Cheesy brown rice with vegetables

The hubby was away for the day, and I knew the kids wouldn't want to have bhindi. So I rustled up this fried rice, and served it with fried papad.

2 bell peppers (one red, one yellow)
3 pods garlic, chopped
1/2 cup peas
1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 tbsp cheese
1 tsp butter
Salt to taste

Method::
Soak the brown rice for 1 hour and cook it with sufficient salt, till done. Drain water and keep aside.
Add grated cheese to the rice, and mix well.
Heat the butter, add garlic and saute till browned. Add chopped bell peppers and saute for 1 minute. Add peas, and saute for an additional minute.
Pour the fried vegetables over the cooked rice, and mix well.
One dish meal complete!

Matar paneer- rich, creamy version

We end up having a lot of osneer at home, so when I saw a recipe for a "quick" version of paneer masala which can be whipped up in a jiffy when visitors drop in unexpectedly, I was obviously interested. Unfortunately, the lady has very different standards when it comes to cooking- this turned out to be at least as involved (if not more so) than my regular version. But the dish was more than worth the effort. Definitely a recipe I'm going to use much more. 

200 gm paneer

1/2 cup peas

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp haldi powder

1 tsp dhania powder

1/2 tsp amchur powder

1 tsp kasoori methi

Salt and sugar to taste

A pinch of nutmeg 

1/2 cup milk

For gravy:

4 tomatoes, chopped

2 onions chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 inch piece cinnamon

2 green cardamom

10 cashew nuts

1/2 cup water

Method:

Pressure cook the ingredients listed under gravy for 20 minutes on sim after the first whistle

Cool. Discard cinnamon and cardamom and grind to a fine paste

Heat oil, add bay leaves, and sauté for a minute or two

Add paste, and dry spices, and sauté on a low flame till the oil starts leaving the sides

Add peas, milk, kasoori methi, salt and sugar, and cook for 5 minutes

Add paneer, bring to a boil, and turn off the flame

Serve with parathas or roti. 

Nutty peas delight

I've realised that vegetables go down much easier, if they are colourful, which prompted me to make this peas- pepper curry in a creamy gravy for dinner. You can bet every last bit was polished off.

4 pods of garlic, thinly sliced
2 inch piece - ginger, grated
1/2+1/2- yellow and red pepper, thinly sliced
2 1/2 - onions, thinly sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1 tbsp - ghee
1 cup milk
1 tsp - garam masala
Oil to sauté vegetables
3 tbsp flax seeds
6- 8 cashew nuts
1 tsp kasuri methi
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste

Method
Steam the peas for five minutes till slightly cooked. Keep aside.
Coarsely grind the flax seeds and cashew nuts (without water). Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a non stick pan, add the thinly sliced garlic, ginger, onions and pepper and saute for a minute on medium heat.
Add the coarsely ground nuts and cook for about a minute. Add the 1/2 cup of milk and cook until the milk evaporates.
Add the garam masala, salt, sugar and 1/2 cup of milk and bring it to a boil.
Add the peas and the kasuri methi and mix well.
Serve immediately. Goes best with hot rotis.

Hara Bhara Kebab

The hubby and I recently made a pact to cut down on outside food. The decision was not a hard one to make, but it is not exactly easy to keep, because the heart keeps craving for all kinds of food. This is my first attempt at making a hara bhara kebab from scratch, and I found it almost as good at the frozen ones that you have to heat up.

1 large bunch palak
2 medium size potatoes
3/4 cup fresh peas
1 tsp amchur powder
2 tsp ginger-green chili paste
2 1/2 tbsp besan
Salt to taste
Oil for shallow frying

Method:
Cut the potatoes into eights, and pressure cook along with the peas. Peel the potatoes and keep aside
Blanch the palak in salted water, drain and drench with cold water (to retain the colour). Finely chop, and keep aside
Roast besan till it becomes aromatic and changes its color- be careful not to overroast
Mash the potatoes, add the chopped spinach, peas, ginger-green chilli paste, spices, roasted besan and salt and mix well.
Shape into round patties and shallow fry till golden brown.
Serve with pudina chutney

Matar ka halwa

While I love gajar ka halwa, and try to make it at least once a year, grating carrots is not exactly my idea of fun. Which is why I have been wanting to try matar ka halwa ever since I saw a recipe nearly a year back. I finally made it today, and liked it a lot. Given my family, though, I am going to reduce the sugar a bit more next time I make it.

2 cups green peas, shelled
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp ghee
Cardamon powder, optional
Sliced nuts for garnish

Method:
Blanche the peas in boiling water for 5 minutes (or till the colour turns a more vivid green). Remove into cold water, drain and keep aside.
Grind the peas coarsely in a blender.
Heat the ghee, add ground peas, and saute till the raw smell goes.
Add sugar and milk, stir well, and cook on a low flame till most of the milk evaporates.
Stir in cardamon powder.
Garnish with nuts and serve chilled.

Fusilli in Fresh Green Sauce

The older one and I are both pasta freaks, and in order to ensure we don't get tired of the same old stuff, I keep experimenting with the sauces. This was a "secret" recipe for a green sauce that I pulled off the net. And given the ease of preparation and the quality of ingredients, it sure packed a mean punch!

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200 gms pasta

1 bunch spinach leaves 

200 gms peas, shelled

1/2 small bunch basil leaves

2 tbsp green pesto

100 ml cream

2- 3 tbsp cheese, and a little more for garnish

Method:

Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water, and return to the pan.

Meanwhile, place the spinach and peas in a bowl, and cover with boiling water. Leave for about 3 mins until the peas are tender, then drain well. Tip the veg into a blender, add the basil, pesto, cream and cheese, and whizz to make a smooth sauce.
Pour the sauce over the pasta, and cook on a low heat for a few minutes till the sauce clings to the spaghetti, adding a little of the reserved pasta water if it appears too dry.

Garnish with cheese, basil leaves and baby tomatoes.

Malai Makhana Curry

My mother used to cook Makhana a lot when I was a kid, but it has been ages since I had it, and I'd almost forgotten it existed. Was reminded of it's existence a year or two back, when I saw MM post this recipe, but since makhana wasn't available at any of the stores near me, I could only lust. After moving to the new place, I saw makhana at my grocer, but it took me nearly 6 months to finally make this.
I ground the spices, which wasn't such a good idea. Next time, I will remove the spices before grinding, and I am sure I will like it much more that way.

Makhana /Lotus Seeds/Puffed Fox nuts, 3 Cups
Green Peas, 1 Cup
Oil, 1 tbsp

For the gravy:
Bay Leaf, 1
Cinnamon, 1 inch
Cloves,3
Green Cardamom, 2
Black peppercorns, 8
Onions, chopped,2 medium
Tomato puree, 5 tbsp
Ginger, paste, ½ tsp
Garlic, paste,1 tsp
Salt, to taste
Coriander powder ,1 tsp
Kashmiri Red chili powder, 1 tsp ( gives a lovely red colour without any heat)
Fresh Cream, ½ cup
Oil, 1 tbsp
Water, enough to get a thin consistency gravy

Dry roast makhanas in a non stick pan over low heat with constantly stirring. When makhanas start going crunchy pour a tablespoon of oil all over them and continue to stir till they start changing colour to pale golden brown. Remove from heat and keep aside.
Boil green peas and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and then add bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns. Sauté till they start to crackle. Add onions and fry till light golden brown. Add ginger/garlic paste and sauté well. Add tomato, tomato puree and all the spice powders. Sauté till oil separates and then take it off heat. Blend the mix to a smooth fine paste (use water if necessary) and strain it back into the pan. If you don’t want the heat of the whole spices, pls. fish them out before blending the paste. I didn’t want to add red chili powder so I left the whole spices in. If you want to add red chili powder, don’t add the peppercorns or reduce the quantity.

Add water to the strained mix and let it come to a boil. Add green peas & makhanas. Let the gravy simmer well on low heat so that the makhanas get a chance to soak up the gravy and go soft. Add the cream, mix well and cook for another couple of minutes.
Serve hot.

You can avoid the cream by adding milk instead of water to the gravy.
Mushrooms and Paneer also work well with the Makhanas.

Almond Pea Soup

I saw a picture of Almond pea soup, and wanted to have it right away. Unfortunately, the recipe was not forthcoming, so I had to trawl the Internet to get ideas. This recipe is taken from here and there, but ultimately has been adapted to my taste.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh peas
Onion chopped 1
Garlic chopped 2 cloves
Butter 2tbsp
Water 5 cups
Salt to taste
Black pepper 1tsp
Almond soaked and thinly sliced 14
Lemon juice. 1tsp
Fresh cream 1/4 cup
 
 Method:
Heat butter in a medium thick pan or in a pressure cooker. Add garlic and onion sauté till translucent.

Add peas and stir for 2 minutes and add water. Add peppercorns and almonds (keep 2 aside for garnish). Close the lid and pressure cook till 2 whistles. Let the pressure releases itself. 

Cool and after keeping a few peas aside for garnish, blend the mixture. Strain the mixture and put it back on fire and bring to a boil.

Add cream, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice and the peas that were kept aside. You can add a cup of milk if do not want to use cream. Cool till thick or the required consistency acquired.

Remove from fire and serve hot garnished with few almond slices. 

Kanda Poha

Poha was another of those things that I could never get right, which made it take on the mantle of "exotic", even though it doesn't really deserve it. The trick is in the soaking part- you are not supposed to soak it, as much as being required to wash it well, and let the water seep in. Now that I have a lovely steel colander for that purpose, poha is something that can be rustled up in a jiffy.
This poha is special, because it formed a part of my "carbo-loading" before the Mumbai Marathon.

1.5 cups poha
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup peas shelled
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
Handful of peanuts
10-12 curry leaves
1 green chilli,chopped
1 tsp sugar or as required
1 or 1.5 tbsp oil
salt as required
1 tbsp lemon juice

Method
Rinse the poha in water till they soften. Put them in a colander, and let the water drain and the poha soak for about 15 minutes
Add sugar, salt and turmeric powder to the poha and gently mix.
Dry roast the peanuts in a pan till they become crunchy and keep aside.
Heat oil, temper with mustard seeds. Add curry leaves, green chilli, onions and peas and saute till onions turn translucent.
Add the roasted peanuts and the poha and stir. Cover and steam the poha for 2-3 minutes on a low flame.
Switch off the fire and let the poha remain covered for 1-2 minutes.
Add the lemon juice, stir well, and serve

Baked mini samosas

I wasn't planning on cooking dinner on New Years Eve. Even though I have been cooking all the meals for the last several months, I haven't yet got used to rejection- that sinking feeling that you get when you have poured your heart and soul into a dish, and it is consumed without comment. Criticism I can deal with, not indifference, and I wanted to shield myself from that on the last day of the year.

But even though we'd agreed to order pizzas, I still wanted to whip up something for the family, and at the last minute remembered these baked samosas that Shruti Gandhi had posted. They were a hit!

2 Boiled Potatoes

1/4 cup Boiled Green Peas

1 Green Chilly, finely chopped

1 tbsp Chopped Coriander

1 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Cumin Powder, roasted

1/2 tsp Red Chilly Powder

1/4 tsp Garam Masala

Salt, to taste

1 tbsp Oil

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds

2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped

For Dough–

1 cup Plain Flour
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/4 tsp Ajwain
1 tbsp Ghee
Salt, to taste
Lukewarm Water, as required

Method

1. Mash potatoes in a big bowl and add boiled peas in it.
2. Add all the spices and coriander leaves too and mix everything well.
3. Take plain flour, salt, cumin seeds, ajwain and ghee in another bowl. Mix them to form crumbled texture.
4. Knead a medium-hard dough by adding lukewarm water as required.
5. Cover with a lid or cling wrap and keep it aside for half hour.
6. Divide the dough in 7 and stuffing in 14 equal portions.
7. Roll out 5-6″ disk with paratha thickness and cut it into halves.
8. Take a half part and fold it to make a cone shape. Seal the end with gluey paste.
9. Fill the stuffing in it and seal the open edge with that paste again. Repeat the same process for rest of all pieces.
10. Arrange them in a lined baking tray.
11. Bake them in pre-heated oven for 25-30 mins on 180 degrees or until they are golden brown and crisp.

Paneer peas green pulao

I started out intending to make biryani with soya nuggets, but after making the green masala realised I had run out of onions. Since I didn't fancy going out on a cold winter evening, I adapted the recipe and made this awesome paneer-peas green pulao instead. It was really lovely with a tomato raita!

Basmati rice - 2 cups
Fresh peas- 1 cup
Paneer- 150 gms

Cloves - 3

Black peppercorns - 6-7

Cardamom - 1

Bay leaf -2

Fresh corriander leaves - Around 1/2 cup

Rock salt- to taste
Desi ghee - 2 tbsp

Green chillies - 1

Ginger - 1/2 inch piece

Garlic - 3-4 cloves

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

MethodWash the rice and soak it in water for half an hour. Drain the water after half an hour.

In a mixer, grind together Garlic ( 1/2 inch piece ), Ginger ( 3-4 cloves ), Green chillies ( 2 chopped ), and corriander leaves ( 1/2 cup ). Add little black salt to taste. Grind to a smooth paste( Add only 1 tbsp water if required )

Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan, and add the whole spices. Fry for 10 seconds and then add the ground paste and fry for another 30 seconds. Reduce the flame, add the peas, and stir for about a minute.

Add rice and water (2 parts water to every part rice), and cook uncovered (on low flame) till the rice is done. The rice should be fluffy and not sticky. So fluff it with a fork after its done.

Cut the paneer into small squares, and mix well with the pulao. Garnish with crumbled paneer, and serve hot with raita.

Nimona

Till a week back, I hadn't even heard of something called Nimona. But within a week, three people posted different versions of it, and since I just love green peas, I had to try it out. It being the start of the holidays, I got the kids to help me shell the peas, and before I knew it, we had enough to go (and more).

Loved the dish, and am definitely making it again soon.

1 cup shelled Peas, puréed/mashed in Sil-batta.
1 large Potato, cubed.
3 tbsp vadi
2 Tomatoes, chopped fine

2 Onions, finely chopped.
1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste.
Chillie powder

Salt

Garam masala

Haldi

Hing
Mustard oil
Sabut Jeera, Tej Patta for tempering.

Method:
Heat mustard oil in a pan, and sauté wadis and Potaotes till done. Keep aside.
In the remaining Oil, add Jeera, Bay leaf, Onion, Ginger-Garlic paste, and sauté till golden brown.
Add the Tomato purée, Chillie powder, Salt, Garam masala, Haldi and Hing

Sauté till it releases Oil, and add the Peas. Add some water and cook till done.
Add the Potaotes and wadi, and cook further for a few minutes.
Serve hot with rotis.

Paneer in tamarind based gravy

We were having guests over for dinner, and since there were kids involved, I didn't want to experiment too much. A the same time, I balked at the idea of serving two dishes with the same gravy, so got a little creative with the paneer-muttar. It came out much better than expected and was all polished off in no time at all. Success!!!

500 gms paneer

500 gms peas

3 medium onions

2 green chillies

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp jeera

2-3 bay leaves

2 tbsp cooking oil

4 tbsp dhania patta- chopped fine

1 tbsp kasoori methi

2 tbsp Tamarind paste

Salt and sugar to taste

Make a fine paste of the onions and green chillies

Heat the oil and temper with jeera and bay leaves. 

Add the onion-chilli paste and the ginger-garlic paste, and fry on low heat till the raw smell goes.

Add chopped coriander leaves and kasoori methi, and keep frying till the masala leaves the edge of the pot.

Add water, salt, sugar and tamarind paste. Stir a couple of times, befor adding the peas, and letting it cook till peas are done.

Add paneer, and give it a single boil.

Add cream, before serving.

Matar paneer

Left to themselves, my family can survive on matar-paneer and matar-aloo.

200 gms paneer, cubed

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2 onions, chopped fine
2 tomatoes, chopped fine
2 tbsp dhania patta chopped fine
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp jeera powder
2 tsp dhania powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Method:
Heat the oil, and saute the onions till transparent. Add the tomatoes, ginger garlic paste and all the spices, and saute till the tomatoes turn mushy. Add the coriander leaves, and heat for another 30 seconds.
Let it cool, and whizz it in a mixie till it forms a smooth paste.
Return the masala to the kadhai, add about 2 cups water, mix well. Add peas, and salt, and bring to a boil. Lower the flame, cover, and let it cook for 10 minutes. 

Add the paneer, bring to a boil, turn off the flame, and let it cook in it's own steam for a couple of minutes before serving.

Easy-peasy masala roti

After a weekend of binging on peas and more peas, I had a whole lot of matar-aloo staring at me. Since I was sure nobody was going to want to set eyes on it in it's current form, I kneaded it with atta, and what do you know, we had easy-peasy masala rotis for lunch!

Aloo matar aur saare matar

"Aloo matar aur bahut saare matar", went one of the most popular ad-lines in the '80s. That's exactly what he had tonight, prepared and consumed with love.

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2 onions, chopped fine
2 tomatoes, chopped fine

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp jeera powder
2 tsp dhania powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Method:
Lightly fry the potatoes in 1 tbsp oil for about 10 minutes and keep aside.
Add the rest of the oil, and saute the onions till transparent. Add the tomatoes, ginger garlic paste and all the spices, and saute till the tomatoes turn mushy.
Let it cool, and whizz it in a mixie till it forms a smooth paste.
Return the masala to the kadhai, add about 2 cups water, mix well. Add potatoes and peas, and salt, and bring to a boil. Lower the flame, cover, and let it cook for 10 minutes, or till the potatoes are well done.

Peas-ful pulao

Hubby wanted aloo matar and roti, but since I was just not in a mood to make rotis, I made this peas-ful pulao instead. Paired with lightly spiced curds, it was almost as good as having aloo-matar!

1 measure rice, washed and soaked

1 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp jeera

1 badi elaichi

2 bay leaves

1 star anise

1/2 measure peas

1 large onion, cut into slices

Salt to taste

Method:

Start cooking the rice with 3 times the quantity of water.

Heat the ghee, add jeera, and when it starts spluttering, add the onions, and the spices, and saute till onions start browning.

Add the peas and saute for a couple of minutes

When the rice is a little over 1/2 done,  add the peas and salt, mix well, and leave it on a low flame till the rice cooks completely.

Serve with curds.

Methi malai muttar

I made this once in Delhi about six years back, after getting the recipe from an Aunty. Loved it, but for some strange reason, never made it again. Till I was reminded of the dish when I had it at a wedding recently. Wasn't sure if I remembered it correctly, but google helped me get it right, and here it is.

Pluck the leaves of one big bunch of methi (1 C), wash and chop into pieces. Blanche, by dropping the leaves into boiled water for 2-3 minutes; drain and let it dry.
Fry 2 small onions sliced, 1 inch piece of ginger grated, and 1 green chilli in a bit of oil till onion turns transparent. Let it cool, then blend it along with 7-8 cashewnuts till smooth.
Heat about 1 tbsp oil, throw in 1 tsp jeera, 2-3 tej patta and 1 inch piece of cinnamon. When the jeera changes colour, add the blanched methi leaves and 1 cup shelled peas, and cook on low heat till the methi leaves start releasing water. Cover, and cook till the peas are almost done. Add the onion paste, salt to taste, and fry for 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat, add 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk, and heat with constant stirring till it starts boiling. Turn off heat, cover, and let it cook in its own steam for a few minutes.

- You can add kasuri methi, but I didn't yesterday.
- The first time I made it, I used 1 C milk, but wanted to make it with cream this time.
- Don't skip the cashewnuts, because that keeps the milk from curdling/ breaking
- tomatoes and garam masala make an appearance in some recipes, but not in this one.

Dahi kofta

This recipe was adapted from one by Namita. Though the entire process was quite mess to say the least, the dish tasted really good, which is why I am putting it here.

Coarsely fry 1/2 cup of peas with 1 green chilli. Fry the peas with ginger garlic paste and salt for a few minutes till the rawness goes, and keep aside.
Mash 2 boiled sweet potatoes, and mix it with 2 tbsp cornflour, 2 tbsp crumbled paneer, and salt to taste. Knead well to make a dough.
Apply a little oil on your palms and take a small dough ball, flatten it and then shape it like a cup. Put 1 tsp of the stuffing inside the covering and close it slowly to make an even ball. Put the balls in the oil for deep frying. The oil should not be too hot or the balls will stick to the bottom of the kadhai. Slowly fry in a batch of 3-4 on a medium flame to make golden brown from all sides. [This is the theory, reality was quite different.] Drain the oil, and keep aside.

Beat curds (as much as you need) with a fork till smooth. Add salt, dhania pwd, red chilli pwd to taste and mix well.
Put the koftas in the dahi gravy and serve.