Gobi Paneer Rice

This is a simple Lunch box recipe. Adding paneer gives it a mild flavour and taste too.

Ingredients:

Paneer (small cubes) - 1 cup
Cauliflower (Gobi) florets - 1 cup
Potato - 1 med
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Coriander chopped - 2 tsp
Chilli flakes - 2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Peel the potato and chop it about the same size as gobi florets. 

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds (jeera). Now add potato and cauliflower florets. Just sprinkle little water and cook it on medium flame with lid closed. Keep mixing in-between and check whether the potato is cooked. 

Once the vegetables are cooked, add salt, cumin powder and garam masala. Add paneer cubes, chilli flakes and coriander. Mix well and serve.

Ganesh Chaturthi Special - Kadubu

The months between july and october is full of festivals.. These festivals bring so much joy and happiness and you also get to learn many traditional recipes. One such festival is Ganesh Chaturthi.. when we bring home Lord Ganesha and pray for happiness and peace.

One of the most important recipe that is prepared on this auspicious festival is Kadubu - a sweet dish. There are many variations of this dish, but here I present the one made with lentils.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

Toor dal (split pigeon peas) - 1 cup
Jaggery (mashed) - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Chopped cashew - 1/2 cup

For the outer covering:

Wheat flour - 1 cup
Chiroti Rava(semolina) - 1 cup
Water for kneading
Salt - a pinch
Oil for frying.

Method:

For the outer covering take wheat flour, semolina and salt in a bowl. Add little water and make dough. Leave the dough to rest for some time.

Cook the toor dal on medium flame with 1 cup of water. When the dal is cooked properly, add mashed jaggery, cardamon powder and chopped cashews.

Mix well and cook for 5 more mins on high flame. Keep mixing so that the dal doesnt get burnt. Once it thickens remove it from flame and allow it to cool down.

Now take little dough and roll it about the size of a poori.

Take a small amount of filling and form an oval shape. Place it on the rolled dough in the centre. Fould the rolled dough into half so as to form a semi circle. Seal the ends with little water. Start forming small pleates on the sealed part overlapping one another.

Make the kadubu in the same way with rest of the dough and filling. Once they are ready heat oil in a pan.

Once the oil is hot, drop them in it and fry till they are golden brown in colour.

Kadubu is ready to be served along with the other special recipes made on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.. :) They taste best when they are served with ghee or clarified butter.

Note:
1. You can also add other dry fruits like almond flakes to the filling.
2. Chiroti Rava is a kind of semolina. It has very fine structure. If it is not available you can make the dough with only wheat flour.

Happy Cooking.. :)

Tava Pulao

    The one very famous street food and personally my favourite... The best Tava Pulao that I have tasted till date is the one from Shiv Sagar, Transit in Forum Mall, Bangalore. Love the flavours of it. Do try it out on your next visit.

The method is very simple and you can make this recipe in few minutes.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice cooked - 2 cups
Tomato - 1 large
Onion - 1 med
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Boiled Peas - 1/2 cup
Carrot - 1 chopped
Capsicum - 1 chopped
Green chillies - 3 to 4
Jeera (cumin seeds) - 1 tsp
Pav Bhaji Masala - 2 tsp
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Butter - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Chop all the vegetables finely and keep aside. Mash the peas slightly so as to break them.

Also slit the green chillies lengthwise.

Heat a pan and add butter to it. Add jeera when the butter starts to melt.

Now add the chopped onions and green chillies and fry them till onions turn translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste and the tomatoes. Cook on a medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes till the tomatoes become soft.

Now add the mashed peas, chopped carrots and capsicum. Mix well and add little water enough for the veggies to get cooked. Close the lid of the pan and let it cook on med flame for around 5 mins. 

After 5 mins, check if the carrots are done. After the carrots are cooked nicely, add the salt and pav bhaji masala. Mix well and cook till there is no water left. Now add rice and gently mix. Cook on a high flame for another 2 mins. 

Remove it from flame and add lemon juice and mix well.

Serve hot with Roasted Papad.

Note: 

1. If you cut the vegetables bigger, pre boil them for around five minutes else the carrots remain raw.

2. This pulao also tastes very good with left over rice. 

3. If you do not wish to use butter, you can either use ghee or oil.

Enjoy Cooking.. :)

Krishna Janmashtami Special - Rasgulla

Rasgulla is an Indian sweet dish - easy to make and requires very less ingredients. What can be a best occasion to indulge in them than the celebration of birth of Shri Krishna.

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 ltr

Sugar - 1 cup (approx 200 gms)

Water - 4 cups

Lemon Juice - 3 to 4 tsp

Cardamom - 2

Almonds or Pistachios - 2 to 3 

Method:

Heat milk in a pan. Keep stirring as to avoid sticking to the bottom. Once the milk comes to boil, lower the flame and add lemon juice to it.

Stir continuously till the milk curdles and water separates from the milk completely. 

Place a muslin cloth over a large bowl and pour the curdled milk in it. The milk separates from water. Wash the milk with cold water to remove the smell of the lemon. Squeeze the excess water from the cloth completely. The thickened milk is paneer.

Now take the paneer into a bowl and divide it into small parts about the size of small lemons. Take each part, knead well and make small round balls. Keep it aside.

Mix sugar and water in a pan and heat it. Keep stirring so that the sugar dissolves completely. When the water starts to boil drop the paneer balls into it carefully. Grind the cardamom into powder and add it to the pan. 

Cover the pan with lid and let the rasgullas boil in the sugar water for around 20 mins on medium flame. 

The Rasgullas double in size after they soak the sugar syrup. Remove them from flame and allow to cool down. Once they are completely cooled, refrigerate them.

Serve them chilled garnished with chopped almonds or pistachios.

Note: 

1. You can also cooked them in the Pressure Cooker for one whistle.

2. Vinegar can be used in place of Lemon juice.

3. Wash the curdled milk properly in cold water so that the rasgullas don't have the smell of lemons.

Enjoy Cooking.. :)