Acahri Paneer Pulao

We usually like to make something special for our Friday lunch every week. Because Fridays for us is a sacred day, and it is mainly a family day for us since our weekend falls on a Friday.

Generally in most Muslim families here, Friday lunch is the family re-union time because we all assemble after our Friday prayers and have our meals together. Post meals we relax and then gear up to face the weekend evenings either outdoors or catching up with friends or shopping. Sometimes dining out also. They are the most relaxing evenings for the week.

That is why I am always looking for new rice dishes to try out for our Friday lunch. I usually accompany our rice dish with either salads, sea food or poultry or meat and sometimes eggs to make the meal look a bit elaborate.

Recently I tried out a Pickled dish to spice up our Friday menu with the big flavors of homemade Indian Pickle. Added cottage cheese to the pickle marinade to sober the flavors slightly. You can also use store-bought pickle for a more spicy flair.

The recipe doesn't call for frying the Cottage cheese cubes. Want it extra crispy? You can fry them if you like till it is golden brown, delicious, and as crispy as you want it!

For more variation, you can throw in some vegetables and fry them till crispy to make this dish look more colorful.

This basic, top-rated rice recipe is a great way to get started for a spicy weekend.

INGREDIENTS:

For The Achari Marinade:

1 1/4 cups paneer (cottagte cheese) cubes
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 cup whisked curds
1 tbsp readymade green chilli pickle
 Salt to taste

Other Ingredients

3 cups cooked rice
1 tbsp oil
1 to 2 cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
2 cardamoms
Salt to taste

For The Garnish

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

HOW TO MAKE:                      

For the Achari paneer marinade:

1) Heat the oil in a kadhai, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, nigella seeds and fennel seeds. 

2) When the seeds crackle, add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and switch off the flame. Add the curds and mix well.

 3) Add the green chilli pickle and salt and mix well.Add the paneer cubes, mix gently and keep aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

For the Rice:

 
1) Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, add the cinnamon, cloves, caraway seeds and cardamom

2) When the caraway seeds crackle, add the rice and salt, mix well and cook on medium flame for 1 minute, while stirring continuously. Add the marinated paneer, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.

3) Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

Paneer Dum Style creamy Biryani (Baked)

On a lazy Saturday morning, with the light streaming into my living room just the way I liked it, I toyed with the idea of hitting the kitchen to satiate the craving I couldn’t ignore anymore. The craving was strange  - I could sense that it was for something redolent.... something aromatic and something spicy but sweet also. Very evocative.

I had not yet planned what to make for lunch that day. Still wondering what could be done and browsing through my recipe log picturing the contents in it until I hit my target for the most perfect dish whose ingredients were readily available with me - Paneer Dum Style creamy Biryani baked version.

I know the name sounds unbelievably fancy and seems like it would be a complicated recipe. But rest assured, there are only the regular ingredients in all and it’s not process heavy at all. All ingredients can be locally sourced as well and are usually available in every pantry shelf at home. A perfect choice to mop up the rich dish.

Biryani is a dish that can be prepared in a million ways across borders, without discrimination. and evermore so delicious to eat. India alone has several types of Biryanis varying from region to region. Generations ago, it was the food prepared for only big occasions. With rise in popularity, however, it’s not an unusual sight to see devoted cooks to snap up their favorite flavored biryani every now and then.

Delicious, braised cottage cheese (paneer) is ready in a fraction of the normal cooking time. All in all, the redolent flavors are to die-for.

So the next time you have a dinner party or you have your friends over, do try this recipe, you’ll come out a star. The whole dish looks and maintains a gourmet standard . I wolfed down more than my fair share of the dish was ample proof of how good it was. And the best part is that it doesn't take more than an hour to make this.
 
INGREDIENTS:

250 gm paneer cubes

3 Tbsp  ghee/ clarified butter

2 Tbsp whole spices

1 large onion,chopped coarsely

3 Tbsp butter

2 cups fresh tomato puree

2 to 3 green chillies

3-4 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp ginger, peeled and chopped

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cumin-coriander powder

1 tsp tandoori masala

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1 tsp sugar
             
1/4 cup cashew paste

1/2 cup cream  
                                  
Salt to taste                                                          

6 cups cooked Basmati rice

1 cup fried onions

1/2 cup almond slivers

1/2 cup chopped mint and coriander

HOW TO MAKE:
 

1) Sear the paneer cubes in ghee. Then season it to taste and set aside.

 

2) In the same pan, add the whole spices such as cinnamon, cloves, black cardamon, green cardamon, black peppercorns, mace.

3) As the spices crackle, add the chopped onions, green chillies, ginger garlic and fry for 2 minutes.

4) Add the powdered spices  followed by the tomato puree. Simmer for 10 minutes or so.

5) Then add the cashew paste and cream. Season to taste.

6) Add the paneer into the gravy and bring to a gentle simmer for 6 to 8 minutes.

7) Using a greased baking dish or handi, layer the paneer and rice alternatively. Garnish with fried onions, nuts, fresh mint and coriander. Cover with aluminium foil or heat gently for 25 minutes.

8) Serve hot with curds raita and a cucumber salad.

Methi Paneer (Cottage Cheese with Fenugreek)

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch methi (fenugreek leaves), blanched (with 1 tsp of sugar) and pureed

2 Tbsp oil

3 dried red chilies

1/2 cup tomato puree

Salt to taste

1 tsp garam masala

2 tsp coriander powder

250 gms  cottage cheese, cubed

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1) Heat oil and add the whole red chillis.

2) Add the tomato puree and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add salt, garam masala and coriander powder, saute till the oil comes up.

3) Add fenugreek leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the cottage cheese cubes and allow it to simmer for 3-4 minutes.

4) You can garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and julienned ginger pieces and serve hot with assorted breads.

 

Rasmalai

A beautiful day should be followed by a delicious delicacy post - And that's why I decided to post the mouth-watering Rasmalai recipe today because this was one of the sweets that I laid out on our Eid table.

Rasmalai is a Bengali delicacy - juicy and rich. Till date,I always went in for store bought Bengali sweets. I was under the wrong impression that Bengali sweets are difficult and time-consuming to prepare. I realized that I was wrong when I chanced upon a recipe in one of my regular browsing sessions. As I went through the recipe and the ingredients, I knew that this certainly was something that I should be trying out soon.

 

 

And yes, here it is - a comfort food ideal for sharing. You can even prepare it a day before and chill it which somehow enhances the taste and flavor, making it a terrific dish for a party. The end result is well worth the time and efforts. So don’t be intimidated—there’s nothing really difficult about it.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Paneer:

1 litre - Whole milk

2-3 tsp  Lemon juice

For the Creamy Syrup:

1 litre - Whole milk  

1/2 can condensed milk (optional)

3/4 cup Sugar

A few stands Saffron

 

For the Rasmalai:

 

2 cups Sugar  

3 cups Water

Almonds & Pistachios for garnishing

HOW TO MAKE:

The Paneer (Cottage Cheese)

1) Bring the whole milk to boil, switch off the stove and then add the lemon juice- one drop at a time.

2) You can see the milk curdle. Allow it to stand for ten minutes or till it cools down.

3) Strain this curdled milk separating the water(whey) from the crumbled diary content in it. This step should be carried out using a strainer lined with a muslin cloth.

4) Then gather the crumbled milk content in the muslin cloth and tie it up and hang the cloth to a tap (or any other convenient place) so that the remaining water content in it can be removed. You can also occasionally squeeze it sometimes. Let this stay for about 30 minutes this way.

 

 

 

5)  Now take the paneer out and start to knead it finely until it become soft and smooth until the crumbled texture of it reduces completely.Around 8-10 minutes.

6) Make small balls out of this mixture. You should be able to get approximately 12-14 balls.

7) Flatten them and keep them aside.

For the Rasmalai steaming:

1) Mix the sugar and the water and bring to boil in a pressure cooker.

2) Drop the patties one by one in the sugar syrup and then close the cooker. Pressure cook for just one whistle and switch off stove.

3) Once the cooker opens, transfer these patties in cold water. Allow the sugar syrup to cool and transfer the patties back into them so that they absorb the sweetness until they are transferred in to the creamy syrup which will be prepared now.

For the Creamy Syrup:

1) Bring the milk to boil, allow it to cook until it is reduced to half.

2)  Add the sugar at this stage and stir till the sugar has dissolved.

3) Then add the condesnsed milk and mix well. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.

4) Add the saffron and remove from fire. Allow it to cool down completely.


The Final stage of Rasmalai:

1) Drop in the patties one by one into the creamy syrup.

2) Garnish with the chopped nuts.

3)  Chill for almost 2 hours before serving.

Cottage Cheese & Bread Rolls

I enjoyed the holy month of Ramadhan thoroughly. Working only 6 hours a day and using the afternoons for small naps and spending time with my little one were something I really miss now. And not to forget the new delicacies that we tried almost everyday for our Iftars.

When I look back at the month, I am quite pleased at the number of comfort foods I tried and that too with common ingredients available at home. Planning the menu to include no-fuss recipes for a phenomenal Iftar treat, plating the food, choosing the right combinations and presenting it, basking in the glory of their admiration was something I had been obsessed with.

From refreshing drinks to fast-to-fix fries & salads we were happy to indulge our appetite to a glorious excess. Hugging onto the coolness of the glass after witnessing sweltering heat throughout the day was the most ideal way to chill out and cool down our bodies. A real refreshing and an amazing experience.

 Invariably some of my experiments were a good success and very few did not work out, but yes - gathering this experience has been a truly delightful one and which is motivation enough to keep me going.

I have a downright irresistible fancy appetizer with me which can be snacked on a fun-evening.It’s super healthy minus all the usual hassle of baking. I am talking about Rolls here which can be turned easily in a shallow frying pan and do not take long to get browned. They taste simply moreish and you can savor every bite pretending to be on some exotic location.

Now let us hit the recipe for them.

 

INGREDIENTS:
 

1 cup crumbled cottage cheese

1 small onion, chopped fine

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp powdered cumin

1/2 tsp garam masala (It is a powder of cinnamons, cardamom, cloves & peppercorns)

A small bunch of coriander, chopped fine

1 tsp or a bit more tomato sauce

4 slices of bread

Butter to toast

Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1)  In a bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt, chopped coriander, chopped onion, and jeera to this. 

 

2) Then add the tomato sauce and keep aside.

 

3) Remove the crusts from your bread and roll out each slice as thin as you can.

4) Place about 1 tsp or so of filling on one end of the rolled out bread slice. 

5)  Roll up the bread slices this way and butter them as shown in the picture.

6) Shallow fry in a frying pan till lightly browned.

 

 

 

7) Serve them with Tomato Ketchup.

 

 

 

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Paneer Hara Pyaaz

INGREDIENTS:

250 gms Cottage Cheese or Paneer-cut into 1 inch cubes
150 gms spring onions
1 green chilli(deseeded and chopped)
3 tbsp Oil
6-8 garlic crushed flakes
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsp Coriander powder
3/4 cup readymade tomato puree
1 tbsp tomato Ketchup
3 cloves crushed
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
3/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp well beaten cream

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Cut white of spring onions into rings, greens into 1/2 inch diagonal pieces.

2)  Heat oil, add garlic, white of onion, turmeric powder and coriander powder and cook for 2 minutes.

3)  Add tomato puree,tomato ketchup, cloves, red chilli powder,salt, garam masala and cook for 3 minutes.

4)  Add half cup water, paneer, cream and green chillies, 1 cup of greens of spring onions, cook for 2 minutes and serve.

Kadai Paneer (Cottage cheese in a Wok)

INGREDIENTS:

200 gms Paneer/Cottage Cheese cubes
2 Onions sliced
1 caqpsicum chopped into big cubes
1-2 tbsp Oil/Butter/Clarified butter
2 Tomatoes finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger+garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
1/4 tsp Chaat masala
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Chopped coriander leaves

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Bring 1 cup of water to boil in a vessel. Switch off stove and put the Cottage cheese/paneer cubes into it. Cover the vessel for 5-10 minutes. Remove the paneer from the hot water and keep aside. This is done to soften the paneer slightly.

Frozen Paneer cubes/cottage cheese

2)  Heat oil/butter in a wok. Add the onions and capsicum & fry till onions are pink and soft.

3) Add the ginger-garlic paste and the spice powders and saute for 2-3 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and some water and cook till the tomatoes are very soft.

4) At this stage, add the tomato Ketchup. Add salt & check for taste.Cook till oil is almost coming up.

5) Then add the panner cubes at this stage and allow to cook till oil has come up. Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve hot.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY
              RATING  POINTS         :    9/10**

**  You can replace step 1 by deep frying the paneer in hot oil till slightly golden. I avoided this as paneer absorbs oil.

** I used ripe red tomatoes. I suggest you too choose fully ripened tomatoes as it gives a good taste for this dish.

Paneer Mattar (Cottage Cheese with peas)

INGREDIENTS:

250 gms fresh paneer chopped in cubes and lightly fried in butter or ghee .
1 cup fresh peas boiled in a double boiler for 10 minutes or till soft in slightly salted water  or pressure cooked for 5 minutes
2 onions ground to paste
1/4 cup oil
4 green chillies
2 bay leaves
2 tsps garlic paste
2 tomatoes ground to paste or tomato puree from the store
1/4 tsp Everest garam masala
1/4 tsp dhania powder
1/4 tsp zeera powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder or according to ur taste
1/2 tsp pepper powder or according to ur taste
1/2 tsp kasuri methi (dried Fenugreek leaves)
1/2 tsp salt  - or according to ur taste
2 tbsps curd
1 tbsp  Tomato sauce
A pinch of color - optional
1 tbsp cashew paste
1 cup fresh cream
One handful fresh coriander leaves
1 cube salted butter

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Heat oil in a pan and add onion paste ,bay leaves and sliced green chillies and fry well till golden.

2)  Add garlic paste, fry well and then add all the spices along with tomato paste / puree and salt and chilli / pepper powder. Let this mixture cook fry well for about 5 minutes .

3) Add curd and cook well till the oil stands out in the gravy. Add the boiled peas and cook for  2 minutes .

4)  Add salted butter , kasuri methi , check for salt and chilli favour, add if necessary. 

5) Then add cashew paste and cream , tomato sauce, pinch of color and cook for another 2 minutes . Add the  lightly  fried paneer cubes , fresh coriander leaves and cook for 1 minute or till oil comes up.

6)  Serve hot with Bread/ Roti/Naan/ Rice.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY

              RATING  POINTS         :    9/10**

**  For a healthier dish, instead of frying the Paneer cubes, you can boil  2 cups of water and immerse the paneer in it for 10 minutes before adding into the gravy.

** Sliced Capsicum strips can also be added in step 3 along with the peas to enhance the taste.

Cottage Cheese (Paneer) & Cabbage Parathas

INGREDIENTS:


For the Dough:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oil

For Stuffing:

1/2 cup cabbage
1/2 cup paneer
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
1 teaspoon chopped green chillies (optional )
¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

1)   Add both the flours and salt in a large bowl, adding little water at a time to make soft & smooth dough coating oil till it is non sticky.Set aside covered for 30 minutes.

2)  In a Chopper, add the Paneer cubes and the cabbage along with the other stuffing ingredients except coriander leaves and beat till the mixture resembles crumbles (Approx 5-10 seconds). Add the coriander leaves and beat for 2-3 seconds.

If you do not have a Chopper, you can do this manually by finely chopping the cabbage, coriander leaves and crumbling the Paneer and then mixing the spices to this mixture. Keep this aside.


3)  Make lemon sized balls from the dough and roll them out thin to approximately 3 inches in diameter tossing the dough in dry flour while rolling .


4)  Add 1 tablespoon of the stuffing in the center. Gather the sides and bring them together. Press the stuffed dough down. Toss it in some flour and roll it gently applying just even pressure to roll. Roll it to desired thickness.

5)  Put the stuffed parathas on the hot griddle/skillet. Cook for about ½ a minute, flip over and add 1 teaspoon of oil in and around the paratha. Keep pressing the parathas while on the skillet so the dough gets cooked and the stuffed also gets the heat and gets pressed down into the parathas. Cook until light golden spots appear on the parathas.

6) Serve hot with beaten curds tossed with Black salt or Tomato Pickle.

 RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY

              RATING  POINTS         :    9/10**

**  Stuffed Parathas should be cooked on medium heat to get a good texture and the light crispiness and so that the stuffing inside also can cook well if the heat is not very high.

 ** You can also roll out 2 palm sized rotis, spread a little stuffing on one of them, place the other roti on this and roll out thin and round to form the paratha.

** The ratio of Whole wheat Flour and All Purpose Flour can depend on your choice.