Butter paneer

End of October is nearing and I am really into tracking out the recipes I want to post for the next two months . For me I always want to feel the work I do. Actually love the job. If the interest dies down then you should give it a paid and refresh your mind for sometime and when you return I guarantee byou will be more energetic than before. I take break now a then and now I am loving my blog at the most here. The only problem is I need a push up or a thumbs up at times form my family especially my Aj who loves food especially testing trials fory blog. He still doesn't know I regularly blog . But he knows I am doing something on a space  on internet . Yes I don't share something with him. Some business men won't understand passion for money .  But he is a foodie and so I am able to make anything I want. .

  I am filling my blog with basic recipes . Butter chicken is typically a North Indian receipe . But nowadays it's common here in Kerala too. And since it is our favourite I am adding it to my blog space. I would personally call it dumping recipes as it is dumping every ingredient quickly . There is no long process involved here .  I have added green peas too . Everyone have their own method of cooking butter paneer. But anyway it is always quick and easy to create using your own measurements.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons Butter
• 250 grams Paneer cubes (or Cottage Cheese)
• 3 Kashmiri Red Chilies
• 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
• 1 Bay leaves
• 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
• 3 Cloves
• 2 Cardamoms
• 1/2 teaspoon Peppercorns
• 1 Onion, chopped finely
• 6 boiled Tomatoes, roughly chopped.
• 1/2 teaspoon Chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Garam masala(Powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric(Powder)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Ketchup
• 1 tablespoons kasthuri methi (dry )
• 2 tablespoons Fresh Cream
• to taste Salt

Method

• In a large pan or kadhai, heat a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil.
• Add red chillies, ginger, garlic paste and all the whole spices mentioned above . Saute for a minute or two and onions. Cook the onions turn translucent.
• Pulse the tomatoes in grinder. Add to the onions .
• Cover and cook till the tomatoes start breaking down and the mixture starts leaving oil at the edges.
•  Add garam masala powder, chili powder, turmeric, ketchup, salt along with 1/2 cup water. Bring this to a boil.
• Once the curry comes to a boil, simmer and cook for 30 minutes, till the oil separates slightly. Cut the paneer into bite sized pieces, add it to the gravy and mix gently.
• In another pan, dry roast the kasturi methi and grind it to a fine powder. Mix kasturi methi and fresh cream in the curry and switch off the flame. Serve hot

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Vegetable kadai

This is a recipe that's really famous in our area and no one has to doubt about its taste. I always keep the kadai masala powder in pantry for the easy cook ups . Though not always a trending dish in my kitchen but I make it quite often. Our favourite is the paneer combo.

I don’t know if you have been noticing I am  struggling with the blog ., I have been quiet as I got sick in between, silencing myself for a while  with less explocives of  my experiences and  feelings. There was a time when I would just bubble with a lot . But  sometime , that has gone on the side which led  to complexities in life .. It isn’t that I don’t like to  write my posts, I still do a lot for the blog. . But I don't like to write a long post ..not a big fan of it .whatever said  there is no intention and  there are no thoughts when I write and nothing much happening to be  spoken on . If you feel that I am being a bit emm...dumb   then I may have to say a it dumb but I am trying to figure out. Still my hectic schedule doesn't allow to cook ....  I am not sure how I would term the feeling of lost ....but as much as I love the blog, and I want to get things going as normal a possible  I am trying to keep a little space also . A balancing act....to do everything slow and steady with patience.   .

Having seen so many of my Hardworking  bloggers  moving 10k on Instagram from their blogs recipes being posted daily I feel  due to whatever reasons, I somehow feel that is the best  thing I want to do too. By the way, the blog is now just growing with few plus recipes, it.  As of now, I am slowly inching towards hitting 1000 posts on the blog. I am in no hurry, I am taking it slow, and this year I should be able to hit that number by half . Then I may do a celebrity post, to show off my blog ...hehe...nothing like that ... inshallah have to wait and see.

Ingredients

For kadai masala:

• 1 tablespoon Coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 3-4 Kashmiri dried red chilies seeds and stem removed
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper corns
• 1 teaspoon dry methi leaves
• 1 cinnamon
• 1 clove
• 3 cardamom
• 8 cashews
• Vegetables needed (total 2 cups) :
• 1 small or 1/3 cup Potatoes washed, peeled, cubed
• 1/3 cup Cauliflower (gobi) cut into florets
• 1/3 cup Carrot cut into cubes
• 1/3 cup Green peas
• 1/3 cup Capsicum (Green bell pepper) cut into ½ inch pieces
• For veg kadai gravy:
• 2 tablespoons Oil
• ½ cup Onion finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed
• 2 large or 1 cup Tomato pureed
• ½ cup Water or as needed
• Salt to taste
• ½ teaspoon Garam masala
• 1 teaspoon Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) lightly crushed between you plam
• 3-4 tablespoons Heavy whipping cream or fresh cream or malai

Method.

• Roast the kadai masala ingredients till nice aroma appears. After cooling, grind it to powder.
• Puree three tomatoes and keep aside.
• Heat 1/2 oil in kadai and roast 1/2 onions and capsicums till soft. Keep aside.
• In the same kadai add the rest of the oil and add the ginger garlic paste. Saute till aroma appears.
• Add rest of 1/4 cup onions and saute till brown .
• Add tomato puree and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add turmeric and red chilli powder and stir well.
• Add veggies and 2 cup water. And cook till done on low flame.
• After the water is half reduced and the veggies are cooked till perfect . Add the kadai masala and fresh cream .
• Simmer for one minute .
• Serve with hot roties or naan

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Chickpea masala curry

After hummus comes this masala that we endure very much and the kadala masala curry  is the easiest to make  . Actually I was planning to peas but the chickpeas happened by mistake .  I had forgotten to soak the peas , and I had asked zehna to soakn.she mistakenly soaked the chickpeas. After having my morning tea I was so hooked up with the chores that after opened the lid I saw the difference. I thought let's try it out anyway and this masala happened .there was no time to think ..so I did the planned recipe the only difference being the chickpeas. Instead of peas. This is something similar to the black kadala masala post..

Kadala (white chickpeas)masala  is a dish very comforting in itself to all  Malayalees these days . It’s a very popular dish served for parties to serve with chapathis.

We usually make kadala  curry with coconut milk and just have it rotis or chapathis . When I wanted to try this recipe with this masala mix the option was endless ....u can have it with anything even white rice.  Last week, my kids have fallen sick with the  flu and I was stuck with two sick ones . I just couldn't get the time to post or do some planned cooking for the blog . But if you don’t have time, or your in a hurry to get this recipe done on busy days , Just make the masala and refrigerate it and boil the chickpeas and set aside for the next morning. Finish it off with rest of the cooking and it's easy to go..

Ingredients

• 2 cup chickpeas
• 3 Tablespoon coconut oil

For the paste

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 2  medium onion chopped.
• 1 inch ginger chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes chopped
• 1 green chilli
• 1 red chilli
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder.
• 1/2  teaspoon turmeric powder.
• 1 teaspoon garam masala powder.
• Salt to taste

Method

• Soak chickpeas overnight .
• Cook in pressure cooker , after the whistle , reduce the heat and cook for another 15 minutes. Set aside once it's done.
• Heat oil and all the  ingredients and cook til it's done. It will turn mushy and then cool .
• Grind to paste .
• Heat oil 2 tablespoon in a heavy bottom vessel . Add the grind paste. Add the spice powders. Stir well.
• Add the chickpeas and add little ( chickpeas cooked water) water only if needed.
• It will be a semi-thick soup consistency at this point,  cook till stew like consistency .
• Cook  for 15-20 minutes, or until thick and stew-like. Stir often .
• Add  garam masala  and set aside.
• Once  the chana masala has thickened , check the seasons and adjust the salt if needed.
• .

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Pumpkin lentil curry\ Mathanga errisery

September is just flying out  for me and after speculating  a bit,  I decided to post  some simple recipes from curries to desserts . The only day regret is  when I fail to prepare snacks for kids.  I have a three' bunch 'and I am finding it so much a havoc here. I personally don't like my kids having anything deep fried so I try to make a filling lunch with desserts included. It  is the only way I find it easy . I normally don’t tend to repeat the curries , this time I made their favourite rasam and errishery as all love pumpkin here and with lentils they love it even more , well enough to keep their hunger pranks down a bit. The version that I made is not very thick  but not so thin too , as I would have the left over for chapathis at night.

Sometimes it is difficult for me to geek out on  what to prep for the meal courses , what to cook and not to , reason being i have three different tasters and it's really not at all helpful.
I guess that happens with everybody but very rare if it's three different kids' taste buds樂.  … So in order to ease my  tension, I ask all three what they want and tell them to choose from  scratch that will be loved by all,which is also challenging for me . Now I have to make a weekly meal plan of four course meals with three different varieties.

So today's curry is usually in my favorite too , most of the time, I prepare it . My younger one loves pumpkins . Even though I don’t make it frequently, when he wants to have that craving Yellow curry  with lots of  lentils in it I always make it a point to get one nice medium pumpkin in my pantry. This curry is apt to make when you don’t have fresh fish for lunch or even dinner . Eras we all call it erisserry, in the thick curry form is quite  easier for dinner and I can go with chapathis and if necessary a fry which is a must for Aj...

INGREDIENTS :

1 cup Yellow Pumpkin /Mathanga (diced)

1/2 cup cherru  payar/ Green gram lentils

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder /Manjal podi

Salt to taste

To Grind :

1-2 Small Onion /Shallots : 1-2

3-4 Green Chillies

1/2 cup rated Coconut

1/2 teapsoon Cumin Seeds

For Tempering :

2 nos.Dry Red Chillies

4 tablespoon Grated Coconut

1 sprig Curry leaves

1 teaspoon Mustard seeds

2 teaspoon Coconut Oil

Method.

Soak  grams for one hour; pressure cook the with enough water, turmeric powder and salt for 4-5 whistle. After the pressure settles open the cooker.

Next add the  Chunky pumpkin pieces and cook  till it turns to soft and tender

Then Madhu slightly. After its done . .

Make a paste with grated coconut, cumin seeds, green chillies and small onions with little water. 

next is to Add this ground coconut paste and mix wellth with pumpkin and lentils.

Heat a tsp of oil in a pan , and start to temper. The add mustard seeds , add dry red chillies, grated coconut and curry leaves and fry golden brown.

Pour this hot tempering and drizzle ½ tsp of coconut oil over the gravy, mix well and adjust the salt.

Serve with hot rice .

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Chakka parrpu/jackfruit lentil curry

Simple chakka parrpu Recipe –jackfruit Recipe

Dal is a very simple and basic recipe but looks very vibrant..I made this for my daughter and it turned out really good and delicious.

 We prepare dal almost everyday , so adding  many dal recipes lately is fun  and i thought even though this is simple it will be a great addition to my list.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon Oil
• 1 Onion chopped finely
• 1 tomato chopped finely
• 1 jackfruit chopped finely
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup Toor Dal
• 1 cup Water
• 2 tablespoon corriander leaves chopped finely

Method

• Pressure cook jackfruit and  toor dal with little turmeric till soft. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add onions, tomatoes and saute for 3 mins.
• Add salt, turmeric, chilli powder and mix well.
• Add water and cook till  done.
• Add in dal mixture  and  mix well.
• Simmer for 5 mins.
• Add coriander leaves and mix well.
• Serve.

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