Paneer Mutter masala

Paneer mutter masala is a curry with Indian cottage cheese and green peas. Paneer means Indian cheese and mutter stands for green peas. This is a lesser spicy curry of Indian vegetarian cuisine. Most common among North Indians and admired by all.


I went for shopping yesterday .After seeing Paneer in the shop ,I got tempted and decided to get it immediately though my brother refused for it (as it adds wgt ,,he is trying to loose his wgt :):) ) I prepared this curry for breakfast along with poori. 

Ingredients:
Paneer -200 gm (chopped 2 handful)
green peas (fresh / frozen) - 1 cup
Tomato - 3
onion - 2 (big)
cashew - 5
cinnamon - 2 inch
fennel - 1 tsp
cardamom - 2
cloves - 4
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
garam masal - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
salt - to taste
cilantro + mint leaf - a handful
oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Chop the paneer into 1 inch size cubes. Fry the chopped paneer till golden brown and keep aside.

Then fry the cashews, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves. Add onion and fry till it beomes golden brown. Let everything cool.

Cook tomato with 1 cup water till mushy..Let it cool.

Grind the onion, cashew, spices, tomato together into a fine paste along with the water from cooked tomato.

Heat the pan and fry a bay leaf. Put the ginger garlic paste and fry till we get a nice flavor.

Then add the ground paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masal powder, salt and bring it to a boil. Then add the green peas and cook completely. Reduce flame and cook covered for 10 minutes.

As the raw smell vanishes and oil starts showing up add the fried paneer and mix well.
Keep it in low flame for 5 minutes and switch off.

Garnish with finely chopped cilantro and mint leaf.

Paneer mutter masala is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot with chapati or paratha or malaysian parotta or poori..

Mochai Payaru Kuzhambu

 Here I am giving out the recipes for the mochai kuzhambu…

Ingredients:
Pachai mochai payaru ( field beans )  - 250 gm (don’t forgot to soak it in water  over night)
Onion -1
Tomato - 1
Tamarind - a small ball
Garlic - 2
Coconut ( grated ) -  2 tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Salt - as needed
Oil - as needed

For seasoning:

Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves – small pinch



Method:
 
Wash the soaked mochai payaru and put it in a cooker for 1-2 whistles. Add small amount of salt and sufficient water.
Cut onion, tomato, garlic finely.Soak tamarind in water and prepare extract. Grind coconut, cumin to a paste.Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard, urad dal ,curry leaves and when mustard splutters, add onion, garlic and fry. Add tomato, tamarind extract, coconut paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt. Once the oil separates, switch off the stove.

Mochai payaru kuzhambu  is ready!

Cabbage Poriyal & koottu

 Here I am giving out the recipes for the Cabbage poriyal & koottu…

Ingredients:

 Cabbage – 1
Onion/Vengayam – 1
Green chilly - 2
Salt- as needed
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Refined oil – 3 tsp
Chopped coconut – 1/4 cup (small amount)
Ginger – small pinch

For seasoning:

Mustard seed – ½ tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Channa dal – 3 tsp

Method:
 
Cut/shred  the cabbage into very small piece and keep it aside.
Heat a pan and add oil and do seasoning with mustard,urad dal & channa dal.
Add chopped  onion ,green chillies,ginger .Once onion is turned into brown in color ,add cabbage, turmeric powder and salt  by keeping it in low flame and stir it till it is well cooked. There is no need to add water since it should be cooked in oil.
Add finely chopped coconut and stir for 3 minutes
Cabbage poriyal  is ready!

Note:
If the green chilly is not there, you can add red chilly instead.
There is another method too. We can cook cabbage, turmeric powder  and channa dal with sufficient amount of water & salt as needed instead of frying it in oil and keep it aside. Heat a pan and add oil and do seasoning with mustard,urad dal . Add chopped  onion ,green chillies,ginger.Once onion is turned into brown in color ,add cabbage & channa dal  by keeping it in low flame and stir it till it is well mixed. Add finely chopped coconut and stir for 3 minutes. Cabbage koottu is ready to be served.

Thakkali kothsu

 Here I am giving out the recipes for the Thakkali kothsu…

Ingredients:

 Tomato/Thakkali – 5
Onion/Vengayam – 2
Green chilly - 4
Salt- as needed
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Refined oil – 3 tsp
coriander leaves - small pinch

To Grind:
Ginger – 1
Garlic cloves – 5
Cashews – 6
Kasa kasa – ½ tsp
Jeera – ½ tsp
Chopped coconut – ½

For seasoning:

Mustard seed – ½ tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Method:
 
Wash the tomato and cook for w while in water.once it is hal cooked,peel it off the skin and grind it without skin along with kasa kasa and cashews..keep it aside.
Heat a pan and add oil and do seasoning eith mustard,urad dal & curry leaves.
Add chopped  onion ,green chillies,ginger & garlinc.Once onion is turned into brown in color ,add tomato mixture ,coconut milk ( jeera & coconut should be grinded together ) ,salt & turmeric powder.Once the flavor is thick in shape,add coriander leaves at the end.

Thakkai Kothsu pongal is ready!

Note:
If the green chilly is not there, you can add red chilly instead.


Serving suggestion:
 
Serve as break fast with chappathi,poori,dosai,idly,rice

Ven Pongal

 Here I am giving out the recipes for the Ven Pongal which is a delicious breakfast food and easy to prepare too... 

Ingredients:
 Raw rice – 2 cup
Moong dal/pasi paruppu – ½ cup
Water – 8 cups
Salt – as needed

For seasoning:

Ghee – 4 tsp
Pepper – 2 tsp
Jeera – 2 tsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Asafoetida – 2 pinches
Cashews – 10

Method:
 
Roast the moong dal.Wash rice and dal together.
Heat a cooker and add ghee, washed rice dal,salt & water. Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles. Wait till the pressure gets released by itself. Open & mash it.
Season with the items given above. First add ghee, when hot add pepper and let it start splutter and then switch off the flame. Add cashews and fry till it starts golden and then lastly add jeera. Add curry leaves and asafoetida lastly. Mix in the heat well and then add it to pongal and mix

Ven pongal is ready!

Notes:

• If the pongal is watery when you open, then you can try keeping it again in stove and mix well until water evaporates.(only if the rice has got cooked, otherwise you can again give 2 whistles). 
• If it is too dry/thick then add some milk to bring it to desired consistency. Again, the rice should have got cooked properly.
• Make sure you dont burn jeera while frying, as it changes the whole taste of pongal.
• You can add turmeric 1/8 tsp for an ‘yellow looking” pongal.

Serving suggestion:
 
Serve as break fast with sambar & chutney

Egg Gravy Masala

Here I am giving out the recipes for the Egg Gravy Masala... 

Ingredients:
 
Egg - 6 
Onion (Vengayam) - 2
Tomato (Thakkali) - 3 
Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp
 Refined oil - 4 tsp
Turmeric Powder- 1 tsp
Salt - 3 tsp



To Grind:

Ginger (Inji) - 1 inch 
Garlic (Poondu) - 10 cloves
black pepper (Milagu)- 2 tsp
Jeera (Ieeragam) - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds (Perunjeeragam) - 1 tsp
Coconut - 1/2 moodi chopped

For seasoning :

Coriander leaves - 1 pinch 




Masala 1 :

Make a paste with black pepper,Fennel Seeds,Jeera & Coconut by adding sufficient water...

Method:
 
Boil the eggs and peel it off the cover and cut into half pieces..

Finely chop the onion and keep it aside.  Grind the tomatoes and Keep it separately.
 
Add Grind the peeled ginger and garlic to a fine paste.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the finely chopped onion and fry till it becomes golden brown.
Now put the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
Add the tomato juice flavor and fry till oil separates.
Add turmeric & chilly powder and Masala 1 contents with 3 tsp salt and fry till oil separates.
Add Coriander leaves.

Now add the half pieced eggs. Stir once in 3 minutes. Switch off after the oil starts showing up.

Egg Gravy Masala is ready!


Serving suggestion:

 
Serve as side dish with plain white rice,briyani,tomato rice + rasam.
Also tastes great with any Indian breads like chapati, naan, parotta, pav buns & dhosa, idly dishes.

Veg Biriyani

Here is the Veg Briyani Recipe I prepared for lunch. I have tried two times so far with the same pattern and it tastes good. You can also try and give me feedback on the outcome. 

Ingredients:
 
Basmati (Briyani) rice  - 800 gms 
Onion (Vengayam) – 3
Peas (dried) – 100 gms..Should be soaked in the water one day before
Carrot – 4
Green beans – 100 gms
Potato – 1
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 pinch int leaves - 1 pinch

Refined oil - 4 tsp
Salt - 3 tsp



To Grind:

Ginger (Inji) – 50 gms
Garlic (Poondu) - 15 cloves
Green chillies – 10
Coconut - 1 moodi chopped

For seasoning :

Fennel - 1 tsp
bay leaves - 2
star aniseed - 1,
cinnamon stick - 2 inch
cardamom - 2
ghee - 5 tbsp
cashew nuts -10


Masala 1 :


Make a paste with Ginger,Garlic & Green chilies...

Masala 2 :

Make a paste with chopped coconut and take out  the coconut milk from the paste..


Method:
 
Wash and clean the briyani rice. Fry it in ghee for a while and keep it aside.
Clean the vegetables Green beans, carrot and potato and cut it into small pieces. Keep them separately.
 
Heat the cooker and add refines oil and ghee. Add Fennel, bay leaves, star aniseed, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cashew nuts.
Finely chop the onion. Keep them separately. Add Masala 1 (peeled ginger and garlic to a fine paste) and fry it the raw smell goes. Add salt and turmeric powder and mix vegetables and soaked peas after filtering out the water.
Add Coriander leaves ,Mint leaves.
Add the coconut milk and water together.For 1 glass of briyani rice,we should add 1.5 glass.(As I have used 4 glass of rice,I  used 6 glass of water + 1 glass for vegetables quantity). Mix the fried ghee rice at the end and cover the lid of cooker and keep pressure on it.Once you get 1 whistle ( it will take 15-20 mins to get cooked ) ,switch it off and take a pressure after a while.(10 mins)

Veg Biriyani is ready!


Serving suggestion:
 
Serve with side dish Raitha and egg curry,chicken ,mutton gravy masala  or veg gravy masala.