Paneer Chana Masala

Paneer  chana masala

Ingredients

Paneer cubes 5-6
White channa/chickpeas - 1 cup
Green Chilies - 2
Onion -2 Large
Ginger/Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Tomatoes - 3
Red chili Powder -1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbls
Salt to taste

Special chana masala powder

Corriander seeds 2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Black peppercorns 4-5
Chana dal 2 tsp
Black  cardamon 1
Garlic cloves 2
Dry red chilli 2

Dry roast all above ings and blend to coarse powder

Method

Soak the Channa/chickpeas overnight .

Pressure Cook the Channa with some salt.

Fry paneer cubes till pink. Dip them in bowl of warm water containing pinch of haldi. Keep aside.

Grind the onions and tomatoes together.

Heat oil in a pan.
Fry the grounded onion-tomato paste along with the ginger-garlic paste.

Add some red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt.

Add the boiled channa .

Fry till the oil leaves sides.

Add garam masala .

Stir well. Add special chana masala .

Mix well and cook for two mins.

Add fried paneer cubes discarding the water in which they are dipped .

Mix and add one cup  water.

Simmer for 20 mins at low heat. The panner cubes will soak all chana flavours.

When serving garnish with green chilies.

  

Eggless spinach Raviolis

Eggless spinach raviolis

INGREDIENTS

1 cup maida
1 cup of suji
A pinch of salt
2 tbsp refined oil

For the filling:

Boiled spinach and potato mixture
2 tbsp oil
Salt and pepper

For the sauce:

2  small tomatoes
Butter
Lemon juice 2 tbsp
Salt n pepper

METHOD

Combine the flour, semolina, salt,  oil and warm  water together to make a semi stiff dough.

Cover and let it rest for 30-40 minutes.

For the filling:

Stir fry spinach potato mixture in pan with oil

Season it with salt, pepper.

Knead the dough on a floured surface

Roll out the dough in small balls

Make square outer shells    by rolling thin rotis 2cm thin and cutting the edges to make a square.
You can use cutters too

Brush a little milk on the ravioli shells.

Put the filling in centre of one square.

Place another square on it and seal the filling by fingers. A tomb like structure appears in centre.

Make designs with fork in outer frill of the ravioli.

Put all raviolis in boiling water till it rises on top or float.

Take out and keep aside.

For the final assembling

In a  pan add butter on low heat. Add tomato pieces and smear in butter. Add raviolis and pan fry in butter. Season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and mix well.

Serve.

  

Teliye Maa

 

Teliya Maa

Urad daal cooked in raw mustard oil

This is very tasty kangra Himachal pradesh dish.

One of best Dhaam dishes.

Very easy to make.

The best part is the flavour of Mustard oil.

Ingredients:

URAD DAAL or black lentils 1/2 cup
Mustard  oil: 1 cup
Garlic cloves 10 (finely-chopped)
Ginger: 1 medium sized (finely chopped)
Onion: Medium sized (finely-chopped)
Green chilles: 5-6 (finely chopped)
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp

Method

Soak urad daal overnite in water  and next day drain water and  put it in a pressure cooker.

Add chopped garlic, ginger, onion, green chilles and raw mustard oil in it.

Add 2-3 cups water

Add salt and chilli powder .

Close the lid and after one whistle lower the heat to minimum.

Cook for 15 mins for 7-8 whistles.

Open lid after it releases its own pressure.

The consistency of dal should be thick  and daal thoroughly cooked.

Sprinkle garam Masala on it and stir for three mins.

Enjoy

  

Shahi Kadhi

Another winner from 1970's  era wedding menu.

At that time Halwais add fried vegetables to simmering flavoured yogurt gravy and serve with  tandoori roti and zeera chawal.

Shahi Kadhi

Ingredients:

Baby potatoes 3
baby onions 2
long eggplants 2
zeera seeds 1 tsp
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp,
salt to taste,
heeng - 1/2 tsp,
Red Chillis - 4 full
Haldi/ turmeric powder 1/4 tsp,
red chilli pdr 1 tsp
Dhania powder - 1 tsp
Dhaniya seeds 1/2 tsp,
Mustard oil - 2 tbsp
Green chillies 2
Besan - 1/3 cup,
Curd - 1-1/2 cup,
water 3 cups
Garam masala 1/2 tsp

Method

Peel potatoes and onion.

Fry in oil till crispy.

Cut eggplant in small roundels and sprinkle salt.

Let water extract from it. Wash and fry in hot oil. Keep aside.

Mix besan and curd with a hand mixer and then add water to it to make it smooth thin batter.

Heat oil till smokey add methi seeds and when it splutters add zeera seeds and dhaniya seeds after , 3-4 seconds add heeng and whole red chillies.

Then add green chillies and fry one sec.

Add haldi, red chilli and dhania powder. saute for 1/2 minute.

Add the curd besan mix and then add salt.

  Bring to a boil and then let it simmer on medium for 20 minutes.

Add fried vegetables and simmer for 5 mins.

Sprinkle garam masala and serve

You can add fried fresh peas and fried cauliflower florets.

Enjoy

  

Potato and soya cutlets

Potato and soya cutlets

A breakfast option

Ingredients:

1 cup - potatoes boiled and mashed
1/2 cup - soya granules, soaked and squeezed
1/2 cup - panner, crumbled
finely chopped green chilli and ginger 2-2 tsp
salt
Red chilli flake
Chaat masala pinch

Method

Mix all the ingredients one by one in a large bowl without any lumps.
Do not add water at all.
If you feel sticky you can add some flour.
Oil your fingers and make small cutlets  out of the mixture.
Lightly roll the cutlet in bread crumbs
fry the cutlets one at a time till golden brown.
Serve with your fav dip and half fried egg on top

Potato egg salad

Potato egg salad

Ingredienrs

Boiled potatoes 4
Hard boiled eggs 3
mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Refined oil 2 tsp
Fine chopped corriander leaves handful
chopped green chilli 1
salt n black pepper to taste
Lemon juice 1/2cup

Method

Peel potatoes and egg
Keep in fridge for one hour.
Take out and cut chilled potatoes in small cubes. Put in salad bowl.
Add chopped corriander leaves , green chilli and salt and pepper. Mix well with fork.
Cut eggs in half and take out yolks.
Chop the egg whites and mix in potato salad.
Put all yolks in small bowl. Mash with the help of fork. Add lemon juice and mix well with fork.  Pour this yolky lemony dressing over potato salad
Mix well.
In a tadka pan add oil heat and crackle mustard seeds. Let it cool.   Put in the salad and give last good mix.
Now refrigerate the salad.
When required serve chilled

Namakwala mutton

Namak wala Mutton

Another winner an old recipe from 70's  wedding menu

Ingredients

1Kg goat meat cut in small cubes
4 tbsp. freshly chopped ginger And garlic
1 cup beated curd
4 green chillies
Salt to taste
Red chilli pwdr 1 tsp
Turmeric powdsr 1/2 tsp
Corriander powddr 1 tsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Readymade meat  Masala​​ 2 tbsp
1/2 cup oil

Method

Heat oil in heavy kadai.
Fry green chillies and garlic,  ginger for a minute, adding meat and  salt.
Stir on high heat for a few minutes until the heat causes the meat to release its juice.
Seal pot with lid and  COOK on low  heat for a few minutes until meat is tender.
Add beaten curd, red chilli powder and turmeric powder, cumin powder, corriander powder and mix well. Cook till oil separates.
Add meat Masala  and mix for a minute
Add water if you want little gravy and simmer for 10 mins.

Veg Nargisi Kofta

Veg Nargisi Kofta.

Ingredients

Potatoes –3 medium
Paneer – 1 cup grated
Bread – 2 slices
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Black pepper –1/2
Salt as per taste
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Oil for frying the kofta
Lemon juice 2 tsp
Method
In a small bowl add mashed potato,. Add  cumin powder, black pepper, turmeric powder, lemon juice and salt. Mix well and make small balls.
Grate paneer and mash , put  in a bowl. Add crushed bread and salt. Mix very well and form a smooth dough if it.
Take each portion in your palm and place the potato ball in the center. Cover the filing completely and form an oval shaped koftas.
.
In a pan heat cooing oil and deep fry these koftas carefully till they are brown in color.
Serve with chutney.
You can make gravy and make curry also.

Mirch Malai

Mirch Malai 

A Bikaner speciality

Ingredients:

Green Chilly-10

Hing pinch

Zeera 1 tsp

Red Chilly Powder pinch

Turmeric Powder-1/2 tsp

Full fat Cream/Malai - 1 cup

Salt to taste

Desi ghee 2 tbsp

Chaat masala 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Chop green chillies.2. Heat ghee and add Hing and zeera . Crackle.
Add the chillies. Fry at low heat.
3. Add turmeric, red chilly and salt and saute at low heat
4. Now add the malai. Mix well. The bubbles starts appearing. 
5. Cook it on low flame till ghee separates
6. Remove from flame and put in bowl. Sprinkle chaat masala.

Kadai chicken

Kadai Chicken

Ingredients

chicken 1 kg
2 onions thinly sliced
2 tomatoes chopped
1/2  tbsp ginger paste
1/2 tbsp garlic paste
1 green chilli
1 tsp cumin seeds crushed
1 bay leaf
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
2 tsp coriander seeds crushed
Ginger strips to garnish 2 tbsp
For marinate
1 onion thinly sliced and fried .
1/2 tbsp ginger paste
1/2 tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste

Method

Wash and pat dry the chicken.
Mix all the ingredients for marinate and keep aside.
Rub masala in chicken well and refrigerate for one hour
Heat oil in the thick kadai.
Add cumin seeds and bay leaf.
Once it starts to splutter add the sliced onion.
Cook the onion till it is pinkish.
Add the ginger and garlic paste and then turmeric, red chilly powder, crushed coriander seeds and garam masala.
Next add tomatoes.
Cook this till the tomatoes get mashed
Add in the chicken and mix well.
Cover with lid and let the chicken cook for 20 minutes at low heat in its own juices.
Cook  till the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with ginger and green chilli strips.