This garlic infused paneer curry is a great recipe to try at home. Prepared in two steps, this recipe does not require any fancy ingredients yet will remind you of restaurant flavours. 

Ingredients:

For tomato onion gravy

• Oil 1 tbsp • Jeera (cumin seeds) 1 tsp • Elaichi (cardamom pods) 1-2 nos. • Onions 3 medium size (sliced) • Tomatoes 5 medium size (roughly chopped) • Garlic 10-12 cloves • Ginger 1 inch • Cashew nuts 10-12 nos. • Coriander powder 1 tbsp • Turmeric powder 1 tsp • Red chilli powder 1 tsp • Whole Kashmiri red chillies 5-6 nos. • Salt to taste • Water 500 ml

Step 2 ingredients

• Oil 2 tbsp • Jeera (cumin seeds) 1 tsp • Ginger 1 inch (julienned) • Green chillies 2-3 nos. (roughly chopped) • Onions 1 medium size (chopped) • Garlic ½ cup (chopped) • Freshly prepared tomato onion gravy • Curd ½ cup (whisked) • Sugar 1 tsp • Salt to taste • Garam masala 1 tsp • Kasuri methi 1 tsp • Paneer 500 gm (cubes) • Fresh cream 3 tbsp • Butter 1 tbsp • Coriander leaves 1 tbsp (chopped)

Method

1. In a pan add jeera, Elaichi, onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, cashew nuts, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, whole red chillies and salt to taste,
2. Add water and mix well ,cover and cook for 15 minutes. Switch off the flame and allow the mixture to cool down.
3. Transfer the mixture to a grinding jar and grind to a fine puree. Keep aside
4. Set another pan on medium heat, add oil and jeera, sauté it for half a minute, further add, ginger, green chillies, onions and garlic, mix well and cook for 4-5 minutes.
5. Add the ground mix and stir well.
6. Low down the flame and add whisked curd, sugar and salt to taste, mix well and cook for 4-5 minutes,
7. Next, add garam masala and kasuri methi, mix well and them add the paneer cubes, mix well gently without breaking the paneer.
8. Add fresh cream and butter, you may switch off the flame at this time.
9. Add some freshly chopped coriander leaves, and your lip-smacking paneer lasooni is ready to be served,

Happy Cooking!!

Shabana

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Ingredients

Black Chick pea: 1 cup Water to soak the pea: 4 Cups Onion: 1 Ginger garlic: 1 tbsp Tomato: 1 Coriander powder: 1.5 Tsp Red Chilli powder: 1 Tsp Garam masala: 1/2 Tsp coconut Oil: 2 Tbspn Salt For tempering: Mustard seeds curry leaves
Oil: 1 Tsp
green chillies slit: 3
garam masala: 1/2 Tsp

Method

1. Soak the pea overnight in water 2. Add oil to pressure cooker and saute the onions for 5 mins. Add ginger garlic and cook 3. Add chopped tomato and cook until soft 4. Add all the powders for gravy and saute 5. Allow this cool down and grind well by adding little water. Grind to a fine paste 6. Add this paste to the same cooker and add the soaked chick peas 7. Mix well and add the left over soaked water 8. Add salt and cook for 10 whistles 9. Open when steam goes. 10. Prepare the tempering by heating oil and add mustard and curry leaves and green chilli. Switch off flame and add the garam masala and add this to the boiling gravy. 11. Serve with any kerala breakfast

Traditional Cooking!

Shabana

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Rainbow Ice cream

Who doesn't love a rainbow? Those colours add on beauty to everything. What if we could combine that beauty with taste? Yes, we can! With this fruit flavoured rainbow ice cream you can add beauty and taste to your dessert. Check out the video to see how to make this flavour filled colourful treat for your loved ones. 

Ingredients :

1. Skittles small packet: 4 to 5 packets
2. Whipping Cream: 1 Cup
3. Sweetened condensed milk: 1/2 Tin
4. Food Colour: Few drops (Optional)

Method:

1. Separate the skittles by colour and melt each colour on stove top by adding 1/4 cup water for each colour. Once the skittles melts, continue to stir for 2 minutes and slightly thicken the syrup
2. Keep aside after melting each colour
3. Whisk the cream with hand mixer or stand mixer until soft peaks are formed.
4. Add the condensed milk and whisk again for 30 seconds to 1 minute
5. Divide the mix equally into 5 bowls
6. Add one colour each to the divided cream and mix. ( Can add food colour to get darker colour)
7. Assemble all five colours into a freezer safe container and allow to set overnight.
8. Scoop out the beauty and relish

Icecream time

Shabana

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Coconut Kheer ...A very tasty Kheer or Payasam made in less than 5 Minutes. It just needs two main ingredients and you get an option to customise your kheer by adding any garnishing of your choice. With so little time and effort I was definitely not expecting this taste. But on tasting, i decided to share this easy recipe and save a lot of your time.

Ingredients

1. Ready made coconut milk: 400 ml tin
2. Sweetened condensed milk: 1 tin (397 gm)
3. Any nuts of your choice: 2 to 4 TBspn
4. Khas Khas or sabja seeds or sago seeds: 2 to 3 tsp

Method

1. Soak the khas khas or sago seeds in water. If using sago just cook it for 10 mins after soaking
2. Mix well the coconut milk and condensed milk in a bowl with a fork or hand whisk
3. Add desired nuts and soaked khas khas and mix
4. Chill for few hours or overnight.
5. Serve cold

Happy Cooking 

Shabana

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See the Recipe Video 👆

Ivy Gourd Onion Masala  / Dondakaya Ullikaram - Andhra style

Ingredients

• Dondakaya / Ivy gourd - 500 gm
• Onion - 2
• Dry Red chilli - 6
• Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• Wash and cut Dondakaya into thin strips. 
• Dry roast the red chili, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds until they give nice aroma. When they are cooled add the onion along with it grind it to a coarse paste.
• Heat up 1 tbsp of oil in a thick bottom pan . When the oil is hot add dondakaya and give a stir. 
• Add a little salt and turmeric powder and cook with lid  for 5 - 10 minutes until dondakaya gets tender.
• Add the ground paste and mix it well and cook for another 3 - 4 minutes. 

Happy Cooking

Shabana.

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Sabudana cutlets

 

Sabudana cutlet is a healthful and tasty cutlet recipe. The sabudana or sago pearls or chowari are mixed with potatoes and mild spices and made into cutlets, samosas and even kebabs. This is a famous Maharashtrian snack and lets see how to make this quick and easy snack.

Ingredients

1 Cup = 250 gms

• Sago pearls/ Sabudana/Chowari: 1 cup
• Boiled and mashed potatoes: 1.5 - 2 cups
• Salt to taste
• Green Chillies: 2-3 finely chopped
• Ginger: 1 " piece finely chopped
• Lime juice : 1 small lime
• Some fresh and chopped coriander leaves
• Cumin seeds: 1 Tsp
• Powdered sugar: 1/2 Tsp
• oil for deep frying

Method

1. Soak the sago pearls overnight or atleast for 5- hours and drain all the excess water and keep in a large mixing bowl
2. To this add all the ingredients (other than the oil) and mix well with hands
3. Form cutlets out of the mix and deep fry in medium flame until colour changes. Flip sides for even browning.
4. Serve hot with dip of choice.

Note: You can also shallow fry these cutlets with little oil if you prefer not to deep fry them.

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Happy Snack time!!
Shabana

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Corn Cheese Balls

Corn Cheese Balls is a simple home recipe which takes only a few minutes to make on those lazy afternoons and moreover its tasty and healthy especially for the kids !

Ingredients

• Canned Corn: 1 cup ( drained )
• Mozzarella cheese: 1/2 Cup
• Green Chilly: 1 finely chopped
• Very little salt
• Garam masala or Chaat masala : 1/2 tsp ( optional)
• All purpose flour: 2 Tsp
• Bread Crumbs to roll the corn balls
• Egg : 1 or 1/4 Cup milk
• Oil to deep fry 

Method

• Add the corn to the blender and pulse to a coarse paste

• Add all the other ingredients except bread crumbs, oil and egg and mix well until well incorporated

• Make lime sized balls and keep in freezer for 10 minutes

• Take the balls out and dip in milk or egg and roll it over the bread crumbs 

• Deep fry until golden brown.
• Serve hot with mayonnaise or ketchup. 

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Happy frying!!
Shabana

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Fluffy Idlis and Chutney recipes

The toughest part of making idlis at home is to grind the rice in a normal blender or mixie. Not everyone would have an electric stone grinder, and even with a stone grinder making the batter with rice is a time consuming process. So I wanted to try out making the batter with urud dal and rice flour. I got the recipe and tried it couple of times and i am sharing that right proportion here for all my readers so that you can try out in your normal blenders or mixie to get fluffy hot idlis !!

Ingredients

1 Cup = 250 gms

• Rice flour: 3 cups
• Urud daal: 1 cup
• Cooked rice; 1 fistful (Optional, for faster fermentation)
• Water for rice flour: 3.5 cups
• Water to grind the urud daal: less than half a cup
• Salt

Method

Soak the urud daal in water for 3-4 hours.

Once the daal is ready to be ground, mix the rice flour with the water and make a thick batter and keep aside. ( no blender required)

In the jar of your mixie add the drained urud daal and the cooked rice and grind to a smooth paste with very little water. Daal will be ground easily in 1-2 minutes.

Once the daal is ready pour it into a large vessel and mix the rice flour batter with a ladle or heavy spoon

Add about a teaspoon of salt and mix well and allow to ferment overnight.
Next morning stir the fermented batter very well and make soft fluffy idly and enjoy with chutney of choice.

Coconut Chutney with red chilli powder

In a blender add half cup grated coconut, 1-2 tsp red chilli powder, 2-3 shallots and grind well by adding little water. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a kadai and splutter some mustard seeds, 2 dry red chillies and few curry leaves. To this add the ground coconut and mix well in low flame. Switch off flame before the chutney reaches a boil.

Coconut Chutney with green chilli

In a blender add half cup grated coconut, 1 green chilli, 2-3 shallots and grind well by adding little water. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a kadai and splutter some mustard seeds, 2 dry red chillies and few curry leaves. To this add the ground coconut and mix well in low flame. Switch off flame before the chutney reaches a boil.

Onion Chutney

Add a tablespoon of oil in a kadai and saute 1 large onion until it gets translucent. Add a teaspoon of red chilli powder and a small ball of tamarind and mix well. Once cooled blend this until smooth. Optionally you can add the tempering. (Heat a teaspoon of oil in a kadai and splutter some mustard seeds, 2 dry red chillies and few curry leaves)

Happy cooking!!
Shabana

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Moong dal payasam

Moong dal payasam / Parippu payasam is a South Indian kheer which is made from moong dal ( Pasi parippu or Cherupayar) and jaggery and coconut milk which gives an authentic touch to the payasam. This dessert is an integral part of every festival in Kerala.

Ingredients

• Moong dal / Cherupayar : 1 cup / 225 gms
• Water : 2-3 cups
• Jaggery : 250 gms (grated or dissolved in a cup of boiling water)
• Coconut milk from first extract : 1 cup
• Coconut milk from second extract : 1 cup (This can be taken from 1 cup shredded coconut or even by mixing coconut milk powder in Luke warm water simply by following packet instructions)
• Cardamom powder : 1tsp
• Raisins and cashew nuts
• Ghee clarified butter : 1-2 tbsp.

Method

1. Dry roast the dal for 5-6 mins on medium flame.
2. After the dal has cooled to room temperature wash it thoroughly and add to a pressure cooker with 2-3 cups of water and cook for 3-4 whistles until the water is absorbed and dal is very well cooked and soft.
3. Now add the grated jaggery or the jaggery dissolved in water(strain the mixture) and mix well and allow to boil and incorporate well with the dal
4. Add coconut milk from second extract and allow to boil again. Boil for 4-5 minutes
5. Add the first extract of coconut milk and mix well in medium flame . Do not over boil after adding the first extract.
6. Add cardamom powder and mix well and put off the flame.
7. Heat ghee and roast the cashews and raisins till light brown and add to hot payasam

Serve hot or cold.

Happy Cooking!!
Shabana

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Kappa Kuzhachathu

Kappa Kuzhachathu is a very traditional Tapioca dish of Kerala . It is steam cooked tapioca mixed with a spicy coconut paste and can be served as a healthy and filling meal during anytime of the day. Try this and savour the tradition of God's own country !

Ingredients 

1 Cup = 225 gms

Serves : 5

• Tapioca/ Kappa: 1 Kg ( Cut into pieces)
• Turmeric powder: 1 Tsp
• Salt to taste
• Coconut freshly grated: 1 Cup
• Green Chillies: 5-6 ( or as per taste)
• Cumin Seeds: 1 Tsp
• Small onion ( Shallots) : 5-6
• Garlic Cloves: 2 - 3 
• Curry Leave: 1-2 Sprigs

Method

1. Cook the tapioca in pressure cooker for about 3-4 whistles by adding half a teaspoon of turmeric and a teaspoon of salt. Once cooked drain off excess water and put in back into the pressure cooker.
2. Meanwhile make a very coarse paste of the coconut, cumin seeds, shallots, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, little salt and some curry leaves.
3. Add this coconut mix to the cooked and drained tapioca and mix well by mashing the tapioca too. Add required salt after checking.
4. Serve hot as breakfast, lunch, dinner or even as a snack!! 

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Enjoy Nostalgic Cooking!!

Shabana

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Dates Pickle

A pickle with a combination of flavors: Sweet, Sour and Spicy. This dates pickle is a specialty from Northern Kerala and is usually served with biriyani unlike the raitha in other parts of South India. This is a must try if you wanna tickle your taste buds.......

Ingredients

1 Cup = 250 Gms

• Dates :300 Gms ( without seeds and roughly chopped)
• Jaggery: 250 Gms ( Grated)
• Tamarind: 125 Gms
• Hot water 2.5 Cups
• Red Chilli powder: 1.5 Tbsp
• Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
• Green Chillies: 3-4 Small
• Ginger: 1 Tbsp ( Long sliced)
• Garlic: 1 Tbsp ( long Sliced)
• Mustard Seeds: 1 Tsp
• Fenugreek ( Uluva) seeds: 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves: 2 Sprigs
• Salt: 1/4 Tsp
• Coconut oil: 1/2 Cup 

Method

1. Soak the tamarind in 2 Cups of hot water and keep aside
2. Add oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds followed by the fenugreek seeds and curry leaves
3. As soon as the fenugreek seeds change colour add the green chillies,  ginger and garlic and saute well until they change colour slightly
4. Reduce flame and add the chilli powder and turmeric and saute well until all raw flavour goes ( very important to saute well - about 3-5 minutes)
5. Bring the heat to medium and add the roughly chopped dates and mix well with the spices
6. Once the dates is well mixed, add the tamarind water with all the pulp of the tamarind. ( Just remove the seeds, if any but do not squeeze out the pulp too much as we are adding it with the pulp and not just the water.) 
7. Allow to boil and cook the dates for 10 mins, by adding the remaining half cup of boiling water. So a total of 2.5 Cups of boiling water including the tamarind pulp water. Now added the crushed or grated jaggery and allow to melt 
8. Once the dates is well cooked and jaggery is all melted and the pickle thickens to desired consistency add the salt (optional) and switch off flame.
9. You can store it for 2 -3 weeks or longer if refrigerated in air tight containers.
10. Enjoy it as a side dish and nothing can stop you from licking it.............

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Happy licking!!

Shabana

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Bread Pudding - No Bake, Eggless

An eggless no bake bread pudding for those who want a healthy dessert! The combination of sweet milk and bread with the caramelized sugar makes this pudding a favorite for all those dessert lovers. The earlier recipe I posted of  Bread pudding was a baked one and I used eggs. Upon requests from the vegetarians and the non bakers I am posting a no bake eggless bread pudding here. Do try and post your feedback and doubts in the comments section !

Ingredients

• Milk: 500 ml
• Gelatin: 1 Tbsp ( or China Grass 5 gms )
• Milkmaid: 1/2 tin (200 gms)
• Bread Slices: 4
• Fresh Cream: 100 ml
• Sugar: 4 Tbsp for caramel & 4 Tbsp more for milk

Method

1. Dissolve the gelatin in 2-3 Tbsp of boiling water and keep aside
2. Boil the milk with 4 tbspn of sugar
3. Meanwhile trim the edges of the bread and cut it into small pieces
4. Mix the milkmaid and the cream in a separate bowl and keep ready 
5. Add the dissolved gelatin to the milk mixture
6. Soak the bread pieces in this milk mix and keep ready 

Soaked bread in milk, cream and milkmaid

       7. Add the milk maid and cream mix to this and mix well and keep ready to be transferred to the pudding dish.
       8. Now to make the caramel, add the sugar to a heavy bottom pan and melt it on medium flame without stirring and until it becomes brown and smells like caramel as shown in the video below. Make sure not to burn it.

        9. Pour this into the dish in which you will be setting the pudding, on top of this pour the milk and bread mixture and allow to set overnight

Caramel

        10. Cut into slices and serve with caramel side up. or simply serve it with bread side up with some drizzled caramel.

Note: If you are using an aluminium dish to set your pudding then you can caramelize the sugar in the same pan and simply add the milk mixture over it and set in fridge

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Happy dessert time!!

Shabana

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Pazham Varattiyathu

A very common snack item from North Kerala using ripe plantains. Its a very healthy recipe and is best for kids as a breakfast or a snack. Ripe plantains are roasted in ghee and then mixed with fried coconut and scrambled eggs. This recipe is quite easy to make and is different in taste compared to the normal banana fritters, which is the most common snack made with plantains. Do try this nutrients packed dish and feel free to post a feedback..

Ingredients

• Ripe Plantains (ethapazham): 2 numbers Cut into small cubes
• Ghee: 4Tbsp
• Raisins and cashews: 10 each
• Scrapped fresh/frozen coconut: 2 fistful ( about half a cup/100 Gms)
• Eggs lightly beaten: 2 numbers
• Cardamom powder: 1/2 tsp
• Sugar: 4-5 Tbsp

Method

1. Heat a tablespoon of ghee and lightly roast the cashews and raisins for a minute.
2. To this add the grated coconut and fry on medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the coconut gets a light brown colour

      3.Transfer this to a plate and to the same pan add 3 Tbsp ghee and add the sliced plantains/banana and roast until brown in colour. While the bananas are cooking, beat 2 eggs with a fork and keep ready

       4.Once the plantains changes colour and is cooked on both sides now add the beaten eggs and keep mixing to form a scramble along with the bananas. Also add the cardamom powder along with the eggs.

        5.After the eggs are scrambled add the sugar and give a good mix.

        6.Finally add the coconut and nuts and mix until everything is well incorporated.

        7.Serve hot as a breakfast or an evening snack.
 

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Shabana

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Two Ingredients - Fat free Dates Balls

No bake dates balls contain just two ingredients and they are super healthy. Pop them into lunch boxes, snack on them, or use them to satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthy way...

Ingredients

• Dates: 150 Gms ( deseeded and chopped)
• Desiccated coconut: 125-150 Gms
• Some desiccated coconut for coating the dates balls

Method

• In a blender or processor add both the ingredients and blend until a crumble consistency is obtained. Roll it to balls of preferred size and then roll it over the desiccated coconut to get an even coating. Enjoy these delicious and healthy sweet.

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Easy Cooking!!

Shabana

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Rava Laddoo

 

Rava laddoo is a popular Maharashtrian sweet prepared for all auspicious occasions . It is quick and easy to make and also a wonderful gift that can be made for your friends during festivals.

Ingredients

• Coarse rava / sooji / Semolina : 1 cup
• Dessicated coconut : 1/3 rd cup
• Ghee / clarified butter : 1/4 cup
• Fine sugar : 3/4 cup
• Chopped cashews : 2 tbsp
• Raisins : 2 tbspn
• Cardamom powder : 1/4 tsp
• Boiling hot milk : Approx 1/4 - 1/3 cup

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee and lightly roast the cashews for a minute and add raisins and allow it to pop up. Remove from pan and keep aside
2. Add the remaining ghee to hot pan and once warm add the sooji and roast it in medium flame for about 7-8 minutes by constantly stirring it to prevent forming lumps and sticking to the pan.
3. Once sooji is roasted add the coconut and fry again for 4-5 minutes by stirring and the add the sugar and mix well for 2 minutes
4. Add the nuts and raisins along with the cardamom powder and mix well till well combined with the roasted sooji and coconut
5. Keep the boiling milk ready on the other burner and add it at this point of time. Mix well and switch off flame and transfer mix to a plate
6. After 5 minutes when the mixture is still hot make balls out of it by taking about 1.5 tablespoons of the mixture.

Note : At any point if you feel the mix is getting dried and is not forming a smooth ball add boiling milk a tablespoon at a time and correct the consistency.
This mixture should make almost 15 rava laddoos and can be stored in a airtight container for 2-3 days. Enjoy this yummy delight.

Happy cooking!!
Shabana

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Paratta is an Indian dish which is usually made plain or with stuffing of choice. This paratta will give your day a healthy start as it uses wheat for the paratta and oats for the filling, Compared to the other usual fillings this one is much easier to make as it requires no cooking time for the filling.

Ingredients

For the paratta

Wheat flour: 2 cups

• water to knead 
• salt 

For the filling

• Oats: 1 Cup
• Red chilly powder: 1.5 Tsp
• Coriander Powder: 1/2 Tsp
• Turmeric: 1/2 Tsp
• Coriander Leaves: few
• Amchur Powder: 1/2 Tsp
• Curry leaves: Few
• Water

Method

1. Knead the wheat flour with salt and water to form a soft dough
2. In another bowl mix all the ingredients for the filling and keep adding water very little at a time until you can make balls out of it. Make balls of the size of a big lemon and keep ready
3. Now make big sized balls out of the atta. Roll it little and keep one oats ball and cover it into a ball and roll it carefully like a chappathi
4. Heat a tawa and sprinkle some oil and cook the paratta on both sides by occasionally flipping it over until both sides get brown spots.
5. Serve it hot with raita or chutney.

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Shabana

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Falafel

Falafel is a snack from the Arabian cuisine which can be found in every nook and corner. It is made from chick peas and parsley leaves with very less flavours and spices. It can be eaten as it is or can be sandwiched between buns and breads. This is how you can make this nutritious snack.

Makes 18-20 falafels
Ingredients

• Soaked(overnight) chick peas: 1.5 cups 
• Parsley leaves: 1/4 cup
• Coriander leaves: 1/4 cup 
• Onion: 1 
• Green chilly: 1
• Garlic: 4-5 cloves
• Ginger: 1" piece
• Coriander seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds: 2 tsp
• Pepper powder: 1/2 tsp
• Lime juice: 2 tsp
• All purpose flour: 2 tsp
• Salt to taste 
• Oil to deep fry

Method

1. Soak the chickpeas in water for a minimum of 10-12 hours or more.
2. Drain the water completely
3. Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until no chunks are seen and you get a coarse mixture
4. Allow this mixture to chill in fridge for 2-3 hours until the mixture gets little hard
5. Form roundels out of the mixture
6. Heat oil in low to medium flame and deep fry the roundels until all sides are equally golden brown in colour.
7. Serve as it is or crumble it and sandwich it between bread with French fries and sauces or mayonnaise

Note: The oil should always be on low to medium heat and each batch should take about 10 minutes to get cooked. Otherwise the rawness of chickpeas will be felt in the felafels...

Happy munching! 

Shabana

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