Palak Paratha (Spinach Paratha)

Winter season brings in loads of green vegetables like spinach (Palak), Fenugreek(Methi).... Its a treat for the eyes to go in the vegetable market.. such beautiful vegetables....
This winters I tried using this vegetable in various ways, like in parathas, dal, puris, soup, and the famous palak paneer sabzi tooo...
The paratha tastes real gud unlike methi which gives a little bitter taste.

Palak Paratha

Ingredients:
1cup Palak (Spinach) Finely Chopped
2cup Wheat Flour
1tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
2geen chilies
1tsp ginger paste
1tsp cumin powder
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp aijwain
1tbsp curd
Water to knead

Procedure:

• Finely chop the spinach, green chilies..
• In a wide bowl add in flour + oil + curd + cumin powder + coriander powder + aijwain + salt + green chilies + ginger paste.
• Mix all well.
• Add in chopped spinach.
• Knead into a medium soft dough using enough water.
• Keep it aside for 10 minutes.
• Divide them into equal balls.
• Roll it. Apply ghee.
• Now wid a help of a knife half slit the rolled dough.
• Roll it into a cone.
• Press it.
• Roll it again into a round shape paratha.
• Heat a tawa.
• Cook on both sides with ghee.
• Serve hot.

Palak Paratha

I like to eat it with white butter.....

Paneer Bhurjee

I love anything which is made up of paneer. A simple bhurjee made up with paneer tastes just perfect with parathas, on a cold winter night. I prefer using freshly made paneer at home u can use the regular one too which is available in the market.

Paneer Bhurjee

Ingredients:
250gms Homemade Paneer
2 Green chilies (Finely chopped)
1medium-sized Onion (Chopped)
1medium-sized Tomato (Chopped)
100gms Green peas
Fresh Coriander
Salt to taste
1tsp Cumin seeds
1tsp Turmeric Powder
1tsp Cumin powder
1tsp Coriander powder
1tsp Oregano
2tbsp Olive Oil

Procedure:

• Heat oil in a pan, add in cumin seeds.
• When it stops cluttering add in chopped onions+ green chilies.
• After the onion turns pink, add in green peas.
• Add in salt so that the peas are cooked.
• When peas starts cooking add in chopped tomato.
• Let the tomatoes cook.
• Crumble the paneer with hands, add mix in the pan.
• Add in turmeric powder + cumin powder + coriander powder + oregano.
• Mix well.
• Add in coriander.
• Let it cook for 2 minutes. switch off the gas.
• Serve hot with parathas.

How to make Homemade Paneer??

Sometimes when you have excess milk at home, and you dont know how to use it, the best alternatives are curd, paneer, kheer and even halwa...

You must know just how to use the right thing at the right time....

I generally make paneer at home, to use in bhurjee and to make paneer parathas... I like to use freshly made paneer for this.
Its quiet simple to make. you just need

Ingredients:
1l Milk
1.5 tbsp lime juice
2tbsp Fresh Cream  (optional)
Few ice cubes
Strainer

Muslin cloth

Procedure:

• Heat milk.
• Add in the fresh cream
• When it starts to boil.
• Switch off the gas..
• Now add in the lime juice.
• When the water separates, add in few ice cubes.
• After a while, 
• Strain it in a muslin cloth using a strainer.
• Tie the muslin cloth on a tap to remove excess water.

Note:

• In order to make use paneer in making a sabzi like paneer butter masala or anything same, put a brick over the muslin cloth in which u have strained the paneer.
• The paneer will become stiff and can be cut into cubes easily.
• In order to make malai paneer just add in the fresh cream.

Cold Macaroni Salad

Salads forms the most essential part of our life.. the saying goes well Eat healthy Stay healthy...
Whenever we go to any parties , weddings, the first thing that we lay our hands on are the salads.... can be in so many ways with so many different types of dressings....

The salad I am posting today is the macaroni salad.. one can choose any type of pasta. I preferred macaroni...

Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:
1cup Macaroni
3 cups of water
1tbsp oil

For the dressing:
3tbsp Egg less Mayonnaise
1tbsp Olive Oil
Lime zest
1medium-sized Onion (chopped)
1cup mix of bell peppers (green + red + yellow) chopped
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1tsp Chilly Flakes
1tsp Oregano
Mozzarella Cheese (optional)
You can add any vegetables of your choice (carrot + broccoli + zucchini)

Procedure:

• Boil water with oil... when it starts to boil add in macaroni.
• Cook for 5-8 minutes till its done.
• Strain and keep it aside to cool down.

For the dressing:

• Chop all the vegetables
• In a bowl add in olive oil + mayonnaise + lime zest + salt + chilly flakes + oregano. mix well
• Now in a large bowl add in macaroni + vegetables + dressing
• Mix well.
• Serve cold

Place the salad on lettuce and serve.

Macaroni Salad

Sooji Ka Halwa (Semolina Halwa)

I am blogging like after 3 months. Lot of happenings. Left Chennai shifted to Mumbai and now finally settled here.

Its the onset of winters. u dont have much of a winter here in Mumbai but I guess the feeling of it does not go, So I made this Sooji ka Halwa quiet common in all the households.... The best part of having this halwa is straight from the pan, when it done and its burning hottt....!!

Sooji ka Halwa

Ingredients:
1 cup Sooji (Semolina)
1/2 cup Ghee
1 cup Sugar
4 cups of Water
1tsp Cardamom powder
Raisins and almonds and Cashewnuts



Procedure:

• Heat ghee in a pan, add in sooji.
• Roast it on medium flame stirring continuously till it turns golden in colour.
• In the meanwhile, in another vessel make a sugar syrup with sugar + water + cardamom powder.
• The sugar syrup needs to be of one thread consistency.
• When the sooji is roasted well, add in the sugar syrup, stirring continuously
• Add in the nuts
• Serve hot

Punjabi Kadhi Chawal

Celebrating the spirit of Punjabism with on the day of Rakshabandhan with this awesome combination of Kadhi Chawal, Its tangy, spicy and mouthwatering with the aroma of curry leaves.
This is one is a favourite in my family especially my brother.
There are many ways and style of cooking kadhi, like u have the Sindhi kadhi with vegetbales, Gujrati and Rajhastani Kadhi is a bit sweeter with addition of jaggery or sugar.
 My Grandmom always used to tell me that The word kadhi comes from "Kadhna" which means cooking on low flame till the kadhi becomes 1/2 its quantity and gains all flavour.
This is secret of a tasty kadhi.

Punjabi Kadhi Chawal

Ingredients:
1tbsp Chickpea flour or Besan
1/2 kg Curd
2 cups of Water
1tsp Turmeric Powder
For the tempering:
2tbsp oil
1tsp Mustard seeds
7-8Curry Leaves
2 Whole Red Chilies
1 medium sized Onion (julienned)
2 Green Chilies
1tsp Ginger Paste
Fresh Coriander

For the Pakodas
2tbsp Chickpea Flour (Besan)
Salt to taste
1tsp Cumin Powder
1tsp Coriander Powder
1/2tsp Red Chilly Powder
Water to make a paste
Oil to fry

Procedure:
For the Kadhi:

• Take a bowl add in whisk the curd in it.
• Add in besan mix well, so that no lumps are made
• Now add in 2 cups of water. Mix well.
• Add in Turmeric Powder.
• Take a handi or kadhai, heat oil in it.
• Add in mustard seeds + curry leaves + whole red chilies.
• Add in onions + green chilies + ginger paste.
• Let them saute on low flame.
• After 10 minutes add in the curd mixture.
• Add in salt.
• After one boil, let it simmer on low flame.
• The more time the more tastier the kadhi is.
• Keep stirring it so that it does not stick at the bottom.
• In the meanwhile prepare the pakodas.
• Mix all the ingredients.
• Make a paste.
• Heat oil, fry small size pakodas.
• After 30 minutes add in the pakodas in the kadhi
• Add in chopped coriander.
• Let it simmer on low flame for another 30-45 minutes,
• Stirring continuously.
• Check the seasoning.If required add in salt + red chilly powder + cumin powder.



Punjabi Kadhi Chawal

• Serve hot with boiled rice onions and green chilly

Stir Fried vegetable noodles with stir fried vegetbales

Its Chinese again...!!1 It been a long time since I have made these at home, but not posted  it.  One of the  quickest meal one can make on a lazy day when you don't want to indulge in something too laborious to make.
So here is the penultimate dish in the Chinese cuisine The stir fried noodles with some veggies stir fried too.
It tastes great when accompanied by some gravy dish like Manchurian or may be Paneer Chilly. I was wee bit tired to make any of these things so i quickly chopped the vegetables, added in stock, and some sauces and my accompaniment was ready.

Stir-fried noodles with stir fried Vegetables..!!

Ingredients:
For the Noodles:
2 packet Veg Hakka Noodles (I used Chings)
Water to boil
Salt to taste
1 + 1tbsp Olive oil
1 Capsicum (thinly sliced)
1 Carrot (thinly sliced or shredded)
1 Red or Yellow Bell Pepper (thinly sliced) (optional)
6-7 cloves of Garlic
2 Green Chilies (thinly sliced)
1 cup Cabbage (shredded)
1/2 cup Spring Onions (chopped)
1 large Onion (thinly sliced)
2tbsp Soya Sauce
1tbsp Vinegar
2tbsp Red chilly Sauce

For stir fried vegetables:
1 medium sized Onion (Cubed)
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Capsicum
6-7 cloves of Garlic
1 Carrot
2 cup Vegetable Stock
2tbsp Soya sauce
1tsp Vinegar
2tbsp Red Chilly Sauce
Salt to taste
1tsp White Pepper powder
2tbsp Olive oil

Procedure:
For the stir-fried noodles:

• Boil water in a vessel add in salt + oil.
• Add in noodles only when the water starts boiling.
• The noodles would  take from 8-10 minutes to be cooked.
• Do not overcook as it wont taste great. 
• Remove them from water.
• Heat oil in a wok, add in chopped garlic
• When its done add in onions.
• When the onions turns translucent, add in carrots.
• After 5 minutes add in capsicum.
• Then add in cabbage + spring onions.
• Mix them all well. 
• Make sure that the vegetables are not over cooked. it has to be semi cooked to maintain the crunchiness of the same.
• Add in all the sauces.
• Mix well.
• Add in the boiled noodles.
• Stir fry on high flame.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Switch off the flame.

For the stir-fried vegetables:

• Take a wok add in oil
• Add in chopped garlics.
• Add in onions. Cook till it becomes translucent.
• Add in carrots, just cook for 2 minutes
• Add in  capsicum + bell peppers + spring onions.
• Mix all these well.
• Add in vegetable stock and all the sauces.\
• Add in salt + white pepper powder.
• Mix well.
• Let it boil. lower the flame 
• Cook for 10 minutes.
• Close the flame.
• Serve hot with the noodles alongwith a glass of wine. 

Stir-fried noodles with stir fried Vegetables..!!