Paneer Makhanwala

Hi!

Cottage Cheese/Paneer is an all time favorite with my kids especially my younger one. I keep trying various preparations with it so that it can be enjoyed every time we eat. One can surely read many recipes with this versatile product here in my space.

When I say it is versatile it means that it can be used to make curry, starters, desserts etc. Since it has quite a plain taste, as a foodie we can play with many flavors and spices with it. I personally like my curry a little spicy. This particular preparation is quite simple to prepare and does not need any special ingredient and surely tastes good. S, who is on a diet could not stop asking for more of this. As for my younger one he could not resist it and had an early dinner and loved eating it.

For the simplest of the curry to get the right flavor I insist that the masala be roasted properly, that surely is the key to any curry and I am quite patient about it, I surely do not compromise on that. I might use low oil while roasting/bhuno the masala but I ensure that it’s well cooked and the aroma spread out. When I was roasting the masala for this curry, my elder one had just come back from school and the first question he asked is “What are you making?” I could smell the masala at the main gate. Now the main gate is about 40m from my place but as the masala was well roasted the aroma had spread out. Check out this simple but amazingly tasty curry and yes, well roasted too!!!

Ingredients

250gms Cottage Cheese/Paneer cut into cubes

3 onions roughly chopped

1/2 tsp cumin

4-5 garlic pods

1/2” piece ginger

2-1/2  tbsp Tomato Paste

2 tbsp Kasoori Methi

1 tsp degi mirch

1 tsp red chili pwd

1 tbsp coriander pwd

2 tbsp fresh cream

1/2 tsp garam masala (mine is verry strong)

1/4 tsp of turmeric pwd

salt to taste

oil for cooking

Method

Grind together onion, ginger, garlic and cumin together.

Heat about 2 tbsp oil and add the onion paste and saute on low flame till it’s cooked.

 

Meanwhile in a shallow pan in few tsp oil roast the cottage cheese cubes on either side till golden brown.

To the onion paste add the tomato paste and mix thoroughly.

Add salt to taste, both the chili pwds, turmeric and garam masala and cook till oil separates.

 

Add about 1-1/2 cups water and bring the curry to a boil.

 

Add the cream, simmer and cook.

Finally add the Paneer and kasoori methi and cook for about 5 mins.

Garnish with some cream and grated paneer and serve hot with roti/ naan or jeera rice.

Sending this to Flavours Of Punjab hosted by me, an event started by Nayna of Simply.food

Also reposting Flambeed Capsicum in Red Gravy without any Liquor

Paneer- Kaju Pasanda and Garlic Naan

Paneer Dilkhush

Dhaba Style Palak Paneer

Kadhai Paneer

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Potato Crispies

Hi.

I am sure all my friends must have geared themselves for the approaching festive days. Though we do not have any celebrations at my place but I am all excited to learn the delicacies my fellow bloggers are going to make and share with us. I am sure next few days we all will have a lot to learn from each other.

Today, I share a very tasty preparation which is just perfect for this festive occasion as well as it’s equally good for a  every day snack. I had tasted this at my S aunt’s place. She is my Mom’s very good friend. An excellent painter and a great cook. She loves to host parties and would welcome all her guests with a warm heart and would serve them her delicious preparations, a complete Annapoorna I must say. To my delight she is very fond of my cooking and every time I visit her she would ask me to make Paani for Paani Poori. She likes the way I make it. She has always motivated me to learn and try more and I am more than glad to share her recipe.

She used to make this as a tea time snack and also amongst the many things she made during Deepawali. This preparation is amazingly tasty and is liked by every one who tastes it. Kids love eating it with  tomato ketch up.

Ingredients

1 cup APF

1 cup wheat flour

3 tsp oil for shortening

1 tbsp carom (ajwain) seeds

salt to taste

2 cups potato flakes/ 2 potatoes boiled

1 tbsp chaat masala

1 tbsp red chili pwd

2 tsp coriander pwd

1 tsp cumin pwd

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

Oil for frying

Method

Mix both the flours, carom seeds, shortening, salt to taste and knead a dough. Keep the dough aside for half an hour.

 

Mix the potato flakes, red chili pwd, chaat masala, coriander pwd, cumin pwd, salt to taste and ginger-garlic paste. Add water and make a dough. I used potato flakes but boiled potato is easy to spread. Keep the spice level high as this is to be spread out.

Take a medium ball sized dough and dust the platform properly and roll out a circle of about 10” diameter.

Spread a small portion of potato spread evenly. I could not spread evenly as I used  potato flakes, boiled potato spreads easily.

Start rolling tightly from one corner and then roll completely.

Cut 1 cm pieces and then press them between the two palms to flatten them.

  

Deep fry them on medium flame till golden in colour and crisp.

Remove on a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil then cool and store in an air tight container.

Sending this to my event ‘Only’- Festive Food hosted by Preeti at Khaugiri.

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Whole Wheat Cumin Bread

Hi.

I have finally started to try my bookmarked recipes and I am starting from the oldest. This bread I had bookmarked from Shilpa’s site and I was particularly attracted to this preparation as she mentioned that it has the flavour of Parle’s cumin biscuits which were my favorite during childhood.

I revisited this preparation several times but my fear for yeast never encouraged to me to try it. But now after overcoming  my fear for the yeast I had to bake this. I made some minor changes to the original recipe and to my delight the bread turned out beautifully. My aim was to have a soft crust unlike the crunchy crust in the original recipe which I thought I managed well. I was particularly inclined to try this as it had whole wheat in it making it a much healthier choice. The bread is nicely soft and my kids liked it lightly toasted with some butter. I would have preferred the aroma of cumin to be a bit more stronger, which I would definitely try the next time.

The over all preparation of this bread is quite simple and  for some one who is attempting bread the very first time, this is just apt.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups APF

2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 –1/4 cups water

a few tsp milk

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp  olive oil

1 tsp roasted cumin (I would add more next time)

Method

In luke warm water add sugar and then the yeast and proof it. To understand the details of bread baking check here.

In the food processor jar mix the APF, whole wheat flour,  pounded roasted cumin, salt and butter. Now  add the yeast gradually and knead a soft dough. 

Remove on the platform and knead using oil for  another 5 mins. The dough may feel sticky, but that the right texture.

Grease a bowl and place the dough in it to rise. In about 45 mins it doubles in volume.

Punch down and deflate the dough and shape it again. Keep it on a greased baking plate and let it have a second rise. This takes about 20 mins.

Apply  a milk wash. In a 220C preheated oven bake it for  15-20 mins till it golden brown colour on the top crust. I avoided a deep golden color as I prefer my outer crust a little more soft.

Cool on a cooling rack and then cut and serve.

 

Sending this to Priya and Aipi’s Bookmarked recipes every Tuesday

and this bread is Yeast Spotted.

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Spicy and Tasty Mirchicha Bhareet/ Green Chili Bharta

Hi.

Today I am sharing a very simple and yet very tasty preparation straight from my Granny’s kitchen. Yes, it was at her place that I tasted this and was hooked to it. The mere thought of this preparation can make my mouth water any time. I have always marveled that in olden days with few ingredients in hand such tasty preparations were made and this preparation surely falls in that category. It’s an instant hit with every one who tastes it and surely my family too. It’s a perfect delight for people who love spicy food.

This can be served as a side dish or a chutney. I personally love to eat this with hot paratha and rice, S can finish one bowl all by himself. Since it is very simple and quick to make even beginners can try this. Whenever I want to make this along with the every day rice and lentils,  I keep the green chilies in the pressure cooker in a small bowl and pressure cook them and the remaining process is quite simple too….

Ingredients

4-5 green chilies (based on the spice level, mine were hot)

1/2 cup yogurt

1/4 tsp good quality asafetida

a pinch turmeric

salt to taste

2 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

Method

Steam the green chilies and mash them. Mix the salt and yogurt and combine.

Heat oil and  add mustard, asafetida and turmeric, pour it immediately on the yogurt. The asafetida should be of good quality as it enhances the flavor.

Mix and serve.

Sending this to Ayeesha’s Event Any One can Cook

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In fond memory of Daddy – Appekaradahakkidda Payasa

Dear friends.

Please accept my sincere thanks for all the prayers that you sent for my FIL and for extending all your support to this blog in my absence. This is my first post after Daddy  passed away so I thought of sharing something which he was extremely fond of and was one of his favorites. This preparation is dedicated to Daddy with a sincere prayer for his journey in the other world.

‘Appe’ means a kind of crisp poori, ‘karad’ means fried and ‘hakkidda’ means to put in and ‘Payasa’ means Kheer in Kannada, so together it means fried poori put in a kheer. This is a traditional Kannadiga preparation and is made on all occasions. I tasted this first time after marriage when Mummy made this for her group of kitty friends and I realized then that it was Daddy’s all time favorite and Mummy would make this affectionately for Daddy on his birthday and all religious functions. I loved it the very first time I tasted it and became my favorite too but for some strange reason I always had it when I went to our home town and never attempted making this at home.

After coming back  I was in no mood to cook elaborately for a few days, eventually  when I thought of posting something in remembrance of dear FIL, I could not think of any other preparation but this Payasa/ Kheer. I was initially hesitant to ask my MIL for the recipe so I called up my elder co- sister for the recipe and she advised me to use APF and wheat flour to make the Appe. But somewhere I thought Mummy did not make that way and after trying to recall the recipe, I had a feeling that Mummy had mentioned semolina to me once, so I called up MIL and confirmed the recipe. So here’s Daddy’s favorite payasa..

Ingredients

1/2 cup APF

1/4 cup semolina

1 tsp clarified butter for shortening

3/4 liter milk

a pinch of saffron

a few fried cashewnuts and raisins

5-6 cardamoms crushed

a pinch of nutmeg grated

a pinch of saffron

1/2 Cup sugar

Method

Mix the APF and Semolina with the clarified butter and knead a tight dough using water. Let the dough rest for half an hour.

Take small dumplings of the dough and roll it thin and cut into strips.

Deep fry the strips on a medium flame till crisp.

Remove the fried strips (Appe) on a kitchen towel and let it cool and then crush them coarsely.

   

Boil the milk, add sugar and let it reduce for about 5 mins and then add the crushed Appe, cook for about 2 mins.

Cool and add cardamom powder, soaked saffron , nutmeg powder and fried cashewnuts and raisins. One can serve it warm but I love eating this after it is chilled. This preparation thickens a lot on cooling so one can add more milk later to make it thin.

Please start sending your entries to Flavours Of Punjab Event. I will be able to accept your entries now.The event ends Nov 30th.
Sending this Payasa to Ayeesha and Nivedita’s

to My event ‘Only’- Festive Food guest hosted by Preeti.Sending the recipe to my event ‘ONLY’ Traditional Recipes Guest hosted by Jiya's Delicacy

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La forêt usagère - Vu dans la Presse

Forêt usagère : le point sur le bois

Jean Chignac dans la forêt usagère. Photo A. P.


Les propriétaires d'une partie de la presqu'île sont conviés, lundi, à une réunion d'information sur les droits à la délivrance du bois d'œuvre et de chauffage de la forêt usagère de La Teste (1) . La zone concernée est la partie située entre Pat-à-chou et la pointe du Cap-Ferret qui avant juin 1976, dépendait de la commune de La Teste-de-Buch.
Cette réunion aura lieu le lundi 11 octobre, de 15 heures à 17 heures, dans la salle des mariages de la mairie du Cap-Ferret. Elle est organisée par l'Association de défense des droits d'usage de la forêt usagère (Addufu), en présence des syndics de la forêt usagère de La Teste.
On entend par bois d'œuvre (le pin) celui qui peut servir à construire une maison, à construire ou reconstruire une cabane ostréicole, un quai, un bateau. Pour prétendre obtenir ce bois-là, il faut justifier de dix ans de résidence sur cette partie de la commune concernée.
Quant au bois de chauffage (chêne ou pin), il suffit de justifier d'un foncier sur ce même territoire, que ce soit en tant que résidence principale ou secondaire. Seule obligation, il faut aller faire son bois soi-même (abattage, sciage et transport).
Pour plus d'informations, contacter Jean Chignac, correspondant local, tél. 06 11 80 85 67.
(1) Forêt usagère de 3 500 hectares située entre la dune du Pyla et le lac de Cazaux.
SUD OUEST 9 octobre 2010 06h00 | Par Annie Peyras

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Please Join Me In Praying

I have a sad news to share with all. I lost my FIL yesterday so I request all of you to join me in praying for his soul.

Daddy! Wherever you are, I just pray that you are happy and your soul rests in peace. Even though I say this, deep inside me, I already know that it has happened.  

Friends, this blog is going to be silent for a while. I know I have taken the responsibility of 'Flavours Of Punjab' event, I am sure you will understand my problem and bear with me. I will not be in a position to acknowledge your entries for a while. Either you send your entries after 15th, else please wait for me to acknowledge after that.

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