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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A pan seared chicken dish with thick gravy using a perfect combo of  coconut milk and mangoes. A dish of Thai origin but can satisfy everyone's taste buds.

Ingredients

1. Chicken: 500 gms 2. Ripe Mango: 2 to 3 3. Canned coconut milk: 400 Ml 4. Onion: 2 5. Green Chilli: 2 6. Garlic: 4 - 5 cloves 7. Turmeric powder: 1/2 Tsp 8. Chicken Masala: 2 Tbsp 9. Salt 10.Pepper: 1 Tsp 11.Oil: 2 Tbspn

Method

1. Make a puree of mango and coconut milk and keep ready. Use only the thick coconut milk on the top of the tin. 2. Heat oil and saute the garlic. 3. Add chopped onions and slit green chilli and saute for 5 mins 4. Add turmeric and chicken masala powder 5. To this add the chicken and salt and allow to cook for 10 mins with open lid 6. Add the mango puree and close and cook 7. Add pepper and saute for another 5 mins 8. To adjust consistency add the water in the coconut milk can itself.

Happy Cooking!

Shabana

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Mango Cheesecake Ice Cream

A sweet, creamy and tangy ice cream combining mangoes and the flavours of cheesecake. 

Ingredients

• Whipping Cream: 1 Cup
• Sweetened condensed milk: 1/2 Tin
• Cheese Cubes: 5 to 6 ( 60 Gms) in room temperature
• Mango pulp: 1 Cup ( Pulp of 3 mangoes beaten with 4 tsp sugar)
• Lime juice: 1 Tsp
• Digestive biscuits: 2 - 3 nos

Method

• Whip the cream with a hand mixer until soft peaks are formed.
• Add the condensed milk and further beat for a minute.
• Soften the cheese with the back of a spoon or spatula
• Add the softened cheese to the cream and condensed milk mixture
• Assemble the ice cream in a container by transferring half of the cream mix and then scoop out few spoons of mango puree on top of it and arrange of the biscuits. Repeat one more time with remaining cream, puree and biscuits.
• Freeze overnight and scoop out the ice cream.

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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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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Instant Biriyani / Thattikootu Biriyani

Do you feel preparing a biriyani requires a lot of chopping and sautéing? Then try making this way and you will be surprised with the taste of this biriyani without adding any onions, tomatoes, ginger or garlic.

Ingredients

For the Chicken

Chicken: 1 kg

Chicken masala: 4 Tbspn

Curd: 3 Tbspn

Salt

Oil: 5 tbspn

For the rice

Basmati Rice: 3 to 3.5 cups

Water: 6 cups for 3 cups of rice

Ghee: 2 tsp

Whole Spices: cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, bay leaf

salt

For garnish

carrot: 1 grated

Mint and coriander leaves: handful

Method

1. Marinate the chicken with salt, chicken masala and curd and set aside for an hour

2. Meanwhile prepare the ghee rice. Heat ghee and add all whole spices. Add water and allow to boil. Now add salt and rice and cook until all water is gone.

3. Add a tsp of oil and saute the grated carrot for 5 mins

4. Add 5 tbspn of oil to the marinated chicken and cook without adding any water.

5. Give some time until the chicken is cooked and all water is dried up and the masala is very well roasted. This is the only step which you will need to give some time otherwise the raw taste of masala might be prominent.

6. Now add the chopped coriander and mint leaves and give a mix

7. Now add the cooked rice and mix well. Also add the carrot along with this and give a final mix

Yummy biriyani is ready in less than 20 mins.

Happy cooking 

Shabana

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Kheema Pakora is a crunchy tasty snack which takes less than 15 minutes and just 2 steps. 

Ingredients

1. Meat mince: 250 gms 2. Onion: 2 small finely chopped 3. Green chilli: 2 nos finely chopped 4. Ginger garlic paste: 1tbsp 5. Garam masala: 1 tsp 6. Chilli powder : 1 tsp 7. Coriander leaves: handful finely chopped 8. Salt to taste 9. Oil to deep fry 10.Gram flour ( kebab flour/ kadala maavu) : 3 tbsp or more to make the kheema mix thick

Method

1. Add all ingredients except oil to a large bowl and mix well. Adjust kebab flour for consistency 2. Heat oil and drop small pieces of the mix and fry until golden brown in medium heat. Pakoras are ready to serve.

Happy snacking
Shabana

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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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Prawns Roast

A very traditional prawn recipe which can be made with very less time and effort.

Ingredients

For cooking prawns

• Prawns: 300 gms ( deshelled weight)
• Chilli powder: 1 tbsp
• Turmeric : 1/4 tsp
• Ginger and garlic paste: 2 tsp
• Kudam puli: 2 small pieces
• Salt

For the masala

Shallots: 6-7 nos sliced thinely
Onion: 2 nos sliced thinely
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tsp
Chilli powder: 2 tsp ( add more if needed more spicy)
Coriander powder: 1/2 tsp
Garam masala: 1/2 tsp
Oil: 3-4 tbsp
Curry and leaves and cocunut bits (optional) to garnish
Salt

Method

1. Cook the prawns for 10 mins along with all the ingredients in the first set and 1/4 cup of water. Do not over cook the prawns. Dry the excess water 
2. Add oil and fry the shallots until light brown. Add the onions and ginger garlic paste and saute till light brown
3. Add the chilli powder, coriander and garam masala and salt ( keep in mind the praens was cooked with salt) and cook till raw flavour goes. 
4. Add the cooked prawns and mix well. Pour 2-3 tbsp of water and continue mixing. Adjust salt level and mix on high flame for 5 minutes.
5. Serve hot with rice or roti

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Happy cooking !!
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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