Kadhai Paneer(Spicy Indian Cottage cheese with pepper)

Here comes the second contestant in the marathon.

Ingredients


Paneer 1cup chopped
green bell pepper/capsicum 1/2cup chopped
green peas-1/4 cup
tomatoes-1/2cup diced
onions chopped 1cup
green chillies -4 slit
ginger garlic paste-1tsp
garam masala-1-2tsp
red chilli powder-1tsp
salt -taste
turmeric powder-1/4tsp
bay leaf-1
cinnamon stick-1/4"(optional)
heavy cream-1/4 cup
oil/butter-1tbsp

Procedure:
1)Add oil to a pan with onions,bay leaf,cinnamon stick,ginger garlic paste and saute till onions are tender.
2)Now put in the chopped tomatoes,green bell pepper,peas,green chillies and fry till all the vegetables are thoroughly cooked on low to medium flame.
3)Add the spices,salt,turmeric powder,red chilli powder and garam masala mixwell and then toss the chopped paneer.
4)Here goes the best part,add the fresh cream to the above mixture and let the whole curry cook for 10 to 15 min on low flame.
5)Serve hot with rotis.




P.S:Donot add too many tomatoes as this is more of a dry curry.


Storage:Stays fresh for 4 days in refrigerator.

Paneer Bhurji (Spicy mashed Indian cottage cheese)

Hi Folks,
A few days ago I was on a paneer marathon...tried a few.Let's take a quick look.

Ingredients


Paneer 1 cup (mashed/cut very thin)
Tomatoes-2 medium
chopped onion-1 cup
green chillies-4 slit
ginger garlic paste-1/2 tsp
garam masala -1tsp
red chilli powder -1tsp
salt -taste
turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
hing-1/4 tsp
bay leaf-1
coriander leaves-1cup chopped
oil/butter-2 tbsp 

Procedure:
1)In a pan add some oil,bay leaf,hing,chopped onions,ginger garlic paste and saute till the onions turn golden in color.
2)Then add the chopped tomatoes,green chillies,salt,red chilli powder,garam masala,turmeric powderand fry on low to medium till the gravy is cooked.
3)Now add the paneer mix well and finally the coriander leaves which will give the curry an excellent aroma.
4)Cook for 10 to 15 min and adjust spices accordingly.
5)Serve with rotis.




P.S:Careful with the paneer as it being the sole ingredient while frying.


Storage:Stays fresh in refrigerator for 3 days.

Palak Dal (Spinach romancing lentils ;) )

I love palak dal esp with rotis it tastes awesome!!!!! I bet... :)
Let's get straight to the recipe...am not so patient these days....

Ingredients:


Palak-1cup/bunch chopped
Toor dal-1 cup cooked
cumin seeds-1tsp
mustard seeds-1tsp
asafoetida-1/2tsp
urad dal-1tsp
chana dal-1tsp
turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
curry leaves-4 to 6
green chillies-3 to 4 slit
dry red chillies-2 broken to half 
fenugreek powder-1/4 tsp
oil-1tbsp
salt
red chilli powder-1 tsp(adjust as per spice level)




Procedure:


1)In a pan heat the oil,add cumin seeds,mustard seeds,urad dal,chana dal and once the mustard seeds start to crackle add asafoetida ,fenugreek powder and dry red chillies.
2)Now add curry leaves,chopped spinach,green chillies and let the spinach cook on low to medium flame.
3)When the spinach reduces to almost half its quantity,add the toor dal mix well.
4)Add half to 1 cup water as per desired consistency.
5)Now dash in  salt,turmeric powder and red chilli powder mix well and let the dal simmer for 5 to 8 min.
6)Have a great dal with rotis/rice.

P.S:Be cautious when frying the spinach and see it does not get burnt.A small burn can ruin the entire taste of dal.

Storage:Dal stays in refrigerator for 2 days.

Mango Dal (Green Mango with lentils)

Ingredients:

Mango-1 cut into large chunks

Toor dal-1 cup cooked

cumin seeds-1tsp

mustard seeds-1tsp

asafoetida-1/2tsp

urad dal-1tsp

chana dal-1tsp

turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

curry leaves-4 to 6

green chillies-3 to 4 slit

dry red chillies-2 broken to half 

fenugreek powder-1/4 tsp

oil-1tbsp

salt

red chilli powder-1 tsp(adjust as per spice level)

Procedure:

1)In a pan heat the oil,add cumin seeds,mustard seeds,urad dal,chana dal and once the mustard seeds start to crackle add asafoetida ,fenugreek powder and dry red chillies.

2)Now add curry leaves,chopped mango,green chillies and let the mango cook on low to medium flame till it becomes soft.

3)Add the toor dal mix well.

4)Add half to 1 cup water as per desired consistency.

5)Now dash in  salt,turmeric powder and red chilli powder mix well and let the dal simmer for 5 to 8 min.

6)Have a great dal with rotis/rice.

P.S:Be cautious when frying the mango and see it does not get burnt.A small burn can ruin the entire taste of dal.

Storage:Dal stays in refrigerator for 2 days.We can also freeze it if we like.I just have started this freezing technique lately.Will inform once it works

Welcome back to SEASON 2 of SwathisLab

Hi all,
Ages I know,almost seemed like I vanished and guess what almost forgot my ids.Well reason being that had to relocate.New place,new climate,hmm not many friends well  hoping to gather a few soon.I almost stopped using my kitchen,lol....kidding actually misplaced the camera.Anyways now enough of gossip lets get back to work.

Yellow Mung Dal Dosa

Dosa

Ingredients:
Yellow Pesar Pappu(Yellow Mung dal) -1 cup
ginger paste-1 tsp
green chilli-2
salt
oil


Procedure:
1)Soak the mung dal in water for 1 to 2 hrs.
2)Drain the water,add ginger paste,green chilli,salt  to the dal and grind to make fine batter by adding little water occasionally.
3)The batter should have the consistency of thick butter milk.
4)Let the batter stay over night in refrigerator.
5)In a wide open pan drop in a small amount of the batter and spread it from the centre in an outward circular fashion.
6)Add 1 tsp oil to the corners,and wait till the dosa turn golden brown and crispy.
7)Flip it around and let the other side turn to same color.
8)Remove from the pan and serve hot with chutney or have it plain.


P.S:Cumin seeds can also be added for extra flavour,just a tsp.The dosas can be prepared the same day the batter is made but should let the batter set for apprx an hour.


Storage:Best if the batter is used within two days of preparation and refrigerated of course.

Pulihora Pindi (Lemon flavoured powdered rice)

Pulihora Pindi

Ingredients:
Raw Rice semi powdered -1 cup
water-2.5 cups
salt-1/2 tsp
oil-1 tbsp
curry leaves-4
whole dry red chilli-2
green chilli slit-2
mustard seeds-1 tsp
cumin seeds-1 tsp
lemon juice-2 - 4 tbsp
chana dal-2 tsp
urad dal-1 tsp
turmeric powder-1 tsp

cooked rice

Procedure:

1)In a wide pan  convenient enough to cook rice, add the above rice after washing and draining the water twice.
2)Now to the rice add 2.5 cups of water,salt a pinch,oil so that the rice does'nt get sticky.
3)Cook on medium flame for 15 min  and keep stirring ocassionally so rice doesnt stick to the bottom of the pan.
4)In a seperate pan add some oil,mustard seeds,cumin seeds,asafoetida,green chillies,whole dry red chilli,chana dal,urad dal.Fry till the mustard seeds start to crackle on low to medium heat.
5)Sprinkle some turmeric powder on the rice and its done.
6)Now when the rice gets cooked,take off the heat and set aside for 5 minutes.When the rice  is not too hot for us break the lumps  formed with  your hands.
7)Add the fry,salt,lemon juice to the rice as per taste.Mix well .


P.S:Careful while cooking the rice donot over cook.Donot powder the rice too much,should appear like the rice grain is cut into two or 3 pieces.

Storage:Tastes fantastic for 3 days if refrigerated.

Strawberry in Margarita Soon(Non-Alcoholic version)

I love this drink a lot......

Bread Toasted with my Curry Puff

Hey remember my curry puff.In this post I will tell you what I did with my leftover curry.

Ingredients:
Bread slices-4 toasted(light brown preferred)
curry puff stuffing.

Procedure:
1)Take the toasted bread slices and just spread the curry across the slice.Then place other slice on it.
2)Follow the same procedure with other pair of slices .
3)Grab them with your teeth in no seconds.

Well I was so hungry last night it striked me after finishing them gosh!!!!! I should have taken a picture.But this is real good and fills tummy for atmost 4 hours .

Version 2 of the above recipe:
I did not try this but can be done.

1)Follow the above procedure and after spreading the curry on the bread slice add some sliced onions,a cheese slice,mayonaise,honey mustard.
2)I hope it tastes good.A different version of the regular burger.

Please let me know if tried .

Curry Puff (Vegetable stuffed Pastry sheets)

Curry Puff

This recipe goes into my all time favourites.Real quick and easy to make.


Ingredients:
Potatoes chopped(small chunks)-2 medium
Tomatoes chopped-2 medium
Onions sliced-2 medium
diced carrot-1/4 cup
green peas-1/4 cup
turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
salt
red chilli powder-1 tsp
garam masala powder-1 tsp(optional)
oil-4 tbsp
Pastry puff sheets-2 or 3

Procedure:
1)Take oil in a pan add onions,potato chunks,tomatoes,carrot and fry them together till half tender.
2)Now add peas,salt,turmeric powder,red chilli powder,garam masala and let the whole mixture cook for around 10 to 15 min on low to medium flame.
3)When all the vegetable are cooked and flavoured enough switch off the heat.

Stuffing:
1)Take the pastry puff sheets place the above mixture in the middle of the sheet and wet the sides of the sheet,above and below edges as well with slight water just enough to hold the two edges of sheet intact  when baking.
2)The sheets can be folded into any shape.They can also be cut vertically if smaller size is desired.
3)In a baking tray place the stuffed sheets .
4)Preheat the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 to 10 min.
5)Then place the tray inside and let it bake at 400 for 15 minutes or till the puff has flakes.
6)All set to go into our tummy.
7)Serve with tomato sauce.


P.S:Donot burn the stuffing while cooking.Bake careful its just a matter of 15 minutes.Garam masala is optional but it would add a very good flavour to the puff pastry and reminds me of the curry puff I used to eat in my country.


Storage:The curry can be relished if refrigerated for 3 days.I will let you know how I used my curry for 3 days.Well the 3rd day is a real fast recipe and fills our stomach very well.

Egg Burjhi (Spicy Egg)

I made this recipe yesterday in a hurry but forgot to take a snap.Anyways turned out really well and a very quick dish.Definitely worth giving a shot.

Ingredients:
Eggs-4
Finely Chopped onions:2 large
oil-4 tbsp
ginger garlic paste- 1 tbsp
cumin seeds-2 tsp
mustard seeds-1 tsp
chana dal-1 tsp
salt
red chilli powder-2 tsp
garam masala-1 tsp


Procedure:
1)In a pan with some oil add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,chana dal and fry till mustard seeds crackle.
2)Add onions,ginger garlic paste ,turmeric powder and fry on medium heat till tender.
3)Now add the salt,red chilli powder and garam masala and fry for 2 min on low heat.
4)Break in the eggs along with the yellow on low heat and start stirring the whole mixture in pan till the onions and egg stick well to each other.Fry and keep stirring till the eggs are done.
5)Serve with rice,rotis and parathas.


P.S:Keep stirring the egg else it would get burnt.

Storage:Better consumed the hour made.Gives a flat taste later on.

Hey checkout my second painting

Second Painting

Bottle Gourd in Moong Dal (Bottle gourd in Mung Bean)

Bottle Gourd in Moong Dal

Ingredients:
Bottle Gourd-1 cup (small chops)
Moong Dal-1 cup (soaked in water for 15 min)
cumin seeds-1 tsp
mustard seeds-1 tsp
whole dry red chilli- 2
asafoetida-1/4 tsp
turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
salt
green chilli-3 slit
oil-1 tbsp

Procedure:
1)In a pan add oil,mustard seeds,cumin seeds,asafoetida,turmeric powder,whole dry red chilli and let the mustard seeds crackle.
2)Now add the green chilli, bottle gourd and fry them on low to medium heat for 15 min till tender.
3)Add the moong dal soaked in water,salt and let dal cook for 10 to 15 min on low flame.Cooks till the dal turns to a paste partially.
4)Serve with rice.


P.S:Donot over cook the dal.

Storage:Better consumed the day made.

Cucumber Chutney

Cucumber Chutney

Ingredients:
Cucumber-1 thinly chopped
urad dal-1 tsp
chana dal-1 tsp
whole dry red chilli-4
mustard seeds-1 tsp
cumin seeds-1 tsp
asafoetida-1/4 tsp
turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
salt
oil-2 tbsp
fenugreek seeds-1/4 tsp
tamarind juice-2 to 3 tbsp


Procedure:
1)In a pan with some oil,add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,urad dal,chana dal,asafoetida,fenugreek seeds,whole dry red chilli and fry for 2 to 4 min.
2)Then grind the above mixture to a fine paste,add tamarind juice grind again and finally add half of the chopped cucumber,salt to the mixture.Grind it to a paste.
3)Now add the above paste to the remaing half of the chopped cucumbers.Mix well.
4)Serve with palin rice.Garnish with coriander leaves.

P.S:Adjust the salt and tamarind juice as per taste.

Storage:Tastes best for not more than two days if refrigerated.

Spicy Potato Curry in Tomato sauce

Spicy Potato Curry

Ingredients:

Boiled Potato -4 (medium chops)
onions finely chopped-1
green chilli -3 slit
cinnamon stick-1/2"
bay leaf-4
fresh tomato paste-1 cup (2 tomatoes)
coriander  powder- 2 tsp
cumin  powder-2 tsp
cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
ginger garlic paste-4 tsp
salt
red chilli powder-2 tsp
garam masala-1 tsp
butter-1 tbsp
oil-2 tbsp


Procedure:
1)In a pan add some oil,cinnamon stick,bay leaf and cumin seeds and let them crackle.
2)Now add the onions,ginger garlic paste and saute them till golden brown and tender.
3)Pour in the tomato paste,add turmeric powder,salt,red chilli powder,garam masala,coriander powder,cumin powder and let the whole mixture fry for around 5 to 10 min.The oil should start to seperate from the gravy.
4)Now add the potato chunks and mix well.Adjust the spices.
5)Let the curry cook for 10 to 15 min on low to medium flame.
6)Serve with palin rice,jeera rice or rotis.


P.S:Donot burn the gravy,try cooking on low to medium flame.The spices can be adjusted as per taste.Add the butter after adding the potato chunks.Butter enhances the taste.


Storage:This yummy dish is edible for 3 days if refrigerated.

Jeera Rice (Cumin Seed Rice)

Jeera Rice

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice-1 cup
Cumin Seeds-1 -2 tbsp
Bay leaf-3
Cloves-2
Cinnamon stick-1/2"
salt
oil-1tbsp
butter-1 tbsp
garam masala-1 -2 tsp(optional)
water-1 3/4 cup


Procedure:
1)wash the basmati rice and keep it aside for 10 min.
2)In a pan add some oil,cinnamon stick ,cloves,bay leaf,cumin seeds,garam masala.Fry till cumin seeds crackle.
3)Now add the basmati rice mix well,salt mix well.Fry the mixture for 5 to 8 minutes.
4)Cook the rice by adding water and the butter.
5)Serve with any spicy curry.


P.S:The garam masala can be added if the spicy version is preferred.The butter added during cooking gives a rich taste to the rice optional though.

Storage:Edible for 3 days if refrigerated.

Sorakaya Chutney(calabash squash or bottle gourd Chutney)

Bottle Gourd Chutney

Bottle Gourd

Medium sized chops fried

Ingredients:
Chopped Bottle gourd -1
Urad dal-1tbsp
Chana dal-1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds-1 tsp
Mustard Seeds-1tsp
Whole dry red chilli-3 - 4
oil-1 tbsp
asafoetida-1/2 tsp
turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
salt

Procedure:

1)In a pan with 2 tbsp oil fry the chops of bottle gourd,turmeric powder till slightly golden brown and tender.Keep aside till it cools.
2)In a pan add some oil,asafoetida,chana dal,urad dal,mustard seeds,cumin seeds,whole dry red chillis,when the cumin seeds crackle take them off the heat.
3)Grind the above mixture into a fine paste and add the fried chops and make a paste of all.
4)Serve with rice,rotis.


P.S:You can add lemon juice at the end if tangy taste is preferred.


Storage:Edible for 2 days if refrigerated.

Puffed Rice Upma(Marmaralu Upma)

Puffed Rice Upma

Apart for the usual breakfast,the puffed rice version of the upma is here.It taste great.Some use of the puffed rice other than bhel puris,chats.

Ingredients:
Puffed rice-2 cups
Onions finely chopped--1
green chillies paste-2tbsp
whole dry red chilli-1
curry leaves-4
salt
turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
cumin seeds-1 tsp
mustard seeds-1tsp
urad dal-1tsp
chana dal-1tsp(optional)
roasted chick pea powder-2 tbsp
roasted peanut powder-2tbsp
lemon-1tbsp(optional)
oil-4 tbsp

Procedure:
1)In a pan add oil,cumin seeds,mustard seeds,urad dal,chana dal,curry leaves,whole dry red chilli and fry till the mustard seeds crackle on low to medium flame.
2)Add the onions and fry till tender and add the green chilli paste.Fry for 5 min.
3)In the mean time soak the puffed rice in water for 5 min and squeeze the water completely.
4)When the onions and green chillies are tender enough add the turmeric powder,roasted chick pea powder,roasted peanut powder and salt.Mix thoroughly.
5)Now add the puffed rice to this mixture,adjust salt and mix well on low heat.
6)Take the dish off heat.Add a dash of lemon as per taste after a min.

P.S:The green chilli paste should not be burnt careful with that.The lemon juice is optional and add it when the dish is done and taken off the flame else it would give a bitter taste.

Storage:Should be eaten The same day.The taste goes flat for next day.

Spicy Egg Curry in Tomato based Sauce

Egg Curry in Tomato based sauce

Ingredients:
Boiled Eggs-4
Onions thinly sliced-1-2
Tomato sliced-2
Cinnamon stick-2 small
bay leaf-3
cloves-3
green chillies slit lengthwise-2
salt
oil-4tbsp
red chilli powder-2 tsp
garam masala-1tsp (optional)
turmeric powder-1/tsp
asafoetida-1/2 tsp(optional)

Procedure:
1)In a pan add oil,cinnamon stick,bay leaf,cloves,asafoetida and fry them for 1 min.
2)Add the onions and fry till tender,add the tomatoes,red chilli powder,turmeric,salt,garam masala.
3)Fry the mixture till a gravy like consistency is attained on low to medium flame after covering the vessel.Keep stirring often.
4)Simultaneously,in another pan take 3 tbsp oil and add the bolied eggs after getting rid of their shells.
5)On a low to medium flame fry the eggs and be careful not to burn them.Keep tossing them on sides.
6)Once the eggs are light golden brown in color add them to the tomato gravy.
7)Let the whole curry cook for 5 to 10 min.
8)Serve with rice,rotis,tandoori rotis or bread.


P.S:Be cautious with the gravy and keep stirring such that it wont get too thick or stick to bottom of pan.If required add 3 to 4 tbsp water though not required.

Storage:Edible for 3 days if refrigerated.

Mint Rice(Pudina Pulav)

Mint is well known for improving our digestion system.Here is a very simple and quick recipe.Its called the pudina pulav(Mint Rice).We usually enjoy this recipe on a weekend every month.

Ingredients:
Basmati rice-1cup
Mint leaves(washed and made into a paste)-6 tbsp
Onions finely chopped-1 cup
Green chilli-2.
bay leaf-3
cinnamon stick-2 small pieces
garam masala-1-2tsp
red chilli powder-1tsp
salt
oil/butter-2tbsp
ginger garlic paste-1 tsp
turmeric powder-1/2 tsp


Procedure:
1)Wash the mint leaves and make them into a paste along with the green chillis.Add apprx 3 to 4 tbsp water if required.
2)Wash the basmati rice,drain the water and kep it aside for 15 min.
3)In a pan,add oil/butter cinnamon stick,bay leaf and fry them for a min.
4)Add onions,ginger garlic paste and fry them till tender or light brown in color.
5)Now add salt,garam masala,red chilli powder,turmeric,the mint paste and fry all of them for apprx 15 min.
6)When the mint leaves are done add the basmati rice and mix well.Adjust spices and salt  as required.Mix it on medium fla me for 5 min and take off the heat.
7)In a rice cooker cook the rice mixture by adding 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups of water.
8)Serve with raita.


Raita:
Yogurt-1/2 cup
onions finely chopped-1/4 cup or less
salt

1)Beat the yogurt to make a smooth paste and add 1/4 cup water.The mixture should look like thick but free flowing yogurt barter.
2)Add the onions ,salt and mix well
3)Keep the raita in refregirator.

P.S:The rice can also be cooked outside with 2 cups water.The spices like garam masala can be ignored if required.But it usually tastes good with it.

Storage:Mint rice is edible for 2 days if refrigerated.