METHI PANEER RECIPE

Methi Paneer makes a flavorful, light creamy side dish for Indian breads as well as for Pulao varieties. Not much of spices are added in this recipe. A slow cooked dish in hung curd / yogurt gives the dish a creamy texture. Yogurt can be replaced to cashew paste or with cream. But that makes the dish bit high in calories. Fresh mehti yields fantastic earthy flavors to the dish, can be replaced with Kasuri methi as well. Ignore ginger and garlic, i had some freshly made paste so added to the dish. 

What you need:
3 small bunch - Methi leaves, roots chopped and cleaned
Paneer - 1/2 cup, sliced in pieces and pan roasted
Yogurt / Hung Curd - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 no, thinly sliced
Ginger n Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Jeera / Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp or as per reqt
Oil - 1 tsp

How to make:
Heat oil in a pan roast the jeera, add turmeric powder, sliced onions, ginger garlic paste saute until onions start to brown.

Add cleaned, chopped methi leaves and cook until the water is dried up. 

Add coriander powder , red chilli powder, salt, low the heat completely and saute well. Add whisked yogurt / hung curd mixture cook in simmer until it starts to bubble.

Cook the entire dish in simmer, on high heat they may curdle.

Place the roasted paneer cubes give a gentle mix and transfer to serving bowl.

Serve it hot with roti and salad for a complete meal. 

EGGLESS DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES RECIPE

Super moist, egg free double chocolate cookies is what all i made for my friends kid. Much better than the preservative loaded super seller in the market. She dipped it in hot milk and drank the chocolatey milk too. Loosely adapted from a TV show, chef approximately added ingredients and i was surprised with the perfect outcome, wish it happens to me as well.

What you need:
All Purpose Flour / Maida - 1/2 cup
Cocoa Powder - 2 tbsp
Brown Sugar - 6 tbsp or you can increase if more sweet needed
Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tsp
Butter - 1/4 cup
Salt - pinch
Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp
Dark chocolate chips / Milk chocolate broken pieces - 1/2 cup
Milk - 2 to 3 tbsp or as per reqt

Hot to make:
Pre heat Oven to 180 C for 10 minutes minimum.

In a bowl add softened butter, milk, sugar, vanilla essence beat until sugar melts.

In another bowl add APF, Cocoa, Baking Powder, Salt mix well add the wet ingredients and give a nice mix, do not beat this mixture.

If this mixture is too dry add a tbsp more milk or just go with it. The dough will be sticky on refrigerating it will harden a bit.

Add chocolate chips / chocolate pieces and refrigerate for 10 minutes. For the cookie dough to harden a bit, so it gets easy to roll.

Pinch small bite sized roll them and arrange on a buttered sheet. 

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, not more than this in middle rack. The cookies will be soft once they come out. It will harden once it cools down.

*Do not bake them more than 12 minutes or else they make get burnt. 

*Wheat flour / Atta can be replaced to APF but the resultant may differ. 

Vazhaipoo Vadai | Banana Flower Vadai

Vazhaipoo Vadai / Banana flower is an excellent source of crude fibre, a healthy ingredient which should be included in our diet. My ammamma makes the best vadai, the key secret is both the dal and vazhaipoo ratio has to equal. In Restaurants / eateries the ratio of the vazhaipoo is hardly not even a handfull for a kilo of dal. Next to vadai its usili our favorite with vazhaipoo. Cleaning is the time consuming part but its worth the efforts.

What you need:
Channa dal / Kadalai paruppu - 1/2 cup
VazhaiPoo / Banana Flower - 1/2 cup (cleaned, check yotube on detailed menthods)
Onion - 1 , finely chopped
Green chillies - 2 to 3 
Ginger - small piece
Hing -1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp
Curry leaves

How to make:
Soak the washed channa dal for not more than an hour. Rinse the water completely reserve 2 tbsps of channa dal and grind the rest with green chillies, ginger to coarse paste without adding water.

If its too dry, just sprinkle a tsp of water scrap the sides and grind the batter.

Transfer to a bowl add the finely chopped vazhaipoo, onions, reserved channa dal, salt, hing, chopped curry leaves mix well. 

Pinch small ball sized, flatten it in palm and fry them in hot oil on both the sides. Drain it in a kitchen paper and serve them hot with onion chutney (tastes best with this)

PHOOL MAKHANA SABZI | VEGAN SIDE DISH

Phool Makhana Sabzi / Curry, this make a easy side dish for phulkas, or parathas. A complete vegan recipe and a quick recipe without much spices or masalas. Just simple one and needs not much of preparation.

What you need:
Phool Makhana / Puffed Lotus Seeds - 15 nos (pan roasted)
Onion - 1 no, sliced
Tomatoes - 2, made into puree or store bought
Ginger garlic green chilli paste (ggg)- 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder- 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Cashewnut paste - 1 tbsp (optional)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Salt -  1 tsp or as reqd
Fresh Coriander

How to make:
Heat oil in a kadai / pan splutter jeera, g g g paste, sliced onions saute for a minute. Add tomato puree, chilli powder, salt, half cup of water and bring to boil.

Add garam masala, cashew paste give a nice mix simmer for a minute, add fresh coriander, phool makhana and serve immediately with paratha.

Or add roasted phool makhana just before serving.

ARACHUVITTA SAMBAR | SAMBAR WITH FRESHLY GROUND MASALA

Arachuvitta Sambar happens very rarely or on occasions at our place. Mostly this sambar will not have onions in it when made during festive days other days will have truck loads of shallots / chinna vengayam in it. Sambar podi is not used , instead freshly made masala with roasted and ground spices are added. The colour of the sambar totally depends on the red chilli variety. Used Kashmiri dried red chillies in this which gave it an awesome color.

What you need:

Ladies Finger - 1 cup

Tomato - 1 big, chopped

Pressure Cooked Thoor dal - 3/4 cup

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp / small gooseberry size tamarind soaked in 1/2 cup water

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds -1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Hing - 1/4 tsp

Coriander Leaves

For the masala (roast in oil and grind to smooth paste with little water)

Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp

Channa dal -1 tbsp

Urad Dal - 1tsp

Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Kashmiri Red chilies / Byadgi Chillies - 8 nos

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1/2 tsp

How to make:

Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves once it sputters add tomatoes cook till they soften. 

Add bhindi, salt and saute until the sliminess goes off. Add tamarind paste, water half cup / tamraind soaked water and once it starts to boil add dal, water as required and bring it to full boil. 

Add the ground masala, adjust water as per required consistency and cook in simmer for 12 – 15 minutes. Sprinkle coriander and switch off the heat. 

Made millet idli, vada for breakfast and served with sambar and curry leaves chutney.