Paneer butter masala

Paneer is a fresh cheese common in South Asia especially in Indian, Pakistan and Bangladeshi cuisines.The use of paneer is more common in India,Nepal,Bangladesh and Pakistan.It is wrapped in doughand deep fried or served with either spinach or peas.It can be prepared in many ways.One of the popular paneer  dish is paneerbutter masala.This is quite popular in most of Indian restaurants.Almost I tried all paneer dishes,but my husband's  and kids favorite is paneer butter masala after palak paneer..Here goes my recipe..

Ingredients

1. Butter 2 tbspns
2. Chilli powder 1/4 tspn( I used kashmeeri chilli)
3. Coriander powder 1 tspn
4. Fried onions 1  full fist
5. Garam masala 1/4 tspn
6. Ginger garlic paste 1 tspn
7. Kasoori methi 1/4 tspn
8. Tomato ketchup 1 tspn
9. Milk 1/2 cup to mix in spices
10. Another 1 cup milk to add to gravy
11. Tomato purée ( blanched tomatoes made into purée)
12. Paneer 1 packet( 500 gms)
13. Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Saute paneer with 1 tspn of oil for 3 mins and keep it aside.
2. Take a bowl add chillipowder,coriander powder,garam masala powder,kasoori methi powder, tomato ketchup ,tomato puree,( boil  2 small tomatos and remove the skin,then blend into puree)then add  milk slowly and mix it.keep aside.
3. Heat  a pan, add butter when it starts melting add ginger garlic paste fry well until the raw smell goes.Add fried onions fry few mins.
4. Now add spice mix to the pan ,cover it with lid until the raw smell goes off.( 10 to 12 mins ) slow to  to medium flame.cook until butter oozes out from masala mix.
5. Now add remaining 1/2 cup milk slowly to the pan( stirring continuously) and mix it properly without curdling.cook around 2 to 3 mins
6. Slowly add paneer to the pan and cook another few mins until paneer is little soft,
7. Enjoy paneer butter masala with roti or rice.

gongura(sorrel leaves paneer)

Gongura paneer or sorrel leaves saag paneer is  very healthy paneer dish which I adapted from vahrehwah .When I first saw this recipe thought how can be gongura which is sour, combined with paneer..But I  thought it is something different and give a try.Finally I got fresh gongura leaves in the grocery store and tried this recipe.It is very great in taste and easy to cook.Gongura which is a very healthy leaafy vegetable and a great source of iron.Here goes yummy gongura paneer with rice or roti.Iam posting this recipe in BM#62 under the theme "No tomato gravies."

Ingredients:

• Paneer 2 lbs
• onion 1
• green chilli4 to 5
• Gongura leaves 1 bunch ( 200 gms)
• ginger 2 small pieces
• garlic 6 small pods
• curry leaves 2 springs
• cumin seeds 1tspn
•  chilli powder 1 tspn
• turmeric powder 1/4 tspn
• oil  3 to 4 tbspn
• coriander powder 1 tspn
• salt to taste

Procedure:

• Heat oil in a pan,add ginger garlic pieces,greenchilli,onions,salt and saute well.
• Slowly add sour green leaves or gongura leaves to the pan and cook until this is soft.( hardly it takes 5 to 8 mins)Then  grind into paste when it is completely cool down.
• Heat a pan, add  jeera,curry leaves,chopped onions,salt,turmeric powder,chilli powder little water,coriander powder and some more water  to mix it well.
• when the mixture comes to boil add already prepared gongura paste and fried paneer.(  before adding ,fry paneer in separate pan keep aside)Cook this for few more mins and switch off the flame.Enjoy with rice or roti.
  

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Sorakai nuvula koora( bottle gourd seesame curry)

This south Asian squash is indeed bottle shaped,light green and long ,usually called bottle gourd.The flesh inside is spongy.Bottle gourd or lauki is over 90% water therefore it is easy to digest.Ayurveda recommends cooked lauki or bottle gourd for better digestion.It is cooling calming,and contains many vitamins and minerals such as calcium,magnesium,phosphorus,vitaminA. Usually I cook bottle gourd and moong dal. It.It is wonderful in taste.But, today I cook bottle gourd without tomatoes using seesame seeds combination.combination. Iam posting this recipe in BM#62 under the theme 'NO TOMATO GRAVIES" ..here is my recipe.

Ingredients:

• Bottle gourd 1 medium size
• seesame seeds 2 tbspns
• red chilies  2 to 3
• onion 1 chopped
• chilli powder 1/4 tspn
• garlic 3 pods( crushed)
• jeera 1/2tspn
• mustard 1/2 tspn
• daniya(coriander) powder 1 tspn
• oil 2 tbspns
• salt to taste

Procedure:

• Heat a pan add seesame seeds,fry well until they are slightly browned and roasted well.keep aside.
• Heat oil in pan,add mustard,jeera seeds.When they splutter add chopped onions,garlic redchilllies followed by turmeric and salt.
• close the lid and let it cook few mins until water comes out from bottle gourd.
• Remove the lid,add chilli powder ,daniya powder saute few mins then add roasted seesame powder.
• Add little water( 3 to 4 tbspns) cook few more mins.Yummy bottle gourd curry is ready.Enjoy with rice or roti.
  

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Beerakai ( ridgegourd) chana dal curry

Beerakai or ridge gourd medically referred to as Luffa acuteangula as well as called turiya.This particular veggie is definitely a well known veggie within the Asia,Africa as well as Arabic nations.Vegetables from the gourd family are extremely advantageous through the health perspective.Ridge gourd is quite lower in saturated fats as well as calories.It really abundant with dietary fiber,vitaminc,riboflavin,zinc,thiamin,iron,as wee as magnesium.Today iam going to post Beeraki mixed with chana dal in BM#62 under the theme 'No tomato gravies'An awesome curry which tastes good with roti and rice too.

Ingredients:

•  Beerakai 3
• chana dal 1/2 cup
• onion 1 
• Red chillies 2
• Ginger garlic crushed 3 tbspns
• mustard seeds 1/2 tspn
• jeera 1/2 tspn
• chillie powder
• Turmeric powder
• garam masala 1 tspn
•  salt to taste.
• oil 2 tbspns

Procedure:

1. Soak chana dal atleast half an hr in water.
2. Heat oil in a pan, then add mustard seeds,jeera,when it starts spluttering add chopped onions.
3. Fry well until onions turns little brown then add crushed ginger and garlic( if not time to crush you can add ginger garlic paste).Saute few more mins then add chopped beerakai followed by salt and turmeric.
4. Now add soaked chana dal and ,close the lid let it cook few mins until beerakai and dal becomes little soft. or( you can put chana dal in microwave for 8 to 10 mins.In that case add chana dal just before adding chilli powder)
5. After  few mins add red chilli powder followed by garam masala( a key ingredient).
6. Let it cook few more mins and then  switch off the stove.Enjoy with roti or rice.
   

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Aratikai stir fry( without onion and garlic)

Raw banana or plantains are a low glycemic source of carbohydrate and full of nutrion. Aratikaias.Aratikaias as its known in Andhra is a regular everyday vegetable.In south India aratikai is pretty common in all house holds.I tried aratikai different recipes.But this is very simple and easy platain or aratikai without onion and garlic.I adapted this recipe from Srivalli's "cooking for all seasons"she is a wonderful blogger and a fabulous cook.She had tons of delicious recipes.This is a very simple recipe adapted from her blog.wanted to post this recipe  on her birthday Wishing her, a very "Happy birthday "

Ingredients:

• Raw banana 3 small
• mustard seeds 1/2 tspn
• urad dal 1/2 tspn
• curry leaves 1 string
• oil 2 tbspns
• turmeric powder 1/4 tspn
• chilli powder 1/2 tspn
• Daniya powder( Coriander powder) 1/2 tspn
• salt to taste

procedure:

• Heat oil in a pan,when it is hot add mustard seeds,urad dal ,curry leaves.when it starts spluttering add raw banana ( plantain) pieces.( Chop raw banana into small pieces and put in water for 1 min before adding it to tadka)
• cover the lid and cook for 10 to 12 mins in medium flame.
• Now remove lid add chilli powder, daniya powder and cook few more mins until the chilli and daniya powder coats well.
• Yummy raw banana fry is reay.Enjoy with rice and rasam or sambar.
  
  
  

Ariselu(traditional Andhra sweet)

Ariselu is a traditional sweet of south India prepared especially for Makara sankranthi.It is alsoprepared during weddings and some traditional gatherings.Ariselu usually prepared with Jaggary and rice flour.Another variation is using sugar and rice flour.But the one with jaggary one is awesome in taste and when it comes to Ariselu I  always remember with jaggary  ariselu prepared by my Grand mom.Here Iam posting the very simple way.Usually the taste depends upon the quality of jaggery.When it comes to texture,usually the traditonal ones are soft.But the one I prepared little crispy but soft inside.Here goes the recipe.The one deep fried in ghee usually soft.Here in my recipe they are soft inside crispy out side.

Ingredients:

• Rice 2 1/2 cups( 2 CUPS + 1/2 CUP)
• Jaggery 1 1/2 cup
• Seesame seeds 2 tbspn
• Ghee 2 tbspns
• water 1/4 cup
• oil for deep fry

Procedure:

• Soak rice in water around 12 hrs or overnight.
• Next day drain the extra water and dry the rice for atleast 1 hr or 30 mins on a cloth.when the rice is little wet take out from the cloth and put it in a blender.
• Now blend the rice in a blender until smooth and then sieve the extra flour.

• Heat a pan add little water 1/4 cup or just enough to cover the jaggary, and melt the jaggary until it foamy.
• When jaggary starts melting slowly, should be very careful.This entire process take around 10 to 15 mins.
• To check when the syrup is ready add few drops to a bowl of  cold water,if it forms a soft ball then it is ready.
• Reduce the flame to low and start adding rice flour to the syrup slowly and stirring well.Make sure no lumps formed.Stir continuously until it reaches dough consistency.

• When the dough is ready switch of the flame keep aside for half an hour.when cooled mix seesame seeds.
• Take a small lemon size ball and roll it into a small disc by applying little ghee and spread on a greased plate.

• Heat oil in a deep bowl,slowly deep fry one by one on both sides.Drain extra oil by pressing the way I showed in the pic.Then take out, store it in a airtight box.Yummy ariselu is ready.

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Mysore pak

Mysore pak is a sweet dish of southern India, usually served as dessert.It is made of generous amounts of ghee ( clarified butter) sugar and chick pea flour. This dish is very famous in Andhrapradesh and most parts in South India ,can be done in different ways.The one available in sweet shops is quite different which is made only with ghee.But this traditional Mysore pak is made with oil and ghee.The texture of this mysore pak is very nice.our whole family loves this traditional sweet.This is hard outside but soft inside but not like the regular one available in sweet shops which is soft and made with only ghee...I'm missing this sweet here in US..I did'nt see mysore pak in Indian sweet shops.So, thought of preparing at home.Finally I tried first time, it came out awesome.Melt in mouth.. yummy Mysore pak can be made very easily with just few ingredients.Here goes my recipe

Ingredients:

1. Besan 1 cup( or chick pea flour)or sanaga pindi
2. Sugar 1 cup
3. water 3/4cup
4. ghee 1 cup
5. oil 1/2 cup
6. oil to mix besan 5 tbspn

 Procedure:

1. Take 1 cup of besan in a bowl,Heat 5 tbspn of oil to smoking point ( 5 to 10 mins) then slowly add this oil to besan mixture and mix it well.Keep aside this mixture
2. In another pan add sugar and water and heat until liquid is one thread consistancy( around 10 to 12 mins) this is the important step.Keep an eye when the sugar syrup starts bubbling then slowly it forms one thread consistency
   
3. Take another pan, heat ghee and oil until very hot.Both sugar syrup and ghee+ oil  heat side by side simultaneously.keep the burners to medium heat.
   
4. Slowly add besan mixture to the sugar syrup when it just reaches one thread consistency.Mix it well with constant stirring.(keep stove burner in medium )
   
5. Then add slowly hot ghee and oil mixture little by little stirring continuously.
6. Keep pouring the ghee and oil mixture until ghee leaves away the sides.
   
7. Ready baking tray or any cake tray greased with oil.
8. Slowly spread the mixture in the tray and level.Don't press too much.
   
9. Let it cool few mins then cut into small rectangles or squares.Usually Mysore pak what we eat is in a rectangular shape.
   
10. Enjoy yummy melt in mouth  Mysore pak.

Note:

• Make sure ghee + oil ( combined)is hot,when you mix in the besan mixture
• Very important step,Always keep an eye on sugar syrup,until one thread consistency( usually after 10 mins you can see liquid bubbling then after 2 to 3 mins it forms one thread consistancy)
• slowly mix besan in the syrup,dont worry about lumps they can easily go away when hot oil added to it.
• Keep stirring until you see ghee+oil leaving sides.
• Don't worry about the color,if you keep stirring longer time even after besan  releases oil then the color of the mysore pak will be more darker.