Capsicum paneer

Most people, I know, don't notice the gravy that they eat, but I am particular about not serving similar dishes when I have people over for a meal. So, with Kali dal on the menu, I had to think of a non-tomato gravy dish for the paneer. A couple of days back, I had seen this "balti paneer" dish on IFF, and since I know that capsicum and paneer go together, I decided to make it.

250 gms fresh full cream paneer cut in cubes and soaked in milk
1 tsp shahi jeera
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp grounded kali mirch
1 large onions cut into rings
1/2 large capsicum de-seeded and cut into slices
2 green chilies diagonally cut
3-4 pinches kasoori methi
Green Corriander leaves chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
salt to taste
1/2 cup milk
4-5 tablespoons of fresh cream

Method
Heat oil, and when heated, add the shahi jeera and let it crackle
Add onion rings , cut green chilies and slices of capsicum and sauté
Reduce heat and add kali mirch (crushed black pepper), haldi (turmeric), salt, kasoori methi
Add paneer cubes soaked in milk and mix well
Add milk and cook till the milk dries up
Add the cream and mix for 10-15 seconds
Remove from heat
Serve garnished with chopped dhaniya patta

Nutty Makhana Curry

I last had Makhana when I was in my early teens- while not quite a staple, it was something that was often made at home as long as we were living in Jharkhand. But once we moved to Calcutta, it disappeared from the dining table, and remained only as a vague memory.
Once I started visiting food forums, I was reminded afresh about makhana- if i made an effort, I could almost taste the crispy goodness, but the real thing remained a dream. Until, we moved to our new place, and I sighted makhana at the local grocery store. Thencame the challenge- the makhana was available, but I couldn't find the recipes I had lusted after. A detailed search finally yielded a recipe that looked interesting, but which was far too rich for my taste. I decided to replace the myriad dry fruits with flax seeds, and voila- one lip smacking dish that takes virtually no time to prepare.

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 - makhana
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

Heat the ghee in a non stick pan, add the makhanas and fry for a couple of minutes or until light brown. 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 fried makhanas and the kasuri methi and mix well.
Serve immediately. Goes best with hot rotis.