Palak Paneer

This is one of my favourite items in the restaurant menu...I've tried it few times before, but could never make it to my satisfaction...few weeks back I tried this again, this time I've added some paprika and milk and the taste, texture, consistency was so good..I do not prefer to grind the palak to a paste, hence this looks a bit different from the one we get in hotels..Here goes the recipe,

Ingredients: (for 3 people)

1. Spinach - 3 cups (finely chopped)

2. Paneer cubes - 250gm

3. Onion - 1 (Sliced)

4. Tomatoes - 2 small (cut into chunks)

5. Green chillies - 6 (chopped)

6. Ginger garlic paste - 2tsp

7. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

8. Salt - as per taste

9. Paprika powder - 1/2 tsp

10. Cashew nuts - 1 table spoon (soaked in warm water for 5min)

11. Oil - 2 tbsp

12. Ghee - 2 tsp

13. Milk - 150ml

14. Cinnamon stick - 1 inch long (break into pieces)

15. Cloves - 4

Procedure:

1. Take a wide bottomed kadai and heat 1 tbsp of oil.

2. Add the cinnamon pieces, cloves and fry for 30 sec.

3. Now add the onions, green chillies and saute until the onions are transperent.

4. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell leaves.

5. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes turn soft.

6. Turn off the heat and let this mixture cool.

7. Take this mixture in a blender. Add the soaked cashew nuts and grind to a smooth paste. Set this paste aside.

8. Now in a kadai (you can use the same original one) heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil.

9. Add the chopped spinach and fry until the raw smell leaves (takes about 5min)

10. Now add the grinded paste to this roasted spinach.

11. Add salt, garam masala powder, paprika powder, milk and cook on medium for 5min. Add water if required.

12. Take 2 tsps of ghee in small kadai and heat it.

13. Fry the paneer cubes until golden brown.

14. Tranfer the paneer cubes into the gravy, mix well.

15. Cook on low for 2 more min and turn off the heat.

Serve hot with rotis/parathas.

Biscuit Brittle!!!

How does the title sound? Last time, during my visit to Hyderabad, attamma made this extremely easy to make, tasty dessert and me being a person with a sweet tooth, immediately fell in love with these cute biscuit brittles...I also found these on Nags Blog, attamma avoided cocoa powder, but I added this and followed Nags' recipe coz I loved to have chacolate color for my preparation.

Recipe is extremely easy, even kids can prepare this :D

Ingredients: (for 2 Bsicuit Brittles)

1. Marie Biscuits (I used rich tea biscuits) - 8

2. Milk - 1/2 cup

3. Coffee powder - 1 tsp

4. Unsalted butter - 1 tbsp

5. Powdered sugar - 1 tbsp (you can add more for extra sweetness)

6. Cocoa powder - 1tsp

Procedure:

1. Warm up the milk in Microwave and mix the coffee powder.

2. Now dip each Biscuit in this milk and stack 4 of them one above the other in a plate.

3. Make 2 such stacks.

4. In a bowl take the butter and warm up for about 30sec in the microwave.

5. Mix powdered sugar, cocoa powder with the butter and make a thick liquid like paste.

6. Pour this liquid over the 2 biscuit stacks and see that this paste covers all the stack uniformly.

7. Place the plate in the freezer for 1hr.

8. Break into 2 or more pieces and enjoy.

Store them in the normal refrigerator to consume later. Do not freeze them for more than an hr, orelse you'll have to test your teeth later :)

Baby Corn - Aloo Mughlai Curry

I've made this dish following a Khaana Khazaana kind of program - Aha Emi Ruchi in Mana Telugu TV channel. Tasted so good with rotis, so can't wait anymore to post this here. Thanks to Vijaya Rao (the lady who shares these recipes)...Here goes the recipe (I've used baby corn instead of paneer)

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes - 2 (Peel cut into cubes)

2. Baby Corn - 400gm (I used canned babycorn)

3. Onion - 1 large (chopped)

4. Tomatoes - 2 (cut into chunks)

5. Green/Red long chillies - 4 (sliced length-wise)

6. Milk - One cup

7. Garam masala - 1 tsp

8. Salt - to taste

9. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

10. Cinnamon stick - 1 inch (break into tiny pieces)

11. Black Peppercorn - 10 (optional)

12. Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Take water in pan, add the potato cubes and boil for about 5min. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a wide bottomed kadai. Fry these boiled potato cubes for 5-6min until they turn to light brown in color. Remove the potato cubes and set aside.

3. In the same oil add the baby corn and fry for about 2-3min (you can skip this step). Remove from oil and set aside.

4. Now add the cumin seeds, cinnamon pieces, peppercorn. After 30sec add the onion and chilli pieces.

5. Saute until the onions turn transperent.

6. Now add the tomatoes, salt, garam masala powder and milk.

7. Cover and cook for 5min, till the tomatoes turn soft.

8. Remove the lid and add fried potatoes, baby corn and mix well.

9. Cook for another 2min and turn off the heat

10. Serve hot with Rotis/chapathis

Chinese Egg Fried Rice

I haven't been updating this blog since a while...lots n lots of other avagations are keeping me busy all these days..anyways I made few tasty dishes over the previous couple of months, took photographs and saved them in my lappy...I'll try to post them one by one over the next few days..this chinese egg fried rice turned out so good that hubby dear carried all the rice I made, to his work place to share with his colleagues...Recipe is simple..

Ingredients:

Rice - 4 cups (pre-cooked and refregirated for 2 hrs - cold rice doesn't stick and hence is good for fried rice items)

Eggs - 4

Grated Carrot - 2 table spoons

Boiled Peas - 1/2 Cup (Frozen will do - soak them in warm water for 10min)

Onion - 1 (sliced length-wise)

Salt - to taste

Pepper powder - to taste

Soy Sauce - 1 table spoon

Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Heat a wok and add a teaspoon of oil.

2. Break the eggs into the wok, stir well. Fry for about 2min and set this scramble aside.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the same wok, add the sliced onions and saute for about 3-4min.

4. Now add the grated carrot and peas. Fry until the raw smell leaves.

5. Add the Soy sauce and mix well.

6. Now add the cold rice and egg scramble and mix thoroughly.

7. Finally season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

My other version of Egg fried rice is here