Paneer tikka(griddle roast)

Paneer tikka( crispy marinated cottage cheese)is a very special vegetarian savory . Usually it is prepared on a barbecue or a grill but here i had made it on a tawa. Try this simple and easy to make snack, which one can have for main course meal too!!!!
Picture presentation taken from www.chezshuchi.com (This recipe has been explained nicely along with pictures in this site) 


This preparation is for 4 person
Ingredients:
250 grams cottage cheese(paneer)
1 medium green capsicum
1 medium onion
1 medium salad tomato
For marinade:
1 cup yogurt(hung curd)
1 teaspoon kasuri methi(dry fenugreek leaves)
1 teaspoon chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder(jeera powder)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt according to taste
Butter/ghee for roasting
Other items:
wooden sticks/skewers
Method:
Cut paneer and the vegetables in equal and diced shape

Vegetables and paneer 

Prepare marination:
In a bowl take the hung curd(tie the normal curd in a muslin cloth for about an hour to drain the water out of the curd).

Hung curd

Add all the spices and other ingredients of marinade into the hung curd and mix well.

Spices and herbs for marinade

Add all the vegetables and paneer into this curd mixture and blend well so that each vegetable and paneer piece is coated with it.

Marinated vegetables and paneer

Refrigerate these marinaded vegetables for half an hour.
Place these vegetables and paneer on the wooden skewer in an uniform arrangement(first capsicum,then
onion,then tomato and paneer, reverse the arrangement till the top of the skewer). Prepare 4-5 sticks like this.

Vegetables and paneer skewed on a wooden stick

Heat the tawa(griddle), put little ghee/butter on it and place each stick on this heated tawa . Let the vegetables and paneer roast from each side, rotate the sticks when done from one side.

Roasting paneer tikka on a tawa

Serve paneer tikka with onion rings, sliced cucumber and special curd and coriander chutney(recipe will be posted soon).!!!

Optional notes:
One can also add a teaspoon of Green chutney to the marinade to make the tikka more tangy and tasty.
One can make this tikka in conviction mode of microwave(at 190 degree for 15-20 minutes) or in the grill mode of a common oven( 200 degree for 10 minutes).

Lachcha tokri

lachcha tokri chaat

This chaat is prepared with the basket of grated potatoes and delicious filling of peas,corn and pomegranates. A great chaat for family get together!!!


This preparation is for 5 tokris
Ingredients:
For making the basket:
3 medium size potatoes
1(a little more) table spoon rice flour
2 tea strainers
1 big round shaped spoon
oil to deep fry.
Method
Peel and thickly grate the potatoes.
Put them in cold water for about 5 minutes. Drain and place the grated potatoes on a dry cloth and pat dry them for 5 more minutes. Sprinkle the rice flour and mix well with the potatoes.

Divide the potatoes into five equal portion. Place each portion inside the tea strainer and spread it well along sides of the strainer wall to get a round shape. With the help of round spoon press firmly .

placing the grated potatoes into the strainer

Place the strainer directly into the hot oil and let the potatoes fry till they turn into golden brown on medium flame.

frying the tokri

Remove the strainer with help of tongs and place the strainer inverted and tap to let the basket come out of it.
Repeat the technique to make more baskets.

lachcha tokri

You can prepare them in advance and store them in an air tight container.
For filling:
1 cup peas
1 cup corn kernels
1 cup pomegranate fruit seeds
1 cup curd
1 tablespoon sweet chutney
1 teaspoon chaat masala
salt according to taste
1 teaspoon ghee
Method: 
In a pan heat ghee and add  peas&corn.Saute them for 2 minutes, cover with a lid and on low flame let them cook for 10 minutes. Add salt according to taste.

Peas and corn 

In a bowl add curd and chaat masala, beat well. Add the peas,corns and pomegranate seeds. Mix well. Add the sweet chutney and mix well it too. add salt according to taste.

curd mixture

Place the tokri in a plate, sprinkle little chaat masala on it. Fill it with a spoon full of prepared filling.
Garnish it with boondi(round shaped fried droplets of gram flour batter mostly used in for making boondi raita)and serve.

Crispy lachcha tokri is ready!!!
Optional notes:
One can prepare and store the baskets in advance. One can also make filling of aloo chaat, paneer or dahi bhalle.
you can add chili powder or can add chopped green chili if more spicy taste is desired.
Instead of rice flour one can also use cornflour.

Milk Phulka

This is one of my creations. Healthy and very tasty Indian bread.
Phulkas/chappattis are very common Indian breads. 

I brought in a little variation of my own and made phulkas with milk. Garnish the milk phulkas with sesame seeds. So enjoy this new variation and have it with upcoming recipes of Baby corn palak and Veg jalfarezi!! 




Ingredients:
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup (a little more) milk(for kneading)
1 table spoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 table spoon chopped coriander leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
a little wheat flour (for flouring the phulkas)

Method:
In a bowl mix atta,sesame seeds,coriander leaves, sugar and salt.

Flour  and other ingredients 

Add milk in proportions and knead it into a soft dough.
keep the dough aside for 5 minutes to let it set.
Make small balls out of this dough and roll it into round shape of size 12 cm each.(with help of a rolling pin)

rolled phulkas

Place this rolled phulka on hot tawa(griddle) and let it bake from both sides by flipping it after 10-20 seconds on each side.

phulka placed on the tawa

Place this phulka directly on flame using tongs and let it puff. flip it and let it bake from other side too.

Phulka placed on flame and puffing

(a slight golden brown texture will appear on both the sides to indicate its baking)

Tasty Milk phulka is ready. Enjoy with vegetable dishes!!


Optional note:
Apply a little butter/ghee on each phulka to enhance its taste. Apply it on them when they are hot or withdrawn from flame.

Onion Mushroom soup

This combination of onion and mushrooms in a soup form is really tasty and good. Mushrooms are low calorie fungus/vegetable which is available in market through out the year. So try this soup and enjoy the healthy benefits of this vegetable.

This preparation is for 3 persons:

Ingredients:

200 grams white button mushrooms

1 large onion(nicely cut into small pieces)

1-2 Mushrooms(nicely cut into small pieces)

3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon cornflour(if required)

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

salt according to taste

1 table spoon butter

For garnishing:

1-2 table spoon cream(optional)

Method:

Wash and blanch the mushrooms. Leave them in hot water for 5 minutes.

Ground them into a fine paste.

Mushroom paste

In a pan heat butter, add onions and saute them till they turn light in color. To this add cut mushrooms and saute them too for a minute on medium flame.

Sauteing onion mushroom

Add the mushroom paste and mix well with other ingredients. Add salt and pepper.

Add water and give 2-3 boils on medium flame.

Adjust the consistency of the soup. If required, add cornflour mixed with little water to the soup to get the desired thickness.

Yummy Onion Mushroom soup is ready. 

Garnish with a teaspoon of cream for each serving.

Rice kheer

"Kheer" is one of the most famous sweet dish made  almost in every part of India. You can also consider it as" Rice pudding". Made from rice and milk, this sweet dish is also prepared specially on festival days like "Janmashtami, Deepawali and Shiva ratri"

Ingredients:

1/4 cup rice (any brand of good quality)

1liter full cream milk

6 table spoon sugar

5-6 saffron strands(kesar)

1 teaspoon cardamom powder

1 teaspoon chirauli(chiraunji)

For garnishing:

Rose petals

Few saffron strands

Method:

Wash and soak the rice for half hour in water.

soak the saffron in a tablespoon of warm milk

In a heavy base pan, heat milk and bring it to a boil. Add the saffron milk to it.

Rice kheer after 30 minutes.

Add sugar and stir well. Drain water and add the soaked rice into milk and let it cook for 30- 40 minutes on low flame.(The milk will reduce to half of its quantity)

Finally add the cardamom powder and chiraunji , stir well and remove from flame.

Garnish with rose petals and kesar strands.

Serve it either warm or let it cool in fridge for later serving. Enjoy!!

Optional notes:

full cream milk help in making the rice kheer more creamy and delicious.

To avoid the milk from sticking to the base of the pan, wash the pan with cold water before preparing kheer into it.

One can enrich the kheer by adding a good amount of dry fruits.

Bread Pizza

"Pizza", a great dish originally from Italy. It is one of the most eaten and liked fast food all over the world. Here is a varied  version with bread. Enjoy the crispy base with  any topping of vegetables, meat chunks or cheese. Easy to make and loads of fun in eating it!!

Ingredients:
For base
6-8 bread slices(either flour or wheat)
For topping:

1 large tomato(cut into small pieces)

1 large onion(cut into small pieces)

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 large green capsicum(cut into small pieces)

1/2 cup button mushrooms( cut into very small pieces)
1/2 cup corn kernels

2 table spoon Pizza topping sauce

1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoon cheese spread(any flavour)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder(kaali mirch)
 3-4 tablespoon Tomato sauce(to spread on the base)
salt according to taste
for garnishing:
grated cheese(mozzarella or cheddar)
tomato ketchup
Method:
In a bowl mix all the vegetables with other ingredients and seasonings.

Vegetable and seasonings mixture

Preheat the oven at 200 degree
Place bread slices on high rack and preheat them too for 5 minutes.
Spread a teaspoon of tomato ketchup first and a tablespoon of topping evenly on each crisp bread slice and top it more with grated cheese.

Pizza topping and grated cheese

Place them in oven and let it bake for 15 minutes at 220 degree.
Crispy Bread pizza is ready. serve them hot with tomato ketchup.

Optional notes:
One can make variations in topping with other vegetables like olives,jalapeno or red bell pepper.
 Also one can add paneer(cottage cheese) to get varieties of toppings for the pizza.
You can make and refrigerate the topping mixture for a day, for this do not add salt otherwise vegetables will tend to loose water.

Baked Vegetables in white sauce

This is my favorite vegetable preparation. A simple but very tasty dish. The creamy and rich gravy of cheese and white sauce is the essence of this dish. Enjoy this as it is or with Garlic Bread.

Baked vegetables

Ingredients:


2 large potatoes( cut into small pieces)
1cup cauliflower florets
1/2 cup carrots(cut into small pieces)

vegetables for the dish

1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup baby corns(cut into small pieces)
1/2 cup french beans(cut into small pieces)
1 large onion(cut into small)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
salt according to taste
1 cup white sauce
2 tablespoon cheddar cheese(grated)
1 cup crushed cornflakes
1 cup grated cheese

 Method:
In a frying pan, heat butter and add onions. Saute for few minutes till they become light in color.
Add all the( nicely cut) vegetables and saute again for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper and mix well

sauteing vegetables

.Cover the lid and let the vegetables cook on low flame for 10 minutes.
Now add the white sauce and cheese, mix well and remove from heat.

after adding the white sauce

Preheat the oven at 200 degree .
 In baking container, Put the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle grated cheese and cornflakes on top of the vegetables and bake this in oven at 250degree for 15 minutes.

Tasty Baked vegetables is ready!! 

Optional notes:

One can also add corn kernels and paneer to this dish.

Tomato soup

Tomatoes are  all time favorite vegetable/fruit, available through out the year. They are  very good source of Vitamin C and their intake (in raw form ) helps to cure digestion problems. 

So here is a Delicious soup made from Tomatoes with a slight touch of Cinnamon spice!!!

This preparation is for 3 persons:
Ingredients:
6 large red tomatoes
3 cups water
1cinnamon stick(dalchinni)
1 teaspoon black pepper powder(kaali mirch)
1/2 teaspoon black salt(kaala namak)
salt according to taste
for garnishing:
butter(amount on ones choice)
Chopped coriander leaves
Method:
Wash the tomatoes properly in water and  boil them along with the cinnamon stick (till they get tender).
 Remove the cinnamon stick and ground tomatoes  into puree.
Sieve this puree using fine mesh sieve as we do not want remaining seeds or skin of tomato in our soup.

Tomato puree

Put this fine puree into a pan and add water. Let it boil for few minutes on low flame. Add all the seasonings and mix well.

Adjust the consistency of the soup as desired.
Finally garnish the soup with chopped coriander leaves and butter.

Tomato soup

Tasty Tomato soup is ready. Enjoy it with bread sticks or croutons.!!

Optional notes:
One can also add finely cut cheese slices instead of butter.

Creamy pea soup

"Peas" or "mutter" in Hindi, is one of the vegetable which is found in abundance in markets during winter season in India. It is not only a good source of vitamin A and C but is also of medicinal value to those who are suffering from osteoporosis(thinning of bones).

 So here is Creamy Pea soup, which is healthy and delicious too!!!

This preparation is for 3 persons

Boiled peas

Ingredients:

1.5 cup  green peas(boiled)

1 medium onion (cut into slices)

1 tablespoon butter

4 cups water

1 teaspoon cornflour

1 teaspoon fresh cream(for each soup serving)

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

salt according to taste

Method:

In a pan heat butter, add onions and saute for few minutes till they turn light in color.

Sauteing Onion and peas 

paste of onion and peas

Ground the mixture of onion and peas into a fine paste.

In a pan add the paste & water and let it boil for few minutes on low flame. Add the seasonings.

 Mix cornflour with little water and add it to the soup( to get a thick consistency).

Give it one more boil and remove it from flame.

Serve the soup in a soup bowl and add fresh cream .

Healthy and tasty Creamy Pea soup is ready!! Enjoy it with Bread sticks or Nachos

Optional notes:
One can increase or decrease the amount of water to get the desired consistency of soup.

Assorted Chocolates

Assorted  Chocolates

" Kuch meetha ho jaye"!!These are home made chocolates which are made from milk solids and dry fruits. So enjoy these chocolates and share them with friends and family during festival season......

Coffee Chocolate

Ingredients:

2 cups milk powder(any brand)

6.5 tea spoon cocoa powder or drinking chocolate powder

1.5 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon coffee

3/4 cup butter(preferably unsalted)

3 tablespoon water

Method:

Coffee, cocoa and milk powder 

Sieve cocoa and milk powder. Add coffee to this mixture. Mix well and keep this dry mixture aside.

 In a kadahi, add sugar and water to make sugar syrup, let it boil on low flame for 2 minute. Add butter and mix well.

preparing sugar syrup

 When the sugar and butter dissolves completely and bubbles starts to appear on the surface, sugar syrup is ready.

To this syrup, add the dry mixture(cocoa, milk and coffee powder)and stir well.

Chocolate paste 

 Keep stirring till it turns into a semi thick paste and start leaving the sides of the kadahi.

Chocolate paste spread  on a tray

Grease a plate or tray and spread this paste on it. Let it cool at room temperature.

Cut square or diagonal shapes(one's choice) when it is completely cool. 

Store in a container and refrigerate  it for longer use. Garnish it with sliced cashew nuts(optional)

Delicious Coffee Chocolate is ready. Enjoy!!

Dry fruits Delight

Ingredients:

2 cups milk powder(any brand)

6.5 tea spoon cocoa powder or drinking chocolate powder

1.5 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup coarsely crushed dry fruits(cashew nuts, raisins, Wall nuts, Almonds, pistachios)

2 tablespoon dry coconut powder 

3/4 cup butter(preferably unsalted)

3 tablespoon water

Method:

 Sieve cocoa and milk powder. Keep it aside

  In a kadahi, add sugar and water to make sugar syrup, let it boil on low flame for 2 minute. Add butter and mix well. 

When the sugar and butter dissolves completely and bubbles starts to appear on the surface, sugar syrup is ready.

To this syrup add The dry ingredients (cocoa and milk powder, dry fruits and coconut powder).Stir well

Keep stirring till it turns into a semi thick paste and start leaving the sides of the kadahi.

Grease a plate or tray and spread this paste on it. Let it cool at room temperature.

Cut into square or diagonal shapes(one's choice) when it is completely cool. 

Store in a container and refrigerate it for longer use.

 Tasty Dry fruits Delight is ready. Enjoy!!