Paneer Jalfrezi

My husband and I both love paneer. My husband more than me ! The other evening, I had this sudden urge to eat paneer jalfrezi. This is a very simple and delicious dish that has bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, spices and of course paneer! It is usually a dry dish with very little sauce, but there do exist versions with sauce. To me, Jalfrezi  is dry & flavorful.

Will you believe me if I tell you that I made this dish in under 15-20 minutes?? Yes, I did. When I tell someone that I did something in such a short time, people find it hard to believe!! But it is possible!!  The reason I can make a dish this quick is because I prep as I cook. While I pan fried the paneer, I got the vegetables I required out of the refrigerator. I chopped the onions and kept ready. While the pan was getting hot, I chopped my tomatoes. When I sautéed the onions, I chopped the bell peppers & the paneer and kept ready. When everything was in the pan and coming together, I even cleaned the kitchen! I  made this dish and had dinner as I was doing my laundry.Of course, you cannot do it for all dishes and definitely this method may not work for everyone, but it works for me!! I made this dish and had dinner as I was doing my laundry.

Here is how to make this super simple dish!!

Prep time: 15 mins ( for those who prep)Cook time: 10minsTotal time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Paneer ( Indian cottage cheese): 250 gms
Cooking oil: 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Dried red chillies: 3-4, broken into pieces.
Onion: 1 medium sized, diced large.
Ginger: 1 inch piece, sliced julienne
Tomato: 1 medium sized
Green bell pepper: 1
Red bell pepper: 1
Orange bell pepper: 1
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Garam masala powder: 1/4 tsp
Kasoori methi( dried fenugreek leaves): 1/2 tsp.
Vinegar: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Coriander leaves/cilantro: 1 tbsp, chopped for garnish.

Method:

Slice the paneer into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle a little bit of salt and keep aside.

Wash, deseed and slice the bell peppers and tomato into 1 cm thick slices.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet/ frying pan. 

Place the paneer pieces in a single layer. Fry it for 2-3 minutes on each side or until lightly golden.

Remove from the pan and keep aside.

To the same pan add the other 1 tbsp oil. Heat on medium heat. 

Add cumin seeds. Once they splutter, add the turmeric powder,  red chillies, diced onion and ginger. 

Sauté for 2 mins. Now add the bell peppers, sauté for a minute. 

 Add the sliced tomato and sauté for a minute or two.

 Add garam masala, salt, kasoori methi & vinegar. Mix well. Saute for a couple of minutes until it all comes together.

Turn off the flame. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with rice/ roti( flatbread)/ poori ( fried flatbread) or just regular bread.

Enjoy!!

Cooking made easy:

Whenever you bring a block of paneer, cut it into bite-size pieces, soak it for 10 mins in warm water that has a pinch of turmeric and a little salt . Then pan fry it until golden brown. You can store it in the freezer for future use.

Tip for healthy living:

Paneer is a great source of calcium for vegetarians.

Food for thought:

One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present. Golda Meir

Curried Squash Lentil Barley Soup; Meatless Monday

The falling temperatures and the shorter days, not to mention the on & off cold and cough that accompanies the fluctuating weather, drive us towards food that is warm and comforting. In Fall, soups seem very attractive when compared to salads or anything else for that matter. Soups soothe the throat and rejuvenate the body. The Fall bounty of a myriad variety of squashes , gourds and pumpkin makes soups colorful and desirable. I love all vegetables with their festive colors.  In this soup, I have used butternut squash and pumpkin. I have added orange lentils for their protein and fiber and some barley to make it wholesome, balanced and a complete meal! I have to admit that the lentils took away the attractive appearance of the soup but the taste was delicious and filling!  Usually after drinking a soup, I feel hunger pangs in no time! This time however,  I wasn't hungry ! I also added ginger and a little curry spice for it's anti-inflammatory properties!
It is super-easy to make & freezes well. You can also use your slow cooker to make it. You can make a batch for the whole week! I took some to work and everyone loved it!

Servings: 8-10

Prep time: 30 mins + 30 mins for soaking barley.Cook time: 30 minsTotal time: 1 hour.

Ingredients:

Barley: 1/2 cup, soaked in 4 cups water for atleast 30 mins.
Orange lentils: 1/2 cup
Butternut squash cubes: 4 cups
Pumpkin cubes: 2 cups
Turnip cubes: 1 cup
Water: 2 liters
Ginger: 1 inch piece
Cumin powder: 1 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1/4 tsp
Black pepper: 1/4 tsp, freshly ground.
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Bay leaf: 1
Garam masala powder: 1/8 tsp ( optional).
Coconut oil: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Jaggery: 1/2 tsp ( brown sugar/ sugar can be used instead).

Method:

Cook barley in 4 cups of water until tender, around 20 mins. When the barley is cooking, prep the remaining ingredients.

Boil 2 liters of water in a pot. 

To this add the washed lentils, ginger and cook for 15 mins. Remove the scum that accumulates on the surface. 

Now add the  cooked barley, squashes, turnips, bay leaf, turmeric, cumin and coriander powder, black pepper, jaggery and salt. Cook until tender, around 30 mins. 

Add more water if you find the soup thick.

Heat 1 tsp coconut oil on medium heat. Add the curry powder and red chilli powder. Turn off the stove. Add this to the pot.

Serve hot ! Enjoy with some crusty bread if you wish! I had it as is!

Cooking made easy:

Any kind of lentil and any kind of squashes/gourds can be used in this soup. You can totally skip the use of garam masala powder. If you do that, just add the red chilli powder with the cumin & coriander powders.
You can use as less chilli powder as you wish!

Tip for healthy living:

As evident in this post and several other posts, it is totally possible to enjoy a hearty meal without any meat  in it. It is not essential that one has meat in all their meals! Meatless Mondays is a great initiative in this direction.

Food for thought:

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. Henry Ford

Quick Zucchini Pickle

Indian pickles are totally different from what the western world refers to as pickles! The only similarity is that both use brine to preserve some vegetable over a period of several months to several years. Most Indian pickles are red in color and are eaten as a condiment with a meal in minuscule quantity. One just cannot consume pickle in large quantities as they are really fiery hot! The red color of the pickle comes from the red chillies that is one of the primary ingredients in the pickle. Other ingredients include a variety of spices that are used like mustard powder, asofoetida, coriander powder etc. The pickles could be made using brine or oil as a preservative. There is no other preservative used in Indian pickles. They are usually preserved in huge earthen jars. Now-a-days, glass bottles are used. Needless to say, Indian meals are incomplete without a pickle.


 

The pickle I made today is the simplest and easiest one. By now, I am sure that everyone who reads my blog knows that I don't make anything that is time-consuming ,tedious or complicated!  This pickle can be ready in 15 mins. Most of the time, great care is observed while making pickles to ensure that everything is dry: the hands, the pots and spoons used, the ingredients used etc. Any use of regular water can make the pickle go bad and reduce the shelf life of the pickle.Only brine is the liquid used. I didn't use brine, but I haven't used water either! I have ensured that everything was absolutely dry but I know that my pickle will not have a long shelf life since I didn't use brine. I have therefore made a very small quantity as I didn't intend to preserve it for long. I wanted something for immediate use and that's what I made. It should last me for a week in the fridge.

This recipe is from my aunt, whom I fondly call Pushpa Mahve, who is a very talented and innovative cook as well. Like me, she loves to experiment in the kitchen. This zucchini pickle recipe has been kindly shared by her. This is a basic Mangalorean konkani pickle recipe where the main spices used are mustard powder and hing. This recipe has been modified a little and is absolutely delicious!

Servings: makes one 10 oz bottle

Ingredients:

Zucchini: 1 small
Kashmiri Red chilli powder : 1/4 cup
Hot red chilli powder: 2 tbsp 
Haldi ( turmeric powder): 1/2 tsp
Mustard powder: 1/4 cup
Hing: 2 tsp
Methi( fenugreek seeds) powder: 1/8 tsp
Salt: 1 tbsp( adjust as per taste)
Lemon juice: 1/4 cup

Method:

 

Chop the zucchini finely . 

Add this to a bowl with salt and lime juice.

In another bowl, mix together chilli powders, haldi, mustard powder,methi powder, hing and salt.

Now add this to the zucchini.


Mix well.

Store in a dry airtight glass jar. Lasts for upto one week in the refrigerator.

Can be consumed immediately, but tastes better the next day.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

To increase the shelf life of the pickle, one can use brine instead of plain salt.

Raw green mango can be used to make the same pickle. If that is used, skip the lemon juice as mango when raw is sour by nature.

Tip for healthy living:

Any kind of pickle is best stored in glass jars and not in any kind of plastic as the salt in it reacts with the material of the plastic. This could have deleterious effects on our health.

Food for thought:

Food is the most abused anxiety drug. Exercise is the most underutilized anti-depressant. Unknown

Batate/ potato bhaji ( Seasoned potatoes with turmeric)

When you say the term "batate bhaji",  what comes to one's mind is yellow color potato cubes sautéed with some kind of seasoning. The potatoes are usually parboiled and diced into desired size pieces. They are then sautéed with onions, green chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and of course turmeric. Some like to make it without onions, while others like a lot of onions( read my husband). Some like to cook it dry( that's me!:) ), while others like to add water to it and make it like a stew. Potato bhaji can be used for a myriad of reasons. It is most commonly eaten with Poori ( fried puffed Indian bread) for which most people prefer it to be cooked like a stew . It is also used as a stuffing/filling in crispy crepes and in samosas, where it is preferred that it is dry. There is hardly anyone who does not like batate bhaji. It is also a very economical dish as potatoes are rather cheap. Last, but not the least, it is quick and easy to make!:)

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

Potatoes: 3 medium
Onion: 1 medium, diced medium
Green chillies: 2-3, slit lengthwise into two.
Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
Jeera( cumin seeds): 1/2 tsp(optional).
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaf: 1 sprig ( optional)
Haldi( turmeric powder): 1 tsp
Salt: to taste

Method:

Wash the potaoes. Boil potatoes with peel on, with water on stove top until Al dente ( around 15 mins). Do not overcook the potatoes. You should be able to dice them. Once cooled, peel and dice them into small cubes. Keep aside.

Heat coconut oil in a sauté pan/ frying pan upon medium heat.Add the cumin seeds. After 20-30 seconds, add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard crackles, add curry leaves. Now add the slit green chillies and chopped onion. Sauté the onion until it is transparent. Add the turmeric powder, sauté for a minute. Now add the diced potatoes, salt and mix well. Cook on low for 2-5 mins until everything comes together and the potatoes are warm. Turn off the flame.

Garnish with fresh finely chopped cilantro leaves.

Serve hot with poori/chapati/roti or use as a stuffing in your masala dosa!

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

Boiled potatoes can be easily peeled using a peeler! You don't have to get your hands messy!

Tip for healthy living:

Whenever possible use organic potatoes as potatoes have been found to have the highest level of pesticides in them. This is due to the double whammy that potatoes get subjected to! They absorb pesticide present in the soil and also the ones that get sprayed onto the plant!

Food for thought:

Love is not something you find.Love is something that finds you. Loretta Young

Kothambari Saaru ( Cilantro soup/ coriander leaves soup); Meatless Monday

Have you ever heard of soup made out of cilantro leaves??? Well, believe it or not, it is a very traditional recipe where I come from. Cilantro is known as coriander leaves in India why because coriander seeds come from cilantro. See?? Didn't know that did you? In Kannada and a few other languages, coriander is known as kothambari. We Indians don't like to eat rice dry just like that. We always need some sort of gravy to go with it. We make a variety of plain gravies to go with it. These gravies are similar to the soups that westerners have. For example: bean soups, lentil soups, tomato soups etc. Where I come from, we call it "saaru".  So, soup made out of cilantro leaves is called "kothambari saaru". This is super easy to make and super-tasty! While we eat it with rice, you can sip it just like that! This dish, if made thick can be used as a chutney/ dip to be eaten with dosas or idlis or in sandwiches.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

For grinding:

Coriander leaves(Cilantro ): 1 medium bunch
Freshly grated coconut: 1/2 cup
Green chillies: 2-3 medium ones( adjust as per individual spice level)
Tamarind pulp: 1/4 tsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Water: 1/2 cup + 2 cups

For tempering:

Coconut oil: 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Method:

In a food processor/mixer-grinder/blender, grind together coriander leaves, green chillies, freshly grated coconut, salt, tamarind and 1/2 cup water to a fine paste.

In a pot/ saucepan, dilute this paste with 2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil. Turn off the flame.Now temper the soup as described below.

Tempering:

Heat coconut oil in a small frying pan. Add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add Curry leaves. Turn off the flame. Add this tempering to the above pot.

Serve hot with some nice hot steamed rice.

Kothambari saaru served with squash upkari , matta rice and fried fish.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

While making cilantro chutney or soup, make sure you use only the leaves. The stems are bitter an therefore if ground will make the chutney bitter. You could save the stems and chop it and use it in dishes like sambar, rasam or tomato saaru. It will emanate a nice aroma to the dish.

Tip for healthy living:

Cilantro is a herb with several medicinal surprising nutritional properties. It is also one of the richest sources of vitamin K.It is also rich in vitamin A,vitamin C, beta-carotene, folic acid, riboflavin and niacin. It is also rich in anti-oxidants, essential oils and dietary fiber.It is also rich in minerals like iron, potassium,calcium, manganese and magnesium.

Food for thought:

If life had a second edition, how I would correct the proofs. John Clare

Gulla/ Vaingana Sagle ( Stuffed baby eggplant)

Eggplants are a favorite across several cuisines worldwide. In India, eggplants are cooked several different ways, one of the most popular ones being "baingan bharta", in which the eggplant is charcoal roasted , peeled, mashed and mixed with oil and spices. That is yummy. In India, we also find baby eggplants which are most commonly stuffed with various spices and cooked. Again, there are several different ways to do this. Where I am from, which is Karnataka State in Southern India, we make a paste of coconut, roasted coriander and fenugreek seeds, red chillies ,stuff the cute little eggplants with it and slow cook it on the stove-top.
The name of this stuffed eggplant varies upon which kind of eggplant has been used. If you used the green baby eggplant, it is called "Gulla Sagle"and if purple eggplant has been used, it is called "Vaingana Sagle". I like them both!:) Some saute chopped onions in before adding the eggplants in. I like it without the onions and that's how I make it.It is pretty easy to make.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Baby Eggplant: 1 lb
Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Freshly grated coconut: 1 cup
Dried red chillies: 4-6 medium sized ( depending on your spice level).
Tamarind: marble sized if using dry, 1/4 tsp if using the pulp.
Coriander seeds: 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds( methi seeds):  1/4 tsp
Water: 1/2-1 cup for grinding the paste.
Salt: as per taste
Jaggery/ brown sugar: 1 tsp

Method:

Roast separately the coriander seeds and fenugreek ( methi) seeds and keep aside.

In a blender/mixie/ food processor,grind together freshly grated coconut, dried red chillies, tamarind, salt and jaggery  into a fine paste, using water to grind as required. When the paste is almost done, add in the roasted and cooled coriander seeds and fenugreek seeds.

Wash the eggplants thoroughly. Take each eggplant, hold it upside down and make 4-5 slits in it without cutting through the stem.

Using a teaspoon, take little of the ground paste and stuff it into the eggplant via the slits. Keep it aside on a plate upside down. Stuff all the eggplants in this manner.

Heat coconut oil in a frying pan/ sauté pan. Add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves.

Now place each of the stuffed eggplant in the pan upside down. Pour in the leftover ground paste.

Cover and cook on low flame until the eggplant is cooked until tender.

Serve hot with rice/ roti/flatbread/bread.

A favorite Amchi( konkani) combination with this is rice and Dalithoy( dal). Just awesome! I am bringing this typical Amchi dish to Fiesta Friday # 51 to my friends there.This will be something new for them all to try! The very creative Jhuls@thenotsocreativecook and the wonderful cook, Juju@cookingwithauntjuju are the co-hosts this weekend. Fiesta Friday is gearing up for it's first anniversary party!
Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

Eggplant once cut and left in air tends to get discolored ( it turns black). This can be prevented by putting the cut/sliced eggplants in salted water. Salted water is nothing but plain water to which 1/4 tsp salt has been added.

Tip for healthy living:

In Ayurvedic medicine, food plays a great role in healing. They classify different food groups based on their effects on the body upon consumption. They have food that is cooling to the body hence great to be consumed during summertime and if you have inflammation in your body; e.g: ash gourd, bottle gourd, ridge gourd etc. Then you have vegetables that produce heat in the body and are great winter foods; e.g: ginger. Now there are certain foods that impede healing and unfortunately eggplant is one if them. Therefore if an individual has inflammatory condition, surgery etc, it is recommended that they do not eat eggplant.

Food for thought:

A true lover always feels in debt to the one he loves. Ralph W. Sockman

Surnali ( Buttermilk pancakes; eggless)

It is interesting that quite a few of our memories are associated with food. When I think of my childhood, I think of my mother's cooking . One of the things that she used to make for breakfast was dosa( pancake and crepes).My mother makes a whole variety of dosas. Interestingly, I am very fond of dosas; all kinds! I could never tire of dosas!! I just love them!!!

One of the dosas my mother would make is Surnali. Surnali is a traditional konkani dosa( pancake), where in the batter is made by the addition of buttermilk and then fermented. The resulting dosa is soft and fluffy like cotton!! It is absolutely the melt-in-the-mouth kinds! Oh, did i forget to mention that it is also sweet. So you don't need to add any additional syrup/molasses or honey. By default Surnali is sweet, the batter is sweetened by the addition of jaggery;  but we do have a non-sweet version called "cheppi Surnali". For cheppi Surnali, you just have to forego the addition of jaggery while grinding the batter. This is very easy to make, but care has to be taken to ensure that the ground batter is thick. The addition of jaggery tends to make the batter a little runny, so this needs to be factored in. Also, the dosa/pancake has a tendency to get burnt easily , again due to the presence of jaggery in the batter. Therefore, more attention is needed while preparing the pancake on the griddle.Traditionally,surnali batter is made with the addition of freshly grated coconut. My mother does not do that. Instead she uses a little urad dal( split matpe bean), which also helps it to become soft and fluffy.

Servings: 4 ( 10-12 pancakes).

Ingredients:

White Rice: 1 1/2 cup
Urad dal (split Matpe bean):1 tbsp ( Can use 1/4 cup freshly grated coconut instead of urad dal).
Buttermilk/ yogurt: 1 cup( for grinding the batter, may need less)
Methi seeds: 1 tsp
Poha( beaten rice): 3/4 cup
Water: 1 cup, to soak the poha
Jaggery: 1 cup(skip if making cheppi Surnali)
Turmeric powder: a pinch.
Salt: as per taste.

Method:

Soak white rice, urad dal and methi seeds for at least 2-3 hours.
Soak the poha( beaten rice) in  one cup water for 10 mins, then squeeze, remove and keep aside.
Grind it  using the yogurt/buttermilk to a fine batter. Add the soaked poha , jaggery and grind again. Now add the turmeric powder and blend well. Make sure that the batter is on the thicker side and not runny.

Let it ferment for at least 5-6 hours if the weather is warm; may take 8 hours in cold weather.

Just before making the pancakes, add  salt as needed and mix well.

Heat the griddle/ skillet, grease it using oil/ghee/butter. Add a ladleful of batter. Do not spread the batter too much.

Reduce the flame to low, cover and cook until you hear a faint hissing sound. If there are no wet spots on the dosa, it is done. Remove from the griddle. This dosa IS NOT TO BE FLIPPED. It is cooked only on one side.

Serve hot with a dollop of butter. You do not need to add any additional syrup or honey.

If it is cheppi surnali (the non-sweet version), serve it with some chutney!

Yummy! I am salivating as I am writing this! I am bringing this to Fiesta Friday! Margy & Juju are the co-hosts this week!

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

The key to making a nice soft and fluffy Surnali is the consistency of the batter and the amount of fermentation. The batter has to be on the thicker side and has to be well fermented. Well fermented means that it has to rise a little but not turn sour.

Also, this dosa has a tendency to caramalise and burn easily on the bottom while the dosa is still uncooked. Hence it is essential to lower the flame as soon as the batter is put on the griddle and cook it on low flame until the dosa is cooked.

Tip for healthy living:

Probiotics are essential for the healthy functioning of the gut. Yogurt and other fermented foods are rich in probiotics and therefore beneficial to the gut. Try to include at least one serving of probiotic rich food in your everyday diet.

Food for thought:

Set your course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship. Omar N. Bradley