Matar Paneer

Matar Paneer

Matar paneer is an north Indian dish consisting of paneer and peas  cooked together into a delicious gravy. It is usually served with an Indian type of bread (Naan, paratha, poori, or roti depending on taste). Some people prefer to take it with rice preparations.

 

Ingredients:

• 400 grams paneer cut into cubes
• 2 tea spoon broken cashew nuts
• 1 1/2 tea spoon chilly powder
• 2 table spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
• 50 ml cream
• 1/2 tea spoon cumin seeds
• 1 tea spoon cumin powder
• 1 1/2 tea spoon coriander powder
• 2 tea spoon ginger and garlic paste
• 5 finely chopped green chillies
• 1/2 tea spoon kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
• 4 table spoon oil
• 2 finely chopped onions
• 2 cups green peas (matar)
• salt to taste
• 2 finely chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 tea spoon turmeric
• 2 inch Cinnamon stick (dalchini)
• 4 cloves (lavang)
• 2-3 cardamom (elaichi)
• 2 bay leaves (tej patta)

Method:

Heat 2 table spoon oil in pan, add cashew nuts and saute slightly till they get light brown. Now, add chopped onions and salt, fry till it gets golden brown in colour. Add turmeric, ginger and garlic paste, fry for a minute. Add chopped tomatoes, cook till they turn soft and put all of this into a grinder and blend into a fine paste.

Heat the remaining oil in a pan, add Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves and cumin seeds. Now add the onion and tomato paste, fry for a minute.

Add 1 1/2  cups of water or as required, chopped green chillies, cumin powder, coriander powder and red chilly powder. Boil the mixture for fifteen minutes on low flame, now powder the kasuri methi and add it to the mixture. Cook for ten minutes.

Add green peas, boil for a minute then add paneer and salt (if required). Simmer for few minutes.

Add coriander, cream and simmer till you get the desired consistency of the gravy. Once done turn off the heat.

Serve hot with roti, naan, paratha or rice.

Matar Paneer

Shahi Khoya Matar

Shahi Khoya Matar

Shahi khoya Matar is another wonderful Mughlai dish. Mughlai food is the food that was eaten and relished by Indians during the Mughal Period. Mughal food is said to be an empress of the Indian range of cooking.

Ingredients:

• 150 grams khoya/khava (dried whole milk)
• 1 1/2 cups boiled peas/matar
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 2 green chillies
• 1/2 tea spoon jeera
• 1-2 table spoon cashew nuts
• 2 onions
• 2 tomatoes pureed
• salt to taste
•  1/2 -1 tea spoon red chilly powder
• 1/2 tea spoon garam masala
• 2 cups water
• 2 table spoon ghee

Method:

Grind green chillies, ginger and jeera into a fine paste by adding a bit of water. keep aside. Grind onions to make a fine paste.

Heat ghee, add onion paste and fry until onions turn light brown.

Mash khoya and add it to the onion. Cook on slow flame until khoya turns medium brown.

Add ginger paste. Cook for 1 minute.

Add cashew nuts cook for 1/2 minutes.

Add tomato puree and cook until its turns dry and is well fried.

Now add boiled peas/matar. Keep aside a few for garnishing. Stir for 2-3 minutes.

Add water, salt, red chilly powder and garam masala. Boil.

Cook on low flame, till gravy turns thick.

Serve hot garnished with cashew nuts and boiled peas.

 

Shahi Kofta Curry



Shahi Kofta Curry



"A very rich kofta curry recipe"

Potato koftas stuffed with paneer, khava (Khoya), nuts and raisins. I thought of making malai kofta curry but didnt have enough paneer so made shahi kofta curry as it doesn't require much paneer. But,very soon I will upload malai kofta curry recipe.

Ingredients:

For Kofta:

• 500 grams potatoes (4-5 potatoes)
• 4 tea spoon cornflour
• salt to taste

For Stuffing:

• 100 grams khoya/khava
• 100 paneer
• 2 table spoon chopped cashew nuts
• 1 table spoon raisins

For Gravy:

• 500 grams onions (4 -5 onions)
• 250 grams tomato ( 2-3 tomatoes)
• 40 grams cashew nuts
• 2 tea spoon ginger and garlic paste
• 2 tea spoon garam masala
• 1 tea spoon dhaniya powder/coriander powder
• 2 tea spoon red chilly powder
• 1/4 tea spoon haldi/turmeric
• 1 cup dahi/yogurt whisked
• 1/2 cup fresh malai whisked
• oil as required
• salt to taste

For Garnishing:

• 100 grams ready made fresh cream
• finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

For koftas:

Boil potatoes, peel and grate. Add corn flour and salt, knead well and keep aside.

Mash paneer and khoya, add chopped cashew nuts, raisins and salt. Mix well.

Flatten the potato mixture in a semi thick round shape. Stuff it with khoya and paneer stuffing in the centre and cover nicely by joining all the edges. Make smooth round koftas. Repeat the same with all the remaining dough.

Heat oil in a kadai, deep fry all the koftas till golden brown and keep aside.

For gravy:

Cut and boil onions in water. Strain water and grind to make a fine paste. Keep it aside.

Boil tomatoes in water. Strain the water, peel and grind it into a nice puree. Keep it aside.

Grind cashew nuts into a powder. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add in the onion paste. Fry till the colour changes slightly.

Now add ginger and garlic paste. Fry for a minute, then add coriander powder, cashew nuts powder, red chilly powder, garam masala powder and fry for another minute.

Add curd, malai and stir. Add 3 cups hot water, salt to taste and boil till the gravy slightly thickens. Now add in the koftas, stir.

Garnish it with fresh cream and coriander leaves and serve immediately. 

Note:

• If you a serving the dish later do not add the koftas earlier. Add them just before serving as they may split into halves and might get difficult to heat. Before adding the koftas boil the gravy and then add in the koftas.
• If the koftas break while frying add some more corn flour to the potato mixture.



Rajma



Rajma



Rajma is a popular north Indian vegetarian dish made of red kidney beans. It is a regular dish made in every Punjabi household. You can serve it with rice or roti. I usually make rajma with some plain pulav and salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rajma (kidney beans) (Any Variety)
• 3-4 finely chopped onions
• 2-3 finely chopped tomatoes
• 2 tea spoon ginger garlic paste
• 3 finely chopped green chillies
• 1/2 cup dahi (yogurt)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 tea spoon jeera
• 2 tea spoon red chilly powder
• 1/2 tea spoon haldi (turmeric)
• 2 table spoon finely chopped coriander
• salt to taste
• 1 table spoon rajma masala
• 1/4 tea spoon soda bicarbonate

For rajma masala:

• 1 table spoon coriander seeds/
• 5-6 laung/lavang/cloves
• a small piece of nutmeg/jaiphal
• 4 green cardamom/elaichi
• 1 tea spoon jeera/cumin seeds
• 1/2 tea spoon shahi jeera/black cumin

Method:

Grind all the ingredients of masala together in a grinder into a fine powder and keep aside.

Wash and soak the rajma with soda overnight in 8 cups of water. Next day drain the soda water from the rajma and rinse in fresh water.

Cook rajma with 9- 10 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 4 or 5 whistles.

Heat oil in a kadai, add jeera and finely chopped onion. Cook till the onion turns golden brown.

Now add ginger garlic paste, finely chopped green chillies, 1 table spoon rajma masala, red chilly powder and haldi, saute it for 2 minutes or till oil separates, now add yogurt and mix it properly, add finely chopped tomatoes and saute till they become soft and oil separates.

Now add the cooked rajma, water as required and salt. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with steamed rice, plain pulav or roti.

Bagara Baigan Type # 2

Bagara Baigan Type # 2

As you might have reviewed my earlier post of Bagara Baigan, it is known to be one of the most delightful dish in the City of Nizams-Hyderabad. In my quest to learn the exact composition of cooking bagara baigan, I came across many recipes. I know around four to five different recipes of bagara baigan and all of them have a very unique and different taste. This one is among those recipes. I shall post the remaining varieties very soon.


Ingredients:

• 8 small purple brinjals(baigan)
• lemon size tamarind
• 2 onions, ground to a fine paste
• 1 tomato
• 1/4 cup oil
• 8-10 pudina/mint leaves
• 3-4 slit green chillies
• 1 table spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
• 3 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 tea spoon shahi jeera/ black cumin seeds
• 2 tea spoon ginger garlic paste
• 1 tea spoon coriander powder
• 1 tea spoon cumin powder
• salt to taste

For preparing paste

• 2 table spoon dry roasted sesame seeds (til)
• 2 table spoon dry roasted peanuts
• 1/4 tea spoon jeera
• 1/4 tea spoon mustard seeds
• 1 tea spoon chilly powder
• 1/4 tea spoon haldi

Method:

Wash and slit Brinjals from both the sides without cutting the brinjal completely with the stem intact and soak in water.

Soak tamarind in 1 cup warm water and keep aside.

Grind mint leaves along with the tomatoes into fine paste and keep aside.

Grind all the ingredients of the paste together with a bit of water (so as to have a fine paste).

Heat oil in a kadai and fry the brinjals till they are half cooked, remove and keep them aside.

In the same oil add shahi jeera, cinnamon stick and cloves fry till they change colour. Now add the onion paste and slit green chillies, fry till it changes colour and the raw smell goes off.

Now add tomato paste and fry for 2-3 minutes, add the sesame seeds and peanuts paste and fry till oil comes out.

Add tamarind water, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt.

After one boil add the brinjals and water if required. Cover and  cook for another 5-8 minutes or till oil comes out and till it gets thick gravy like consistency.

Serve hot with rotis or rice.

Egg Curry

Egg Curry

Egg Curry commonly referred as "Anda Curry" in Andhra.This goes well with rice or rotis.This recipe is one of my own creations .There are many recipes of preparing Egg curry but as I go forward I will share other form of preparations

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1 large onion ground into paste
• 2 finely chopped green chillies(optional)
• 2 tomato pureed
• 1 tea spoon ginger paste
• 1 tea spoon garlic paste
• 2 table spoon fresh grated coconut
• 6 cashew nuts
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 2 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tea spoon coriander powder
• 1/2 tea spoon garam masala powder
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tea spoon turmeric powder (haldi)
• 3 table spoon oil
• 1 table spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tea spoon red chilly powder

Method:

Boil eggs for 15-20 minutes, when done run under cold tap water. Once the eggs begin to cool, peel carefully.

Make 3 -4 slits to the boiled eggs.

Make fine paste of coconut and cashew nuts and keep aside.

Heat 1 table spoon oil in pan, add turmeric and a bit of salt followed by adding boiled eggs and frying for 2-3 minutes. Then remove and keep aside.

In the same pan put the remaining oil add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, green chillies and ginger garlic paste, and fry for some time.

Now add onion paste and fry till the raw smell goes off and it becomes light brown in colour.Add coriander powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, salt and red chilly powder, and fry for some time.

Now add the tomato puree and cook for 3- 4 minutes.

Add the ground paste of coconut and cashew nuts. Mix properly then add water as required cook for 4-5 minutes .

Now add the eggs and cook them in the gravy for 5- 10 minutes. Cook till you get the desired gravy consistency.Then turn off the heat.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rotis or rice.

 

Aloo Palak /Potato spinach Gravy

Aloo Palak

This is one of the simplest recipes of Aloo palak.I have learnt it from my mom.It has no masalas in it.It is simple yet tastes wonderful.

Ingredients:

• 2 big bunch of palak(spinach)
• 2 boiled potatoes,peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 inch of ginger
• 7-8 garlic cloves
• 4-5 green chillies
• 1 table spoon chopped coriander leaves
• 2 finely chopped onions 
• 2 finely chopped tomatoes
• salt to taste
• 2 table spoon oil
• 2 tea spoon sugar

Method:

Wash and pressure cook the palak(spinach) for 1 whistle, then blend it in a mixture into a fine puree and keep aside.

Make a fine paste of ginger, garlic, green chillies and coriander leaves & keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add onions and fry them till it becomes brown in colour. Add  ginger,garlic, green chillies and coriander paste prepared earlier and fry it for about 2-3 minutes. Now add tomatoes and cook till they become soft. Then add palak puree, salt to taste, sugar and water as required. Mix well and boil.

Now add the diced potatoes and boil for about 2-3 minutes till potatoes absorb the flavor.

Serve hot with rotis or rice.

Simple and yummy aloo palak is now ready...

Bagara Baigan

Bagara Baigan

Bagara Baigan is one of the most loved and specially prepared dish in the City of Nizams-Hyderabad. To be honest, I was unaware of this dish but post wedding, the dish I was attracted to was Bagara Baigan and I always wanted to make this dish and the best person to learn was my Hubby's Aunt who is an expert in Hyderabadi dishes.

There are range of recipes available on Bagara Baigan but the dish which I feel differentiates itself from others is the one that I have mentioned in this post. One of the uniqueness of this dish is the stuffed  tomato.When it mixes into the gravy , the juicy flavor that flows out is what I love the most. It really goes well with any dish you name like Rice, Biryani, Rumali Roti, etc. I will post other varieties of bagara baigan in my next post. 

Ingredients:

• 8 small purple brinjals(baigan)
• lemon size tamarind
• 3-4 tomatoes
• 1/4 cup oil

Ingredients for paste No. 1:

• 2 medium onions
• 1 inch ginger
• 8-10 garlic cloves
• 1/4 tea spoon haldi(Turmeric Powder)
• 1 tea spoon red chili powder
• salt as required

Ingredients for paste No.2:

• 1 table spoon coriander seeds
• 3/4 tea spoon cumin seeds
• 10-12 fenugreek seeds
• 1 tea spoon khus khus
• 2 table spoon sesame seeds (til )
• 3 table spoon grated dry coconut

Ingredients for tempering:

• 2-3 dry red chillies
• 3-4 crushed garlic cloves
• 7-8 curry leaves
• 1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds

Method:

Wash and slit Brinjals from both the sides without cutting the brinjal completely with the stem intact and soak in water.

Wash and cut tomatoes from both the sides without cutting the tomato completely.

Soak tamarind in 1 cup warm water and keep aside.

Turn you stove on and roast the onions on it with the flame medium-high.This will burn off the skin of the onions but the onions will get soft and cooked from inside.As shown in the picture below.

Once the onion is roasted ,let it cool and then remove the skin and cut it. Now put it in a grinder and make a fine paste of all the ingredients in paste No.1. and keep aside.

Dry roast all  ingredients for paste No. 2 one by one and grind with tamarind water into a smooth paste and keep aside along with first paste. As shown below.

Mix both the pastes together and stuff in the brinjals and tomatoes.

Heat oil in a vessel and add mustard seeds when they splutter add crushed garlic,curry leaves and dry red chillies and fry ,then add the stuffed brinjal and cover and fry till it is half cooked.

Once done add the remaining masala and water as required .Let it boil .Once it boils add the stuffed tomatoes and cook for another 5-8 minutes or till oil comes out and till it gets thick gravy like consistency.

Now enjoy the delicious bagara baigan with rice or rotis.