Paneer Kheer

 

If you have paneer in hand, this delicious kheer can be made in a jiffy. Store bought paneer works very well for this recepi as much as homemade. I have a block of homemade paneer i prepared a day ago and put it together to dish out this delectable kheer during Vinayagar chahurthi as prasadham for Lord Ganesha.

I'm a person who seasoned all my desserts or sweet well. Trust me, a pinch of salt will go a long way in dessert. It will bring out a real flavour of the dessert or sweets. Kheer tend to get thickened while cooling thus, make sure you have enough liquid or milk for a right consistency to avoid a mass or clumpy kheer.

Well sweetened,rich and creamy this paneer kheer is sinfully delicious to serve for speacial occasion such as weddings,birthday celebration or as neiveidhyam for the Almighty.  Garnish with rose petals or safflower as feast for eyes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup paneer,crumbled

2 1/4 cup whole milk

1/3 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

7-8 saffron strands

7-8 cashews, broken

7-8 almonds,coarsely chopped

1 tbsp ghee

Rose or safflower petals for garnishing

Methods

Heat ghee in a pan, fry the cashews and almonds till golden. Remove from pan and keep aside.

In a heavy non stick pan, boil milk and simmer till the milk reduces to half.

Add the sugar and stir till completely dissolved. 

Add the saffron strands,salt, roasted cashews and almonds.

 Boil for another minute. Add the crumbled paneer and cardamom powder.

Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Turn off flame and transfer to a serving bowl.

Garnish with rose or safflower petals. Serve hot or warm.

Bun Dosa

 

Bun dosa it looks like one of those buns we get in bakery or bread shops. I had this fluffy and soft dosa during my visit to Karnataka, India. We tried this beautiful dosa in our hotel where we stayed for breakfast, and i was hooked to the look of it. It does look like a bun made with yeast and flour. Out of curiosity, i tried and the first bite of the delicious dosa are truly amazing.

Despite of it's thickness, the dosa was spongy and thanks ge  the fermentation process. Another interesting part of this yummy dosa is, unlike regular dosa urad dhal not required in this recepi. So, next time when you're craving for dosa and no access to urad dhal, this bun dosa makes an ideal menu. 

The tempering always depend on individual preferences. I took it easy with basic tempering. You may add, finely chopped onion,grated carrot or cabbage to enhance the taste. Serve with sambar and chutney for a satisfying breakfast or even dinner.

Ingredients

2 cups raw rice

1 cup grated coconut

1 cup aval

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fenugreek

Water as needed

For Tempering

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urad dhal

2 sprig curry leaves

1 green/red chilly chopped

Methods

Wash and soak the raw rice and fenugreek seeds for 4-5 hours.

Drain water and using grinder, blend into smooth paste with water as needed. Transfer to a deep large vessel.

In the same blender, grind the poha and coconut with 3/4 cup water. Grind into smooth paste.

Transfer the mixture into the ground rice vessel. The batter shouldn't be too thick or too runny. It shall be like dosa batter consinsteny.

Cover and place in warm place to ferment for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, add salt to the batter and stir.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once splutters add the urad dhal,curry leaves and chilly.

Pour the tempered ingredients over the dosa batter and stir well.

Heat appam pan and grease lightly with oil.

Pour a ladleful of the batter,cover with lid and cook on medium heat for approximately 3 minutes.

Gently flip over the dosa and cook till golden.

Transfer to plate and repeat the process with remaining batter.

Serve with sambar and chutney.

Sri Lankan Dhal

 

I had this Sri Lankan dhal in one of the Sri Lankan restaurant here. I shall say it's love at first sight or first bite. They serve with Indian flatbread, naan and it goes really well. The soft and spongy bread soaked all the goodness of the rich and creamy dhall for a perfect mouthful of deliciousness.

That's how it's all started with this gorgeous looking lentil dish. Since then, i made this dhall countless time and its always a hit in my household. It's not spicy which is perfect for kids. Pour a generous ladleful of dhal over steamed rice or roti and top with a dollop of ghee. This combination are totally out of the world and that's how my Dandelions have it. 

Ingredients

1 cup red lentil

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 1/2 + 1 cups water

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp chilly powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 medium onion,sliced

1 green chilly,slitted

1 tomato,chopped

1"inch ginger,julienned

2 cloves garlic,crushed

Pinch of hing

Salt to taste

For Tempering

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp chilly flakes

1 tbsp chopped onion

1 dry chilly,broken

Methods

Wash red lentils and drain.

Add lentils in a pot with onion,2 1/2 cups water,green chilly,tomato,garlic,ginger,curry leaves,turmeric powder,chilly powder,cumin powder,coriander powder,hing and salt.

On medium heat, stir and cook the lentil for 15 minutes or till soft.

Add the remaining 1 cup water and coconut milk. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.

For Tempering

In a pan heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds.

Once mustard seeds splutters add cumin seeds,curry leaves, chopped onion,dry chilly and chilly flakes.

Pour the tempering over the cooked dhal.

Serve dhal with rice or roti.

Modak With Chana Dhall Stuffing

 

There are so many do and don't when it comes to preparing modak. The dough is the most important part of modak and i shall say trick as well. It should be too stiff or too soft both could lead to a disaster in the outer layer of the modak. Modak or mothagam is Lord Ganesha's favourite delicacy and preparing them for Vinayagar chahurthi is quite challenging. Nightmare lies in the dough which quite often become too soft or too hard after steaming.

Different rice flour requires different amount of water. Do adjust the water according the required consistency. Dough shall be soft and smooth without any cracks. If you added too much of water, stir the dough on medium flame for the water to evaporate. If too little, add water gradually.

As for the filling, it's one of the traditional modak filling. It's not too sweet or too bland and goes really well with the subtle outer layer. The filling was smooth,rich and well balanced. Hope Ganesha was as happy as i am with the outcome. Happy Vinayagar chahurthi all.

Ingredients

For The Dough

1 cup rice flour

1 & 1/2 tsp ghee

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup water

1 tsp gingely oil

For Stuffing

1/2 cup chana dhall, boiled and mashed

3/4 cup grated jaggery

1/2 cup freshly grated coconut

1 tsp cardamom powder

Ghee for greasing

Methods

For The Dough

In a bowl add flour and salt. Mix to combine. Add ghee and mix.

Boil water till bubbles appear. Turn off heat and gradually add to the flour mixture in batches. Stir and rest the mixture for 10 minutes with lid on.

Knead the dough to soft and smooth dough. Smear the surface with a teaspoon of gingely oil, cover with lid and rest for 10 minutes.

For The Filling

In a pan, add jaggery and water. Once the jaggery completely melted. Strain to remove impurities.

Add back the melted jaggery to the pan and boil for a minute. Add the coconut and mashed dhal. Stir and add cardamom powder. Cook till moisture leaves. Transfer to a plate.

Take a lemon size of the dough, grease the modak mould & your palm with ghee. Stuff the dough into the mould. 

Fill with 1 teaspoon of the filling and close the edges. Repeat the process with remaining dough and filling.

Steam for 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Musakhan-Palestinian Chicken

 

Palestinian chicken or sumac onion chicken is a popular Palestinian street food. I got this chiclen idea dish, after getting my sumac stock ready. Sumac is a spice widely used in Mediterranean dish. It's gaining popularity in Western countries and too sad not much known in Asian cuisines. Hope the time will come soon for us to get familiarize with this beautiful spice.

Sumac gives slightly tangy and unique taste on it's own or when add to dishes. It goes well in salad,poultry dishes,seafood especially fish and even in making sumac tea. Rich in antioxidants which helps to fight free radical to fight cancer,heart disease and sign of ageing. There are vibrant red sumac,brown and maroon which available in Middle Eastern groceries.

I bought mine in a Middle Eastern grocery near my neighbourhood. This time i managed to get this beautiful vibrant sumac. I used sumac to make tea and this chicken dish is my first attempt in adding them in cooking. I shall say this is an absolutely delicious chicken which gained me tons of praise from my family. I placed the onion and chicken on my homemade Naan. The recepi for Naan can be found in my blog. Musakhan or Palestinian chicken indeed juicy,full of flavor and sumac enhanced the flavour of the dish.

Ingredients

4 pcs chicken breast with skin intact

2 1/2 tbsp sumac

3 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp all spice

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

2 tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tsp ground black peppercorns

Salt to taste

1 lemon,juiced

2 Indian flatbread or Naan

Garnishing

Lemon wedges

Olives

Sprinkling of sumac

Methods

Add lemon juice and turmeric powder to the chicken breast and stir well. Cover and rest for 15-20 minutes.

In a bowl, add olive oil, paprika,all spice,cardamom powder,cinnamon powder,sumac, ground black pepper,salt and ground cumin. Mix well.

Reserve a tablespoon of the spice mix for sauteeing the onion.

Rub the remaining spice mixture to the chicken to coat well.

Heat pan with olive oil sear the chicken with skin upside down for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan.

Heat oven to 180'C or 350'F. Lined a baking tray with parchment paper. Place the chicken on the prepared baking tray and bake for 1 hour or till the chicken are done.

Meanwhile, in the same pan used to sear the chicken, add onion and sautee in low heat till translucent. Stir frequently to avoid the onion from burning. 

Add the reserved spice mixture and sautee for another 20-25 minutes till the onion are soft. Remove from pan and keep aside 

To asemble, take a flatbread, top with sauteed onion & baked chicken.

Sprinkle with sumac and garnish with lemon wedges,simple salad and olives.

Ghee Naan

When we can have butter naan or ghee dosa, why not give ghee naan a try. They key is to use a good quality ghee for a maximum flavor. I used my homemade ghee in this recepi and the whole house smells divine. Ghee lends a beautiful aroma to the soft and spongy naan. It's rich,aromatic and burst with flavor.

Dandelions love the ghee naan. I packed some for my parents and mom commented it tastes heaven with the generous smearing of ghee. Do use ghee and not ghee blend which is derived from vegetables or palm oil. 

I made this for our Saturday lunch and i shall say it's a hit. I'll definitely will make this delicious ghee naan again as requested by Dandelions. Do not taken aback with sprinkling of Kashmiri chilly powder, tiny sprinkle enhanced the taste of the naan. As we all aware of as fiery it might look, Kashmiri chilly powder are not spicy for the palate. Serve it with gravy of your preference and enjoy.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated white sugar
1 1/2 tsp active yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup ghee

Pinch of Kashmiri chilly powder
3 tbsp Nigella seeds

Methods

In a large bowl combine flour,yeast and sugar. Stir.

Add the yeast and stir. Pour in the warm water and give a mix. Add the milk and knead to form a soft dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and rest the dough for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into equal sized balls and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1/4 inch" oval shape.

Heat tawa on medium flame lightly greased with butter.

Cook the naan for 1 till little bubbles formed. Flip to cook for another 1 minute on the other side.

Brush generously with ghee and sprinkle with Nigella seeds and Kashmiri chilly powder.

Serve warm or hot with gravy of your gravy

Notes

• Do use warm water to activate the yeast. The temperature of the water shall be 107' thermo or just a little above your body temperature

Andhra Fish Fry

 

This is on of the recepi i learnt from my late paternal grandma. This humble fish fry is my childhood memories well spent in my paternal grandparents house during my school holiday. I remember asking her tons of question as a curious child everytime she's busy cooking. One of those are why adding ghee to the masala and she replied this is what she has been taught my her late mother in law. The point is here is to add rich and unique flavor to the fish fry.

As for me, the ghee brings all the masala together and adds a beautiful aroma to the fish. I call it Andhra fish fry as my paternal grandla hailed from Andhra Pradesh and this is how his mom fry fish for the family. I love how the masala coated well the fish which rendered a tantalizing flavor. Serve hot with white rice and fish gravy.

Ingredients

500g fish vanjaram blocks,wash and cleaned

6 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp Kashmiri chilly powder

1 tbsp chilly powder

1 1/2 tsp garam masala 

1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

Pinch of cardamom powder

1 tbsp ghee

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Methods

In a large bowl, add turmeric powder,chilly powder,Kashmiri chilly powder,ginger garlic paste,salt,lemon juic, ghee,cardamom powder and garam masala. Mix well to a paste.

Add the fish and gently coat with the masala. Cover and marinate for 30-40 minutes.

Heat tawa or girdle pan, add oil and pan fry on both sides till golden and fish are done.

Serve hot.

Barnyard Millet Milk Kesari

Kuthiraivali or Barnyard millet tastes similar to broken rice and can be easily bought from Indian groceries. Low in calories,rich in fibre and iron. This gluten free millet can made into porridge,idli or thosai batter or uppuma and even to feed babies above 1 year.

I used Barnyard millet in my paal kesari. Barnyard millet works great for kesari. It's soft and easily absorp flavours. You may double up the recepi and adjust sweetness according to your preference. Use only fresh or whole milk for the best paal kesari. Skimmed milk is not an option here, you may try but the richness of this dish comes from the combination of fresh milk and ghee. Instead of jaggery you may use vellam or karupatti as sweetener and both goes well to enhance the taste of this simple kesari.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup barnyard millet/kuthiraivali

3 tbsp ghee

10-12 raisins

10-12 cashews,broken

1 cup boiled milk

1/2 cup jaggery

3 cardamom pods,crushed

3 + 1 tbsp ghee

Pinch of kesari food coloring

Pinch of salt

Methods

Wash and drain the barnyard millet. Boil for 10 minutes or till soft.

Add 1 tbsp ghee to a pan and fry the cashews & raisins till golden. Transfer to a plate.

In the same pan, roast the for few minutes.

Add boiled milk and stir. Add jaggery and cook till jaggery completely dissolved.

Season with salt and crushed cardamom pods. Stir well.

Add 3 tbsp ghee and stir. Add kesari food coloring and stir.

Add the fried nuts and raisin. Stir and cook for 6 minutes.

Serve warm.