Kadai Paneer Recipe with Homemade Kadai Masala Powder

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There are numerous paneer recipes and amongst all, Kadai Paneer has a special place in our hearts. Especially, when made with a freshly ground kadai masala, this luscious curry is to die for. Put your favorite music and do spend an hour on a Sunday afternoon to make this flavorful curry. Almost anything goes with this dish and I highly recommend some fried rice or if you are feeling lazy frozen naan from trader joes work too. 

[Meatless Monday] H for Hara Bhara Kebabs (Spinach Patties) | H for Happy! + a chance to win one of three copies of "Rainbows in the Desert and Other Stories" book

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Learn how to make an easy vegan appetizer recipe that is sure to please your friends and family. 'Hara Bhara' literally translates to 'All things Green'. Though traditionally it is spinach that is used for this recipe, feel free to replace with any firm greens on hand. Taste will slightly vary and I recommend blanching them lightly before using in the patty mixture. As an accompaniment, try this killer no-cook coriander chutney (from BongMom's cookbook ). :-)

Stuffed Okra (Bhindi) with Indian Cottage Cheese (Paneer) in Tomato Gravy Recipe

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My favorite vegetable is Okra i.e ladies finger or bhindi as we call here in India. Many of my friends tease me for my cravings to this supposedly a "slimy vegetable". But, I say any vegetable if cooked properly will taste fabulous and Okra is no exception. Today's recipe is one such fantastic variation (If I may say so) which I learnt from my mom. It is as simple as: stuffing okra with grated paneer, pan frying it until slightly charred and then dunking into a tomato gravy. This dish goes well with rotis and rice. Try it, am sure it will enter your favorite list too!.

Enjoy..

Amma's Recipes: Paneer and Spinach (Palak) Parathas | Paneer Paranthas | Indian Cottage Cheese Parathas - a Step by Step Recipe

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If there is anything in the world that comforts me on a dull, dreary monsoon day is amma's cooking. Whether its her Chana Dal Wadi ki Kadhi (Lentil Dumplings in Yogurt Gravy) with steamed rice or Hyderabadi Double Ka Meetha | Bread Pudding with Nuts and Raisins, she has a knack for bringing smiles with comforting meals to people around her.

Its raining cats and dogs since past few days here in Hyderabad and the weather in general is not-so-good for any physical activity. I just want to curl up into bed and sleep for long hours without anybody reminding me of the never-ending to-do-list. Well, that's just a dream distant now, but one thing I can definitely do is pester my mom to make something delicious and just relax. At least I don't have to worry about some good food getting on to the plate. Isn't it.

Our dinner last night were these subtly spiced Paneer and Spinach Parathas and Oh my, these taste so so good. I just couldn't take off my hands as these parathas were flying off the griddle. But, there was a job (to photograph them) at hand. So, I quickly clicked a few and quietly enjoyed my meal. I was in food-heaven you see! :-)

Now it your turn to make these and Enjoy!

Paneer and Spinach Parathas with fried green chillies to give it a dhaba-like feel. 

{Recipe} Paneer and Spinach (Palak) Parathas 

Makes around 10-12 parathas

Ingredients: 

For the dough:

3 cups Whole wheat flour (atta)
1 bunch or 1 cup tightly packed of spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp olive oil (or ghee or any oil)

For the stuffing:

250 gms of paneer/indian cottage cheese, grated
2 small bunches of coriander or cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp amchur /dry mango powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt - to taste
1/2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

To serve as accompaniments - Fried green chillies, Yogurt, Pickle

Preparation:

1. Gently mix all ingredients listed under "For the stuffing". Keep aside.

grated Paneer Stuffing

2. Blend together spinach, lemon juice and 1/4 cup water until smooth. In a mixing bowl, add flour, salt, olive oil and spinach paste. Mix and knead until smooth dough by adding enough water. Make into lemon-sized portions.

3. Roll out each portion of the dough.

4. Place a tbsp of stuffing in the middle.

5. Seal all edges like you do for a dumpling.

6. Do the same for rest of the dough portions as well. It is important to not to roll out these stuffed dumplings immediately. Rest them for 5-10 mins.

7. Place sealed side down and gently roll out into a paratha.

8. Heat a griddle and cook both sides of the paratha with some oil or ghee. Repeat with rest of the parathas as well.

Fry some green chillies until charred and serve them as accompaniment to these parathas along with yogurt and pickle. Truly dhaba-style! :-)

Thank you Amma, I Love You.

Amma's recipes is a column on this blog, which is very close to my heart. These are the recipes which my mother perfected over many many years and reflects how awesome a cook she is. It is also fun to just photograph once in a while, without thinking about what and how to make a recipe, worrying whether it would turn out well or not. She Cooks, I Photograph. That is the deal. :-) If you guys have any question, do drop in a line or comment on this post. My mom will be more than happy to answer all of them.

until next time,

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{Recipe} Paneer Jalfrezi (Indian Cottage Cheese with Mixed Vegetables) with Home-made Coconut Milk Fried Rice + winners for Quick Fix Indian giveaway announced

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It's monsoon time here in Hyderabad with heavy, sporadic rains almost every evening. A hot cup of chai with few spicy crackers or sometimes just biscuits on the side along with a book in hand is a usual affair.  Here are my latest reads  -

1. Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot #10) by Agatha Christie - Can I say am in love with Mr.Poirot, such a witty guy. I can't wait to start on other books in this series.

2. Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella - a total chic flick. this is my second book of Sophie's and I feel her stories are perfect to me made into a bollywood movie. Anybody agrees with me? ;-)

3. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. - If you are up for an emotional roller coaster ride, then pick up this book. The language by the author is simple, prose good and there are many parts of the book which will sting you like a bee and make you realize the hardships of the poor. The plotline seems predictable, but actually its not and I like the way it unfolds in both the worlds of Asha and Kavita. These characters will stay with me forever. It is the sad and unfortunate reality (which I completely detest) of the society today that boys are favored over girls and after reading this book, it made me realise how lucky I am to have such progressive parents who still to this day strive for the betterment and happiness of me and my little sister.

Paneer Jalfrezi (Indian Cottage Cheese with Mixed Vegetables) with Fried Rice

So, during my weekend grocery shopping I spotted these beautiful red and yellow peppers, all I could think was Paneer Jalfrezi, a colorful, dry side dish very popularly made  in many indian restaurants. Accompanied to that was a usual fried rice but with a twist of home-made coconut milk. These were served as a Sunday lunch to for few close friends and family, thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Adding coconut milk was amma's idea. Full credit to her as the rice had a nice, slightly mellow hint of coconut-ey flavor which added a new essence to it.

Slightly sweet and spicy - What a beautiful pepper(s) to cook with. 

One can never have too much paneer. ;-)

Veggies, chopped roughly to the size of paneer - ready to be sauteed.

All mixed in and simmering. 

Rice on the side - home-made coconut milk with no preservatives add a nice touch to the usual fried rice. 

pressure off, ready to be fluffed with a fork!

Want to grab a plate?

Paneer Jalfrezi

{Recipe} Paneer Jalfrezi with Home-made Coconut Milk Fried Rice 

Home-made Coconut Milk Fried Rice - Cut a whole coconut into pieces and grind it until smooth paste. In a muslin cloth, squeeze as much coconut milk you can into a bowl. Give it a rest for few minutes and squeeze for more.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
1 bunch mint leaves, chopped (2 tightly packed cups)
3-4 green chillies, slit in the middle
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp garam masala or biryani masala
3 cups home-made coconut milk diluted with little water
3 tbsp oil
1 cup mixed vegetables, chopped - carrot,beans,peas etc (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a pressure cooker, heat oil, add onion, mint leaves, ginger-garlic paste and fry these for 2 mins.

2. Now, add in garam/biryani masala, green chillies and vegetables(if using any). Cook these for 2-3 mins.  Season with salt, add rice and cook for a minute.

3. Finally add the coconut milk and pressure cook until 1 whistle. Turn off the heat and once pressure has subsided, fluff with fork.

Serve hot with any spicy side dish and raita.

Paneer Jalfrezi (Indian Cottage Cheese with MixedVegetables)

Ingredients:

1 cup of paneer/indian cottage cheese, cut into strips (immerse in salted hot water until use)
3 cups of mixed veggies - I used 3 kinds of bell peppers - green, yellow, red and zucchini
1 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
3 tbsp of tomato puree (add one more finely sliced tomato if there is no tomato pure on hand)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
salt to taste
1/8 tsp turmeric
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) - optional
4 tbsp vegetable oil
lemon juice and coriander leaves - for garnish

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Once they start to sizzle, add onions and ginger-garlic paste. Saute on medium-low heat for few minutes. Add mixed veggies. Cook half-way through. Make sure the veggies are still crunchy and not mushy.

2. Add tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato ketchup, salt and turmeric. Mix well. Add 1 cup of water as well.

3. Add chilli powder and coriander powder. Rub the kasuri methi between your palms and sprinkle the leaves. Cover and cook on low for few minutes, stirring once or twice in the middle.

4. Lightly squeeze water out of paneer pieces and add to the veggies. Gently mix. the spices must evenly coat the paneer. Let it simmer on low heat for 8-10 minutes, covered.

5. Turn off the heat. Add lemon juice and top with coriander leaves. Serve with rice or roti.

Lunch/Dinner served - Paneer Jalfrezi (Indian Cottage Cheese with Mixed Vegetables)

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The two lucky winners (randomly chosen by my mom) who won a copy each of  Quick Fix Indian Cookbook by Ruta Kahate giveaway are - Nupur (US) and Hamaree Rasoi (India)

Here were their comments -

NupurJuly 16, 2012 7:34 PM

Good looking tater tots!

My favorite quick-fix recipes would be grilled cheese (bread stuffed with cheese and assorted veg, and a smear of pickle and chutney). I'm located in the US, crossing my fingers that I win this fun cookbook.

Hamaree RasoiJuly 20, 2012 12:23 PMSiri , my quick fix recipe which I make quite often for my son is cut whole wheat bread in round shape with glass and grate some carrot, chopped capsicum, onion, mozzarella cheese on top and season it with salt, oregnao and cilantro leaves. Bake is for 10 minutes!!
These tarter tots are looking so cute and crispy.
Following you via subscribe and Facebook also :-)Finger crossed ;-)

Congratulations fellas. I will send you an email for your shipping addresses pretty soon. 

until next time,

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Amma's Recipes: Nagori Poori | Puri with Paneer Korma

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“A mother's love is something we keep locked deep in our hearts; always knowing it will be there to comfort us.”  ~ Harmony Ferrario

Nagori Poori, all puffed up and ready to be devoured.

Yesterday was Mother's Day - a day that celebrates the essence of a mother, her importance in our lives, to cherish the everlasting bond we share with them and acknowledge their selfless love.

...well, if I may ask, do we really need a special day to express our feelings and make our mothers feel special? Honestly, all my mother would want is to hug her and plant a kiss on her cheek. That in itself is a mother's day for us. :-).  I have talked about her many times before and I never get tired of it. She is an inspiration to me and my little sister and would strive to be like her when I hit 50!

Make sure the dough is stiff.

uncooked poori.

Today's recipe - Nagori Poori is a recipe I bookmarked eons ago and the korma recipe is my mom's classic and a long time family favorite. It is very versatile and works best with any combination of vegetables, meat, eggs and paneer/tofu.

The weather here in Hyderabad is quite unpredictable these days. Durring one such chilly, gloomy days, my mother made these with spicy paneer korma on the side. Amidst some funny family conversations and while watching a old black & white Telugu movie, these pooris were devoured until the last morsel and gone in matter of minutes. :-)

Now, its your turn to enjoy! Buon appetito..

Paneer Korma. 

{Recipe}  Nagori Poori with Paneer Korma

Adapted from here. NDTV Cooks

Makes 5-6 medium sized pooris

Ingredients:

1 cup maida/all purpose flour
2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp yogurt/dahi
1/4 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
salt- to taste
1/2 cup or less water
oil - for frying

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, mix maida, ghee, ajwain, salt and yogurt. Add water little by little and knead to a stiff dough.

2. Make small lemon sized balls of the dough and roll out into small rounds.

Note: Click here for step by step pictures of frying a traditional poori.

3. Heat oil. Slide one-poori-at-a-time into hot (not smoking) oil and it almost instantly rises up. For puffy pooris, the trick is to press down slightly.  Fry until light golden brown. Drain all excess oil and drop them onto a paper towel. Serve immediately to enjoy them at their best taste.

Paneer Korma:

Cut paneer into small cubes and fry them in oil until light golden brown. Drain excess oil on paper towels. Follow this post for the korma recipe. Just add the fried paneer at the very end.

We all scream for poori!!!

Previously posted Amma's Recipes:

Instant Mango Pickle
Chana Dal Wadi ki Kadhi (Lentil Dumplings in Yogurt Gravy)
Cut Mirchi Bhajji (Double Fried Cut Chilli Fritters)

Kova Billalu & Kobbari Undalu (Ammama's recipe)

Eggplants stuffed with a Spice paste

Spice Powder for Dry Curries

Poori Bhaji/Poori Koora 

Coconut Chutney and Babycorn Kurma

Vegetable Biryani

Aloo/Tofu Kurma (Version 1)

until next time,

Lets Paint It 'Green' II - Hara Bhara Paneer Pulao

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The meaning of comfort food varies from person to person and for me it invariably involves 'rice'. The variety of recipes that can be made with our humble grain - sometimes seems just endless. The minute I declare one as my absolute favourite, a new dish pops up and becomes a perfect week night dinner.

...continuing my quest of posting only 'naturally green colored' recipes this week (Click here to know why), here is one such pulao which am sure will appeal to all. The added goodness of greens makes it nutritious and corn kernels with tiny paneer cubes gives it a nice body & crunch. You wouldn't need any other side dish as accompaniment. Serve it with any cool raita and Enjoy!

{Recipe} Hara Bhara Paneer Pulao

Adapted from Tasty Touch

Ingredients:

Greens used for this recipe: 4 cups spinach (palak), 1/2 cup mint (pudina) leaves, 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
3 green chillies
1 tsp ginger, minced
2 cups uncooked rice, (I used sona masoori, basamati would be the ideal choice) soaked in water for 15 minutes
1 cup paneer, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 bay leaves
1" cinnamon stick
2 cloves (lavangalu)
1/2 tsp cumin-coriander powder (or) 1/4 tsp each of cumin powder & coriander powder
2 tbsp oil

Preparation:

1. Blanch Spinach: Fill a large pot with water, bring it to boil, add spinach and blanch for not more than 30 seconds, until they turn brilliant green. Using a slotted spoon remove the spinach and plunge into a bowl of cold water, to retain their color. Squeeze out all the excess water. Keep aside. Don't throw away the liquid, we will use it later.

2. Grind together - blanched spinach, mint, coriander leaves, green chillies and ginger with little water into a smooth paste.

3. Heat about a tsp of oil in a pan and fry paneer pieces into slightly golden color. Set aside.

4. In a same pan, add rest of oil and add bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves. Fry for couple of minutes on low-medium flame until fragrant. Add corn kernels and spinach paste. Cook for few minutes until the raw taste disappears.

5. Add rice, salt and cumin-coriander powder. Gently mix everything. Add in 4 cups of boiling water. Cook until rice is completely cooked. Note: Alternatively, you can put everything and cook in a rice cooker.

6. Finally toss paneer cubes into the pulao. Serve with raita.

Here is what other FSB members have posted until now -

Mittu - Blueberry and Lavender Cream Pie [Violet]
Nags - Easy Basic Cake Pops [Blue]
DK - Risotto Alla Milanese [Yellow]
Deepti - Citrus Golden Sangria [Orange]
Lata - White and kidney beans falafels and spicy hot vandikkaran chutney, Filled and Grilled Red Peppers, Jam and Fruit Tart [Red]

2011 Holiday Give Away(s)

Just 3 days left for this season's holiday give away to end. Check out these and enter today - One for peeps in India and other for US residents. You may be the lucky reader who either wins a year long subscription for BBC Good Food Magazine (or) the 75th anniversary edition of the very classic 'Joy Of Cooking' cookbook. Last Date to leave a comment - December 31st 2011, midnight (IST). Winners will be announced on January 1st 2012. :-)

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Iron Rich Foods: Paneer Methi Chaman

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Iron deficiency is one of the common problems that we, women deal with and iron rich diet is often highly recommended. Why do we exactly need Iron? - its main use is to transport oxygen to the body, ensure that our immunity system is strong and to produce energy in the body. Some of the main sources of iron are - beet root, spinach, broccoli, spinach, lentils, almonds, dates etc.

Today let us talk about our beloved Spinach. Shall we - Its not just meant for Popeye, but for all his fans too :). Me and my husband are ardent fans of both popeye and spinach. I sometimes jokingly say that my husband might be an avatar of Popeye as he can eat spinach all through the week!!

Spinach, the generously green plant is one of the popular iron foods. In a serving of 180g (3/4 cup) of spinach, body gets 6.43mg of iron.

Paneer Methi Chaman

When we are talking about *Iron-rich* recipes, the first thing that comes to our mind is -"Greens". This dish has loads of them and combined with Paneer, it tastes even better. The addition of both fresh fenugreek leaves and kasuri methi gives it an unbeatable flavor quotient.

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Serves 4

Adapted from Tarla Dalal's Know Your Green Leafy Vegetables

Ingredients -

4 cups spinach, roughly chopped

1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)

2 cups fenugreek leaves, roughly chopped

1 cup paneer (indian cottage cheese), cubed

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

1/2 cup onions, chopped

1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)

a pinch of turmeric

1/4 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp dhania powder (coriander powder)

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/4 tsp garam masala

salt to taste

some fresh coriander - for garnishing

Preparation -

Step 1: Heat a small pan on medium heat and roast the dried fenugreek leaves till crisp for 1-2 mins. Keep aside.

Step 2: Boil water in a vessel and blanch the spinach and fenugreek leaves for 2-3 mins. To retain the bright green color, place the greens under cold water immediately.

Step 3: Drain the greens and blend in a mixer till smooth, adding little water at a time. Keep aside.

Step 4: Heat oil in a wide pan and add cumin seeds and onions. Saute until light golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste. Mix and cook for 1-2 mins until the raw taste disappears. Season with asafoetida, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and dried fenugreek leaves (crushed between both the palms). Saute everything for 3-4 mins on medium-low flame.

Step 5: Add salt, paneer cubes (which can be added as-is or lightly fried in 1/2 tsp of oil, like I did) and garam masala. Depending on the consistency you want, add about 1/4 cup of water if desired. Cook on a medium-low flame for 4-5 mins, stirring once or twice in between.

Step 6: Garnish and Serve.

Note: If you want a rich, creamy taste, add in cream, milk or half-and-half.

Nitin bhayya - this post is for you. I hope - aap ye bhabhiji ke liye banauge and khilaoge bhi ;-)

Have a gorgeous weekend - for people on the west coast and for east coast - Stay warm, have hot soups and enjoy the snow :)

until next time,
Siri

[Farmer's Market Series # 1] Mountain View, California and Mutter Paneer Tava fry Recipe

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Fall is here and so are the bounty full of beautiful fruits and vegetables in the markets. No, I am not talking about the Super markets like this & this where water is sprinkled all-day-long to give a fake-fresh-look to the fruits & vegetables. Yes, I am talking about our age old 'Farmer's Market' where we get to see & meet the *real people* who have grown the produce. It has been almost 2 weeks that we moved to Mountain View & it was time for us to check out its popular Farmer's Market, which is open only from 9am to 1pm, every Sunday.

Make sure you have lots of cash & a recyclable (optional, just make you feel more greener) bag to fill up the produce before you hit the market. You get almost everything here - from the freshly baked bread to juiciest & sweetest asian pears to squeezed pomegranate juice, in its purest form (with no added sugar).

All those who are enthusiastic about gardening can pick up fresh herbs for a very reasonable price to grow in your balconies or backyards and if you wish to know tips & tricks about how to grow them, all you need to do ask the guy there. He will be more than happy to share all his trade secrets with a huge smile on his face. :)

Hitting early to the market is a good idea as then you can have the best ones to choose from. Also, almost every stall has free samples of their produce, so don't have your breakfast. *wink*. Trust me, by the time you reach the last stall, you will burp with contentment.

Fresh basil and an my invisible foodie-mate, standing right beside me was screaming for some home-made pesto.!

a variety of peppers, almost in every color. Beautiful.

These sun-dried apricots were absolutely delish.

As we were running low on cash this time, we didn't shop around much at Farmer's market. Next week, we are determined to get lots of stuff. I will take some pictures then and share with you all. 

Inspired by her raw vegan challenge, WE have decided to eat raw food at least once a day, from next week onwards to kind to detoxify our bodies. A challenge we have never done before. So, wish us all the very best and I will keep you posted about our progress. :)

Today's dish (not a recipe per say) as simple as it can get. I had some fresh peas to be finished off and a half a cube of paneer & no tomatoes. (this was before I hit the market). I have never had a Mutter Paneer without tomatoes, meaning I always had with a gravy-like consistency. Out of the whim, I served this with some rotis and raita on the side. It was absolutely delish. Its kinda a funny how things just fall into place when cooking up a recipe, Isn't it. :)

Mutter Paneer Tava fry

In a pan, heat some oil and add chopped onions. Saute until translucent and then drop paneer cubes & peas together. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Season with salt, red chilli powder and some garam masala. Garnish with cilantro and squeeze some lemon juice at the very end. Serve.

Pantry Cleanup Day 3: Paneer Schezwan Rice

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Paneer Schezwan Rice

Recipe: from the back of Schezwan sauce bottle with some minor additions

Cook 1 cup of rice with 2 cups of water.

Heat little oil in a skillet, fry paneer cubes until they gets golden brown. Remove and drain excess oil on paper towels. Now, saute some freshly minced ginger and garlic. Add a cup of mixed vegetables. If they are frozen, I recommend to microwave them for atleast 2 minutes. Mix well and cook for couple of minutes.

In a small bowl, mix schezwan sauce (as per your taste & spice-level, add little by little if you unsure. I used approx 1.5 tsp) with a 1 tsp of soya sauce. Stir well and add to the vegetable mixture. Adjust salt if necessary. Finally drop the paneer cubes and rice. Mix well and Serve. :)

until next time,
Siri

Chole Paneer

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Oil+Onions+Garlic+Tomatoes+masalas] = Tomato-Onion gravy. (TOG)

..this tomato-onion gravy is such widely used gravy base for most of the north-indian curries. Any vegetable, legumes and meat based curries can be whipped up in minutes, if we just know how to make this TOG. My mom, used to even make this gravy upfront, pour them into ice trays and used to freeze them. Just heat these up, as-and-when-used...:)

Today's recipe uses this TOG base and I added chickpeas & paneer to it. Yum..:)

Chole-Paneer (Chickpeas with Indian Cottage Cheese)

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 cup paneer, cubed
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
fresh coriander
2 tbsp yogurt
1 tsp lemon juice
salt - to taste
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/8 tsp turmeric
2 tsp oil

Preparation:

1. In a large pan, heat 1 tsp oil .add garlic, green chillies & onions. saute until golden brown. then add chopped tomatoes, cook until a little mush. Season with salt, turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala powder. Cook for 5-6 mins until all flavours blend well - together.

2. Add chickpeas and cook for 2 more mins. then add yogurt. Stir well. reduce heat.

3. In a separate pan, heat a tsp oil and saute paneer cubes until golden brown. drain on paper towels.

4. Add these paneer cubes to tomato-onion-chickpea mixture. Cook for 3-4 mins on low heat.

5. Finally add chopped corainder with lemon juice. It tastes awesome with rotis or chapathis :)

I just came home watching the movie of a lifetime - AVATAR 3D. I have just one word for it - 'magnificent'. It is just amazing how James Cameroon built this whimsical world of Pandora and trust me, you wouldn't want to come out of it.. It was B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.. Don't miss it.. watch it in 3D..:)

Today is Day Five of our recipe countdown to New Year.. 2010.. here we come!!!

Day Four - Basic Home-made Granola Mix
Day Three - Methi Pulao
Day Two - Stuffed Bell Peppers
Day One - Cheesy Brown Rice Cakes

Chao for now,

A Week without Shopping: Day 3

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It was a very quite Sunday. In the morning I stopped by the local library to pick up 'Blackberry Wine' by Joanne Harris and couple of others. By the way that's the book we have decided for this month's 'this book makes me cook'. I was quite surprised to know from Simran post, that its been already been 9 months we started this club. Phew! time flies I must say. :). If you want to be a part of our book club, do leave a comment here and I will get back to you.

Coming to today's menu, there were a crate full of eggs which I wanted to use up. Being an ardent lover of eggs (Dhivya, are you listening!), I bookmark every egg recipe posted by any of 86 bloggers in my Google reader. :D. Just couple of days ago, I saw Anu's egg salad which I was dying to try. So, that was my breakfast cum brunch and I absolutely loved it.

..and for dinner, I had a half a cube of paneer in my fridge. I made Dhivya's Kadai Paneer out of it. Oh boy, it was so yummy that the entire bowl was empty within minutes! Thanks babes for such a simple keeper recipe.


You can find the recipe instructions here.

This is my entry for this week's Ruth's Bookmarked Recipes 41. hosted by me. :)

Do check out the roundup here.

Tomorrow is Maha Shivaratri and I am keeping fast for the first time. My mum said that its very rare that the day occurs on a Monday and its supposed to be very auspicious. Wishing you all a very Happy Shivaratri.

May Lord Shiva shower his blessings on us all.

signing out for now,
Siri