MATAR PANEER

22.10.2020: A paneer recipe after ages! When I started the blog, I was worried I’d be pegged as a Paneer Recipes blog as that was all I ended up posting initially. Here are some of the Paneer recipes on my blog – Chilly Paneer, Paneer Jalfrezi , Paneer Butter Masala, Paneer Bhurji , Malai Kofta, Shahi Paneer, Masala Paneer, Cottage Cheese, Corn and Broccoli Salad, Paneer Rasmalai.

I have been cooking paneer dishes all this while but the thought of clicking pictures just before dinnertime is *sigh* such a drag. The other day I asked R not to cook dinner. I wanted to try a new dish I had seen online. I later changed my mind and said I would make it for lunch instead, on a weekend. I had to click good pictures you see and that doesn’t happen post evening.

This recipe is adapted from Sanjyot Keer’s recipe.

The gravy is a bit chunky as the onions aren’t ground to a paste. The golden brown onions lend a mild sweetness to the gravy which is perfectly balanced with the tanginess from tomatoes. Roasted besan thickens the gravy. This goes best with rotis. We had this gravy with laccha paranthas and masala egg fry.

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MATAR PANEER

Ingredients:

Paneer – 250 gms

Tomatoes (medium sized) – 5 -6

Ghee/Oil

Onions (medium sized)- 2-3

Jeera (cumin)- 1 tbsp

Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsp

Green Chilly – 1

Turmeric powder –1/2 tsp

Red chilly powder-1 tbsp

Besan (Gram flour) – 1 tbsp (roasted)

Coriander powder- 1 tbsp

Green peas – 1 cup

Water – 200 ml

Garam masala- 1 tsp

Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) – 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves – 2 tbsps

Salt – to taste

Method:

1.   Blend the tomatoes into a fine paste and set aside.

2.   In a pan, heat some oil/ghee. Add jeera and sauté until it splutters.

3.   Add finely chopped onions and cook until it turns golden-brown.

4.  Add ginger garlic paste, finely chopped green chilly and turmeric powder. Cook for about 2 minutes.   

5.   Add the tomato puree. Add salt to taste and cook for a minute.

6. Add besan, chilly powder, coriander powder and cook till oil begins to leave the mixture.

7.  Add green peas . Mix well, cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 5 mins. If the mixture is too dry, add a little water.

8.   After 5 minutes, add about 200 ml of water and bring the gravy to a boil.

9. Add the paneer pieces and cook for 5 minutes more.

10. Add the garam masala and kasoori methi. Sprinkle fresh coriander leaves on top.

11. Done.

 

Recipe notes:

·       In the original recipe, the pieces of paneer are fried in butter along with slices of ginger and chilly. I have skipped this step as I don’t like fried paneer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAMOSA

09.05.2020: About 100 metres away from our house is a bakery that sells Samosas. At times when I have too much work at office, I take a two minute break and think about these Samosas. Pre-Covid times had me eating these Samosas about once a month. During the lockdown, I was craving for Samosas and decided to make them at home. I’d never imagined I’d be making them at home! Lockdown had me trying out a lot of dishes I’d never have otherwise tried at home.

My friend S sent me a video of Ring Samosas that looked so pretty. So, first I made the regular looking Samosa and then on Skip’s birthday, I made the ring Samosas. I have used the same recipe for both. Also, I didn’t have most of the masalas (spices) required for the filling, but the Samosa still tasted good. I will list all the ingredients as shown in the original recipe but the filling tastes just as great even with minimal spices. I need to blow my own trumpet, I was mighty pleased with myself for having made Samosas at home. The conical ones are slightly browned, those are from my first attempt but they tasted great! The shell was crispy and the filling was spicy and tangy. I had some homemade date and tamarind chutney to go along with it.

The ring Samosas are perfect party snacks, they taste great, they look pretty and they are easy to make. Here are a few TIPS to get your Samosa right:

1.      Knead a tight dough, do not add too much water.

2.      The oil shouldn’t be too hot when you drop the dough in for frying and keep the flame on low.

3.      When you’re frying the second batch, if you find the oil too hot, turn off the flame and light it again after a few minutes once the oil has cooled down.

Here’s a video of me making the ring shaped Samosa:

SAMOSA

Ingredients:

For the shell:

Maida (All purpose flour) – 2 cups

Salt – 1 tsp

Ajwain (carom seeds) – 1 tsp

Ghee/oil – 4 tsp

Water

For the filling:

Oil –As required

Jeera (cumin seeds) – 1 tsp

Hing (Asafoetida) – 1 tsp

Saunf (Fennel) – 1 tsp

Ginger-Garlic paste – 1 tbsp

Boiled Potatoes – 4-5 medium sized

Red Chilli Powder – 1 tbsp

Coriander powder – 1 tbsp

Chopped Green Chilly – 1

Salt – to taste

Green peas – ½ cup

Cumin powder -1 tsp

Anardana powder (dried pomegranate seeds) – 1 tbsp

Aamchur powder (dried mango) – ½ tsp

Fresh coriander – 1 tbsp

Method:

1.    Shell: Add Ghee/oil to maida, salt and ajwain mixture and combine it well. Add water as required and knead it into semi-hard dough. Cover it with a moist cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes. You may make the filling during this period.

2.   Filling: Heat oil in a pan. Add jeera, hing and saunf to it. Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a minute.

3.    Crumble the potatoes and add it to the pan (mash the potatoes a bit more for the ring Samosa). To this, add red chilli powder, coriander powder, green chilly and salt. Mix and sauté well.

4.     Add the green peas. Cook until the moisture in the potato evaporates.

5.  To this add the cumin powder, anardaana powder, aamchur powder and coriander. Cook for about 3 minutes more. Set aside and let the mixture cool.

6.      Divide the dough into roundels, flatten it and then shape it as desired.

7.      Once the Samosas are shaped, let it rest for 15 minutes.

8.      Deep – fry the dough on low flame for about 10 minutes or until it browns.

9.      Done.

Recipe Notes:

·        Refer to TIPS mentioned above.

When lockdown was declared in March, I got my drawing book out and decided to try something new and sketch a portrait. I scrolled through images and settled on the picture of my little pudding of a nephew. As I struggled on getting those jiggly cheeks and piercing eyes right, I realised portraits was not my cup of tea or I should probably chose a random image from the net that doesn’t bear resemblance to anyone I know. Typically, not one to leave any work incomplete, I couldn’t get myself to finish this project.

I made this Mandala instead and as I didn’t have a geometry box at home, this one was made using bowls and lids.