Palak(Spinach) Paneer

Ingredients:
Palak (Spinach) - 1 bunch
Onion - 1 medium sized chopped finely
Tomato - 1 medium sized chopped finely
Green chillies - 2/3 slit lengthwise
Salt
Milk
Cream (optional)
Paneer (Cottage cheese) - 100 gms - cut into small cubes
Cumin seeds (Jeera) - 1 tsp
Butter/Ghee - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder (haldi) - 1 tsp
Kasoori Methi (dry methi) - 1 tsp

Method:
Wash and pressure cook Palak with 1 whistle by adding very little milk. Blend it in a blender. Take little butter in a pan, add cumin seeds, when it splutters add turmeric powder and green chillies. Add chopped onion. When the onion are translucent add chopped tomatoes. When the tomatoes are cooked and start leaving butter add the blended palak and salt. Add cubed paneer. Mix well till it boils slightly. Roast the kasoori methi in a pan till it is light brown. Crush it between your palms and add and cook for 5 minutes. Add cream if desired.

Palak (Spinach) Parontha

Before we got married, my husband used to stay as a PG with a family in Pune, India. That Aunty used to make lovely palak parontha's. My husband used to love them, so I had to learn how to make it. Aunty is no more with us, but we do remember her whenever we make the parontha's. It is very rear that people make Palak paronthas.

Ingredients:
Spinach (palak) - 1 bunch
Onion - 1 small
Green chillies - 3/4 chopped finely
Salt
Ajwain (Carom seeds)
Fresh Cream/Milk
Wheat Flour
Butter

Method:
Wash and finely chop palak, add onion, salt, ajwain, fresh cream/milk. Mix all together, now add required amount of wheat flour, little by little so that you can bind all together. Add water if required. Make the dough little hard as palak leaves water so the dough becomes lose. Divide into small portions and roll out into round parontha's using rolling pin, but little thick. Roast the parontha's on a preheated pan by applying butter on both sides. Serve hot with yogurt (Curd) and pickle.

Palak Pakora and Pudina Chutney

It was a rainy day and wanted to eat garam garam (hot) pakoras and drink hot chai (tea). I was planning to make onion pakoras, but my husband suggested to try palak pakora. So I tried it out and it turned out to be mouth watering.

Palak Pakora

Ingredients
Palak (Spinach) - 2 cups
Gram flour
Onion - 1 small chopped into small pieces
Ajwain seeds (Carom seed)










Salt
Green Chillies - 4 chopped
Chat powder - (optional)
Coriander (Cilantro)- chopped
Oil for frying

Method:
Wash and chop spinach small. Mix all the ingredients except for Gram flour and oil. Add gram flour little by little till you are able to mix it like a paste. You can add water if required. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the pakoras till light brown. Enjoy!

Pudina Chutney (Mint)
Ingredients:
Pudina - 1 bunch
Onion - 1/2 small
Green Chillies - 3
Ground Nut - 12 pieces
Tamarind - small piece or Pomogranate seeds (anardana) 1 spoon
Salt - as per taste
Sugar - 1 tsp

Method:
Mix all the above ingredient and grind it roughly by adding water as per the required consistency.

Tips:
1. Ajwain has lot of medicinal values. More
2. Pudina(Mint) is good for digestion and also serves as a mouth freshner

Zucchini

Ingredients
Zucchini - 3 medium sized
Onion - 1 small (chopped into small cubes)
Ginger - 1/2 inch - cut into small pieces/grated
Tomato - 1 small (chopped into small cubes)
Coriander leaves chopped
Salt
Turmeric powder (haldi)
Jeera powder (Cumin powder)
Oil
Cumin seeds

Method
Wash zucchini and remove the top and tail part. Peel off the skin. Chop into medium cubes. Take oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, once it splutters, add ginger. Now add chopped onion and saute till it becomes transparent. Now add chopped tomatoes, salt, tumeric powder, jeera powder and stir till it leaves the oil. Now add zucchini and cook it on slow flame till it is well done. You can close the pan with a lid and if required add little water. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Goes well with roti or rice.

Shahi Lauki/Kaddu Kofta

We had been to a party at friend's place. There she had made shahi paneer. The gravy was very tasty. I love kofta, but the gravy that I used to make never tasted that good. So one day in the evening I was wondering what do I cook for dinner. Just then I thought why not try lauki kofta in shahi paneer gravy. It turned out very tasty

Ingredients:
For Kofta
Lauki/Kaddu small
Paneer 50 gms
Khoya/Mawa - 25 grams
Boiled Potato 1
Besan - 2 table spoon
Salt
Red chilli powder
Ajwain - 1 tsp
Almond (Badam) pieces(optional) - 1tsp
Cashew pieces(optional) - 1tsp
Oil for frying

For Gravy
Onion - 1 big
Tomato - 1 big
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Garlic - 2 cloves
Tomato Puree (optional) - 2 teaspoon
Salt
Shahi Paneer Masala (MDH or any other brand) - 2 teaspoon
Tumeric powder (Haldi) - 1 teaspoon
Sour Cream (optional) - 2 teaspoon
Whipped Cream (optional) - 2 teaspoon
Oil
Coriander leaves

Method:
For Kofta
Wash and peel the skin of the lauki. Grate it and remove the water by pressing lauki between your palms. Mash the paneer and the mawa. Mix all the ingredients for kofta together. Make small balls, pat it lightly on your palm and deep fry.

For Gravy
Pressure cook Onion, ginger and garlic in cooker by adding little water, one whistle is good. Boil the tomato separately in microwave or in a pan by adding water till the skin starts peeling. Grind the onion, garlic, ginger by removing the water. Take oil in a pan, add the onion paste and keep stirring till it becomes brown and water dries out. Now grind the tomato by removing the skin and water. Add the tomato paste and stir till it leaves oil. Add shahi paneer masala, salt, haldi and stir for 2 minutes. Add little water to get the required consistency.

Just before serving mix kofta in a bowl and add the gravy, garnish with chopped coriander. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Tips:
Shahi Paneer
Make the same gravy as above and instead of kofta add paneer pieces and mix well.

Bharleli Bhindi

Ingredients:
Bhindi (Okra) -Ladies Finger
Oil
Jeera (Cumin seeds) 1 tea spoon

For Stuffing
Besan - 2 table spoon
Dry coconut powder - 2 table spoon
Rasam powder - 2 spoon
Salt
Red chilli powder
Haldi (Turmeric powder)


Method:
Wash and dry the bhindi. Cut off the top and tail. Slit from the top to 1/4 inch before the tip so that the bhindi remains intact. Mix all the stuffing incredients and stuff 1/2 tea spoon in each bhindi. Take oil in a pan, add jeera till it spluters. Now gently add the bhindi and stir fry it in low flame. You can close the pan with a lid for few seconds, taking care that it does not moist the bhindi. Keep stirring until the bhindi is well done on both sides. If you have extra dry stuffing add it to the bhindi and stir for 2 minutes. Serve with roti or rice .

Ragda Pattice

Ingredients:
For Ragda:
Yellow Peas (Vatana) (Soaked in water)
Fresh grated Coconut
Tamarind - 1 small lemon size
Rasam powder/Garam masala
Jaggery (Gud) - optional
Salt
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds (Jeera)

Pattice:
Potatoes - 3-4
Green Peas
Vegetables like Carrot, French beans, Corn ---- (optional)
Bread slices
Salt
Green Chillies Paste
Coriander leaves chopped
Semolina (rawa) - optional

For Serving:
Onion - cut into small cubes
Thin Sev (Lenthil noodle snack)

Method:
Ragda:
Make a smooth paste of coconut, tamarind, rasam powder. Pressure cook the soaked yellow peas. Mix the paste with the boiled yellow peas. Add salt, add jaggery if desired. Add water as per the thickness desired. Boil till all is mixed well. Season with mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

Pattice:
Boil and smash potatoes. Boil green peas. Boil vegetables like Carrot, French beans, Corn if desired. Take 2 to 3 slices of bread, remove the sides. Dip the bread in water and squeeze and remove the water. Mix the bread with the smashed potatoes, boiled green peas and the rest of the vegetables. Add salt, green chilli paste (grinded or cut small) and coriander leaves. Mash well till smooth. Take 2 bread slices and powder it in a mixer to make bread crumbs. Make small balls out of the potato mix and press it in your palm to flatten a little. Dip the pattice (flatten potato mix) in the bread crumbs or semolina and shallow fry it on a pan by adding little oil. You can also deep fry. Shallow fry till it is light brown on both sides.

Serving Method:
Take a small bowl, add 2 pattice, cover it with ragda. Garnish with the thin sev and chopped onions.