per taste)
1/2 tsp hot chili powder (optional per taste)
1/4 tsp crushed black peppercorns
1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

leaves of fresh coriander garnish

1 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt ( or to taste)
Hard tofu – 1 packet (from standard grocery store)

1 cup of soya chunks (nutrela), soaked in hot water for half an hour

1 large onion, cut into chunks
1 large tomato, cut into chunks (or tomato puree canned)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
pinch of asofoetida

pinch of mustard seeds

pinch of turmeric powder

lemon juice or amchur powder per taste

METHOD:

Heat oil in a pan.

Add mustard seeds, asofoetida, green chilies(optional), turmeric powder. Add onion, ginger, garlic and fry for few minutes till onion cooks. Add tomatoes and soya chunks. Keep the lid and cook the soya for 10-15 minutes with steam.

Add water if it looks too dry. Once the soya is softened add salt, garam masala poweder, cumin powder and corriander powder. Red chilli powder per taste, black pepper powder (optional).

You can add lemon juice or amchur powder per taste. Add tofu chunks towards the end, add little water so that spices soak into tofu and soya. Keep the lid for and let it cook for few minutes and turn off the stove. You can make gravy or keep it dry as per your choice/taste.

Variations: You can also add colored bell peppers or peas.

By Priya Vaidya

Paneer Tikka Skewers

A wonderful Indian appetizer made of Indian cottage cheese,marinated in spices and grilled to perfection.

( Makes approx 30 cubes)

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp hot chili powder

1/4 tsp crushed black peppercorns

2 tsp cumin powder

2 tbsp malt vinegar

1/2 tsp salt ( or to taste)

10 1/2 oz paneer, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

1 medium onion, cut into chunks

1 Bell pepper, cut into chunks

15-20 Pineapple chunks

2 tbsp vegetable oil

 

METHOD:

Mix the garam masala, flour, chili, black pepper, cumin powder, vinegar and salt together.

 

Stir the paneer into the marinade, cover and leave for at least 10 minutes in the refrigerator.

 

Soak 5-6 wooden skewers in water for at least 15 minutes.

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F .

 

Thread the paneer on the skewers, alternating the paneer with chunks of , pineapple and bell pepper.

 

Brush with Vegetable oil , then roast for 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until the paneer is golden yellow.

 

Serve hot with mint or coriander chutney. By Madhu Thube

 

By Madhu Thube

 

Khow Suey (Traditional Burmese Coconut Curry Dish)

A fabulous asian dish with spicy coconut curry base,noodles and vegetables.

The original dish uses shrimp and chicken, this vegetarian version is equally delicious and wholesome.

Ingredients:

2 cans of coconut milk ( Not cream of coconut, that is sweet, milk is plain so do read the label carefully)

1 cup each of boiled, diced fine, potato, green beans and carrots.

1/2 packet of regular spaghetti/noodles (not angel hair or thin pasta, just regular noodles, I use barilla plus spaghetti)

1 medium size onion, 4 cloves garlic, 2 table spoons of besan or 1 tsp of corn flour + 1/4 cup water.

A few green chillies diced very fine.

1 tsp of turmeric, red chili and coriander powder

Green chillies, lemon juice and coriander chopped, for garnishing.

Loaf of french or Italian bread to go with it, sliced.

Step 1 : Making the curry:

Saute the onions in oil until golden, then add minced garlic, 2 tbs besan.

Saute again for a few mins until the besan is lightly cooked.

If using corn flour mix, then add that to the coconut milk.

Add the coconut milk, salt, turmeric, chili powder, cumin powder. ( I usually add these generously so its tasty and spicy)

Add 1 -2 cups of water to the coconut milk to thin it down

Simmer the curry until it thickens (nice consistency and is not watery, just like you would make kadhi )

Step 2 : Noodles

Boil the noodles in ample water just as you were making pasta. (cook until its firm enough to bite but not undercooked, al-dante )

Drain them and immerse them in cold water. Keep it aside

Step 3 : Vegetables

Fine dice the veggies and boil them (don’t over cook them)

Assembling:

Make individual servings, this dish cannot be pre-assembled for a group.

In a bowl, put one or two slices of bread, ladle the veggies, noodles and pour the curry.

Garnish with diced green chilies and lemon juice and coriander leaves.