Kadhai Paneer

Ingredients

1 medium sized onion
1 small onion, cubed and layers separated
3-4 cloves of Garlic
1 Large Tomato
1 medium sized Capsicum, cubed
1 inch piece of ginger
1 Green chili
200 gm Cottage Cheese/ Paneer
1/2 cup Yogurt
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
2 tsp Kashmiri Laal Mirch Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Coriander seeds, coarsely grounded
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp flour
1 tsp Kasuri Methi
2 Tbsp Oil
salt taste

Procedure

Heat oil in a pan and add the cubed onion and bell pepper, saute for a minute. Keep aside. 
Mix flour in yogurt and keep aside ( this prevents the yogurt from splitting).
Puree the onion, garlic and ginger. Puree the tomato and keep aside. Heat oil and fry the onion paste till light brown, add the spices except garam masala. Now add tomato paste and cook till oil separates. Add yogurt and cook for few minutes. Now add Paneer, onion, capsicum. wrap it in the masala and saute, add about 1 cup water and cook till you get the desired consistency. Now sprinkle garam masala and kasuri methi and mix, cook for a minutes or so. Garnish with fresh cream and coriander Serve Hot!!!

Banana Walnut Cake

Ingredients

1 1/4 Cups All purpose flour/ Maida 

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

2 eggs ( at room temperature)

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter ( if using regular butter skip salt)

1 Cup Sugar

3 Ripe Bananas, Mashed

1 Cup walnut kernels, hand crushed in small pieces

Procedure

Take the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and keep aside. whisk the eggs and vanilla extract together. Lightly brush a baking pan. Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius.

Using a Hand Blender, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. now add the egg mixture into the butter while mixing. Add the bananas and mix well. Now add this mixture to the flour, add the walnut pieces and mix well. Bake for about 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan now turn the bread out of the pan on a cooling rack. Cut into pieces and serve.

Veggie Quesadilla

Mexican cuisine is quite similar to Indian cuisine. Being one of my favorites quesadilla had seen quite a few make overs in my kitchen. Here is a recipe for basic veggie quesadilla. One can use low fat ingredients to make it healthy, like replacing all purpose flour by whole wheat flour and avoiding the cheese completely or using low fat cheese.




Ingredients

for tortilla

2 cups all purpose flour/Maida or wheat flour
1.5 tsp Baking Powder
salt to taste
3 Tbsp oil
3/4 Cup Warm water to knead

for filling

1 medium sized onion finely chopped
1 pack of mushrooms, finely chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, finely chopped
1 Green Chili, finely chopped
1 Yellow Zuchini( Squash), finely chopped
pinch of black pepper powder
salt to taste( Use Kosher Salt for better taste)
Fajita/taco seasoning ( optional)
2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Procedure

For Tortillas

Knead the tortilla ingredients into a soft dough, keep it covered in plastic wrap or wet cloth for 10-15 minutes. Divide into 6-8 portions and cover again for about 20 minutes. Now roll them into round tortillas/ roti. Heat a skillet and roast the tortillas lightly until slight bubbly and golden. Make all and keep aside. If you are keeping for  longer time, put them on a butter paper and wrap them in a wet cloth/towel. That will help the tortillas to remain soft.

For Filling

Heat oil in wok and fry the onions, add bell peppers, green chili and toss a bit, now add mushrooms and fry on high flames, till water evaporates. Make sure the veggies don't get over cooked, Add salt and black pepper powder. Mix taco seasoning. Let the mixture cool.

Heat a greased skillet, (regular or grilled) place the one tortilla on it, now spread the filling first followed by grated cheese, cover it with another tortilla. Roast from both sides by tossing it. Serve hot with Salsa/guacamole/ sour cream.

Omit the cheese if you want, it tastes good even w/o cheese.
For Simple cheese quesadilla omit the veggies and use only a combination of cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese.

SOUR CREAM RECIPE: 1/2 cup plain buttermilk, 1 cup thick cream, mix well.

SALSA RECIPE: 1 Medium Sized Onion, 2 Large Tomatoes, 1 Green chilli, 1/4 Green capsicum, some fresh coriander leaves. Kosher Salt to taste, pinch of cumin powder and black pepper powder. Toss them all in a blender and make a chunky paste. Add some lemon juice if you need it to be extra tangy.

Roasted Broccoli Soup

Soup is something I can have any day. I keep trying different recipes. This one I came across is very healthy yet tasty. 

Ingredients

2 cups Broccoli Florets 
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Carrot
1 Medium sized Onion
3 Medium sized Tomatoes
4-6 cloves of Garlic
a small piece of beetroot ( for color)
5 Cups Water
1 tsp roasted cumin seeds, coarsely grounded
1 tsp roasted coriander seeds, coarsely grounded ( optional)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme powder
1 dried red chili, crushed 
8 to 10 fresh Basil leaves or 1 tsp dried basil
7 to 8 black peppercorns, coarsely grounded
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Procedure

Preheat the oven for 10 minutes on 150 degree Celsius. Remove the top of the tomatoes and infuse each of them with garlic. Give cuts in onion and Chop the veggies into cubes. Line the baking tray with Foil and sprinkle roasted cumin and coriander powder, crushed dry red chilli and thyme. brush some olive oil on the veggies. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes. Allow it to cool. Set aside few small florets of roasted broccoli and some bell pepper cubes.
Then puree rest of the veggies in a blender. Use little water or vegetable stock to get a smooth puree.
Pour in a pan. Add remaining of the water/vegetable stock, salt and grounded peppercorns and basil. 
Bring it to boil and then lower the heat to medium. Let it cook for 10 to 15 mins or till it thickens.
Just before serving garnish with roasted broccoli florets and bell pepper cubes. 

Roasted Soup (Tomato, Carrot and Red Bell Pepper)

Ingredients

8 medium sized Tomatoes
1 Large Red bell pepper, roughy chopped
1 medium sized Carrot, chopped
4-6 cloves of Garlic
1 medium sized Onion
2-3 Tbsp Olive oil
Salt to taste
1 Bayleaf
4 Cups of Water
5-6 coarsely ground Black Peppercorns
left over packet of oregano from Dominos/ pizza hut or 1/4 tsp herd mix( basil. parsley, oregano etc)

Procedure

Line a baking tray with aluminium foil. Preheat for 10 minutes. Slice the onion, donot cut it fully, just make cuts vertically.Remove the top of tomatoes and infuse garlic in them.  Place tomatoes, onion, bell pepper and carrot on the shelf. Brush the veggies with some Olive oil, sprinkle fresh grounded pepper and chilli flakes and roast it in the oven at 180 degree Celsius for about 30 mins.
Let it cool and make a puree using a blender. It's better to scrape off all the oil and juices released from veggies from the foil. Use water to get a smooth puree.
Add a tbsp of Olive oil in a cooking pan. Add bayleaf and after around 10 to 15 seconds, add the puree, salt and water. 
Bring it to boil, then lower the flame and cook till it gets thick. Check for salt, add more pepper if required. Just when you are about to serve, add some dried herbs. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, if available.
Serve Hot! 

Raw Cantaloupe Kofta Curry

Me and my daughter are quite fond of Cantaloupe. But it's difficult to figure out how raw or ripe it may be unless u cut it. Sometimes it is over ripe and sometimes it's too raw and tasteless to eat. This time when it turned out to be raw I decided to make a curry our of it rather than tossing it in the garbage bin. And trust me it came out as good as any other variety of kofta curry if not better. Pick a really firm/raw Cantaloupe and try it for yourself.                                                                                                                                                         Ingredients
for koftas

1 Raw Cantaloupe Grated
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1 green chili, finely chopped
2 Tbsp Finely chopped fresh coriander
1 Tbsp Gram Flour/ Besan
salt to taste
oil for frying

for Gravy

1 big sized Onion, sliced
1 inch piece of ginger
2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp kashmiri laal mirch
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1-2 Tbsp Oil
salt to taste
2 cups water
chopped fresh coriander for garnishing

Procedure

For koftas

Squeeze water from the grated cantaloupe, as much as you can. Keep oil in a wok ready for frying. Add the remaining ingredients for koftas. Mix well and divide it into 12-14 portions, make koftas of desired shape and size. Fry them immediately . Please see the oil is not burning hot else it will spoil the flavor. Fry till light brown. Take them out in a dish and keep aside.

For Gravy

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, and bay leaf. add ginger garlic, fry a bit, now add chopped onions, fry till golden brown, Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, chili powder, chopped tomatoes and salt. Fry till oil separates. Let it cool and make a paste using a blender. Now transfer it back to the pan. Fry a bit, and add water. Bring the curry to boil and add the koftas 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped coriander.