Palak Paneer is a delicious, hearty North Indian dish prepared with spinach and Indian cheese. This traditional greens based vegetarian dish is a rich, smooth, creamy curry where paneer cubes are cooked in a onion-tomato-spinach based gravy which is moderately spiced with Indian spices.

Ingredients:

250 gms paneer (cubed and lightly fried till brown in a tsp of ghee)

3 big bunches spinach (discard the coarse stems) – blanch in hot water for 2 mts and make a paste and keep aside

1 ½-2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 onions finely chopped

2 green chillis slit length wise

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp red chilli pwd

1 tbsp coriander pwd

2 big juicy tomatoes (blanched in hot water, peeled and pureed)

1 cup water (use the water in which spinach was blanched)

salt to taste

½ tsp garam masala pwd (make a pwd of 2 cloves, 1 cardamom and 1” cinnamon stick)

1 tbsp malai (top of milk)

¼ tsp kasuri methi (optional)

Method

• Add ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel and add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the onions and green chillis sauce them till light brown. Don’t burn them.
• Add ginger garlic paste and fry further for 3 minutes. Add red chilli pwd and coriander pwd and combine well.
• Add the tomato paste and let it cook for 5-6 mts on medium heat. Add the palak paste and let it cook further for another 4-5 mts.
• Add the fried paneer cubes and combine. Cook covered on low heat for 3 mts. Add the palak water and salt and cook on medium heat for 10-12 mts.
• Add malai, garam masala pwd and kasuri methi and mix well.
• Reduce flame, cover and cook for 2 mts.
• Serve hot with rotis or white steamed rice or rotis.

Fried rice is something that I make on days I am rushed for time. Fried rice being open to endless variations, I just throw together whatever few basic ingredients I have on hand for a quick, fuss-free, one pot meal. Anyone out there looking for a satisfying meal with a lot of flavor and ease in preparation has to try this one.

Ingredients:

4 cups of cooked (cold) rice (long grain variety)

1/4 cup spring onions, finely chopped

1 cup finely chopped vegetables (carrots, beans and capsicum)

1 cup sweet and sour prawn stir fry.

1 tsp vinegar

pepper pwd as required

salt as required

1 1/2 tbsps sesame oil or peanut oil

1. To Prepare Sweet and Sour Prawns:

1 Marinate the cleaned and de-veined prawns in tomato sauce, vinegar, soya sauce, brown sugar and red chilli paste for 15-20 minutes.
2 Heat oil in a wok, swirl it all over and it should be smoking hot. Add the minced garlic and ginger and saute for a few seconds. Add the chopped spring onion whites and green chillis stir for 2 minutes, constantly tossing them.
3 Add the marinated prawns along with any left over marination and cook on high heat for a minute without tossing. Flip the other side and cook for another minute. Combine once again and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes or till done, tossing constantly. Season with salt.
4 Garnish with spring onions greens and serve hot as an appetizer or stir fry.

2. To prepare Fried Rice:

1 Heat sesame oil in a large wok and once the oil is piping hot, add the spring onions and stir fry for 1 minute on high.
2 Add the rest of the vegetables and toss them on high heat for 3-4 minutes.
3 Add salt and pepper powder combine. Add the cooked prawns and toss. Cook on high for a minute. Add the cooked cold rice and combine well. Spread it all over the pan and leave on medium high for a minute. Combine again, spread out and leave on medium high for another minute.
4 Add vinegar and toss all the contents on high heat for a few seconds. Turn off flame. Garnish with chopped spring onion greens and serve hot.

Armed with half a loaf of left over bread, I decided on preparing bread pudding, a tasty and simple quick dessert for kids.

Ingredients:

• 6 slices of bread, remove sides, apply butter and tear into big pieces
• 1 tbsp Amul butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp chopped nuts (cashews/almonds)
• 3/4 lt milk
• 1 egg
• 5-6 tbsps sugar (adjust)
• 1/4 tsp grated lemon rind or cinnamon pwd
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• raisins and cashews for garnish

Method:

1.  Add milk and chopped nuts to the bread pieces such that they are well soaked & keep aside for 5 mts.

2. Beat egg in a bowl, add sugar, vanilla essence and lemon rind and combine well.

3. Pour this mixture to the bread-milk mixture and combine.

4. Grease a pan, pour the bread mixture into it, top with raisins and cashew nuts. Seal with aluminium foil.

5. Place in a steamer or pressure cooker that is filled with 1 1/2″ of water. Steam on high flame for 15 mts.

Turn off flame and allow to rest for 5 mts. Remove foil and cool. Cut into pieces and serve.

Rava Idli is the best breakfast dish that I learnt from my mother. Unlike idlis, where the batter needs to be fermented and need some preparation work, ravva idlis hardly need any preparation and can be made at the spur of the moment. Rava Idly tastes best with Coconut chutney so make sure you read Coconut Chutney Recipe aswell. Just make a note of what goes into making this wonderful mouth-watering dish

This is one breakfast recipe I enjoy preparing time and again as a delicious anytime brunch/lunch/dinner option and also serves as a great lunch-box tiffin or evening snack.

Ingredients:

1 cup sooji/cream of wheat/semolina/upma ravva

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp channa dal

1? grated ginger

3 green chilies, finely chopped

5-6 curry leaves (optional)

2 carrots, grated

2 tbsps fresh coriander leaves (optional)

2 tbsps grated fresh coconut

salt to taste

1 cup well beaten thick curd

1/4 cup water

2 tbsps roasted cashewnuts (optional)

1 tbsp ghee or oil

Method:

1. Heat ghee, add the mustard seeds and once they splutter, add the chana dal and saute till the dal turns golden brown. Add the green chillis, curry leaves and ginger.
2. Immediately add the ravva and on low to medium heat stir fry the rava constantly for 3 mts. Take off heat and cool.
3. Add grated carrot, coriander leaves, grated coconut, curd, water and salt and mix well. Let this sit for atleast half an hour.
4. Grease idli plates. Place a roasted cashewnut on each of the greased idli plates and pour the rava batter over the cashewnut. Don’t let the batter fill till the brim.
5. Steam the ravva idlis on medium flame for around 10 mts. Turn off heat and let it sit for 5 mts. Remove the rava idlis carefully with a spatula and serve hot with chutney of your choice.

Note:

You can add vegetables of your choice like peas, beans and capsicum.

Groundnut Chutney Recipe

coconut grated-3/4 cup
coriander leaves- a handful(3 tbsp roughly) finely chopped
ginger- a small piece
roasted gram dal- 2 tsp
green chillies- 4 or acc to taste
salt to taste
mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
urad dal - 1/4 tsp
curry leaves- a few
red chilli -1
oil -2 tsp

Method

Grind coconut, coriander leaves, ginger,roasted gram,green chillies and salt to a fine paste adding water. Transfer the ground paste to a bowl.
Heat oil in a kadai and add the seasoning ingredients one by one.pour over the ground chutney and mix well.
Serve with hot idlies.

 Wishing u all a Happy and Prosperous Diwali

Kaju Katli is a very popular recipe . Try this for ur Diwali and enjoy ur Diwali with Sweets and Crackers.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cashewnuts powder (Dry grind cashewnuts into fine powder),
1 cup sugar,
1/4 cup water
cardamom powder,
saffron strands dissolved in a 2 tsp warm milk(optional),
silver foil (Varkha - used to decorate the sweets- this is optional)

Method

1. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and let boil over medium heat until it forms into a two string consistency syrup.
2. Now add ground cashewnuts and cardamom powder. Keep the heat on medium.
3. Stir the mixture vigorously to avoid lump formation. Add saffron.
4. Lightly grease a tray or plate.
5. When the mixture starts leaving the edges of the vessel, remove from the heat. Pour hot mixture into the greased plate. Spread evenly with a metal spatula.

For decoration, unfold the silver foil and press on top of the mixture. Let cool and with a sharp knife cut into diamond shaped pieces.

http://cookery.sweetcircles.com

Diwali is a festival not just for lights, lamps and firecrackers, but for some mouth-watering delights as well. Each region of India has its own traditional variety of sweets and cuisines made specifically for this festival. So, for your dining pleasure I had collected these sweet recipes from different states of India. It is a way of spreading joy and goodwill among both the givers and the receivers of these delights.  

Today’s sweet is the delicious Gulab jamun, an absolutely melt-in-the-mouth favourite Indian dessert and is a living embodiment of Indian mithai (sweet) tradition.Gulab jamus are golden brown balls in flavored sugar syrup. They are served warm or at room temperature.

Gulab Jamun
1 cup milk powder
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tb ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 cup milk - room temperature
a pinch of baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Syrup:
3 cups water
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 crushed cardamom pods

How to make gulab jamun:
1. Make the dough by combining the milk powder, Bisquick, butter. Add just enough whole milk to make a medium-hard dough. Divide the dough into 18-20 portions. Make balls by gently rolling each portion between your palms into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a plate. Cover with a damp yet dry kitchen towel.
2. Heat the oil on high and then lower the heat to medium. Slip in the balls into the hot oil from the side of the pan, one by one. They will sink to the bottom of the pan, but do not try to move them. Instead, gently shake the pan to keep the balls from browning on just one side. After about 5 mins, the balls will rise to the surface. The Gulab Jamuns should rise slowly to the top if the temperature is just right. Now they must be gently and constantly agitated to ensure even browning on all sides.
3. If the temperature of the oil is too high then the gulab jamuns will tend to break. So adjust the temperature to ensure that the gulab jamuns do not break or cook too quickly.
4. The balls must be fried very slowly under medium temperatures. This will ensure complete cooking from inside and even browning.
Sugar Syrup
1. The syrup should be made earlier and kept warm. To make the hot sugar syrup , mix 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water. Add 4-5 cardamom pods, slightly crushed and a few strands of "Kesar". Mix with a spoon and heat them at medium heat for 5-10 minutes until sugar is all dissolved in water. Do not overheat, that will caramelize the sugar.
2. Transfer this hot syrup into a serving dish. Keep warm on stove. Add the fried gulab jamuns directly into the warm syrup. Leave gulab jamun balls in sugar syrup overnight for best results. They can be served warm or at room temperature.

There are few things I love more than chickpeas. For some people, that intense food love is reserved for chocolate or avocados, but for me it's chickpeas. I even love them in recipes that some would consider strange - anyone?

I've realized my Asian-American hybrid chickpea dish really isn't that strange, because chickpeas are adaptable and can go well with just about any sauce. They work smothered in a light vinaigrette, in only olive oil and salt, in a little barbecue sauce, and especially in coconut milk or curry. A diverse little bean it is.

The curried chickpea recipe below is an extremely easy-to-make yet flavorful dish. The curry packs a punch, and the broth and cumin really add to the depth. Enjoy!

Ingredients :

1/2 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 (15.5-19 oz.) can chickpeas, drained
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 cup diced tomatoes
Salt, to taste

•Saute the onion with olive oil in pan over medium-low heat, until soft. Add the broth, beans, spices, and tomatoes. Mix well and let simmer until the liquid reduces.

•Serve over rice or with Rotis.

Eating at a Lebanese restaurant last spring sparked a mild obsession with all things Middle Eastern for me. Since then, I've been unable to get enough of hummus, falafel, grape leaves, fava beans, and eggplant in just about any form, and it has inspired me to research lesser known dishes of the diverse cuisines. One I've found is a sweet potato salad that is both savory and salty.

Many of the sweet potato recipes I've come across involve cooking the sweet potatoes with cumin, ginger, and paprika, throwing in a healthy dose of oil and olives, then serving warm. I like to stick with most of this plan, but prefer to serve it chilled.

The sweet potato salad recipe below uses most of the ingredients mentioned above but also has yellow tomatoes, parsley, and lemon juice to lighten things up a bit. And when served chilled, it's the perfect end-of-summer treat. Enjoy!

Ingredients :

5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
Juice of 1 lemon
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup green olives, chopped
1 medium yellow tomato, wedged
3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
Salt, to taste

•In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and stir the onions until translucent. Add the cumin, paprika, and lemon juice, stir, and then set aside to let cool.

Here it is September and this is the first cherry tomato salad I've had all summer. Some actually do make it into the kitchen, but then they are snacked away before anything resembling a dish can be made with them. 

This is an easy salad to throw together, the base is tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta cheese. We used cherry and pear tomatoes and lemon cucumbers from the garden, and added some fresh mint, oregano, and shallots. Dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. You could also add some olives and arugula if you want to get fancy.

Ingredients

2-3 cups of cherry and/or pear tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup of chopped cucumber, peeled (and seeded if the seeds are bitter)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 Tbsp chiffonaded mint leaves
1 teaspoon fresh, chopped oregano
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp of finely chopped shallots or green onions
2 teaspoons olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Gently toss the tomatoes, cucumber, feta, onions, mint, and oregano together. Dress with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.