KADAI PANEER

Paneer/cottage cheese is not only great in taste but also has a lot of nutritional benefits to offer. It is a great source of calcium, which is helpful in maintaining strong teeth and bones. Due to its low lactose content, it protects the teeth against harmful sugars. It also helps in lower, back and joint pain. Paneer is also a good source of protein and it reduces the risk of cancer. Enjoy the goodness of paneer!

Coming to this spicy dish, it goes very well with chapattis and any kind of pulao. Usually whole dhania/coriander seeds are used for kadai paneer but I’ve used dhania/coriander powder.

Ingredients

Paneer (cut into cubes) - 200 gms

Onion (finely chopped) - 2

Tomato (finely chopped) -2

Capsicum (1 inch square pieces) – 1 small

Cumin seeds/jeera- ½ tsp

Clove- 1

Cardamom- 1

Cinnamon stick (2 inch piece) – 1

Ginger garlic paste- ½ tbsp

Curd- 1 tbsp (optional)

Red chili- 2

Turmeric- ½ tsp

Red chili pwd- 1 tbsp

Coriander pwd- ½ tbsp

Garam masala- ½ tsp

Salt

Coriander leaves for garnish

Method

Heat oil in a kadai and add red chilies, jeera/cumin seeds, cinnamon, clove, and cardamom. Once it crackles, add the chopped onions, ginger garlic paste and little salt. Sauté till the onions turn light brown, add chopped tomatoes and capsicum and sauté for a minute. Add turmeric, red chili and coriander powder and sauté for about a minute and let it cook for 5-6 mins. Now, add the curd, mix and throw in the paneer pieces and cook for about 3-4 mins. Finish it off with garam masala and give it a light stir. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

EGG IDIYAPPAM

This one is my mom’s recipe and one of my favourites too. It can be done without the egg for vegetarians and tastes good even without any side dish or gravy.

Ingredients

Idiyappam (torn to small bits) - 2 cups

Onion (finely chopped) – 2

Tomatoes (finely chopped) - 2

Eggs- 2

Mint leaves (chopped) – ¼ cup

Turmeric pwd- ¼ tsp

Chili powder- 1 tsp

Garam masala- ½ tsp

Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp

Coriander (finely chopped) – little for garnishing

Salt

Method

Heat oil in a kadai and add the chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, little salt and sauté till the raw smell goes. Add chopped mint leaves, tomatoes, turmeric pwd, chili pwd and salt. Cook till the tomatoes get mushy and then add the garam masala. If you prefer you can add biryani masala instead of garam masala. Add the two eggs and scramble. Add the tiny pieces of Idiyappam and stir well. Serve hot. 

MELTING MOMENTS

This recipe is taken from (www.joyofbaking.com) I was wondering why the name “melting moments” and was skeptical about how a cookie can be so soft. This skepticism led me to bake this myself. Trust me; it truly melts in your mouth and it’s pretty simple to make (bake).

Ingredients

All purpose flour- 1 1/2 cups (210 grams)

Cornstarch (corn flour) - 1/2 cup (60 grams)

Salt- ¼ tsp

Confectioners sugar (powdered or icing) - 1/4 cup (30 grams)

Unsalted butter, room temperature- 1 cup (227 grams)

Pure vanilla extract- 1 tsp

Topping:

Confectioners sugar (powdered or icing) - 1/2 cup (60 grams)

Method

In the bowl beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate the batter for an hour or two, or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

When batter is firm, form into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for about 10 -14 minutes until the edges of the cookies just start to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 3-5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack that is placed over a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Put the confectioners sugar in a fine strainer or sieve and sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the sugar.

 If desired, just before serving, sprinkle the tops of the cookies with confectioners sugar.

PEAS & MINT SOUP

Peas and mint soup is not only refreshing for this summer but also healthy. The minty flavour gives a wonderful taste to this soup and it tastes great even if you have it cold.

Ingredients

Peas -1 cup

Potato (chopped) -1

Mint leaves – about twenty leaves

Fresh cream- 3 tbsp OR Milk – ½ cup

Olive oil- 1 tsp

Salt & pepper

Method

Heat a pan and add a tsp of olive oil and sauté the peas, potato and mint leaves for about 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups of water to this and cook till the peas and potato gets soft. Drain the water, cool and grind this (the drained water can be used to grind this to a paste). Heat the pan, add this paste, salt and required water to get a soup consistency. Once it starts boiling, add the fresh cream/ milk and give it a stir. Add pepper and serve hot or cold. 

SPROUTED GREEN GRAM SALAD

Like other beans, green gram is a rich source of low-fat protein and contains no trans or saturated fats. It is packed with nutrients and this preparation makes it delicious to eat.

Ingredients

Sprouted green gram- 1 cup

Onion (chopped) - ½ cup

Tomatoes (chopped) - ¼ cup

Carrots (grated) - ¼ cup

Lemon juice- 1 tbsp

Cumin/jeera pwd- ½ tsp

Salt and pepper

Method

Mix the sprouts, onion, tomato and carrots in a bowl. Add lemon juice, jeera pwd, salt and little pepper. Mix well. 

CREAMY VANILLA ICE CREAM

Ice cream- A summer treat and loved by almost everyone. I prefer the softy Italian ice creams than the usual ones available and this is an excellent recipe if you love creamy ice creams. It is easy to prepare and tastes good even after a month (when stored in a good freezer).

Ingredients

Milk - 150 ml (cold)

Amul cream – 1 liter

Milkmaid – 400gms

Vanilla bean- 1 OR Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Method

Whip the fresh cream (750 ml) using a hand mixer until high peaks are formed. Take a bowl and add cold milk, milkmaid and give it a mix. Slit the bean lengthwise and scrape the vanilla seeds into the mixture. Now add the whipped cream to this mixture and stir using a spatula until all the ingredients are mixed well. Pour the contents in an airtight container and place it in a freezer. Take it out after an hour, add the remaining cream (250 ml) and beat it using a hand mixer in medium speed for about ten to fifteen minutes and place it back into the freezer. Let it set for about three to four hours before serving. It melts fast at room temperature so place it back into the freezer immediately after serving.

Enjoy your treat with chocolate sauce, chocolate chips or fruits. 

SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS POTATO FRY

This simple recipe can be made in a few minutes and goes well with sambar, rasam or curd rice.

INGREDIENTS

Potato (medium size) - 2

Turmeric- a pinch

Sambar pwd- 1 tbsp (add more if you prefer it spicy)

Mustard seeds- ½ tsp

Oil- 3-4 tbsp

Salt

METHOD

Wash, peel and cut the raw potatoes into small pieces. Heat kadai or a non stick pan and add oil. Once it’s hot, add the mustard seeds, and let it crackle. Throw in the tiny pieces of potato adding turmeric, required salt and sambar pwd and cook on low flame till the potatoes are cooked (take a piece from the kadai, it should be slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, if yes then its cooked) check for the taste and add more salt or sambar pwd if required. Switch off the heat when it’s done. Serve hot.

PEPPER CHICKEN FRY

This pepper chicken is my mother’s recipe to which I have added a few changes. It tastes good with rasam, curd rice and even with chapati. 

INGREDIENTS

Chicken – 500 gms boneless cut into small pieces

Onion (chopped) – 2  

Ginger and garlic (grated) – 2 tbsp each  OR  Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Green chilly (slit) – 1

Black pepper (crushed) – 1¼ tbsp

Garam masala – 1 tsp

Fennel powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Juice of half a lemon

Salt

Tomato puree – 2 tsp

Curry leaves

Coconut oil

Chopped coriander leaves for garnish

METHOD

Wash the chicken pieces by adding a tsp of turmeric and little salt. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions and little salt and let it brown. Add grated ginger and garlic OR ginger garlic paste, slit green chili and curry leaves. Let it cook until the raw smell goes. Add crushed pepper, turmeric powder, garam masala, fennel powder and cook for about 3 mins. Add tomato puree and mix well. I have used tomato puree for this recipe but my mother adds chopped tomatoes. If you prefer tomatoes then use one small sized tomato and chop it into small cubes. Add the chicken pieces and squeeze in the lemon and add the required salt. Combine everything well. Add about half a cup of water and let it boil. Reduce the heat once it starts boiling, cover and cook the chicken for about ten minutes or  until done stirring in occasionally in between if needed and add little water if the masala sticks to the pan. Once the chicken is done, heat coconut oil in a tadka pan, add curry leaves, switch off the heat and pour this on the chicken. Serve hot.