Paneer Butter Masala

This is a simple recipe of the restaurant style Paneer Butter Masala which I found on the internet courtesy Swasthi’s Recipes

I found this recipe is easy to replicate and gives you the right taste which you have in your mind when someone says “paneer butter masala”.

Ingredients for gravy or sauce

• 1 tablespoon Oil
• 2 green cardamoms or elaichi
• 3 Onions medium, chopped
• 3 large tomatoes finely chopped
• salt (adjust to taste)
• ¾ teaspoon sugar
• 15-20 cashew nuts
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chilli powder kashmiri (adjust for best color)
• 1 teaspoon  garam masala powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder

whole spices (skip if you don't have)

• 1 small bay leaf (or tej patta)
• 1 inch cinnamon piece (or dalchini) 
• 2 green cardamom (or elaichi) 
• 2 to 3 cloves (or laung) 

For paneer butter masala

• 1½ tablespoon Butter
• 1½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste or fine chopped (or ½ to ¾ inch ginger, 2 to 3 medium garlic cloves)
• ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
• 200 to 250 grams paneer, cut in cubes (2 heaped cups)
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon kasuri methi (or dried fenugreek leaves)
• 3 tablespoon cream (or 6 to 8 cashews more)
• 2 tablespoon coriander leaves (or cilantro finely chopped) (for garnish)

Preparation for Gravy 

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add 2 green cardamoms. 
• Then add 1 cup cubed onions & fry stirring often until transparent or pink. 
• Next add 1½ cup tomatoes & ¼ tsp salt. Fry for 3 minutes.
• Cook covered till the onion tomato mixture turns soft & mushy.
• Next add in ¾ to 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp coriander powder, cashew nuts, ½ to ¾ tsp red chili powder & ¾ tsp sugar (optional). 
• Fry this till the oil separates out from onion tomato masala. 
• Turn off the stove & cool this completely. 
• Transfer to a blender with 1 cup water and puree to a really smooth mixture. Set this gravy aside. 

How to make paneer butter masala

• Heat 1½ tbsp butter in the same pan. 
• Fry 1 inch cinnamon, 2 to 3 cloves, 2 green cardamoms & 1 small bay leaf for 1 to 2 minutes. 
• On a low flame saute 1½ tsp ginger garlic paste till the raw smell goes away. Do not burn this as it will leave a bitter taste.
• Pour the gravy which you made above, then add ¼ tsp red chili powder (optional to adjust the color). Mix well.
• If needed pour ½ cup of water good enough to make the paneer butter masala gravy.
• Cover & cook until the gravy thickens & traces of butter or oil is seen on top. 
• Let the gravy reach the desired consistency.
• Lower the flame completely, then add 200 to 250 grams paneer & ½ tsp crushed kasuri methi. 
• Mix & cook covered on a low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour 2 tbsps cream & mix.
• Transfer paneer butter masala to a serving bowl. Garnish with 1 tbsp cream & 2 tbsps coriander leaves.
  
  

  

  
  

  Paneer Butter Masala

Sabudana Khichdi

This recipe is simple and delicious courtesy Radhika 

I have tried many recipes of this simple dish and yet this is the one which is easiest to replicate, yummy and never fails!

Thank you Radhika!

Pre-Prep

• Soak 350 grams sabudana for 3-4 hours
• Grind enough raw peanuts (coarse grind it)
• Two large potatoes (aaloo) - cut as per your liking
• 6- green hot chillies
• Salt as per taste
• Sugar - 1/2 tea spoon
• Jeera - 1 spoon
• Kadhi patta
• Coriander leaves

Preparation

• Fry aaloo separately, add some salt while frying
• Heat 3 tablespoon oil in kadhai,
• Add jeera, let it splutter
• Add chillies and kadhi patta.
• Saute for 15 seconds.
• Add ground peanuts and fry for 3-4 mins
• Add salt
• Fry for a min
• Add aloo
• And then add sabudana to it. Mix it well,
• Cover the kadhai with lid,
• Let it cook on medium flame for 5 mins. Again mix well and let it cook for 5 mins on medium flame
• Add sugar.
• And let it cook for 10 mins on low flame
• Garnish with coriander
• And serve hot with Shengdana chatni or dahi and lemon

Fried aloo

Ground peanuts getting fried

Final stuff! Yummy!

This goes great with amti, recipe below

• Heat oil in kadhai, add jeera tadka
• Then add crushed groundnuts
• Satue till it is fried
• Add red chilli powder and salt
• Saute on law flame
• Add buttermilk
• Add a little sugar-2 pinch. It enhances the flavour

Amti!

Serve with sabudana khichdi!!

Bharwa Bhindi (Stuffed Okra)

This is a very simple stuffed okra recipe which I found on the Internet. It is very easy to make and yummy in taste!!

INGREDIENTS

1. Bhindi (Okra) - 500gms

2. Aamchur powder- 1 tsp

3. Jeera powder - 4 tsp

4. Dhaniya powder- 3 tsp

5. Garam masala - 2 tsp

6. Haldi - 1 tsp

7. Chilli Powder - 3 tsp

8. Salt - as per taste

9. Oil - 4 tsp

Preparation

1. Mix the above masala well together

2. Wash the bhindi and dry it thoroughly. Slit bhindi in half 

3. Stuff masala in the slit bhindi one by one. Don't worry if masala falls off, just cover the bhindi in masala as well.

4. You don't have to use the entire masala. If there is some left then keep it refrigerated and use it with other sabzi or daal.

5. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan. Place the bindi in the pan. Cook  on low flame and cover it with lid.

6. Keep turning the bhindi now and then

7. Cook for about 20 mins until bhindi are cooked. Make sure that masala does not burn by cooking in low flame throughout, turning bhindi from time to time and covering the pan with lid.

I personally love it with plain rice. You can serve with roti or paratha and yogurt!

Cheers!

Masala

Slit Bhindi

Bhindi in Masala

 Bhindi in the Frying Pan

Final Product

Ambur Biryani

This Recipe is courtesy Deepak

This is an interesting recipe which we enjoyed during our forced bachelor-hood days at Nuneaton, England.

It is very easy to make and awesome in taste!

Chicken Cooking

Biryani!

Ingredients: (Serves 12-14 people)

1. Chicken - 2kgs drumsticks
2. Basmati Rice - 1.5 kgs 
3. Onion -  2kgs (Sliced)
4. Tomatoes - 1.5 Kgs (Finely chopped)
5. Coriander leaves - 1 bunch
6. Mint Leaves (Pudina) - 1 bunch
7. Fresh Garlic Paste - 150-200 gms
8. Fresh Ginger Paste - 100 gms
9. Green Chillis - 7/8 medium hot
10. Bay Leaves - 3-4 leaves
11. Star Anise - 4
12. Big Cardamom (Badi eliachi) - 1
13. Cinnamon - 1 big stick
14. Stone Flower (dagad phool) - 5-6 (optional)
15. Lemon Juice 6 lemons
16. Yoghurt - 500 gms (hang it in a cloth for a couple of hours to remove water or use greek yoghurt)
17. Ghee - 300 gms
18. Oil - As required
19. Salt - As required
20. Red Chilli Powder - 10-12 teaspoons
21. Cumin (Jeera) Powder - 2 teaspoon
22. Coriander (Dhaniya) Powder - 4 teaspoon

Marinade for Chicken:

1. Oil - 2-3  tablespoon
2. Cumin (Jeera) powder - 2 teaspoon
3. Red Chilli powder - 4 teaspoons (put more if you want it spicy)
4. Coriander (Dhaniya) powder - 4 teaspoons
5. Ginger Paste - 50 gms
6. Garlic paste - 75-100 gms

Mix all the above in a bowl. Take chicken drumsticks and put 2-3 long, deep cuts in each of them. Fully coat the chicken drumsticks with the above mix and keep it in a fridge for 3-4 hours (overnight is desirable).

Preparation:

1. Take a large pan and heat 300 gms of ghee and an equal amount of oil 
2. Put star anise, big cardamom, cinnamon stick, bayleaves, dagad phool in the oil and let it fry for few seconds
3. Put Onion, 150 gms of garlic paste, 75 gms of ginger paste and saute till the onion is golden brown
4. Put Tomatoes and let it cook for a while until the whole thing attains consistency
5. Put salt and red chilli powder and cook for a while. Add chopped green chillies
6. Add chicken drumsticks, chopped coriander, chopped mint leaves and cook for a while
7. Once the chicken is half cooked, add the juice of 3-4 lemons and add yoghurt
8. Mix everything well and let it cook on low flame
9. In parallel - Half cook the basmati rice in a separate container. Add salt.
10. Drain water from the rice and put the half-cooked rice in the large pan in which masala is cooking and mix well 
11. Put the lid and seal the container and let it cook in slow heat for 30 minutes

Open the lid and Serve YUMMY Biryani! :-)

Mum’s Yummy Prawn Curry

A simple yet tasty prawn curry. This can be had as a starter or as main-course.

Here is the preparation

1. De-vein and clean prawns

2. Lightly fry prawns until they are partially dehydrated. Add salt and turmeric powder while frying. 

3. Take 2 medium tomatoes chopp and grind in mixie to make a puree.

4. Chop couple of onions and fry till brown

5.  Put 2tsp ginger paste + 4tsp garlic paste and fry a bit. Put tomato puree​ and let it cook on slow heat. Put 1tsp haldi + 2tsp mirchi powder + 1 tsp of dhaniya powder and salt to taste.

Once the oil leaves, put prawns and let it cook till all the water evaporates.

Final product 

Serve with rice or have it just like that!

Khasta Kachori - Street Style Kachori

Khasta Kachori is deep-fried, delicious puffed pastry which is stuffed with mouthwatering masala made especially for the kachori. It has a unique sweet, salty, spicy flavour which you will not find in any other snack.

It's a north Indian snack, folks from UP, Uttaranchal, Bihar have it with Dahi (Yoghurt) as breakfast. You can also have it with sweet tamarind chutney or plum sauce (as shown in the video).

They are also sold in other parts of India in different variations of this recipe, such as Onion kachori etc

Recipe & Method of Preparation

- ENJOY

Masale Bhaat (Rice with Spice)

Masale Bhaat

This recipe is courtesy Mohini, whose preparation turns out so delicious that even if you've resolved to skip rice for the meal, you will end up having it!

Ingredients:

1. 1 Cup Rice

For the paste: (Ingredients #1)
1. Grated coconut -1 table spoon
2. Green Chillies - 3/4
3. 1 Onion (large)

For the Masala: (Ingredients #2)
1. Bay leaf - 1
2. Dalchini - 1-inch piece
3. Badi Elaichi (large cardamom) - 1
4. Garam masala - 2 teaspoons
5. Chilly powder - 1 teaspoons
6. Turmeric - 1 teaspoon
7. Ginger+Garlic paste - 2 teaspoons

Veggies:
1. Potatoes - 2 or 3 cut in large pieces
2. Cauliflower - 1 small cut in large pieces
3. Green Peas  - half cup

Method:

Step #1:
Rinse rice and keep it aside for 10-15 mins. After 10-15 mins, take a small amount oil in the pan, pour rice and a half a teaspoon of turmeric and sauté rice for a few mins. Keep rice aside once done.

Step #2:
Put ingredients #1  in a mixer and make a paste and keep it aside.

Step #3:
Fry potatoes and cauliflower separately in low heat. Add pinch salt and turmeric while frying. Keep them aside

Step #4:
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan.
Add bay leaf, dalchini, cardamom and stir for a few seconds.
Add Ginger/Garlic paste and stir for a couple of minutes.
Add the paste prepared in Step #2 and fry in low flame until all water is evaporated.
Add garam masala, chilly powder, turmeric and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add potatoes and cauliflower and mix it well for a couple of minutes.
Add green peas & rice and mix them well with rest of the ingredients.
Add a couple of cups of hot water and cover the pan with a lid and let it cook.

Once rice is cooked, garnish with coriander and server with yoghurt!

Cheers!