CHATKA PANEER

Hello everyone

Are you wondering over its name? No use of doing that as this wonder name is given by my 10 yrs old daughter , who is die hard fan of paneer dishes. According to her it is yummy chatakhedaar dish , so deserve this kind of name. As I didn't tasted it yet due to my fast today but my lil fussy eater too confirmed the authenticity of his elder sis's statement and finished his lunch in no time 😁😁. This made me confident enough to share this recipe with you all.

Stepwise recipe is given below, hope you will also love it as my kids do.

CHATKA PANEER

Serves: 4-5

Time : 30 mins

Ingredients 

2 cup cottage cheese ( paneer) , cubed

2 big onions, cubed

1 medium capscicum, cubed

1 big onion, thinly sliced 

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 

2-3 green chilies, slitted 

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/4 cup tomato puree ( I used store bought)

1 tbsp kitchen King masala

2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 cup milk

2 tsp kasoori methi, crushed between palms.

Salt to taste

Oil

Method:

Heat some oil in a wok, add cumin seeds. Let it crackle then add slitted chilies and sliced onions. Saute till onions become nice golden. Now add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute.

 Add chopped tomatoes , little salt and all dry spice powders except garam masala. Saute till tomatoes are mushy.Now add pureed tomato and again Saute till it starts leaving oil.

 Now add cubed capsicum and onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes then cover and cook till onions get transparent. 

Add milk and cook it stirring constantly till it boils. Add water as per your choice of gravy consistency, add salt and let it boil again. 

Now add paneer cubes and let it simmer for 3-4 mins. Finally add kasoori methi and garam masala. Again simmer for 1 min and switch off the flame. 

Your delicious chatakhedaar paneer gravy is ready to be served with roti/poori/paratha/naan or rice/pulao. In each combo it tastes delicious.

** you can increase quantity of chilli as per your taste to make it more or less hot. I kept it medium hot.

If you have unannounced guests and want to serve something delicious yet fussfree and quick the go for it, you will never regret.

Hope you all will love to try this super yum paneer gravy recipe and don't forget to share your experience with me. 

Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot to me.

Happy cooking....

FOUR DIFFERENT BREADS FROM SAME GARLIC HERB DOUGH AND PANEER ZATAAR FILLING

Hello everyone

I had some thick water drained from my biryani rice and don't want to throw it as was full of aroma and flavour. So thought to bake some bread and use this in kneading my dough as it was long I baked any bread. But then I thought why not to give it some artistic twist and bake some more flavours and designs of bread from this perfect dough. I saw some patterned bread pictures few days back, on Internet . Keeping that in my mind , I tried to make these four types of breads, which are loved by everyone in both taste and look. So here is the technique and tips with step wise pics for baking these cuties. Hope you all will definitely give it a try and come up with your feedback too.

FOUR DIFFERENT BREADS FROM SAME GARLIC HERB DOUGH AND PANEER ZATAAR FILLING

Serves: 3-4 ( each bread)

Time: 1 1/2 hr ( leaving proofing and resting time)

Ingredients

For dough :

4 cup all purpose flour / whole wheat flour/ chapatti flour
1 tsp active dry yeast 
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp oregano 

2 tsp garlic powder or minced garlic

1/2 tsp thyme leaves(optional)

1/2 tsp rosemary leaves ( optional)
2 -3 tbsp oil 

1 cup warm water to knead dough ( I used drained water from biryani rice)

Milk to brush

Ghee or butter for final brushing 

For filling:

1 cup crumbled cottage cheese ( paneer)

1/2 cup Zataar mix

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1/4 tsp chaat masala powder

Salt to taste

*** You can use any filling of your choice ( potato filling, paneer filling, Nutella filling etc)

Method: 

For dough:

Add sugar in warm water and then mix yeast in it and let it rest for 10-15 mins or till it become frothy.

Add salt, garlic powder or garlic, oregano, thyme , rosemary leaves and oil in flour and knead with yeast and warm water till it become soft, shiny and nonsticky dough. 

It may seem very sticky at the beginning but will become manageable after 6-7 mins of kneading. 

It will take 8 to 10 mins or even more ,to get perfect dough . apply some oil on it and cover with damp cloth, let it rest for 2 -3 hrs in a warm place like in closed microwave/oven or till it doubles it volume. 

Now punch the dough, again knead for 4-5 mins and cut in four equal parts.

Till then mix all the filling ingredients together . Keep aside for later use.

Cut the dough in four equal parts for four breads.

**** While making one bread , keep rest of dough covered.

SUNFLOWER BREAD:

First of all take 1 part dough and cut it in two equal size dough. Roll a little thick chapatti from it , place it on a baking tray lined with butter paper and spread paneer zataar filling on it evenly , leaving edges. 

Press it firmly to stick on the dough.Now make another thick chapatti from another part of dough and place it over filling, covering it fully. 

Now press the edges to seal. Using a big round bowl you can cut it to get perfect round shape flower.

 Now Place a small round cookie cutter or bowl at the center and make cuts on the dough as shown in pic.

Now twist each cut part as shown . Sprinkle some sesame seeds all over it and cover . Place at some warm place for second rise for at least 30 - 40 mins . 

Till then prepare for another bread.

Now brush it with some milk and bake for 15-20 mins at 220 degree C in a preheated oven or till desired colour it acquired. 

Remove from oven and brush some butter or ghee to get nice shiny finish and soft bread for long time.

Enjoy warm with hot cup of tea or coffee.

You can prepare this for any b'day party or in evening snacks or for kids tiffin too, they will love to relish on these beautiful paneer filled breads.

ROSE BREAD:

Now take 1 part of dough and cut it in gooseberry size small doughs. Take one dough and roll it to round chapatti and using a 3-4 inch diameter cookie cutter or bowl, cut round shape. Now make four equal size cuts on it as shown in pic. 

Place 1 tsp filling at the center and fold cuts as shown in pic. Your rose shape is ready. Place it on a baking tray lined with butter paper. Similarly make all the roses and sprinkle some sesame seeds on it.

*** Always keep prepared roses at some distance during second rise ,to avoid sticking on rising and baking. Otherwise it will ruin the shape of roses.

Now cover it and let it rest for 30-40 mins at a warm place. Now brush it with milk and bake at 220C for 15 -20 mins or till desired colour is acquired.

Remove from oven and brush with some ghee or butter.

 Now let it out and cool on a wire rack.

 Your savory yummy rose bread is ready to be served with a cup of tea or coffee. 

Kids will also enjoy it with some sauce . You can prepare it for your kitty party or for tiffin snacks too.

STAR BREAD:

Take 1 part of the dough and cut in two equal halves. Roll one part to a thick round chapatti , place on a baking tray lined with butter paper and spread filling on it evenly, leaving edges. Press it firmly to stick on dough. Now roll another half of dough to thick round chapatti of same size and place on filling, covering it completely. Press the edges to seal. Now place a small round cookie cutter or bowl at the center and make cuts as shown in pic.

Now hold two cut strips in both hands and twist them in opposite directions. Now stick their edges together. Similarly do with all the strips. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on it.

Now cover it and let it rest for 30-40 mins. Then brush it with milk and bake it at 220 degreeC for 15 -20 mins.

Remove from oven and brush with some butter or ghee.

 Now let it cool on a wire rack and your star bread is ready to be served to your kids.

Enjoy this lovely bread with your tea or coffee..

BRAIDED BREAD:

Take the last piece of dough and any left over from other doughs, cut in four equal parts. Now roll each dough in long ropes. 

Now tuck one end of each rope together and make braid as shown in pic. Place on a baking tray lined with butter paper. Sprinkle some sesame seed all over it. 

*** If you are not comfortable with four rope then go with three. And make braid as we do with hair.

Now cover it and let it rest for 30-40 mins then brush it with some milk and bake at 220 degree C in a preheated oven for 15-20 mins or till it become nice golden.

Now remove from oven and brush it with some ghee or butter.

Let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing, to get neat slices.

Your yummy garlic herbed slices are ready to be served with butter or to be toasted.

Enjoy with hot tea or coffee.

**** Never divide bread dough by stretching,other wise the gluten formed during kneading will damage, just use knife or dough cutter to cut dough in pieces.

So bake these cuties and please your kids and family with your creativity. I tried to explain all the tips and tricks but if any thing left then please let me know by dropping down your queries and suggestions in comment box below. Your comments and suggestions meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

PANEER PALAK FRANKIE ROLLS

Hello everyone

Serving nutritious, healthy cum delicious food to their family is every homemakers dream. And this dream becomes more challenging when you have fussy eaters at your home, just like mine. My younger one demand more attention , when I have to prepare lunch box for him. He is too picky to like regular meals, so I have to invent new forms of daily meals to lure him. Today I added some spinach and paneer to kids lunch box in some innovative way without telling them. Who doesn't know the nutritional values of green leafy veggies , which our kids totally deny. Generally kids are fond of paneer dishes, so I took advantage of this weakness of them and added some more nutrition in my way. Hope you will find it more interesting way to feed your child some more nutrients without more fuss. 

Recipe is given below, do try and see your kids having healthy snacks in delicious way.

PANEER PALAK FRANKIE ROLLS

Serves: 5-6

Time: 30 mins 

Ingredients 

For filling:

1 1/2 cup cottage cheese ( paneer), cubed

2 big onion, thinly sliced

1 cup spinach , roughly chopped 

2-3 green chilies

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

Pinch of turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/4 tsp chaat masala powder

1/2 tsp lemon juice ( optional)

Salt to taste

Oil

For rolls:

5-6 tortilla wraps/ round parathas/ khubus ( I used parathas made of dough kneaded with left over dal)

Some salad

Sauce of your choice

Method:

First of all make smooth paste of spinach, green chilies and some water. Keep aside for later use. 

Heat some oil in a wok and add sliced onions. Let it cook till transparent, add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. Now add cumin powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and salt. Saute for 2 minutes then add prepared puree of spinach. Cook for 4-5 minutes and add chaat masala powder. Add paneer cubes and saute for 2 mins. Adjust salt and our filling is ready. 

Now either prepare round paratha or take ready made wraps and put required amount of above filling , topped with some salad and sauce. Roll it to give cylindrical shape and wrap in an aluminum foil if giving in lunch box , to retain its shape and softness.

 Or cut it in desired size and serve hot with any sauce or as it it. I used khubus this time.

*You can add other vegetables too as per your choice and availability.

* Paneer can also be replaced with any other veggie option or meat products as per your choice.

It is very delicious cum healthy breakfast/ tiffin snacks provides maximum nutrition in one go, and is very easy to prepare too.

 You can also prepare it for dinner/lunch/breakfast or whenever you want  as it is a complete meal and filling too.

Hope you all will definitely give it a try and don't forget to share your experience with me. 

Happy cooking....

HYDERABADI STUFFED MIRCH KA SALAN

Hello everyone

Mirch ka Salan is one of my favorite veg dish , I can relish on any time. Last time when I posted mirch ka Salan recipe, I promised to soon post stuffed mirch ka Salan recipe too. So today I am here to fulfill my promise and to give you another delicious version of Salan. My kids love stuffed version more than simple one. So thought to prepare it and draft its recipe for you all. Stuffing of moong dal and paneer makes it more exotic and rich. You will not need any thing else to complete it just simple chapatti or plain rice too make it a superb filling and satisfying platter.

Step wise recipe is given below, do try and let me know your experience.

HYDERABADI STUFFED MIRCH KA SALAN

Serves: 3-4

Time: 45 mins

Ingredients 

3-4 fry chilies ( long and thick chilies without hotness), cut in half ( if too long)

2 medium size onions, finely chopped 

2-3 green chilies, finely chopped 

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp asafetida ( heeng)

2-3 springs of fresh curry leaves

1/2 tsp turmeric powder 

2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder 

1 tbsp tamarind paste

Salt to taste

Oil

For paste:

1/4 cup roasted peanuts 

1/4 cup freshly grated coconut

2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3-4 dry red chilies 

For stuffing: 

1/2 cup dry yellow moong dal, soaked for 30 mins and drained

200 gms paneer ( cottage cheese), crumbled ( approx 1 cup)

2 medium onion, finely chopped 

2-3 green chilies, finely chopped 

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/4 tsp turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp curry powder ( optional)

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp asafetida ( heeng)

2 springs of curry Leaves 

1/4+ tsp chaat masala powder

Salt to taste

Oil

Method:

First of all dry roast coriander seeds then cumin seeds and red chilies till aromatic. Remove in a plate to cool. Now dry roast coconut till it slightly change the colour. Let it cool. Now take all the ingredients under for paste section in a grinder jar and using little water, make a smooth paste. Keep it for later use.

* I used peanuts with skin if you want then can deskin it then use.

Now make a coarse paste of moong dal using little water and keep aside.

Now heat some oil in a wok , add asafetida and mustard seeds. Let them crackle then add curry leaves, saute for a min then add chopped onions and chilies. Let it get little golden then add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 mins.

 Now add all dry spice powder except chaat masala and saute for a minute. Add moong dal paste and fry till its raw smell goes off, nearly 3-4 mins. Now add crumbled paneer, salt and chaat masala powder. Saute for 2 mins and switch off the flame. Let it cool a little.

Till then slit fry chilies and remove its veins and seeds. Now stuff prepared stuffing in cavities of chilies. If chilies are too long to handle then cut in half.

Now take some oil in a wok and add fry chilies in it. Shallow fry at medium flame , flipping in between carefully so that stuffing will not come out. Cover with lid to ensure even cooking of chilies.

 When they become soft and having nice golden spots on it, remove on a plate and keep for later use.

Now in the same wok add some more oil, if needed, add asafetida and mustard seeds. Let it crackle then add curry leaves. Saute for a min and add chopped onions and green chilies. Saute till little golden , add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 mins.

 Now add turmeric powder and Kashmiri red chili powder. Saute for a min then add tamarind pulp. Mix well and add prepared paste. Saute for 3-4 minutes .

 Now add required water as per your preference of gravy consistency. Add salt and let it boil. Now add fried chilies with open side up to ensure it filling remain inside the chilies and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes. So that chilies absorb all the flavours.

Now switch of the flame. Garnish with roasted sesame seeds and grated coconut. Serve hot with roti / naan/ paratha/ poori or even with plain rice. 

It tastes heavenly with all of these accompaniments, just try whatever combo you like. 

I kept my gravy of medium consistency but if you want too thick gravy then increase ingredient's quantity in making paste.

* You can adjust tanginess in gravy according to your taste preference by increasing or decreasing tamarind pulp quantity.

Do try this easy yet super delicious nutty flavored side dish and drop down your precious comments and suggestions, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....