PANEER TIKKA with YOGURT MINT SAUCE

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"pieces
yellow bell pepper cut to 1" pieces
1/2 cucumber sliced
jalapeno pepper sliced(optional)

Marinade:
2 tbsp chickpea flour
2 tbsp cup thick full fat yogurt
2 tsp red chili powder(deggi mirch)
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp jeera/cumin powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp dried meethi leaves crushed
1 tsp salt or accordingly
2 tbsp white seasame seeds(optional)
4 tbsp oil for pan frying

For the Yogurt Mint Sauce:
1/2 cup non fat yogurt
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp chopped mint
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp white pepper powder
1/2 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.

SPICY GARBANZO PEANUT SALAD - 'Sundal'

     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 cooked
1/2 cup boiled peanuts
4 green chilies
4 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger root
1 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup pomegranate
1/2 fresh grated coconut or frozen
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 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.

STUFFED COOKIES - Pastry stuffed with nuts and dates

                   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.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES STUFFED WITH NUTS AND COCONUT
Makes around 24-30 cookies

350 degrees for 30 minutes
Skill level- Easy 


Ingredients:

For the outer layer:

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup semolina flour
1/2-3/4 water
1 stick or 1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large pinch of saffron
1 tsp crushed dried rose petals

For the stuffing:

1 cup dates
1/2 cup dried figs
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup pistachios
1/2 cup walnuts
1 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.

Authentic Maamoul-Find HERE with steps.(Mama Lebaneseblog)
Authentic Moon Cakes- Find it Here.(AnnCoo Journal)
Authentic Gujia - Find it Here with steps.(Jopreet's Kitchen)

SPINACH PAKODI KADHI with roasted garlic- GUEST POST

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