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

Mooli Paratha/Radish Paratha

Mooli Paratha/Radish Paratha

 Mooli Paratha, is popular in most regions of Northern India and the Punjab.


Ingredients:

For Stuffing:

• 2 medium radish/mooli along with its leaves
• 1/2 table spoon red chilly powder
• 1/2 tea spoon cumin powder
• 1/2 tea spoon coriander powder
• 2 finely chopped green chillies
• salt to taste

For Dough:

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 table spoon ghee
• salt to taste
• oil for frying

Method:

For Stuffing:

Grate mooli/radish and finely chop its leaves. Apply salt and mix all of it together. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Radish will leave some juice. Squeeze out the extra juice from the mooli mixture. Do not throw the juice, reserve it. It can be later used for making the dough.

Now mix in green chillies, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilly powder and salt if required.

For Dough:

Sieve atta and rub in two table spoon of ghee. Add in the reserved juice, salt and knead into a stiff dough. Add water if necessary.

For paratha:

Take a palm full of dough to form a small ball, dust the board with some wheat flour and roll the dough with a rolling pin gently to form a small chapati. Place the mooli filling in the centre of the dough.

Now close the dough from all the sides to form a small modak (Dumpling). As shown in the picture below. If there is some extra dough on top remove it and seal it properly.

Now, turn the ball upside down, dust the board with wheat flour and flatten the stuffed dough using a rolling pin, gently flatten it to form a thick round circle. Do not make the parathas very thin. Be careful not to be too hard or the filling may come out.

Heat a tawa/griddle and fry the paratha with oil or ghee from both the sides on a medium flame. When both the sides turn golden brown your paratha is ready to be served.

Serve hot with dahi, raita, pickle, butter or sauce.

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.