Kashmiri paneer

 

I love anything and everything cooked in mustard oil. But I know that it is not something that everyone would like easily. It has a strong and pungent flavor and tastes wonderful in Indian pickles. I love to use it when I make parathas (Indian flat breads), especially the stuffed ones, or even with vegetables like cauliflower or potatoes. This is one dish that can only be made with mustard oil. The recipe was given to me by a Kashmiri friend. And this is my version of what I remember.  I had tasted this the very first time several years ago on my visit to Kashmir and had fallen in love with the taste. It is different and wonderful. The gravy is almost like a thin milky broth but it is highly flavorful. I remember eating this with plain rice and haak (which is a green leafy vegetable that tastes somewhat like collard greens and I believe is local to  Kashmir). I tried to recreate that meal by using kale to go along with the plain rice and paneer.


 
  

Ingredients for paneer 

250 gms fresh paneer (it should be around 1 cup when cubed)

1 cup water (or just enough to cover the paneer cubes)

1 tsp turmeric (haldi)

1/2 tsp good quality asafoetida (hing)

1 tsp dry ginger powder (saunth)

1/2 tsp fennel seed powder

3-4 cloves

1tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp black pepper

2-3 green chillies

2-3 dry red chillies

3/4 cup whole milk

Method

Shallow fry the paneer cubes in mustard oil till they are golden brown. (The original recipes calls for deep frying but I was quite happy with the shallow fried taste). Take water in a pot and bring it to a boil along with fennel seeds powder, ginger powder, cloves, asafoetida and turmeric. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Now add the fried paneer in this water. I did not drain the oil I used for shallow frying as it was not too much and it  adds to the flavor of the dish. Cover and let it simmer for at least 5 minutes. Add salt according to taste. Now pour the milk in it. Crush the raw cumin seeds and add to it along with cracked black pepper, sliced green chillies and whole red chillies. Simmer for another 1-2 minutes.

For the greens. Trim the stems of the kale leaves  and give a rough chop to it. Take a deep heavy bottom pan or pressure cooker. Heat enough  mustard oil  and once it is smoking hot add asafoetida and plenty of dry red chillies. I like the flavor of garlic so I added whole garlic cloves in it and let them caramelize.  Now add the kale leaves, salt and some water. Cover it with the lid and let it cook till the leaves wilt. It is that simple but very flavorful when served along with steaming hot rice with a dollop of ghee and the peela paneer (yellow paneer). It was the ultimate comfort food for me.

Rosemary and cheese sweet potato hash browns with sour cream dip

I wanted to make sweet potato pancakes, something like potato latkes or even hash browns. I like the ones that are crispy and bite sized. I grated the sweet potatoes added some jalapenos to it and I was amazed by how delicious these turned out to be. I used the  appe pan or this skillet.

 Ingredients

For hash brown

3 medium sweet potatoes

5-6 slices pickled jalapenos

1 tbsp corn flour

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp rosemary

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Any fruit preserve to serve (I used fig and orange)

For the dip

1/4 cup sour cream

1tbsp chopped jalapenos

1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

1 tsp grated garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Grate the sweet potatoes and add the corn flour, salt, pepper, jalapenos, rosemary and 1 tbsp olive oil to it. Mix well and keep aside. Mix the rest of the olive oil and rosemary in a bowl. Heat the skillet and  brush it with the olive oil and rosemary. Fill the molds with the sweet potato mix. Top with grated Parmesan  cheese, cover  and  cook on  medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Keep checking to see that it doesn't burn. Slide them out out with a tooth pick or a sharp knife and serve with the dip and some fruit preserve.

For the dip mix all the ingredients listed and serve along with the hash brown.

Rainbow cupcakes

 

  

These pretty rainbow cupcakes filled with cream are deceptively easy to make. Although I do not use food colors in my cooking, I made an exception for this one, as these were irresistibly cute and fun to make and I guess it can't hurt using it just once. I came across the idea in Family Fun magazine and I had to try it. 

 Ingredients

1 pack store bought white cake/cupcake mix with filling

Food colors

1 tbsp. ground flax seeds

1 cup vanilla soy milk

 

Method

I followed the directions in the cake box but instead of 1 egg I used the flaxseed and soy milk mixture. I tried this for the first time and was surprised how well it worked. The cupcakes were moist and fluffy and tasted just as good. 

So to make the cupcakes prepare the batter as per directions and divide the batter equally in a few bowls, depending on the number of colors you are using. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and add a spoonful of cake batter layering it with different colors. If using the cake mix with filling, then squeeze the cream filling in before the final two layers. Bake as per instructions.

Potatoes in yogurt gravy

It is unusual to have temperatures in the mid 40 to 50s this time of the year. Two years back I was shoveling 10 inches of snow from our drive way. And although I  do like snow and the idea of white Christmas  it is  nice to have  days like this in December. But it is still very cold outside and a good excuse to cook fried food, like poori and sabzi. I made this potato vegetable that my nani (grandmother) used to make on special occasions. To go along with it she always made dal poori which was delicious. I truly enjoyed eating poori and sabzi after a very long time!

Here is the recipe

Ingredients

2 large potatoes boiled and cubed

1 ½ cup yogurt

1 tbsp. chickpea flour (besan)

1tsp mustard seeds

1tsp cumin seeds

2-3 black cardamom

2-3 cloves

1tsp fennel seeds

2 green slit green chilies

2-3 whole red chilies

1 tsp. turmeric

½ tsp. asafoetida

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tbsp. kasoori methi

1/4 cup chopped sweet peppers or bell pepper

Salt to taste

1 tbsp. oil

Method

Heat some oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin, fennel, cardamom, cloves, green and red chilies and asafoetida. Once the seeds splutter, add turmeric and potatoes. Stir for 2-3 minutes until potatoes are well coated with the spices. Add a cup of water and cook for another 3-44 minutes then whisk the yogurt very well with the chickpea flour and gradually add it to the potatoes. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes until it comes to a boil.. Add salt, kasoori methi, sweet peppers and curry leaves. Cook for another 5-10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro. I like to add a final tempering of ghee cumin seeds, asafoetida and red chilli powder, just before serving.

Spicy black bean wrap with mango, avocado and burnt corn salsa

 


I love spicy food and so when I found these haberno-lime tortillas at a local grocery store I had to buy them. I decided to make a black bean wrap with  mango, avocado and corn salsa. The salsa is more like a side salad and can be enjoyed by itself.  I  made a salad with the left overs the next day (beans, onion, pepper, salsa, sour cream) and that too was quite nice.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients.
2 red onions (sliced)
1 cup sliced sweet peppers
1 can black beans (drained)
seasoning spices (ground cumin, paprika, pepper, sugar, salt, oregano, onion and garlic powder)
1 mango (diced)
1 avocado (diced)
1 jalapeno (finely chopped)
1/2 cup roasted corn kernels
1 small red onion
1 garlic pod grated
1 tomato (chopped)
bunch of cilantro chopped
salt, pepper and sugar for seasoning

1 cup sour cream
chipotle seasoning
splash of lemon juice

Chopped lettuce

Tortilla (I used haberno and lime flour tortilla)






Method
Step 1
Prepare the black bean. Drain and rinse the beans and add all the spices for the seasoning. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add a little water if needed.

Step 2
Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and add the onion and peppers. Cook on high heat for a few minutes till the onions and peppers get slightly charred but remain crunchy.

Step 3
For the salsa, mix the mango, avocado, tomatoes, corn, onion, garlic, cilantro , jalapenos, salt, sugar and pepper. Add the juice of lime and mix well.

Step 4
Prepare the sour cream by adding the chipotle seasoning and a little salt and lime juice if desired

Step 5
To Assemble. Heat the tortilla in a pan for a few minutes on both sides and then add the black beans, salsa, sour cream, cheese and lettuce.
.

Poha

Poor man's food or not this is my favorite breakfast. I also make it as an afternoon snack with tea or a when I am in a mood for light dinner. I love this simple but versatile flattened rice dish. Although I make it in a couple of different ways this is the one I enjoy the most - with peanuts, a little spicy, tangy and slightly sweet. The Gujarati way.
Top it with sev (fried savory noodles) pomegranate seeds or even some pickle on the side.

Ingredients

2 cups flattened rice or poha  washed with luke warm water
1 red onion (chopped)
1 potato (cubed)
3-4 green chillies
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp turmeric
a few peanuts (optional)
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
chopped cilantro for garnishing
1 tbsp oil for cooking
salt according to taste

Method

Heat oil in a wok or kadhai and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and peanuts. Once the seeds splutter add the onion and potatoes. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. The potatoes should become soft and onions slightly brown. Add the turmeric and green chillies. Now add the poha which should have fluffed up and become soft. Mix everything well and add the salt and sugar. Finally squeeze the juice of lemon and garnish with cilantro.

Paneer and babycorn

I completed my internship and am feeling very relieved and at the same time exhausted and tired.  The year has been busy but fulfilling and am excited about the new prospects it will bring. All I wanted to do now was sleep. I did not feel like cooking or blogging or doing anything else. So I have not cooked anything new but I wanted to post something as I realized that I have not posted anything in December. I pulled out this recipe from my drafts. This was a rich gravy based vegetable with paneer and baby corn. I love the delicate flavor of baby corn but have not really used it as much as I would like to. I like it in stir fry or noodles/pasta, but not so much with Indian food. However it tasted really good with the paneer. I did not over cook it so that it retains the crunch.

Ingredients
Cashew, walnuts, almonds soaked (1/2 cup)
2-3 red chilli soaked
1/2 tsp shahi jeera
2 black cardamom
1 large onion ground
1 tsp ginger  grated
1/2 tsp turmeric,
1tbsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
1tsp sugar
Baby corn and paneer sautéed and kept aside (about 1/2 cup each)
1/2 an apple chopped
1 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
Cilantro
Oil for cooking

Method

Grind the soaked cashews, almonds and walnuts along with the soaked red chillies. Heat 1 tbsp oil and add the shahi jeera and black cardamom. Once the jeera (cumin) splutters add the grated ginger and ground onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the ground nut paste and turmeric powder. Mix well and cook for 5-7 minutes till it changes color to a light golden brown and the onions do not smell raw. Now crush the kasuri methi and add to the onion along with black pepper, sugar and salt.

In a separate saute pan take a little oil and saute the paneer till it is light golden. Keep it aside and saute the baby corn and apples . Saute on high heat for a few minutes to get a nice golden color and smokey flavor. Season with salt and pepper. Now add the paneer, baby corn and apples to the gravy and mix. Garnish with cilantro.