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I happen to love paneer (non melting, unaged, farmer's cheese).
Growing up, I don't remember mom cooking much paneer (cheese). It was something that we ate at restaurants.
As a South Indian our diet mostly consisted of rice, lentils, vegetables, and chicken. Paneer/cheese was considered 'North Indian food'. So when we wanted to eat, we would go out to a restaurant for a treat, and what a nice treat it was.
As my cooking repertoire expanded, I started experimenting everything at home. I sometimes make my own paneer(quite simple) especially when it is for curries. I make paneer almost every week now; my boys can't get enough of it. When I have to make these for a crowd , I buy it, as it is firmer than the home made ones and much easier.
These paneer skewers are easy to make. They make great appetizers for parties with your favorite dip, use sriracha to climb the roof or the yogurt mint sauce to calm your senses. Just add them to a smooth tomato sauce, and you have a great gravy. They served as a light lunch for my girlfriends and me.
Hope you get to make it sometime. Have a great weekend my friends!PANEER TIKKA SKEWERS with Yogurt Mint Sauce
Ingredients:
For the Paneer:14 oz firm paneer cubed to 1"piecesyellow bell pepper cut to 1" pieces1/2 cucumber slicedjalapeno pepper sliced(optional)
Marinade:2 tbsp chickpea flour2 tbsp cup thick full fat yogurt2 tsp red chili powder(deggi mirch)1/2 tsp garam masala1 tsp ginger paste1 tsp garlic paste1/2 tsp coriander powder1/2 tsp jeera/cumin powder1/2 tsp chaat masala1 tsp dried meethi leaves crushed1 tsp salt or accordingly2 tbsp white seasame seeds(optional)4 tbsp oil for pan frying
For the Yogurt Mint Sauce:1/2 cup non fat yogurt1 tsp cumin2 tbsp chopped mint1/4 tsp sugar1/4 tsp white pepper powder1/2 tsp salt
Method:
1. In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt with all other ingredients for the marinade very well.2. Add the paneer cubes to the marinade and let it sit for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.3. In a large flat saute pan add oil and carefully take off the extra marinade, coat it with some sesame seeds and pan fry the paneer pieces. Cook on both sides. We have chickpea flour in it, so it will form a nice coating and fry up quite well. You could alternatively skewer everything and then pan fry too. But, you will lose the crispy coating that it forms when it is pan fried separately.4. Once everything is fried up, you can dress it up by putting it on a skewer with bell pepper, cucumber and jalapenos or just serve as is.5. Whip all the ingredients for the yogurt mint sauce well and refrigerate until you serve.Serve the skewers on top of a salad, rice, or as an appetizer with the sauce. The yogurt mint sauce works really well as a dressing too.Enjoy!NOTE: The chili powder I've used can be found in Indian grocery stores and the color the paneer has,comes from this powder. But you don't have to use that, you can use any chili powder and vary the amount you use too.
My words his experiences.
"I first ate this version of the salad at a festival in my neighbor's house. The simplest way to describe that festival is 'a doll festival'(GOLU). They keep miniature idols of GOD, and dolls of mythological characters on tiny steps made of wood. The dolls would've been collected over many years, received as gifts, and also inherited from parents and grandparents. Ladies get together, sing, pray, and give this salad in mini bowls to guests.
College days were fun. Going to the beach with my guy friends was an experience. Chennai(in the southern part of India) has some of the nicest beaches. We watched kids playing, moms and dads watching over the kids, and couples walking hand in hand. It truly was a sight.Apart from all of that, beach food was awesome. It consisted of sliced raw mangoes smeared in salt and chili powder, roasted puffed rice, tea sold in aluminum cans, and this SALAD(Sundal). Small boys carrying baskets with this warm salad, shouting out 'sundal,sundal' (which meant 'salad-salad'). We got our salad all wrapped up in a cone made of recycled newspaper. NEAT, huh?
WARM Salad in one hand and the cool sea breeze made us think of one thing. That was one serious issue which seemed to bother us then. HOW in the world do those college boys find beautiful girls? Well,any girl for that matter. We were here sitting, 12 boys men with not one of us dating or one of us having even plans of dating. Looking at them was nice but also filled us with some sort of angst.
So many memories, the same food."This is a warm cooked salad which is very popular among South Indians, who probably have 1000 different ways of making it. Sauteed onions, with spicy chili, ginger/garlic paste tossed in with beans, some pomegranate seeds all make for a filling and a great side.
This is my mom's version, quite popular among our friends and family. My hubby, who has those memories linked to this dish, says "This is the best,I wish I could have one cone, share it with you, walk on a beach and make other men filled with angst."
SPICY GARBANZO AND PEANUT SALAD
Ingredients:
3 cups of Garbanzo beans cooked1/2 cup boiled peanuts4 green chilies4 cloves garlic1 inch ginger root1 red onion thinly sliced1/2 cup pomegranate1/2 fresh grated coconut or frozen1 tsp olive oil1 tsp mustard seeds1 tsp cumin seeds1 tbsp chopped cilantro/dill/ parsley
Method:
1. Grind green chilies, garlic and ginger to a semi smooth paste.2. You can cook garbanzo beans and peanuts together with some salt. 3. In a large pan, add oil. Once the oil gets a little hot, add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them pop.4. Add sliced onion to the oil and fry for a minute.5. Add the green chili,ginger/garlic paste and fry on medium temperature until the raw smell of the garlic vanishes, do not burn.6. Add the garbanzo beans, peanuts and mix well.7. Add the coconut, cilantro and pomegranate and toss well and serve hot or cold.ENJOY!
Note:You can use canned beans, just making sure to rinse it off with hot water very well before using.This travels very well, but remember to add coconut in the last moment as it can go rancid.Toss it in with some brown rice and you have a meal.
Festivals are fun. Festivals in India are very colorful. Whats your favorite festival/holiday?
It's one of those festive weeks for Indians. It's called Ganesh Pooja. The festival of THE ELEPHANT GOD.Throughout India, people celebrate this festival. It's colorful, bright, with people singing,chanting, music screaming everywhere, it's a beautiful atmosphere.Kids dress up in their new clothes, visit family and friends. It's a time when people unite in streets to decorate and it's a big grand affair. Food. This festival is all about Food, ranging from sweets, savory and more sweets with more food.
Keeping that in mind, I've created this sweet/cookie. A marriage between a Moon Cake and Maamoul and out comes offspring, GUJIA. There is no other way to explain this cookie. It all comes together quite well though, you'll see.
I love moon cakes and moon cake molds, I think it is a genius piece of equipment. I enjoy cookies from all around the world, what's not to love, they are buttery, sweet and there's something for everyone.
The coating is a shortbread kind of pastry inspired by Lebanese Ma'amoul, made of semolina flour stuffed with nuts, dates and sweetened shredded coconut. The stuffing is almost like a laddu(Indian sweet), the coating is crispy and not too sweet.
It is a festival season, season to give and enjoy. They are perfect to wrap up and give as gifts.
Here is my 'mix of cultures cookie', for my favorite festival of the year.NOTE:- YOU do not need a mold to make these cookies, I have given some simple alternatives in my recipe method...check #7.
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SHORTBREAD COOKIES STUFFED WITH NUTS AND COCONUTMakes around 24-30 cookies350 degrees for 30 minutesSkill level- Easy Ingredients:
For the outer layer:
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour1 1/2 cup semolina flour1/2-3/4 water1 stick or 1/2 cup melted butter1/2 cup powdered sugar1/4 tsp salt1 large pinch of saffron1 tsp crushed dried rose petals
For the stuffing:
1 cup dates1/2 cup dried figs1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut1/2 cup pistachios1/2 cup walnuts1 tsp kewra essense(optional)1 tsp rose water
2 tbsp cream to brush on top of the cookies before baking.
Method:
1. Take semolina in a small bowl and add water to it and let sit for at least 30 minutes. The semolina will soak up the water completely.2. Mix all other dry ingredients for the outer layer.3. The butter should be melted and has to be at room temperature before you add it to the dry ingredients. 4. Mix well together the dry ingredients and the semolina with the butter and make a smooth dough. If the dough is too dry add a tbsp or more to make it smooth. MAKE sure not to work the dough too much. Mix till it incorporates well and is smooth and not too dry nor very wet.5. Leave it at room temperature covered tightly for 2 hours.6. In a food processor add all the ingredients for the stuffing and make a coarse and solid mix. Make sure to grind the nuts a bit fine, because when you use the mold the nuts don't stick out.7. Make equal portions of the outer layer and the stuffing. I used a scale and made the outer layer portioned out 25 grams each and the stuffing 10 to 15 grams. This way you get everything similar in size and bakes evenly. 8. Take a portion of the outer coating and flatten, make sure the center is a bit thicker than the edges. Put the stuffing in, bring the edges together to make a round ball and use a moon cake mold to make the cookies.ALTERNATIVELY- You can just make a ball and flatten it with your palm or press with some water glass which has some design or press with POTATO MASHER very lightly so you get the design and you also get it flattened.8. Put it on a parchment sheet or any non stick baking sheet,brush it with some cream for the sheen and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Mine took 30 minutes.COOL and you can store this at room temperature for up to 10 days in a air tight container.ENJOY!!
Note: Every oven is different, so if you see the cookies are browning too quickly, please turn down the temperature a notch. If your feel that the design of the cookie is getting dull or not sharp before you make all the them, put the cookies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before baking.
You might have left over stuffing depending on the amount you use.
Today I am happy to be guest writing for one of my first blogger friends. Now, we all know blogging is a lot of work which we all love, but doing it with two little ones can pose some challenges. Shruthi, a beautiful photographer manages both pretty well and her sincerity can be seen in her work. PLEASE visit her beautiful blog Part time chef, for this recipe and do check out some of her gorgeous pictures. Please do show her some of the love and support you have shown me. Thank you so much.
Today, I have a very popular North Indian dish, Kadhi. A simple yogurt gravy which is made special by addition some fritters. It goes perfect with rotis/flatbread or rice. Very popular in the northern part of India. I have made it my version by roasting some garlic as a surprise addition. For the full recipe check out Here.
Thanks Shruthi for giving me this opportunity and letting me take over your blog for a day. Looking forward to a growing friendship.
ENJOY IT WITH:Rotis-
Rotis on flame method-from RaksKitchen
Authentic Lassi:
Punjabi Sweet Lassi -from VegrecipesofIndia
Frozen Dessert:
Mango Lassi Popsicles- from Just One Cookbook
Remembering is easy, it's forgetting that's hard.- Brodi AshtonStanding behind the iron railed balcony, I would look at the clock to turn 3.45 p.m. My aunt's office bus would drop her off at the end of the road. I could see her walk from the corner, a little tired but glad to get home. For a 9 year old that was a long 3 minutes to wait. The moment she reached within eyesight, all I was interested in was if she had a plastic bag in her hands. If she did, I could not contain my happiness. I knew what she got for us. It would either be the Apple cake or Honey cake. After patiently waiting for her to serve it to us, it was so hard not to eat the cake fast. I would take small bites, slowing down as I get to the bottom of the cake, which, by the way, was the best. It was juicy, coconutty, sweet and heavenly.When I think of this cake, I can feel the taste and my mouth waters immediately.
This was way way back then..feels like yesterday. Fast forward and my boy shares the same passion for this cake as I do. He wishes for this cake to be a'surprise' family birthday cake every year. I guess, he secretly doesn't want to share it with anyone(can't blame him)..:)
This was quite a popular cake in Bangalore(Southern part of India), which is known as the Iyengar Bakery Honey Cake.What's a girl to do when she craves this in the middle of the day now...now that she is way way way away from home town. Of course GOOGLE it and get to the bottom of the recipe, which I did. I've probably made this 17 times in the last few years. It's special.
It almost tastes the same and an absolute favorite among friends too. You have to try it, if you love honey and coconut, this might be something you will fall in love with. I Love my Honey, coconut and this cake.This version is quite different compared to the Jewish HONEY CAKE which is quite popular here.It's a sponge cake doused with orange, honey, cardamom syrup. The cake sits with the sweet syrup on top, slowly getting soaked in. The more it soaks, the better it gets. Perfect for potlucks, make it the previous day and take it to a friend place, scoop it or cut it, it's good anyway.
ENJOY YOUR LONG WEEKEND!!Yes, I haven't forgotten. Thanks a lot for commenting on my 50th post and the winner of the giveaway is VEGAN MIAM. Congrats and thanks again for showing me some love, love you back.HONEY CAKE(sponge cake drowned with honey,orange and cardamom syrup)
Ingredients:
For the cake:2 cups all purpose flour1 tbsp baking powderpinch of salt4 large eggs2 sticks butter1 cup granulated sugar4 tbsp of milk1 tsp vanilla extract
For the syrup:1 1/2 water1 cup orange honey1 cup coconut powder1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice1/2 tsp fresh cardamom powdera pinch of red color if you want
Method:1. In a pan on medium flame add all the ingredients for the SYRUP except the cardamom and boil for 10 minutes. Take off the stove and add the cardamom powder, let cool.2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.3. In a mixing bowl, whip the butter till light and fluffy. Add sugar 1/4 cup at a time and beat well. 4. Add one egg at a time along with vanilla extract and beat well.5. Mix the dry ingredients well. Fold it in the butter mixture and do not over mix.6. Bake the cake in a 8" casserole dish or a baking pan anywhere from 40-50 minutes depending on how your oven works. Mine took 50 minutes. Check with a skewer.7. Let cool the cake for 20 minutes.8. Pierce the cake with wooden toothpick randomly and drown it with the beautiful SYRUP,making sure to mix the syrup well before pouring, because the coconut tends to float. Let sit at least 2 hours before serving.ENJOY!!
NOTE: Coconut powder is a coarse dried unsweetened powder. You can check the link out..Here.
HAPPY SUNDAY GUYS!!My week was quite an eventful one.
Have you ever silently scolded someone and a few moments later thanked them(in your mind)? We were in a small store which sells school uniforms. I finished my purchases and quickly decided to check my receipt with the number of clothes. Left my phone for 40 seconds on the counter. A minute later realized that I didn't have my phone and I was standing exactly in the same place. IT WAS GONE...
I used the store to call my phone a few times. Completely panicked and helpless. A good guy who was working in the counter kept trying my number as we intently listened if it rang somewhere close. No where, no where we could find it.Heads down, disappointed, worried, angry and annoyed, we decided to get home and find a way to get the phone back. I gave the good guy my home number and asked him to call me if he ever hears about it. My teen told me he has the 'Find My iPhone' app, and we decided to come home and try out our luck.For 15 minutes I felt like my life was paused...gosh...have we given our phones that much control over us?? Well, walking out to our car, a van with 4 women stopped and shouted out, 'go check in the bathroom stall, we saw some phone..', we did ...and GUESS what?, we found it in a bathroom stall! OK, I have no clue how it went there or what happened in a minute...especially because we hadn't gone to the bathroom, but was I glad, really glad. Got in the car all happy and promised myself to be more careful and completely forgot about the good guy in the store, and guess what, saw him running towards me. He heard from one of the customers that we found the phone and he was so happy for us. I apologized for not informing that I found it and felt so guilty.
It was a bittersweet day and today is a bittersweet Sunday too. School starts tomorrow and we are celebrating with these RICOTTA COCOA WAFFLES.
This is one of those things I make almost every month and I have all good intentions to freeze some for the next week, never happens. It's that good. Simple, add everything to mix up and leave it for 30 minutes and make your waffles, comes out perfect every time. The batter can be mixed the previous night and made fresh in the morning. Very fancy, healthy and oh so yummy.
Cheers to a finding the phone, a sweet guy who cared, to the person who decided to leave my phone alone, cheers to a great week. Happy week my friends.But, before I sign off, have you every being so mad at someone but actually thanked them later?
RICOTTA COCOA WAFFLESPrep time- 10 minsCook time- 5 minsMakes 12-15Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour1/2 cup almond flour1 cup rolled oats1/2 cup brown sugar1 overripe banana1/2 cup of strawberries or raspberries1 tbsp baking powder1 tsp baking soda2 tbsp cocoa powder2 large eggs1 cup part skim ricotta cheese1/2 cup butter milk 2 tbsp melted butter1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Method:
1. Add ricotta cheese, butter milk, eggs,banana,strawberry in a blender and mix well.2. Add oats and sugar and blend it well.3. Pour in a bowl and mix in all other ingredients and make sure not to overmix.You can leave it for 30 minutes to overnight to make the waffles.4. Preheat waffle iron. Spray the iron with non stick butter spray and pour one ladle of the mix and cook for 5 minutes or until it's cooked. Serve HOT.ENJOY!!
Note:The batter is perfect made the previous night. Mix it a bit when you make it the next day.These waffles freeze really really well.For FLUFFIER waffles, you could whip the egg whites separately and fold it in. I've doubled the recipe, that why I have 4 eggs and a lot more in the pictures.
I am not Vegan.
I eat gluten in some form every day.
Healthy food habits...not all the time.
We do go sometimes Vegan for a week, just to see how it feels. Being a South Indian, rice is a huge part of our daily meals, we naturally follow a gluten free diet to a certain extent.
Now about eating and following a healthy lifestyle, wish I was more consistent with it. We eat quite healthy, actually very healthy, but after a good healthy meal, we go out for Gelato:). My new favorite flavor FicoPistachio, oh yum. OK, I don't eat ice cream everyday, but I need a sweet something after dinner time. Do you crave a dessert after your dinner?
Another thing we love after dinner, especially during weekends is music. The guitar comes out, karaoke mike turned on, fighting over who goes first with their choice is usually a scene on a Friday night. It's so much fun that we started our monthly karaoke get together with some friends who enjoy singing. Well some of us do sound like Cameron Diaz(including me) from 'MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING', but hey, we have fun. Do you think you sound different during karaoke?,I definitely think I do.
This month for our karaoke meet I got to make these crackers and dip. After some unsuccessful guesses as to what went into the dip, they couldn't believe it was Golden Beets and loved how light and good it was. Served it with Roquefort and goat cheese coated with pistachios and drizzled with pineapple marmalade. A good evening it was.
The crackers are crispy and spicy and they go perfect with the dip which is light and tasty.Of course, I haven't given up on my chips and salsa, but I love this combination too. In fact this dip makes for a very good sauce for pasta, so double whammy there right..?
Here goes the gluten free, vegan and very easy crackers and a healthy dip to go along.
BUCKWHEAT/FLAX SEED SPICY CRACKER AND GOLDEN BEETS DIP
CRACKERS:Ingredients:
1/2 cup buckwheat flour(you could get buckwheat and grind it)1/2 cup finely ground flax seeds1/4 cup almond flour2 finely chopped garlic2 finely grated green chilies1 tbsp agave nectar1 tbsp chia seeds1 tbsp poppy seeds(optional, for crunch)1/2 tsp salt(or accordingly)Water to mix.
Method:
1. Add all the ingredients except water and mix it with a whisk.2. Add 2 tbsp of water at a time and mix everything so that it forms a dough. Do not add more water. It has to be a stiff dough. Let rest for 15 minutes.3. Roll the dough pretty thin on a turned baking sheet or rolling mat. Use pizza cutter or a knife and cut to any shape you want. Transfer the cookies very carefully to a lined baking sheet. 4. Bake at 300-325 degrees in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until it browns lightly on the sides. If you want crispier crackers, turn off the oven and leave the cracker in the oven for another hour. ENJOY!
DIP/HUMMUSIngredients:
2 jalapenos3 small golden beets1 cup white beans/cannellini beans(I used canned)4 garlic cloves1 tbsp white sesame seeds1 large lemon juiced1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil1/2 tsp salt(or accordingly)fresh crushed pepper
Method:
1. Slice jalapenos and golden beets. Grill it indoors or on an outdoor grill. Once it is grilled and cooked, take it out and wrap with aluminum foil and keep aside. I leave the seeds in the jalapenos, you could remove it if you want.2. Using a food processor to grind the jalapenos and golden beets..3 Then add all the other ingredients and grind till you get a nice hummus texture, then grind some fresh pepper and mix well.4. Serve with little crushed pepper and drizzle of olive oil on top.
ENJOY!! Have a great week and thank you so much for your kind words on my previous post. I truly appreciate your comments, I feel more inspired and motivated by your kind words.
