MATAR PANEER, how to make a flavorful gravy with fresh green peas and homemade cottage cheese

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A very easy matar paneer recipe with home made paneer!!

A quick recipe too...creamy without any unnecessary fresh cream and butter!! An one pot Pressure cooker recipe!!

My other side dishes for rotis

Ingredients

Fresh peas - 11/2 cups

Fresh paneer - 11/2 cups(can be home made or store bought), cubed

Onion - 1, chopped

Green chillies - 1,  chopped

Ginger - a small piece, chopped

Garlic - 2-3 pods, chopped

Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Cashews , soaked for 1/2 hour - 10 - 15

Salt to taste

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Dhania and Jeera powders - 1 tsp each

Kasoori methi - 2 tsps

Garam masala powder - 3/4 tp

To season

Cooking oil - 2-3 tbsps

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Jeera/cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Recipe cuisine: North Indian; Category: Lunch/dinner/sides

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 20 mts

Serves 2-3

In the pressure pan, heat cooking oil, add ginger, garlic, green chilli and onions and saute till onions become translucent

Add tomatoes too

After the tomatoes become mushy, add soaked cashews

after the sauteed mixture cools down, load into blender jar

and grind to a smooth paste

Now, heat the pressure pan again with oil, and add seasonings

Now, keep the flames on the lowest, add the ground paste, and add chilli, dhania, jeera and garam masala powders along with kasoori methi

add the fresh peas, salt to taste, and cook for 2 whistles

After the pressure releases naturally, this is how it looks

Now, add the fresh paneer cubes, mix well and simmer for 3-4 minutes so that the paneer cubes will take in all spices

Serve hot with rotis

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

NEI APPAMS, how to make ground Vella appams

 

All these years, I have always made this Instant and quick appams, which is my maternal home special, a fool proof recipe.

But this year I tried this traditional version and the recipe is  from my respected Manni (brother's wife)

Ingredients

Raw rice - 1/2 cup

Wheat flour - 2-3 tsps

Jaggery powder - 1/2 cup

Brown/white sugar - 2-3 tsps

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Grated coconut - 2-3 tsps

Ripe small banana - 1/2

Baking powder or baking soda - a pinch (optional)

Oil and 2 tsps ghee to make the appams

Recipe cuisine: South Indian; Category: festival delicacy/neivedhyam/karthigai

Soaking time: 3-4 hours or overnight; Cooking time: 25-30 mts totally

Yields 20 Appams

Raw rice washed and soaked in hot water for 3-4 hours

Then after soaking, rice added into the blender jar, along with wheat flour,  banana and coconut

Now jaggery, 3 tsps brown sugar and cardamom powder too. Always remember, adding some sugar enhances the sweetness of jaggery (my mom in law used to say)

Ground into a batter, and rest the batter for 30 minutes to an hour

Appe pan heated with oil and a drop of ghee in each cavity

After the oil becomes hot, keep the flames on medium and pour the batter. Do not over fill. fill to 3/4 level only

Flipped over...see how golden and puffed up they look!!!

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

ROSE LASSI, how to make rose lassi with natural colors

This is such a  wonderful tasting Lassi, with all natural color and essence.
Nowadays, I am quite against all artificial colors and essences, at times they affect your throat.
Please check my other cold beverages

Ingredients

Fresh and thick curds - 2 cups

A very small beetroot - chopped

Salt - 1/8 tsp

Brown sugar - 2-3 tsps

Organic rose essence - 1 tsp

Recipe cuisine: Indian; Category: Dinner/lunch/welcome drink

Prep time: 5 mts; Cooking time: nil

Serves 2

Chopped beetroot pieces loaded into the blender jar

And ground to a smooth paste

Curd taken in another big blender jar , sugar and salt and the ground beet paste (it's at the bottom) added

Now goes in the Rose essence

All blended, chilled and served!!!

Look at this amazing lunch!!! Grilled veg-cheese sandwiches, cut mangoes and Rose lassi...Isn't it heavenly???

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

AVOCADO TOAST, how to make Avocado filled toast

 At the very outset, let me tell....this is my daughter's recipe, which she makes very often. The reasons being 1. its healthy beyond words 2. there is very less work involved

AVOCADO...........

Like many people who look very cold and firm from outside but are actually very soft inside....Avocados has a stony texture outside and a soft creamy texture inside!!!

And its health benefits are countless!!!

*Has more potassium than a Banana

*Protects eyes and heart health

*Full of fiber, so helps you lose unwanted flesh

*Rich in Folate, which is great preventer of depression and also prevents birth defects

*Improves good cholesterol

*Rich in Vitamin E, which protects the brain  from Alzheimer's disease

*Fights Cancer, lowers diabetes and protects skin 

Ingredients

Ripe avocado - 1

Onion - 1, small, chopped very fine

Tomato -1, small, chopped fine

Green chillies - 2, chopped fine

Cilantro/coriander leaves - a small cup, chopped

Lemon juice - 3/4 tbsp

Salt to taste

Whole wheat bread slices - 4

Recipe cuisine: International; Category: Lunch/dinner

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: Nil

Yields 4 toasts

These are the unripe Avocados...to make them ripen fast, keep them wrapped with couple of ripe bananas inside a brown paper bag 

When it gets this color, and is soft to touch, it is fully ripe

Cut in the center, open the fruit, then remove the skin and the big seed

Scoop out the soft and creamy flesh and mash

Add finely chopped green chillies, onions and tomatoes, and salt to taste

add cilantro and mix well

add lemon juice too. A word of caution: this mixture should be used immediately , otherwise, it will discolor. So, it's better to make it just half an hour before lunch or dinner time, quickly toast the bread and use.

4 dry toasts; they can be toasted in an electric toaster or a non stick tava.

Apply liberally the avocado mixture (also called guacamole) and enjoy!! with any soup! I served it with tomato soup. Please check my Soup varieties 

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

PUDINA PANEER PARATHAS, how to make flavorful soft flat breads with mint and cottage cheese

 Pudina Paneer Parathas!!!!

Health, taste and nutrition...all packed into these!!!

MINT aids digestion, treats Asthma, treats common cold, Cures Head ache, a real breath-freshener, stimulates digestive enzymes, thus decreasing unwanted weight, takes care of skin and brain power, excellent remedy to treat nausea, rejuvenates mind by beating stress and depression.

COTTAGE CHEESE/PANEER  is rich in Protein, Potassium and calcium, a rich source of Omega 3, rich in dietary fiber, lowers risk of Type-2 diabetes, improves hemoglobin level, and is a must for vegetarians.

So, these two Wonders are incorporated in these super-soft and tasty rotis.

Please check my other Roti Varieties

These parathas can be served with any dhal of your choice. I have served with Tirangi dhal

Please check my other Dhal varieties and side dishes for rotis

Home made paneer

Ingredients

Wheat flour - 3/4 cup

Home made fresh paneer - 1/2 cup

Jeera - 1 tsp

Ghee - 1 tsp

Cooking/gingely oil - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

To grind

Mint leaves - 1 heaped cup, stems removed, cleaned and washed and drained

Green chillies - 2-3

Ginger - a small piece

Garlic - 2-3 pods

Enough oil + ghee to make parathas

Recipe cuisine: North Indian; Category: Breakfast/lunch/dinner

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 3-4 mts for each paratha

Yields 7 parathas

Mint, garlic, ginger and green chillies loaded into blender jar

and ground to a coarse paste

after taking out the ground paste, add little water to the jar, and keep to use for kneading the dough

Wheat flour, paneer, ground paste, jeera, salt to taste, ghee ...all these taken in a bowl

Using the water in the jar, ground to a soft dough, some oil applied finally and let aside for minimum an hour

Roll out parathas, not too thick..not too thin...first dry roast them on both sides, then drizzle a drop of ghee or oil or both mixed, cook well on both sides and take

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com