Peneer with spinach and cheese

1 1/4 cups basmati rice

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 8 ounces paneer cheese cut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 dried red hot chile, crushed
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 1/2 cups water
• Salt, to taste
• 4 ounces fresh spinach, chopped

Directions

Wash and drain the rice and soak it in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 250°F.

Line a sheet pan with paper towels. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat to 350°F. Test the oil with a cube of cheese: the cheese should begin to bubble immediately. Lightly fry the paneer until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on lined baking sheet.

Heat the ghee or oil in a 3 1/2 quart ovenproof pot with a tight lid and fry the red chile, bay leaves, and peppercorns for 1 minute on medium-high heat. Stir in the rice and fry for 2 minutes. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Add the cheese, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes, adding a few tablespoons of water if the rice gets too dry.

Stir in the spinach and cook uncovered until the water has evaporated, 5 minutes. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and the lid and place in the oven to bake, 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Adjust salt to taste and serve hot.

Read more: http://www.kitchendaily.com/recipe/spinach-and-paneer-cheese-pulao-151837/#ixzz1kysj8pLw

Chana Masala

• 1 can chickpeas in water (also called garbanzo beans) or 1 1/2 cups precooked + 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• juice from one lemon, (approx 2 tbsp )
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 large bunch of spinach or two handfuls, rinsed

Preparation:

In a large skillet or frying pan, sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, about 3-5 minutes.

Add chickpeas straight from the can, including all the water. Add spices and lemon juice, cover, and simmer about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more water if needed, until chickpeas are cooked and soft.

Reduce heat, add spinach and cover. Allow spinach to wilt for 2-4 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy your chana masala!

Stuffed Capsicum

Ingredients :

Method : If stalk of capsicum is too long, trim it. Cut a slit around the stalk (about ¼" from it) extending to ¾ of the capsicum. This will serve as a lid. Open it and scoop out seeds from capsicum with the handle of a spoon. Discard them. Grind coconut gratings with roasted red chillies, and tamarind to a coarse paste.

When masala is almost ready, add fenugreek and coriander, gur and salt. Grind for a while.

Then mix chopped onion with the masala. Stuff the capsicums one by one with the masala and close the lids. Prepare seasoning in frying pan with mustard and curry leaves in oil. Drop the stuffed capsicums gently in it.

Spread the excess masala, if any, all over. Cook on a low flame under cover. Open 2-3 times, at intervals, and turn over slightly. After sufficient cooking, remove from flame.

Chana Dal With Pumpkin

Ingredients :
1 cup chana dal (Bengal gram)
250 gm pumpkin
2 tomatoes
3 pods of garlic
½ piece of ginger
2 green chillies
a bunch of curry leaves
1 onion
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp tamarind pulp
salt to taste

Method :
Chop the onion and tomatoes. Slit the chillies into halves. Peel the pumpkin and remove the pith and cut the pumpkin into small pieces. Peel and grate the ginger. Peel and crush the garlic.
Cook the chana dal in 4-5 cups of water till tender but not overcooked. Keep aside.
Heat the oil and fry the onion till it is light golden brown. Add the ginger, garlic and the tomatoes and fry for another minute. Mix in the pumpkin pieces and salt to taste and the turmeric powder. Add one cup of water and cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat till the pumpkin pieces are tender. Mix in the cooked dal and allow the dal to simmer. Add the green chillies and the curry leaves. Continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes. Mix in the tamarind pulp and cook for another minute. Serve hot with rice or paranthas.

Brinjal-Capsicum Gravy

Ingredients :

½ kg brinjal
1 capsicum
1 tsp soya sauce
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp corn flour
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
Salt as per taste
Coriander for decoration
1 onion

Method :

Cut the brinjals into medium size pieces
Put the brinjals in a glass bowl and pour one cup of water in it.
Place the bowl in microwave oven and boil it for 7 minutes.
After boiling take it outside the oven and mix the soya sauce, chillipowder, ginger garlic paste, garammasala, corn flour and salt.
Keep it aside. Now cut the capsicum and onion into small pieces.
In a glass bowl take 1 tsp oil and put the capsicum and onion in it and cook in microwave for 2 minutes.
Mix the cooked capsicum and onion with the cooked brinjals and put these in the microwave and again cook it for minutes.
After taking it outside mix the coriander leaves and serve hot.

Adai

Ingredients :

Par boiled rice- 2 cups
Red gram dhal- ½ cup
Bengal gram dhal- ½ cup
Green chillies- 6
Grated coconut- 3 tablespoons
Coarsely powdered pepper and cumin -1 teaspoon.
Chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves- 2 tablespoons
Salt to taste - optional
oil- for frying - use sparingly

Makes about 20 Adais

Directions :

Soak rice and dhal together for 2-3 hours. Grind it along with coconut and chillies till it becomes a thick paste. Mix in the other ingredients. Heat a heavy dosa pan and spread little batter on it using the ladle into a thick circular adai. Add a teaspoon of oil around and fry on both sides in medium flame. Serve hot with chutney or tomato sauce. Enjoy!

http://www.recipesindian.com/

Milk coconut balls

1 sweetened coconut
1 tin milkmaid or condensed milk or coconut milk
½ cup coconut powder (Copra)
1 sp elaichi powder
Method



Ingredients
Grind sweetened coconut.
Fry it in a pan so that it gets dry. Add milkmaid and keep stirring till it becomes thick.
Now remove this from heat and once it turns to warm, make doing laddu’s by taking little amount of the mixture.
Dust it in coconut (copra) powder.

Indian-Style Fries

Here's what to do:
Peel 1/2 pound of plain old potatoes.
Cut them in strips as though making French fries.In a deep pan or skillet, heat 1 and 1/2 Tbs of vegetable oil. Yes, you heard me right, fries made with 1 and 1/2 Tbs of oil. We are not kidding around here.
When the oil in the pan is hot, hot, hot, add in :
1/2 tsp of cumin seed
1/2 tsp of mustard seed
When the seeds start to sizzle and pop, toss in:
1 seeded and finely chopped serrano chili
Stir them around well. All the potatoes should be coated with the oil. Keep cooking them at this high temperature for about 4 minutes. The potatoes will start to crisp and brown on the edges. Now, add in 1/2 tsp of salt 1 Tbs of ground peanuts. Mix everything around well, then turn down the heat and cover the pan. Cook everything for another 10 minutes or so until the potatoes start to brown further. Take the lid off the pan occasionally and give everything a whirl. The potatoes should be nicely golden at this point. Take them off the heat , give them a squirt of lime and a sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro.
That's it.

INDIAN VEGETABLE CURRY RECIPE

Ingredients:

1/2 medium-sized (100g/4oz) aubergine (eggplant) cut into 2cm x 1cm/¾in x 1/2 in sticks
2 small carrots (100g/4oz), peeled and cut into 2cm x 1cm/¾in x 1/2 in sticks
100g/4oz/1 cup peas
100g/4oz/1 cup French beans, cut into 2.5cm/1in pieces
1 medium-sized potato (100g/4oz), peeled and cut into 2cm x 1cm/¾in x 1/2 in sticks
50g/2oz/ 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
4 fresh hot green chillies
2 tbsp white poppy seeds
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 medium-sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tbsp natural plain yogurt
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp chopped, fresh green coriander

How to make vegetarian curry:

* Place the aubergine (eggplant), carrots, peas, French beans and potato in a medium-sized saucepan. Add 250ml/8fl oz/1 cup water. Bring to the boil. Cover, turn the heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes or until the vegetbles are just tender.
* Meanwhile put the coconut, chillies, poppy seeds and salt in the container of an electric blender. Add 150ml/5fl oz water and grind to a fine paste. Set aside.
* When the vegetables are cooked, add the spice paste and another 150ml/5fl oz water. Stir and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Now add the tomatoes, the yogurt and the garam masala. Stir gently to mix well. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes. Turn into a serving dish and garnish the vegetable curry with the fresh coriander.