Palak Paneer Paratha with Tamatar ka Sallan

The other day I wanted to make Palak Paneer and Roti but I thought instead of making them as usual I will make something special. And I made the Palak Paneer Paratha and I am so proud of it, cause each and every paratha puffed up so well. m...m...m...for the sight, for the soul and for the stomach.
            You can just serve this paratha as is with butter on top of it but I made a simple curry with tomatoes. So here is the recipe

Palak Paneer Paratha (Indian Spinach wheat bread, stuffed with Cottage Cheese)

Palak paneer Paratha

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups wheat flour
2. 1 packed cup frozen chopped spinach
3. Oil or butter for frying the paratha
4. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. extra flour for rolling paratha

For the stuffing:

1. 1-2 cups grated paneer
2. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, amchur powder
3. 1 teaspoon each of madras garam masala

Combine all the ingredients of stuffing and set aside

In a pressure cooker cook the spinach along with the turmeric with a little water for 2 whistles. Let it cool and grind to a smooth paste.

Mix the spinach paste with the wheat flour and salt and add some water if the dough is very tough. Apply a little oil to you palm and roll the dough ball and cover and set aside for 15-20 minutes

Make about 9 parts of the dough and the same with paneer. Roll a little bit and put one part stuffing and close it like a dumping. Set aside till you finish making all the other parathas

Add some flour again on the surface and roll the paratha. Heat a griddle and fry the paratha turning occasionally till dark spots start appearing. Drizzle some oil or butter and flip once. Serve hot

Tamatar Ka Sallan (Simple tomato curry)

Tomato curry

Ingredients:

1. 3 big tomatoes sliced
2. 1 medium small sliced onions
3. 1 or 2 green chillies slit
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, turmeric
5. 1/2 tablespoon oil

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till tender. Add the green chillies and tomatoes and stir. Add the rest of the ingredients, 1/2 cup water and cover and cook till the tomatoes become juicy and pulpy. Simmer till you get the required consistency of the gravy. Serve with paratha or any other Indian bread

Also at another time I served this Palak Paneer Paratha with Ginger Chutney 

Sweet Potato Corn cake

I love the instant corn muffin mixes, they are so super easy to make and super fast and they taste great. I once made corn bread from scratch and it was easy too. But the other day when I went shopping I got a different brand of corn muffin mix which I never got before the "Glory Foods" brand. And today I made the Sweet Potato Corn cake from the recipe on the box but with some modifications. And the result is a yummy soft delicious corn cake

Sweet Potato Corn Cake (Corn muffin with a sweet twist)

Sweet Potato Corn cake

Ingredients:

1. 1 box Glory Foods corn muffin box
2. 1 large egg
3. 1 tablespoon sour cream
4. 3 teaspoons sugar
5. 2-4 oz sweet potato baby food cups
6. 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
7. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a baking pan

Mix the sweet potato mix with sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Add the egg and stir well. Add the corn mix and the sour cream and stir to combine. Add the creamy mixture to the baking pan and bake for 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving

Ande ka Salan aur Aalu Khatta

I wanted to make something really simple and yummy and with lots of gravy. I have so many vegetables in my fridge now that I got overwhelmed as to what should be for dinner tonight. I finally ended up making eggs
                 When I was growing up in India there used to be a commercial and the catch phrase was "Sunday ho ya Monday rooz khana ande" and here is the Macarina Version of the commercial

Ande Ka Sallan (Boiled egg curry)

Ande ka Sallan

Ingredients:

1. 6 hard boiled eggs
2. 1 tablespoon oil divided
3. 1 medium onion chopped fine
4. 1 medium tomato chopped fine
5. 1 green onion sliced (optional)
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of ginger-garlic paste, salt, chily powder, turmeric, coriander powder

In a pan heat 1/2 of the oil . Slit the eggs in 4-6 different places with a sharp knife and fry them till for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Add the rest of the oil and fry the onion till tender. Add the green chilly if using and the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the tomatoes and fry for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup water cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the eggs and simmer for 5 more minutes or until the gravy thickens to your liking. garnish with cilantro and serve with Roti or with rice and Aalu Ka Khatta 

Aalu ka Khatta

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Yeah for Summer and all the nature's bounty available in Summer. Its not summer yet month-wise but weather wise it is. So its time for cool and refreshing things again. Today is the turn of Strawberry Banana Smoothie. Here is the recipe for your enjoyment

Strawberry Banana Smoothie (Smooth blend of creamy yogurt, banana and strawberries)

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

1. 2 ripe bananas
2. 6-8 strawberries
3. 1 cup ice
4. 1 cup low fat yogurt
5. 1/4-1/2 cup milk (to thin the smoothie)
6. 2 teaspoons sugar
7. 1-2 teaspoons honey

Blend the ice with the ice-crush setting and then add the rest of the ingredients and blend till smooth. Enjoy the baby pink deliciousness 

Cream of Broccoflower with Omega 3 Seed bread

The other day when I went to Fresh and Easy I found this bread with a ton of different seeds called Omega 3 Seed bread. This was made with whole wheat with flax seeds, sun flower seeds and some other seeds I don't remember. But it looked so good and I got it. So to serve this bread I made the most simplest and yummiest soup ever

Broccoflower

This Broccoflower is just what it sounds and looks like- a cross between Broccoli an cauliflower and I should say it does milds out the strong taste of Broccoli and takes in the yummy taste of Cauliflower. So here is the yummy recipe of the yummy vegetable

Cream of Broccoflower (Creamy soup made with Broccoflower and carrots)

Cream of Broccoflower

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium large Broccoflower cut into florets
2. 1 medium sized carrot chopped roughly
3. 1 celery stick chopped
4. 2 garlic pods chopped
5. 1 medium onion chopped
6. 1 tablespoon olive oil
7. 1 tablespoon butter
8. 1 heaped teaspoon salt
9. 3-4 cups chicken broth
10. 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
11. 1 cup milk at room temperature
12. 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
13. Salt to taste

In a heavy bottomed pan heat the oil and fry the onions for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Add all the vegetables and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add chicken broth and simmer for 20 minutes. Let it cool and grind it to a smooth paste. Heat the butter in a pan and add the flour and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the milk at room temperature and stir till it gets all mixed well. Add black pepper and the ground soup and simmer for 10 more minutes. Add a little salt if needed and serve with Omega 3 seed bread or any other baguette toasted

               

Hummus with Olives and Chicken Tikka Masala

Spring is finally here and days are getting longer and warmer. I love this weather. Last week had been really cold and there were April showers and I love the saying "April showers bring May flowers". Come to think of it, May flowers are my absolute favorite. Long time ago there used to be a May flower bulb in my yard and it used to lie dormant for the entire 11 months except for May and in may it would bloom and be alive and fresh for the whole month. Ooh how I love it!!!
                  Anyway, its the season of picnics again and I made simple Chicken Tikka and I bought some bread which is like Naan but more softer. I don't know what Roti it is exactly but it is available in middle eastern stores usually. And with that I roasted onions and red bell pepper and made Hummus with Kalamata Olives. It makes such a nice and easy picnic basket

Chicken Tikka Masala (Grilled chicken in a milk and tomato gravy)

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb chicken breasts cubed
2. 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
3. 3 tablespoons oil
4. 1 teaspoon salt, chilly powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder
6. 4 oz tomato paste
7. 1-11/2 cup whole milk or 1 cup cream
8. 1 medium large onion chopped fine
9. 1 heaped teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
10. 1 inch cinnamon stick, 1 cardamom

Marinate the chicken with salt, chilly powder and turmeric for 20 minutes. Add yogurt and marinate further for 1 hr (This step will make the chicken super tender)
Bake the chicken for 20 minutes at 350 degrees (Serve as is for finger food)
In a pan heat the oil and fry the onion and ginger till the onion starts changing color. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add cumin and coriander powder and mix well. Add tomato paste and cook till the paste turns dark with 1/4 cup water. Add chicken and the juices from the pan and the milk, stir to combine and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with Roti

Hummus with Olives(Dipping sauce made with Olives and Chickpeas)

Hummus with Kalamata Olives

Ingredients:

1. 1 can Chickpeas/garbanzo drained
2. 2 big or 3 medium garlic pods peeled
3. 2-3 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice
4. 1/2 cup kalamata olives
5. 1 heaped teaspoon roasted sesame seeds (optional)
6. 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
7. 1 teaspoon olive oil
8. 1-2 tablespoons water

Ground everything into a smooth paste. Take this paste into a dish and make a well in the middle. Add some olive oil to the well and sprinkle with paprika and pine nuts

Indo Chinese Chili Chicken and Sambar Powder

Its been quite a while that I made chicken. And on top of it I have been only making Chicken with bones lately. So today was a day to make something with boneless skinless chicken breasts. I finally made the most yummiest wet chili chicken I had ever tasted. And here is the recipe
                  And I served it with plain white rice and sambar made with Butternut Squash. And this sambar is special because the sambar powder is home made and the recipe follows

Indo Chinese Chili Chicken (Boneless chicken in a hot and spicy gravy)

Wet chili chicken

Ingredients:

1. 3 chicken breasts (skinless, boneless) cut into 1 inch cubes
2. 1-11/2 cup cubed bell pepper of your favourite color
3. 1/2 cup chopped red onion
4. 1 tablespoon oil
5. 1 teaspoon each of finely chopped garlic, green chilly, red chilly paste, white vinegar
6. 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce, corn starch
7. 2 cups chicken broth
8. Oil for deep frying

Ingredients for marinade:

1. 2 tablespoons corn flour
2. 1 egg
3. 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce, white vinegar
4. 1/2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
5. 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Mix all the ingredients in the marinade and stir the egg. Add it to the chicken pieces and marinade for 1-2 hours. Deep fry the chicken pieces until golden brown. Drain and set aside

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan and fry the onions for a couple of minutes. Add the bell pepper and fry for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Add a little oil to the pan is there is no oil and add the garlic and chili to the pan and fry for a minute. Mix the soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar, corn starch and chicken broth and add it to the pan and cook on a medium low heat for a few minutes. Add the chicken and the bell peppers and stir to combine. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. garnish with cilantro and/or green onions and serve hot with rice or fried rice

Homemade Sambar Powder 

Home made Sambar Powder

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup chana dal
2. 2 tablespoons coriander powder
3. 6-8 dried red chilli
4. 1 teaspoon cumin
5. 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

Dry roast the ingredients separately except for coriander powder. Cool to room temperature. Grind to powder. Store in an air tight container. Use 1-2 teaspoons in sambar

Paneer Makhmali

So...I started searching for recipes with Cauliflower but somehow I got side tracked and finally ended up making Paneer-the Indian Cottage Cheese
                  The cauliflower has been sitting pretty in my fridge for a while now and in a couple of more days its not going to go rotten but Paneer does. So I finally made this dish. Even though this dish is made with paneer and milk it turned out to be quite spicy. So for all you paneer lovers and spicy food lovers here's the dish.
                   This dish might have been great with any Indian bread or ROTI but I served it with white rice and Kaccha Khatta

Paneer Makhmali (Indian Cottage cheese in a smooth mint flavored gravy)
Ingredients:

1.  2 cups Paneer cut into cubes

2. 1 medium onion sliced

3. 1/2 cup milk

4. 1 teaspoon madras garam masala

1 tbsp oil

To be ground into a thick paste

1. 2 cups cilantro
2. 1/2 cup mint leaves 
3. 1 serrano chilly
4. 3/4-1" piece ginger
5. 1 heaped tablespoon cashew
6. 1/4 cup yogurt
7. 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
8. 1 teaspoon salt divided

1. Pierce the paneer pieces with a fork and marinate them in the ground paste for at least 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions till they are translucent.
3. Add the marinated paneer, sprinkle with garam masala and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Add the milk and simmer till the milk evaporates.