Mutter (Matar) Paneer Recipe (Peas & Indian Cheese Recipe)

This paneer recipe needs no introduction. It is a very popular north indian recipe made with peas (mutter/mattar) and indian Cottage Cheese (Paneer) into a rich creamy gravy.

This is among my 3 most favorite paneer recipes. The other 2 being Palak Paneer recipe and Paneer Butter Masala recipe. If this is not your favorite yet then try this recipe and it will become one.

Ingredients for Mutter Paneer Recipe:

• Paneer – 250gms
• Mutter (Peas) – 1 1/4 cup
• Green chilly – 2 no
• Onion – 1 (medium)
• Tomato – 2 (medium)
• Ghee – 2 tbsp
• Butter – 1 tbsp
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Jeera (cumin) – 1tsp
• Chilly powder – 1tsp
• Poppy seeds (Khas Khas) – 1 tbsp
• Garam Masala powder – 2 tsp
• Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
• Cashew nuts – 5 no
• Kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves) – 1 tsp
• Sugar – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Food color (a pinch)
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves for garnish

Cooking Method for Mutter Paneer Recipe:

1. Take oil in a pan. Add onion and fry lightly.
2. Then put green chilly, ginger garlic paste, jeera, poppy seeds, kasuri methi, cashew and fry till you get aroma of poppy seeds.
3. Remove the pan from heat and add 1/2 cup of water and set aside for 30 minutes. Now grind the contents in to a paste.
4. Blanch the tomatoes in hot water, remove the skin and make puree out of it .
5. Cut the paneer into cubes and roast them with little ghee in a pan. When the paneer cubes turn light golden brown remove them from heat and set them aside in little warm water so that they stay soft and tender.
6. In the same pan in which you fried the paneer, add the paste from step 3 and sauté for 3 minutes.
7. Then add tomato puree, mix well and cook for 3 more minutes.
8. Now put chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala  powder, food color and butter. Mix the contents well.
9. At this stage add mutter. If you are using fresh mutter from the shell, boil them for a few minutes in water and then add them. If you are using frozen mutter, you can add them without cooking. Cook the contents till the oil begins to separate.
10. Then add 1 cup of water, sugar, salt and bring it to boil.
11. Now add paneer and cook for five more minutes and the recipe is done

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with paratha, naan, chapati, poori and any other kind of indian bread. You can also serve it as a gravy item for jeera rice and ghee rice.

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Insane(Sand)wiches!!!

It’s a cell phone…no wait…it is a toy phone… no no wait….it is a SANDWICH !!! Yes you read it right. It is a sandwich in the form of a cell phone. Who says a sandwich should merely be two slices of bread separated  by some cheese and meat or veggies. It can be a work of art.



I found these photos on a website completely and solely dedicated to showcasing world’s craziest  sandwich constructions. Check out the website for more bizarre sandwiches which is rightly called insanewiches.com
Images courtesy insanewiches.com

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Gajar halwa Recipe (Carrot halva)

Gajar ka halwa (Carrot pudding) recipe is a delicious Indian dessert recipe made with grated carrot, milk, khoya and loaded with nuts and dried fruits. It is one of the most popular recipes in most Indian wedding ceremonies and family occasions served as dessert with scoops of vanilla ice cream. This recipe also forms an integral part of many Indian festivals.

Ingredients for Gajar halwa Recipe:

• Carrot - 1 kg
• Milk - 1 1/2 cup
• Khoya or mawa (Use Ricotta cheese to make Khoya. See below.) - 1/2 cup 
  
• Sugar - 1 1/2 cup (as per taste)
• Ghee - 1/2 cup
• Cardamom - 35 no
• Arrowroot powder – 2 tbsp
• Cashew nut - 1/2 cup
• Raisin - 1/2 cup
• Food color as required

Preparation:

• Grate the carrot and set aside.
• Peel the skin of 25 cardamoms. Take the peeled cardamom with the unpeeled ones in a blender. Add 2 tsp of sugar to the the blender and made powder.
• Cooking Tip: Home made Khoya/Mawa from Ricotta cheese
  In a heavy bottom pan cook the ricotta cheese on medium heat. Stir frequently until all the liquid evaporates. Now you are left with crumbled Khoya or Mawa which you can use for this recipe.

Cooking Method for Gajar halwa Recipe

1. Take a non stick pan or kadai. Put grated carrot and fry for around 8 minutes on low heat.
2. Then add milk and cook on medium heat till it is fully absorbed while stirring frequently.
3. Add khoya (Ricotta cheese) and cook till the khoya blends fully into the carrot. This usually takes about 15 minutes.
4. Now add sugar and mix well until the sugar melts.
5. Add ghee and mix well and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Add the arrowroot powder and mix well. As you mix you will observe that the contents are now become a little sticky which is when you know the recipe is almost ready.
7. Meanwhile in another pan fry the cashew nuts and raisin for a couple of minutes in a little ghee and add it to the carrot mixture.
8. At this stage add the cardamom & sugar powder and mix well.

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Spicy Hyderabadi Chicken 65 Recipe

Chicken 65 is a very popular Hyderabadi deep fried chicken recipe. Like most of us I too am not sure how this recipe got its name primarily because there are so many stories to it.

One story claims that a hotelier prepared the Chicken 65 recipe with1 kilo of chicken using 65 chilies. Another attributes the number 65 to the year when the recipe was introduced and yet another attributes 65 to the age of chicken in days. What ever the story, there is no denying that this recipe is hot and spicy delicious. So without further ado lets get started.

Ingredients for Chicken 65 Recipe:

• Boneless chicken – 1/2 kg
• Egg – 1 no
• Ginger-Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
• Red chilly powder  – 1 tsp
• Red food color – 2 pinch
• Corn flour – 2 tbsp
• Green chilly – 8 no (split)
• Curry leaves – 10 no
• Ginger finely chopped –1 tbsp
• Curd/Yogurt – 1 1/2 cup
• Ajinomoto – 1 pinch
• Black Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves for garnish
• Oil for deep frying
• Salt to taste
  

Cooking Method for Chicken 65 Recipe:

1. Take a bowl. Add ginger garlic paste, food color, salt, chilly powder, corn-flour, egg, chicken and mix well. Set aside this marinate for half an hour.
2. Take a heavy bottom deep frying pan with sufficient oil.
3. When oil is hot, fry the chicken pieces in batches and set aside.
4. Take another nonstick pan. Put 2 tbsp oil, add finely chopped ginger and fry for 2 min.
5. Put green chilies and sauté for another 2 minutes. Then put curry leaves and fry till curry leaves turn crispy.
6. Add yogurt and cook for a couple of more minutes. When the curd starts to bubble, add salt, ajinomoto , food color and then add the fried chicken. Now increase the heat and mix well.
7. Once you see that the chicken has absorbed 3/4th of the curd, add pepper and mix well.
8. Continue tossing the chicken slowly without breaking them into smaller pieces. I would recommend using a wooden spatula. Toss the chicken until all the curd is absorbed and you are left with almost dry chicken pieces.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

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Palak Paneer Recipe (Spinach Cheese Curry)

Palak Paneer Recipe is a traditional North Indian recipe made from cooked spinach (Palak) and soft  Indian cottage cheese (Paneer). Being an integral part of the Punjabi cuisine, this Paneer recipe consists of small soft Paneer cubes cooked in a Palak based creamy gravy or curry with onion, tomatoes and cumin.

As for the health benefits of Palak, we all know that it is considered a rich source of iron and calcium. In fact researchers have identified at least 13 different flavonoid compounds in spinach that function as antioxidants and as anti-cancer agents especially against Prostate and Ovarian cancers. There are many more health benefits of spinach but that's for another time. For now lets get started with the recipe.

Palak Paneer Recipe Ingredients:

• Palak (spinach) – 2 big bunches
• Paneer – 250gms
• Onion – 2 nos (medium sized; 1 whole used for puree and the other finely chopped)
• Tomatoes – 2 nos
• Coriander leaves – 1 handful
• Ginger garlic paste – 1tsp
• Green chilli – 3 nos
• Oil – 3 tbsp
• Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds (jeera) –1tsp
• Garam masala (cinnamon and clove powder) – 1/2 tsp
• Bay leaf – 1 no
• Cardamom – 1 no
• Fresh cream (Doodh malai) – 2 tbsp
• Sugar – 1 tsp
• Kasuri methi (Fenugreek) leaves – 1 tsp
• Dhaniya powder (coriander powder) –1 tsp
• Chilly powder – 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Cooking Method for Palak Paneer recipe:

1. Blanch Tomato: Take a  vessel, add a liter of water bring it to boil. Put tomato and cook for 8 minutes. Take out the tomato and allow it to cool. Then remove the skin and grind it to a paste and set aside.
2. Blanch Spinach: In the same water, cook palak and coriander leaves. Add a pinch of salt so that the color of Spinach remains intact. Let it cook for 3 minutes. Remove the palak and coriander into a separate container. Set the water aside for later use.
3. Make a puree of the cooked spinach with coriander leaves in a blender.
4. Also make a puree of one medium sized onion with 3 green chillies.
5. Take another vessel or kadai on medium heat. Add oil and then when it is hot add paneer cubes. Fry for 4 minutes. Take the paneer cubes out of the vessel and soak in warm water. This ensures that the paneer stays soft and tender.
6. In the same vessel or kadai in which you fried paneer with the same oil, add jeera seeds. When it starts to crackle add one finely chopped onion. Sauté till golden brown.
7. Add onion and chilly paste and fry for 4 minutes on medium heat.
8. Then add chilly powder and coriander powder. Mix well for a minute. Add tomato puree and cook for 5 more minutes on low heat.
9. Then add palak and coriander paste and cook for 6 additional minutes.
10. Add fried paneer, salt to taste and add little water that was used for cooking the palak. Cook for 10 minutes until gravy like consistency. Add more water if needed.
11. Now add cream, kasuri methi leaves, garam masala and ghee. Mix well and cook for 3 more minutes.

Serve hot with rotis, naan or rice.

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Spicy Prawn Curry recipe

The traditional Bengali, Goan and the Kerala prawn curry recipes involve use of coconut with ginger and/or garlic. This prawn curry recipe is a variation without these ingredients yet very delicious and flavorful. It goes very well with plain rice, jeera rice and ghee rice.

Prawn Curry Recipe Ingredients:

• Prawns (Shrimp) – 1 lb or 1/2 kg (cleaned and deveined)
• Onion (Medium sized) – 2 nos
• Coriander leaves – 3 tbsp (finely chopped)
• Curry leaves – 20 nos
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Home made Sambar powder – 1 1/2 tbsp
• Dhania or Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
• Pepper powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
• Oil – 3 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Water – 1 cup

Prawn Curry Recipe Cooking Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai or pan. Add mustard seeds.
2. When it starts to crackle, add onion and curry leaves.
3. Fry the onion till it is translucent then put the prawns or shrimp and let it cook for 10 minutes on low heat.
4. Then add coriander leaves and stir the mixture for 2 minutes.
5. Meanwhile take a separate bowl with 1 cup water. Add sambar powder, dhania or coriander  powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder and mix well.
6. Then pour this water and spice mixture in to the pan containing the prawns and add salt.
7. Cook the shrimp for a few minutes until you get the gravy consistency and you are done.

Serve hot with Jeera rice, Ghee rice or plain rice.

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