LOW CALORIE MALAI PANEER

Hello everyone

I am here again after a long time. As my families paneer love is not hidden by anyone here ,who loved my blog. So thought , why not to come back in my usual style of paneer dish with low calorie.
I was making many dishes during this gap period but some how couldn't draft those recipes to share with you all. Today i tried this very delicious paneer dish in my way and viola it turned out so yummy that i couldn't resist me from sharing it on my blog.
Paneer is not only a yummy ingredient but also very good for health too, specially for kids. And thankfully almost all kids love it including my fussy eater. This is the reason i used to prepare paneer dishes in my house frequently.
Have you ever thought malai paneer without malai, then surely try this you will never regret. This dish is also going to be one of your favorite dish, i can bet.
Stepwise recipe is given below, hope you all will love to try.

LOW CALORIE MALAI PANEER

 Ingredients

2 cup cottage cheese ( paneer), cubed
4 big onions, thinly sliced
2 green chilies, finely chopped
1 big tomato, pureed
1 tbsp coriander powder
2 tsp kitchen king masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp kasoori methi

Pinch of sugar
Salt to taste
Oil

For tempering:
1 tsp shah jeera or cumin powder (Simple jeera)
1/4 tsp asafoetida ( heeng)
1 black cardamom ( badi ilaichi)

Method:

First of all heat oil in a wok and add shah jeera, let it crackle . Add cardamom and asafoetida, sauté for few seconds.
Now add sliced onions and chilies. Fry for few mins then add all dry masala powders( kitchen king, coriander and turmeric powder)and some salt. Cover and cook ( stirring in between) it till onion become soft and spices are nicely fried.

Now add tomato paste and sauté till it start leaving edges of wok.

Add milk little by little, stirring constantly to avoid cuddling.

Let it boil and add paneer cubes and salt. Add some water or milk to adjust gravy consistency as per your preference.

Simmer for 4-5 mins. Now add kasoori methi and sugar, mix well.

Switch off the flame and your delicious low calorie malai paneer is ready to be served with roti/paratha/naan or even with plain rice or pulao.

* You can also add cream to get more richer gravy but then it will not be low calorie.

You can prepare this dish for your party menu too. Just make it and earn lots and lots of praise from everyone.

Hope you all will love this recipe and will definitly try. Don't forget to share your suggestions and comments, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

EGGLESS SPINACH PANEER QUICHE

Hello everyone

Here I am posting after a long time but came with a very interesting and delicious recipe. Quiche , it's basically a type of pie with a savory filling and topped with egg mixture. But mine recipe is eggless one and also without butter. Generally its crust calls for lots of butter but as a health conscious fellow I always try to cut down any extra calories in my diet, as much I can. So here is mine version of eggless quiche recipe. Nice creamy filling in a crispy crunchy crust is a real delight for quiche lovers. Hope you all will definitely love this healthier and delicious version.

Step wise recipe is given below.

EGGLESS SPINACH PANEER QUICHE

Time: 1 hr ( leaving the resting time)
Serves: 8

Ingredients

For crust:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour/ chapatti flour
1 1/2 tbsp semolina
2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
3-4 tbsp yogurt , as required

For filling:

1 cup spinach, finely chopped
2 big onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup crumbled cottage cheese ( paneer)
1/4-1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/4 tsp Black pepper
Salt to taste

For egg substitute

1 cup milk
1/2 cup soft cottage cheese ( paneer)
1 heaped tbsp corn flour
1-2 pinch salt

Method:

First of all prepare dough for crust.
Mix all ingredients given under for crust section , except yogurt. After mixing hold the flour mixture in your palm and close tightly. If after opening , the flour hold it's shape then proceed with next step otherwise add some more oil and mix well to get required texture.

Now add required yogurt, 1 tbsp at a time and gather the dough together. No need to knead the dough. It should be firm and just gathered together to form a ball. 

** Never add too much yogurt otherwise your crust will not come out crisp.

Now give it a disc shape and wrap in a cling film/ aluminum foil. Keep it in freezer for 30 mins or in fridge for 2hrs.

Now take it out and roll into a thick big chapatti ( slightly bigger than the size of your baking pan) on a floured surface.

** The chapatti may break while rolling due to hard dough but don't worry , keep on collecting the broken edges and roll.

While rolling keep on lifting and moving your rolled chapatti to avoid sticking to base.
Now carefully transfer it to the pie pan. Press it lightly to give the shape of pan and pierce with fork to avoid puffing while baking.

Now blind bake the prepared crust in a preheated oven at 180℃ for 12-15 mins or till its edges start to browning.

Keep it out of the oven and brush with butter or ghee. Let it cool.

Meanwhile prepare our filling.

Heat some oil in a wok, add chopped garlic and saute for a min. Now add chopped onions and saute till transparent. Add spinach and saute till it shrinks. 

Now add crumbled cheese, followed by chilli flakes, black pepper powder and salt to taste. Saute for 2 more mins and is done. Let it cool.

Meanwhile prepare our egg replacement mixture.

Take all ingredients given under egg replacement , in a blender jar and blend to a nice smooth creamy mixture. Keep aside till needed.

When our crust and filling is cooled down. Put filling in crust and spread evenly. Finally pour the prepared egg replacement mixture all over it.

Now bake it in a preheated oven at 180℃ for 40- 45 mins or till you see nice golden colour on its top.

** Never put hot filling or on a hot crust, let both come to room temperature before assembling the final dish. Otherwise the crust may become soggy and ruin the texture of whole dish.

After baking let it come to room temperature then slice and serve with any sauce of your choice.

It is not only delicious but filling too. A single slice can replace your full meal. So bake it and enjoy in your lunch /  dinner or give it in your kids tiffin.

It's really yummilicious treat for quiche lovers in a healthy way.

Hope you all will love this healthy cum yummy treat and will give it a try soon.
Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

MOONG PALAK PANEER BIRYANI

Hello everyone 

Biryani is a tempting treat for all who love rice dishes. Even I am too fond of biryani , especially veg version. This time thought to try something different , so tried moong palak paneer biryani. It is full of protein , iron and fibre to fulfill our nutrient needs with deliciousness. It is as spicy as hyderabadi biryani and so tempting to lure any biryani lover.  Though my way of cooking don't call for too much oil or butter hence this one is also one of the low calorie and healthy biryani compared to regular ones. This is also simple to cook and don't need any special utensil or technique, even then you can get quiet authentic taste. Step wise recipe is given below hope you all will definitely give it a try.

MOONG PALAK PANEER BIRYANI 

Serves: 4-5

Time: 1 hr

Ingredients 

2 cup soaked whole moong dal
2 cup spinach , finely chopped
2 cup cottage cheese ( paneer), cubed
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4-5 green chillies , slitted
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 big tomatoes, finely chopped or pureed
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp Kashmiri red chili
1 1/2 tbsp biryani masala powder
Oil
1 tbsp ghee
Salt to taste

For veggie tempering:

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
4 green cardamom
4 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 bay leaves

For rice:

3 cup basmati or biryani rice, soaked for at least 30 mins

water

1 tsp salt

1 star anise

1 black cardamom

4 green cardamom 

4 cloves

2 inches piece cinnamon 

1 inch piece mace
2 bay leaves

For layering:

1/4 cup milk

 1 cup mint and corianderleaves, chopped

1 tsp Kewda essence or rose water

2 tsp ghee 

Few strands of saffron soaked in little milk or red and yellow edible colors 

1 big onion, thinly sliced and deep fried till golden brown 

Fried dry fruits ( almonds, cashew, raisins) for garnishing

Method:

Heat oil in a wok and fry onion till brown for layering .Fry dry fruits in the same oil and drain on a tissue paper. Keep aside for later use. 

Now add ghee and oil in same wok and add all veggie tempering spices and saute till aromatic, then add thinly sliced onions .

 Saute till nice golden, add ginger garlic paste and green chilies ,saute for 2 mins.

 Add all dry spice powder and saute for a minute. 

Add moong and salt, saute for 3-4 mins. Now cover to cook till moong is cooked till done but still crunchy. 

Now add chopped spinach and saute for few minutes till spinach srinks. Add chopped or pureed tomatoes and saute till raw smell of tomatoes goes off .

 Now add paneer cubes , adjust salt and saute for 2-3 mins on high flame to evaporate all extra moisture. switch off the flame and keep aside till layering.

In the mean while start preparing rice too. Boil enough water in a heavy bottom vessel, add all whole spices and salt in it. Add drained rice. 

Let it cook till 80% done but not completely soft. Drain rice in a sieve or colander , may be some liquid will drain. You can use this in your veggies or for kneading dough.

* Don't overcook otherwise you will end up with veggie khichadi. Use water as per requirement, as different rice needs different quantity of water. I don't add too much water to drain but it should be enough to boil your rice till right consistency.

Now for layering, first of all make layer of round sliced tomatoes in the base of the vessel. It will prevent veggies from burning while put on dum.

 Now divide veggies and rice in two to three equal parts. Spread one layer of veggies then spread some of mint leaves all over it then sprinkle, red color or saffron strands soaked in milk. 

Now spread next part of rice on it evenly so that it cover whole veggies.Sprinkle 2 tbsp of milk on it, then sprinkle 1/2 tsp of Kewda or rose water ,spread half of fried or grilled brown onions and some of mint leaves on it. Similarly make another layer of veggies on it and rice layer. 

Finally pour 2 tsp ghee all over it. You can make 2-3 layers of each veggies and rice, as per your convenience and quantity. 

* Reserve some fried onions for garnishing while serving.

Finally cover it well with an aluminum foil so that it can be put on dum. You can also seal it with dough.

Now keep a tawa on low flame and put this biryani pot on it and dum it for 25-30 mins. 

Switch of the flame and let it rest for at least 10-15 mins so that all the flavours and aroma of spices and essences get infused in whole dish. 

Then open the lid and flip biryani with fork or skewer to get nice fluffy rice. Garnish with fried onions and dry fruits.

Your aromatic,easy, yummy and flavourful biryani is ready to be served with tomato onion raita.

* Add some water to moong while cooking, if needed.

* Always try to cook rice and veggies simultaneously so that you will get nice fluffy biryani. Never cook rice too early otherwise it may stick. If it's not possible to cook both at a time then first cook veggies then go to rice. Or add a little ghee in rice and keep aside open to stop further cooking .

* Never mix biryani with spatula, always use a fork or best to flip it by tossing.

* If you ran out of fresh mint leaves then can use crushed dry mint also.

It's a one pot meal that none of the biryani lover can refuse. Its aroma is sufficient to bring you to the dinning room. 

This can be a hit dish for any get together or family party. You need not to serve too many dishes with it only simple raita is enough to accompany it.

Hope you will definitely give it a try, it might be looking a long recipe but believe me it will not take your much effort and time . 

At last you will never regret for trying it, it's a must try recipe for all biryani lovers.

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

Happy cooking....

CHHENA KHEER OR PUDDING

Hello everyone

Though festive season is on and it calls for lots and lots of festive dishes too. Few days back we had our fast of teej , so I made this dessert for my sargi , early in the morning. It is so easy to prepare and require only few ingredients and quick too, that any amateur can also make it perfectly.

If you are craving for ras malai and don't have courage to try at your own then give this a try. It's taste is much more alike ras malai . That's why my lil fussy eater, who is big fan of ras malai , also loved it.

Now a days ganpati Mahotsav is going on with all celebrations and offerings. So you can prepare this too for your ganpati as bhog. Recipe adopted from food food Chanel .

Stepwise recipe is given below, hope you all will love to give it a try.

CHHENA KHEER OR PUDDING

Serves: 4-5

Time: 20 -25 mins ( leaving chilling time)

Ingredients

2 cup milk

2 cup soft cottage cheese ( paneer), crumbled

3/4 cup sugar ( you can use as per taste)

5-6 green cardamom

1 pinch saffron ( kesar), soaked in 2 tbsp milk

Sliced pistachio and cherry for garnishing

Method:

First of all grind cardamom and sugar together to fine powder. Keep aside for later use.

Now put the milk in a thick bottom pan to boil. Let it boil for 5-6 mins then add powdered sugar with cardamom and mix well. Now add saffron milk and again stir.

Add crumbled paneer and mix well. Let it simmer for 4-5 mins and switch off the flame. 

Let it come to room temperature and then keep in fridge to chill for atleast 3-4 hrs or overnight.

Now serve in individual dishes and garnish with pistachio and cherry.

Your super easy tempting dessert is ready to win hearts.

** You can also serve warm but chilled one tastes best.

**** Never overcook paneer after adding to milk otherwise it will become chewy.

*** Always use soft paneer for best result.

** Grinding cardamom with sugar is just for ease of grinding cardamom. You can also use cardamom powder and sugar separately without grinding.

***You can prepare this dessert on fasting day too as it's pure falahar and not containing any grain.

** If you wish to add dry fruits to it , just go for it.

Hope you all will prepare it at your home and do remember me too. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions ,they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

MIX VEG PANEER PALAK FRNKIE ROLL

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, mix veggies 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.

MIX VEG PANEER PALAK FRANKIE ROLL

Serves: 8-10

Time: 30 mins 

Ingredients 

For filling:

1 cup cottage cheese ( paneer), cubed

4 cups thinly sliced mix veggies ( carrots, cabbage, beans, capsicum etc)

2 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 medium tomatoes, sliced

1 cup spinach , roughly chopped 

2-3 green chilies

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp curry powder ( optional)

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/4 tsp chaat masala powder

1/2 tsp lemon juice ( optional)

Salt to taste

Oil

For rolls:

8-10 tortilla wraps/ round parathas/ khubus 

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 , add cumin seeds. Let it crackle and add sliced onions.

 Let it cook till transparent, add ginger garlic paste and prepared spinach puree followed by turmeric powder, cumin powder,curry powder and garam masala powder, fry till every thing is nicely cooked and starts leaving oil.

  Now add mix veggies and saute for 3-4 mins. 

Add some salt and cover to cook but still remain crisp. Now add sliced tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are cooked and soft .

Now add paneer cubes and saute for 2 mins and add chaat masala powder. 

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....