Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Garlic Broccoli & Paneer in coconut milk


Ingredients
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup paneer cubes
8 + 2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 onions, sliced
1 tomato diced
2-3 green chillies, slit
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
2-3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp kasoori methi
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1 tsp butter/ghee
salt to taste

Method
  • Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic cloves(8) and onion. Saute well until the raw smell of garlic is gone and onions turn translucent.
  • Add the tomatoes, green chillies, kasoori methi, turmeric and salt. Saute for a minute and keep this aside.
  • Once cooled grind this mixture into a fine paste.
  • Heat the butter/ghee in  another pan. Add the garam masala powder to the hot ghee. After about a second add the grinded mixture to this. Let it simmer for a minute.
  • Add the broccoli and coconut milk. Lower the heat and allow this to come to a boil.
  • Now add the paneer cubes. Mix well. Continue to cook for two minutes more and then remove from heat.

Seasoning(optional)
In a little oil, fry the remaining two chopped garlic cloves and drizzle this oil on top before serving.(You can avoid this if you don't prefer too much of the garlicky flavour)

Monday, January 19, 2015

Crispy baked sweet potato sticks

A snack that was loved by kids, a healthy alternative to the age old french fries. Its quite cold out here and drizzling too!!! This is something that is perfect for today's weather!!!
Ingredients
1 large sweet potato
1 tsp paprika powder
1 Tbsp olive oil or any other oil
salt to taste


Method

  • Peel and cut the sweet potato into long sticks.
  •  Line an oven safe tray with parchment paper or foil paper. 
  • Toss the sweet potato sticks with olive oil, paprika powder and salt. Spread them out on the tray so that the sticks don't overlap each other and so that they get cooked and turn crisp uniformly.
  • Cover the  tray with an aluminium foil and bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 200 degree Celsius
  • Half way through cooking, flip over the sticks and return it back to the oven.
  • Keep checking and if its not crisp you can keep for 5 minutes more in the oven.. 
  • Crispy and yummy sweet potato fries are ready for you to relish!


Friday, January 09, 2015

Mixed Vegetable Balchao

"Making resolutions is a cleansing ritual of self assessment and repentance that demands personal honesty and ultimately, reinforces humility. Breaking them is a part of the cycle."
This New Year quote is true in every aspect. Resolutions are made at the dawn of every fresh year and breaking them during the course of the year is a part of the cycle. Hope this year we all can stick to our resolutions.Planning to include more of vegetables and healthy dishes to the blog this year. So, the first post to this year is a mixed vegetable dish. Hope you like it! Off to the recipe of Mixed Vegetable Balchao.

Ingredients
100 gms mushrooms, quartered
100 gms paneer, cubed
50 gms green peas
100 gms french beans(cut into 1/2 inch pieces,blanched)
50 gms corn kernels(blanched)

For the Balchao paste
8 whole red chillies
2 tbsp ginger chopped
1 tbsp garlic chopped
5 cloves
3-4 green cardamom
2 inch cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
5 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp sugar

For the gravy
1 large onion chopped
1 large tomato chopped
few curry leaves
oil
salt to taste



Method

  • Grind all the ingredients for the balchao paste into a smooth paste.
  • Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions and saute till brown in colour.
  • Add the tomatoes and cook for two minutes. 
  • Stir in the balchao paste along with salt and cook for two minutes more. Add half a cup of water and let it simmer.
  • Now add all the vegetables except the paneer and cook till done.
  • Mix in the paneer cubes and curry leaves gently. Cook for two more minutes and switch off the heat.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.