LOW CALORIE PANEER BUTTER MASALA WITHOUT CREAM

Hello everyone

Who doesn't know my family's  love towards paneer dishes. Till now I told numerous times that everyone got it stuck in their minds😁. Specially paneer butter masala is my kids favorite paneer curry recipe. But due to use of excess butter and cream in it I avoid to make it like restaurant way. This is my second recipe of the same dish in two different way but with awesome end result, that everyone licked their fingers too. I used to add some healthy nuts to my gravy which makes it more healthy and yummy too. Will come up with other recipes too in future but with low calorie versions only. You can indulge in these yummilicious dishes without being on guilt trip. It's just like icing on cake, as relish on your favorite dish without getting guilt and fear of gulping too much calories.

Stepwise recipe is given below, do try and don't forget to share your experience with me.

LOW CALORIE PANEER BUTTER MASALA WITHOUT CREAM 

Serves: 4-5

Time : 45 mins

Ingredients 

500 gms paneer ( cottage cheese), cubed
2 medium onion, chopped
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped or grated
7-8 cloves garlic
2 inch ginger, peeled and grated or cut
5-6 cashews
12-15 almonds
2 tsp kitchen king masala
2 tsp kashmiri red chill

2-3 tbsp tomato sauce or puree

Few drops of edible orange red colour( optional)
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
3/4 cup milk

1-2 tsp honey ( as per tartness of tomatoes)
1-2 tsp butter
1 tsp kashoori methi, crushed
Salt to taste
Oil

Method:

First of all take chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, carrots, cashews, almonds, garlic and ginger in a wok. Add 1- 1 1/2 cup water in it and let it boil, then lower the flame and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. So that all the veggies and nuts get nicely cooked and tender. Let it cool a little.

Now transfer it in a blender and make nice smooth paste. Strain the paste for more smooth gravy ( I skipped).

Now heat some oil in a wok and add kitchen King masala and Kashmiri red chilli powder, saute for few seconds and add prepared paste. Let it cook for 7-8 minutes. 

Now add tomato sauce and cook for further 2 mins. At this stage you can add edible colour as per need ( optional). I ran out of tomato sauce so added 1 tsp of chilli garlic sauce. This step is optional, just for adding some colour and reducing tanginess. You can skip it if not having readymade tomato puree or sauce.

Now add milk slowly and stirring constantly to avoid cuddling. Let it cook for further 4-5 minutes.

Add paneer cubes and salt ,simmer for 2-3 minutes. 

Now add honey, garam masala, kasoori methi . Finally add butter and Mix well ,switch off the flame. 

Garnish it with some crushed kasoori methi and Your delicious easy low calorie paneer butter masala is ready to be served with roti/naan/paratha/poori/rice or pulao.

 It tastes Superb in any of these combo.

* Do use nice ripe red tomatoes for good colour and taste.

* Add honey as per your taste.

* You can adjust consistency of gravy by adding some water along with milk if needed. I kept it nice thick like restaurant ones so avoided adding further liquid.

Kids love this curry so much. You can prepare this for your get together menu too. 

Do try and please don't forget to tell how's it turned out for you. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

CHEESY AND SPICY OATS PASTA LOADED WITH VEGGIES

Hello everyone

Being a pasta fan , I use to experiment with new taste and flavours by using different healthy options in hand. Though I generally use oats to make sauce for my pastas to make it more healthier but this time used oats pasta , which I got as a sample in mall. It's really worth trying. After trying many saucy pastas , this time I made non saucy yet superbly delicious veggie pasta for breakfast and for my kids tiffin. It turned out so yummy and cheesy that no pasta fan can resist asking for another serving. I just used simple and handy ingredients but the result is just wow. So hope you will too love this simple yet delicious preparation.

Recipe of the same is given below, just give it a try.

CHEESY AND SPICY OATS PASTA LOADED WITH VEGGIES

Serves: 3-4

Time: 30 mins

Ingredients 

2 cup oats pasta , boiled and drained ( keep the drained water)

1 medium carrot, sliced thinly

1 spring onion, chopped 

1/4 cup colored capsicum, sliced

1/2 cup cabbage, shredded

1 big onion, sliced

2 green chillies,finely chopped 

1 tsp ginger garlic paste 

2 medium tomatoes,sliced

2-3 tsp tomato sauce or chilli tomato sauce( as per taste)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp black pepper powder 

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated ( you can add more for more cheesy texture)

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a wok, add sliced onions and chilies,saute till transparent. Now add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. Now add carrots saute for 2-3 mins then add all other veggies except tomatoes. Saute for 4-5 minutes then add turmeric powder, black pepper powder ,salt and sliced tomatoes. Again saute for 4-5 minutes and add drained pasta. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Adjust salt, add tomato or chilli tomato sauce ,oregano and mozzarella cheese , mix well and serve hot. Your ooey gooey cheesy pasta is ready to serve. Enjoy hot with a cup of tea or coffee.

 

*You can use any pasta of your choice and availability.

*You can also add any veggies of your choice like peas, sweet corns, brocoli etc. I used whatever was in hand.

* If you feel pasta looks too dry then can add 2-3 tbsp of pasta drained water and mix well. Consistency will become fine without much effort.

* Always boil pasta to the recommended time on its packet. Never over do it otherwise it will spoil the whole dish.

*  You can adjust spices as per your taste.

This pasta can be served as breakfast or can be a good option for lunch box too. You can have it any time without much guilt. Hope you all will like this simple healthy yet delicious pasta. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot to me.

Happy cooking....

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR NO YEAST INSTANT KULCHA

Hello everyone

Who don't like kulchas, whether stuffed or plain , these are one of the favorite breakfast in North Indian houses. But it is a bit different from regular parathas as it's more softer and fluffier than those. That's why kids prefer it over parathas.Though my younger one is very picky eater so to feed him different veggies I have to exercise my mind ,a lot. This time I thought to make these kulchas and serve with their favorite combo and viola it was a hit, as my lil pie finished his lunch box. You can prepare it with any filling of your choice .Generally kulchas are made with yeast but here I made instant version without yeast, that can be prepared in jiffy too. As in the morning we don't have enough time for proofing of yeast dough so this will be a savior for you and equally yummy and fluffy too. 

Recipe is given below , hope you all will love to try it. 

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR NO YEAST INSTANT KULCHA

Serves: 3-4

Time: 30 mins

Ingredients 

For dough:

2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour/ chapatti flour/ all purpose flour ( as per your choice )

1 cup thick yogurt ( curd)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil

For sprinkling on kulcha:

Nigella ( kalonji) seeds

Sesame ( til) seeds

Chopped coriander leaves

Butter/ ghee for cooking kulcha

Method: 

For dough:

First of all mix all dough ingredients together except yogurt. Now using yogurt knead a soft dough. It may be little sticky but don't worry after resting it will become easy to handle. If needed use little water to get nice soft dough. Don't knead too much just 2-3 minute of kneading is enough . Now cover it and keep it to rest for atleast 10 -15 mins.

For kulcha:

Take a big lemon size of dough and flatten it . Now roll it in nice thick round / oblong shape using rolling pin and some dry flour. Now sprinkle some nigella, sesame seeds and coriander leaves all over it on one side. Now again roll lightly to stick sprinkles to kulcha. 

apply some water on one side of it and place on a preheated tawa with water damped side facing down. It will stick to tawa nicely. 

Now cook it on medium flame till you see it's upper side getting nice dry and bubbles on it. 

Now flip it and apply some butter or ghee all over it as we do with paratha. 

Cook till it get nice golden patches on it. Keep flipping in between to get both sides cooked evenly. 

Similarly make all kulchas. 

Your soft, fluffy and delicious kulchas are ready to serve with any side dish of your choice. 

You can serve it for breakfast, dinner or even in lunch box too. 

You can also prepare it stuffed and serve with any side dish of your choice. 

*Stuffing can also be done according to your choice and availability.

This is so yummy to resist. Hope you and your family will definitely love this delicious treat , so make it and do share your experience with me too. 

For recipe of Dal click here http://sonicuisine.com/2016/06/dal-e-saag.html

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

Happy cooking....

CARDAMOM FLAVORED AROMATIC ONION PULAO

Hello everyone 

Some times we don't feel like to prepare same regular dishes for kids lunch box and specially when , they have to spend long time in school . But also don't want to serve any thing like bread or toast , then this one is a perfect fuss free one pot healthy meal for everyone in your family, as kids too love this tempting aromatic rice. Not only for lunch box, you can prepare it in lunch/ dinner or even when you are expecting guest. It is perfect for any get together or potluck.

It is so fussfree and easy recipe that anyone can try without fail, at the same time super yummy and aromatic too. You should must give it a try if you too have fussy eaters like mine, believe me you will never regret. It's aroma is enough to bring you to dining table .

Recipe is given below, hope you will like it and definitely give it a try.

CARDAMOM FLAVORED AROMATIC ONION PULAO

Serves: 4-5

Time: 45 mins

Ingredients 

2 cup rice (preferably basmati or aged rice)

4 -5 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp ginger garlic paste 

2-3 green chillies, slitted 

1/2 tsp green cardamom powder

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1-2 tsp red chili powder( as per taste)

8-10 cashews, broken in half ( lengthwise), optional (I skipped)

1/2 lemon ( optional)

2 tsp rose water ( optional)

Salt to taste

Oil

Method:

First of all wash rice and soak it in 2 cup water for 20 mins. 

Now Heat some oil in a thick bottomed vessel, add cashews and fry till little golden , remove on a tissue paper .

 Now add mustard seeds , let them crackle in the same oil .Be careful while sautéing so not to burn it. Now add green chillies and sliced onions, saute till nice golden then add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 mins. 

Now add red chilli powder and saute for a min.

Now add rice and fry for 2-3 mins .

Then add remaining water of rice and 2 cups of more water i.e. Double the amount of rice. Add salt , cardamom powder and squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon in it.

 Let it cook at high flame, when it starts looking little dry on top then lower the flame and cover with lid. 

Let it simmer for 5 mins. Then switch off the flame.

 Let it sit for 5- 10 mins covered, then open the lid and add fried cashews and rose water to it and mix with light hand gently. Again rest it for 10 mins then garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

 Your easy, yummy and super aromatic rice is ready to be served with gravy dish or with simple raita. It taste best even if taken as it is, it doesn't need any thing else to go with. A simple one pot meal loved by everyone.

*** I soaked rice in exact 2 cup of water to spare me with any indecision of how much water to be added for cooking rice. As we know 2:1 water rice ratio is needed to cook nice fluffy rice, but when we soak it then it already absorb some water and then our ratio gets disturb. So avoid this situation I soaked in exact amount of water and then used the same in cooking too. This will ensure you to get nicely cooked fluffy rice. 

You can use any other veggies also as per your choice and availability. But then taste may change.

Hope you all will like this super aromatic and yummy rice dish, so please drop down your valuable comments and suggestions, they meant a lot to me.

Happy cooking....

MIX VEGGIES STUFFED NO YEAST INSTANT KULCHA

Hello everyone

Who don't like kulchas, whether stuffed or plain , these are one of the favorite breakfast in North Indian houses. But it is a bit different from regular parathas as it's more softer and fluffier than those. That's why kids prefer it over parathas.Though my younger one is very picky eater so to feed him different veggies I have to exercise my mind ,a lot. This time I thought to make these kulchas with lots of veggies as stuffing and viola it was a hit, as my lil pie finished his lunch box. You can prepare it with any filling of your choice and even plain too. Generally kulchas are made with yeast but here I made instant version without yeast, that can be prepared in jiffy too. As in the morning we don't have enough time for proofing of yeast dough so this will be a savior for you and equally yummy and fluffy too. 

Recipe is given below , hope you all will love to try it. 

MIX VEGGIES STUFFED NO YEAST INSTANT KULCHA

Serves: 4-5

Time: 30-35 mins

Ingredients 

For dough:

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour/ chapatti flour

1 cup thick yogurt ( curd)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil

For stuffing:

2-3 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed

1-2 medium carrots, grated or very finely chopped

3/4 cup mixed colored capsicum, very finely chopped

3/4 cup beans, very finely chopped

1/2 cup green peas, crushed lightly

1/2 cup sweet corns , crushed lightly

3/4 cup cottage cheese( paneer), crumbled 

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2-3 green chilies, finely chopped

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1/4+ tsp chaat masala powder

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

2 tbsp green coriander leaves, finely chopped 

Salt to taste

Oil

Butter/ ghee for cooking kulcha

Method: 

For dough:

First of all mix all dough ingredients together except yogurt. Now using yogurt knead a soft dough. It may be little sticky but don't worry after resting it will become easy to handle. If needed use little water to get nice soft dough. Don't knead too much just 2-3 minute of kneading is enough . Now cover it and keep it to rest for atleast 10 mins.

For stuffing:

Heat little oil in a wok ,add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Now add chopped onions and green chilies. Fry till transparent then add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 mins. Now add carrots, capsicum, beans, corns and peas with little salt. Now saute for 3-4 mins and then cover to cook for 4-5 mins. Now add all dry spice powders except chaat masala and saute for 4-5 mins or till you get all spices nicely cooked. Now add mashed potatoes and saute for 2-3 mins. Add crumbled paneer, coriander leaves, chaat masala and adjust salt. Saute for 2 mins and your filling is ready. Let it cool a little . Best to prepare filling prior and keep in fridge before using. 

For kulcha:

Take a big lemon size of dough and flatten it a little using your fingers. Now place 2 tbsp of filling in it and seal it like we do while making parathas. Now roll it in nice thick round shape using rolling pin. Now  apply some water on one side of it and place on a preheated tawa with water damped side facing down. It will stick to tawa nicely. 

Now cook it on medium flame till you see it's upper side getting nice dry and bubbles on it. 

Now flip it and apply some butter or ghee all over it as we do with paratha. 

Cook till it get nice golden patches on it. Keep flipping in between to get both sides cooked evenly. 

Similarly make all kulchas. 

Your soft, fluffy and delicious kulchas are ready to serve with any chutney or side dish of your choice. 

You can serve it for breakfast, dinner or even in lunch box too. 

You can also prepare it plain and serve with any side dish of your choice. 

*Stuffing can also be done according to your choice and availability.

* You can also add cabbage, cauliflower, spinach etc.

* Adjust spices as per your taste buds.

This is so yummy to resist. Hope you and your family will definitely love this delicious treat , so make it and do share your experience with me too. 

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

Happy cooking....

SOFT AND FLUFFY PAV ( FROM CHAPATTI FLOUR)

Hello everyone

Pav is one of the most common bread used in many delicious street foods in India,like  vada pav, pav bhaji , dabeli etc. Generally we purchase pav from market whenever plan to make any of these street foods at home. But have you ever tried baking your own pav at home? No , then try this simple recipe of perfectly soft and fluffy pav at home and I bet , you will never buy these from market from that day onwards. The aroma of freshly baked pav will enhance your craving for these foods. I also used chapatti flour to make these instead of apf , which makes it more eligible to try at home recipe. Chapatti flour has intermediate texture of apf and whole wheat flour, so I prefer it for all my baking experiments and results are always awesome. You can use any flour as per your preference and availability. Hope you will definitely give it a try and come up with your feedback too.

Stepwise recipe is given below, do try ☺️.

SOFT AND FLUFFY PAV ( FROM CHAPATTI FLOUR)

Serves: 3-4

Time: 40 mins ( excluding proofing and rising time)

Ingredients 

4 + 1/3 cup all purpose flour or chapatti flour

1 cup warm milk/ water

1/4 tsp yeast ( for quick rise use 2tsp)

3 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup Luke warm water+milk ( 50:50)

1 /2 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil or butter

Method: 

First of all add 1 tbsp sugar to 1/2 cup water+milk, now add yeast and stir gently. Keep it at warm place for 10-15 mins or till it become nice frothy.

Now take 4 cup flour , butter/ oil , salt, remaining sugar, milk and yeast mixture. Mix it to a sticky dough. 

Now knead the dough for 5-7 mins, if you find it more sticky even after kneading then add remaining flour , little at a time. Generally dough become less sticky after kneading some more. Now let it rest for 5-7 mins and then again knead for 4-5 mins. Till then your dough will become nice bouncy and non sticky. Now apply some oil all over the dough and cover it. Place the dough at some warm place like inside your oven or microwave. 

Let it rise for 4-6 hrs if you used 1/4 tsp yeast and 2-3 hrs if used 2 tsp yeast. It must become double  the initial volume, so give sufficient time to rise for perfect pav. 

**Rising time depend on weather too, if you are in colder place then better keep the dough in closed oven or microwave or in tightly tied plastic bag. For warmer places, you can keep on your counter top.

When it rose to double, punch the dough and knead for another 4-5 mins. 

Now cut the dough in equal size balls , nearly 16- 20 regular size pav will be prepared from this much dough. I made small , so got 32 pav. 

 Make nice round balls and place on a greased or butter paper lined baking tray. Arrange all balls at some distance as it will rise again and fill the gap itself. 

Now again cover the tray and place on a warm place for another 1/2-1 hr for second rise.

Give ample time for second rise too, it should almost rise to double for soft pav.

Now brush each pav with milk and bake for 15 mins at 200degree C in a preheated oven. If your pav is not enough golden after 15 mins then increase the temperature to 230 degree C and bake it for another 2-5 mins or till you get your desired color.

Now take it out from oven and brush it with butter to maintain its softness. Let it cool on a wire rack and then enjoy making your favorite street food with these homemade beauties.

** Kneading and resting and again kneading is very important step in gluten formation, so don't skip it to get perfect fluffy pav.

*you can also use water to knead your dough but using milk will enhance the flavour and aroma to many folds.

* For nice buttery flavour use butter instead of oil while kneading.

** Always check your yeast, if it's not getting frothy then discard it and use another yeast.

Water used to dissolve yeast must be Luke warm, neither cold nor hot other wise your yeast will not bloom.

* I don't like too much yeasty smell in my bread so used less yeast and gave more resting time. But if you want to prepare it in less time then use more yeast as suggested.

Keeping these points in mind, just try this recipe , you will never fail. 

Kids love this utterly butterly pav, so you can give this in their tiffin or in evening snacks. You can bake it in advance and serve different types of street foods on demand. 

Hope you will love to try your hands on this bread and please don't forget to share your experience with me. Your valuable comments and suggestions are precious to me, so keep pouring.

Happy cooking....

 

EGGLESS RAVIOLI

Hello everyone

After lots of pasta recipes from Italian cuisine, today I have one more recipe from there. Ravioli is one of the traditional dish from Italian cuisine. It's a dumpling with different types of fillings generally cheese, veggies, meat etc and served with various sauces or broth. I am making it without eggs and with little Desi touch to its filling and served with two types of sauce, one is garlic mint tomato sauce and another is dal ( lentil) with nice garlic and mint flavor. It tastes awesome in both combos, you can choose any as per your preference. I made this dal combo for my kids to provide them more protein with yumminess . Filling is also full of protein and other nutrients as it has paneer and veggies, completely vegetarian friendly recipe with lots of flavor. You can relate this dish with north eastern Indian dish faara, it's more or less alike in preparation. So let's start with the recipe, hope you all will like this little twisted and eggless recipe of ravioli and don't forget to share your experience with me.

Stepwise recipe is given below.

EGGLESS RAVIOLI

Serves: 4-5

Time: 1 hr

Ingredients 

For dough:

1 1/2 cup chapatti flour/ all purpose flour

3/4 cup semolina

1/4 tsp salt

2-3 tsp oil 

Water to knead

For filling:

1 cup cottage cheese( paneer), crumbled 

3-4 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed

1 medium carrot, boiled and mashed or grated

1 cup cabbage, finely chopped 

2 onion, finely chopped 

1/2 tsp black pepper powder ( or as per taste)

1/4 tsp chili flakes

Salt to taste

Garlic mint tomato sauce:

3-4 medium size, nice red tomatoes, chopped 

3-4 cloves garlic

1-2 green chilies 

Handful mint leaves

1/4 tsp black pepper powder 

1/8 tsp oregano

Salt to taste

Method:

First of all mix all ingredients of dough except water. Now using water knead a semi stiff dough and cover it . Let it rest for 1/2 -1 hr.

Meanwhile prepare filling, heat some oil in a wok and add chopped onions. Let it fry till golden, add chopped cabbage and fry for 4-5 mins or till it shrinks. Now add mashed potatoes and carrot. If using grated carrots then add along with cabbage. Now fry for 3-4 mins and add crumbled paneer, black pepper powder, chili flakes and salt. 

Fry for 1-2 mins and your filling is ready. 

Let it cool a little and then keep it in fridge for 15-20 mins.

Meanwhile prepare sauce for ravioli. Take chopped tomatoes, mint, garlic and chili in a grinder and make fine paste of it. Now heat little oil in a wok and transfer the prepared paste in it. Let it cook till you get nice sauce consistency of your choice. Now add salt, oregano and black pepper powder.

 Mix well and transfer to a bowl. Your nice tangy spicy sauce is ready to go with ravioli. 

This sauce can also be used as pasta sauce and for pizza too.

Now come to ravioli preparation. Take sufficient water with some salt , in a big vessel and put it on flame for boiling. Now take a lemon size ball of dough and roll it to a thin oblong chapati on a floured surface. Now divide it in two , length wise. Put 1 tsp of filling on one strip at some distance, as many you can put on one strip. Now cover it with other strip, press sides of each filling to get nice sealed pockets. There should no air trapped inside filling and dough. Now using dough cutter , cut desired shaped ravioli and remove extra dough from it. All the procedure is explained in pics. 

You can also prepare individual ravioli if facing problems in making many at a time. 

                                               Or

                                              Or

Now put these prepared ravioli in boiling water and let them cook for 8-10 minutes. They will start floating on the surface, once done.

 Now drain it on a plate. Similarly prepare all ravioli.

 Now arrange ravioli in serving dish and pour some sauce or broth on it. 

Serve hot or cold , it tastes best in both ways.

* If you don't have dough cutter then can use cookie cutter or simple glass for cutting ravioli. 

* But don't forget to press the dough nicely to seal the edges of ravioli otherwise it may open in boiling water .

* try to seal your ravioli so that there is no air trapped in between, otherwise you will not get pretty shaped end result.

* you can prepare filling of your choice.

Your delicious treat is ready to be relished. You can have it  in lunch/ dinner/ breakfast any time you wish. 

Even kids will also love to dig in this Italian platter. So prepare it and enjoy with your family and pals.

Tried to short out all the confusions that may occur but if you have any then please mention in comment box, will try to clarify at my best as soon as possible. Your comments and suggestions are precious, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....