Paneer Do-Pyaaza

Who does not love paneer? Ever since I returned home, I have been making a lot of paneer dishes, because back in Jeddah, the paneer that was available in stores or in resturaunts, was very tough. Once I found an Indian brand of frozen paneer and I stocked up for the whole month!! Inspite of me making so many paneer dishes, I realize that I have not posted any here. Let me start with this one....Paneer Do-Pyaaza

Ingredients:
Paneer cubes (Cottage Cheese): 200 gms
Oil
Green Cardamom: 2
Cumin Seeds (jeera): 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder (haldi): a pinch
Red Chilli powder: a pinch
Capsicum diced: 2
Onions diced: 2 large
Tomatoes diced: 2
Garam Masala: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Corriander leaves
Lemon Juice: of half a lemon

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan and add cardamoms and cumin seeds.
• When they crackle, add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Saute for about 30 secs.
• Add the capsicum and onion, and stir fry for a few minutes.
• Then add the tomatoes. Cover and cook on medium flame till tomatoes are a bit cooked. 
• Next, add the paneer and mix well.
• Add the garam masala and the salt and cook well.
• Garnish with lemon juice and Corriander leaves.

Grilled Chicken with Garlic Rice

This one is a favourite with my boys. If I ask them what they want for dinner, this is what they ask for. This is a combo that they eat without any complains. The garlic rice was a favourite with my sister and me also when we were kids. Our dad used to make it for us. Both the garlic rice and the grilled chicken is very easy to make. And it hardly takes any time.

For the Garlic Rice:

• Use left over rice, or make fresh if needed.
• Heat ghee or butter, saute as many chopped garlic cloves as preferred. Some people like lots of garlic and some prefer less.
• Add the rice and salt and mix well.

For the Grilled Chicken:

• Marinade the chicken with curd, ginger garlic paste, salt, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, lemon juice and 1tbsp oil, for 4 to 6 hours in the refrigerator. 
• I also added some diced capsicum and diced onions to the marinade, but that is optional.
• Bring it to room temperature before you grill it or barbecue it.

Vanilla Cake

Though my parents were not here with us on their 35th Anniversary, I decided to bake this Vanilla Cake to keep my boys happy and in a celebratory mood. My 6 year old boys helped me, so we had a bit of fun doing this.

Ingredients:
Maida/Refined Flour: 100gms
Powdered Sugar: 100gms
Vanilla Essence: 2 tsp
Baking Powder: 1tsp
Milk: 1/4 to 1/2 cup
Butter: 100gms
Egg whites: of 3 eggs

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees C
• Sieve together the flour and baking powder.
• Combine the butter and the powdered sugar till it becomes soft and creamy.
• Next add the egg whites to it, and beat well.
• Then, alternately, add the flour and the milk into the egg mixture. Start by adding the flour, and end by adding the flour. Mix well with a wooden spoon
• Mix in the vanilla essence.
• Pour the batter in a greased cake dish and bake at 175 degrees C for 45 minutes.
• Prick a fork or a knife in when it is baking to see if it is done. If the fork or knife comes out clean, then the cake is done.
• Transfer the cake on a wire rack to cool it.

I would like to enter this post to the event Christmas Delicacy hosted by Erivum Puliyumm.

Baked Eggs

These days, whenever I have to cook, there is just one thought running through my head..."will the boys eat this without cribbing". I have to keep looking for new ways to satisfy their taste buds. Thank God for the Internet. For example, when the boys didn't want to eat "normal dinner", but wanted something with eggs, I found this wonderful recipe from this amazing blog. It is actually a breakfast dish, but I made it for dinner anyways, and served it with buttered brown bread. The kids just loved it!!!

Ingredients:

• Eggs: 3
• Tomatoes: 2 chopped
• Onion small: 1 chopped
• Turmeric Powder: a pinch
• Salt: as per taste
• Oil
• Butter: for spreading on the baking dish
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F
2. Heat the oil.
3. Add the onions and saute till translucent.
4. Then add the chopped tomatoes.
5. Mix in the salt and the turmeric powder.
6. Stir for 7 to 10 minutes on medium heat. The tomatoes should not lose their shape.
7. Smear butter all over the baking dish.
8. Pour the tomato mixture into the dish.
9. Gently crack open the eggs, one by one, on the tomato base.
10. Place it in the oven for 20 -25 minutes for a cooked yolk and 15-20 minutes for a softer yolk.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Chicken Curry

This dish was made by my brother-in-law. It was so tasty that I had to ask him for the recipe. Even my boys enjoyed it and asked for seconds. I made it exactly like he did, with only one difference....I did not add red chilly powder. It is really simple to make and does not have much spices. This recipe is exactly what he sent me.

Ingredients:

Chicken: 1kg

Ginger: 1inch

Garlic: 6 to 8 flakes

Cumin seeds: 1 tbsp

Coriander seeds: 1 tbsp

Onion: 1 chopped

Tomato: 2 chopped

Red Chilly Powder: 1 tsp (optional)

Curry Powder: 2 to 3 tsp

Salt as per taste

Oil for frying

Method:

1. Chop the chicken in small pieces.

2. Wash and dry it.

3. First prepare the paste (garlic, ginger, cumin seeds and coriander seeds).  BUT don’t marinate it with the meat. It will be required later not now.

4. Heat oil in a cooking vessel that will be able to fry the chicken at a single time. (Oil can be taken out later so its better If you put adequate oil that will be able to fry all the chicken)

5. Now add the chicken all in a single instance and stir it gently. After some time you will find that water will show up, and it will began to boil. At this time add salt. 

6. Than cover the vessel, lower the flames a bit and let it boil for around 10-15 minutes, but be careful, sometimes it burns at the bottom.

7. Check if there is water in the vessel or only oil. When you see only oil at the bottom and pieces are sticking at the bottom stir the pieces gently. Keep doing this for around 5 minutes while letting the pieces fry.

8. After some of the pieces have turned partially red remove the fried chicken out of the vessel and keep aside.

9. If there is extra oil in the vessel, then discard some.

10. In the remaining oil, saute the chopped onion till it turns slightly brown.

11. Than add in the paste.

12. Stir well, and when the garlic starts to stick to the bottom of the vessel, add the two chopped tomatoes, and cook till the tomatoes are half done.

13. Add some red chilly powder.

14. Now add the chicken and stir well so that all the pieces are coated with the masalas.

15. Add the curry powder and cook for at least 5 mins.

16. Then add around 200ml water and cover and cook on a low flame, till the chicken pieces are cooked.

17. Wait for five minutes after switching off the gas, before serving. Goes great with steamed rice.

Butter Chicken

Everyone loves Butter Chicken, and so do I. I never found a really good recipe before. This recipe was given to me by a good friend. She brought it home one day and everyone loved it...even my boys. She shared the link for the recipe.

Ingredients:
Chicken: 800gms
Lemon juice 1 tablespoon
Kashmiri red chilli powder 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Butter 2 tablespoons
• For the marinade:
Curd 1 cup
Ginger garlic paste 1 tablespoon
Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard oil 2 tablespoons
• For the gravy: 
Butter 50 grams
Ginger garlic paste 2 tablespoon
Green chillies,chopped 4-5
Red chilli powder 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) 1/2 teaspoon
Whole garam masala 1 tablespoon
Tomato puree (I used home made puree) 400 gms
Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar 2 teaspoons
Cream 1 cup

Method:
1. Make incisions with a sharp knife on breast and leg pieces of the chicken.
2. Apply a mixture of red chilli powder, lemon juice and salt to the chicken and set aside for half an hour. 3. Hang curd in a muslin cloth for fifteen to twenty minutes to remove extra water.
4. Add ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, garam masala powder and mustard oil to the curd.
5. Apply this marinade to the chicken pieces and refrigerate for three to four hours.
6. Put the chicken onto a skewer and cook in a moderately hot tandoor or a preheated oven (200°C) for ten to twelve minutes or until almost done. 
7. Remove and keep aside.
8. Heat butter in a pan.
9. Add green cardamoms, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon.
10. Saute for two minutes, add ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chillies.
11. Cook for two minutes.
12. Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and one cup of water. Bring to a boil.
13. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes.
14. Add sugar and powdered kasoori methi.
15. Add cooked tandoori chicken pieces. 
16. Simmer for five minutes and then add fresh cream.
17. Serve hot.

Apple Jam

My boys love jam. And they love fruits. And they were getting bored during their holidays. So we decided to try making Apple Jam. It is so simple, that I wondered why I did not make it before. My six year old helped me to make the jam and I am happy to say that he thinks it tastes better than the Mixed Fruit Jam that I buy him from the store. :)  

Ingredients:

Apples: 1/2 kg

Sugar: 325 gms

Water: 1 cup

Lemon juice: 1 tsp

Glass Bottles: 2 (200gms each)

Method:

1. Sterilize the glass bottles and their lids in boiling water for at least 10 mins.

2. Peel the apples and cut them in cubes.

3. Cook the apples 1 cup water till they are tender. Mash them a bit using a masher.

4.  When the apples are mushy, add the sugar and lemon juice and cook and stir on a high flame, till it becomes thick.

5. Pour the hot jam in the sterilized bottles quickly before it sets. Leave at least 1 cm space at the top.

6. Let it cool and spread it on bread, roti, puri, or eat it just like it is....like my boy!!