Shahi Paneer

Shahi paneer is a North Indian curry made with tomato and cashew nut gravy. It is very rich in texture and one can find it in every menu list of a restaurant. It uses Paneer (cottage cheese) and tomato gravy laced with rich spices. But what can be more tempting if it is prepared at home to surprise everyone. It takes about 15-20 minutes to cook. So if one have the ingredients at home then giving a second thought is just waste of time.

Shahi Paneer

Ingredients used are:-

1. Paneer (200gms)
2. Tomatoes (3 for puree)
3. Onion (1 in form of paste)
4. Ginger-garlic paste (1tsp)
5. Cashew nuts (8-10 powdered)
6. Green chillies (1-2 chopped)
7. Cumin seeds (1tsp)
8. Bay leaf (1/2 leaf)
9. Yogurt/ dahi (1 cup)
10. Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp
11. Salt to taste
12. Sugar (1tsp)
13. Oil or ghee (1tsp)
14. Cream to garnish (1tsp)
15. Coriander leaf to garnish

Step by step process to cook shahi paneer:-

First of all take oil in a pan/kadhai and heat it, after it is hot add cumin seeds and bay leaf. let the seeds and bay leaf splitter.

After this add ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and also onion paste. Saute it till the paste turns golden brown.

Then blend the tomatoes and make a puree out of it and in next step add the tomato puree as shown.

Once the tomato puree starts leaving the sides of kadhai it is an indication that it has been cooked properly. Now its the time to add cashew nut powder. One can soak the cashew in water and make a paste out of it or can add it in powdered form and then add little water as per requirement.

Then yogurt/ dahi is added and it is stirred continuously to ensure it binds well with the rest of ingredients. Adding yogurt gives a tangy taste to the curry. 

After this sugar is added and also some cashew nuts and raisins are added to give it an extra flavour. Though this step is entirely optional and one can even skip it as per the taste.

Then paneer which is cut in form of cubes is added, at this stage one can turn of the stove or lower the flame to slow. Mostly uncooked paneer is used in this recipe but if one likes to fry the paneer dices one can go ahead with that. 

Lastly garam masala powder is added and stirred in to leave the aroma of all the spices which are blended.

Before serving give a final touch with cream and coriander leaf. This curry is enjoyed with most of the Indian breads like Naan, Parathas, tandoori roti and also goes well with rice or pulao.

SHAHI PANEER

Gajar Ka Halwa

Winters are about to say good bye as spring is on the way. There are many delicacies which we mostly enjoy during a particular season and keep on waiting for the time to come. Gajar ka halwa is one of the recipes which people cook in winters and is on the hit list of desserts during any party, wedding, function or any get-together in north India during winters. Now in time of globalisation , carrots are available all throughout the year but, the taste and the feeling while eating a particular dessert in a season to which it belongs is incomparable. So before winter leaves lets cook it one more time and enjoy the taste of those red and fresh carrots. In this recipe i will be sharing some replacements of Mawa as it is difficult for people to make it at home and also time consuming.

Ingredients required are:-

Gajar ka halwa

1. Carrots
2. Sugar
3. Mawa
4. Cardamom powder
5. For Garnish:- Almonds,Cashews and Raisins or (any nuts of your choice)

Looking at the step by step process:-

First of all , carrots are grated and are put in pressure cooker to boil. Boiling in pressure cooker saves a lot of time, though traditionally people use to cook the grated carrots in an open pan or khadhai which according to them enhances the taste, but who can wait for so long these days, anyways that's up to your choice , the ultimate thing is we want our carrots to cook up properly and become tender.

When the carrots become tender add the sugar according to your taste and mix well so that it incorporates well. One can see the image of boiled carrot below how the colour have changed after boiling.

As the sugar incorporates it will about to leave water as shown in the picture below. We need to make sure that the water is fully evaporated and need to cook on medium flame. 

After the water gets evaporated the volume of the carrots will reduce and at this stage add the nuts of your choice, i added cashew, almonds and raisins. Cardamom powder is also added to enhances the taste. 

The last stage comes when mawa is added to the carrot mixture. So if one does not have mawa then one can work out with other options like:- 

• Milk powder and add it according to the desired consistency. 
• One can also add cream or malai which is readily available in Indian kitchen.
• One can skip the step of mixing the mawa altogether and add little ghee and cook the carrot mixture but if one is adding only ghee then one need to make sure that they use a bit less quantity of sugar in the beginning.

If one needs to preserve halwa for a longer time and increase the self life then option of cooking in ghee  works well.

Now the final product is ready .

Gajar ka halwa

Benefits of carrot:-

1. They help in reducing the risk of lung cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer.
2. Carrots have beta-carotene which have anti aging property.
3. They help in improving the vision of eyes.
4. Since it is rich in vitamin-A which prevents premature wrinkling, acne, uneven skin tone, dry skin, blemishes and pigmentation.
5. It also assists the liver in flushing out the toxins from the body.

Makhane ke kheer

Makhnane are widely used in Indian kitchen for making sweets, soups, curries and also garnishing deserts. It is known with different names like Gorgon nut, Fox nut, Euryale ferox and Lotus seed. They are basically puffed lotus seeds which are grown in stagnant waters of wetland like pond, tanks and lakes. In India Bihar is the heaven for Makhana production accounting for about 63% of the produce. It is highly nutritious, organic and non cereal food which resembles like a popcorn. I got to learn this recipe from my mother in law and since then tried it many times on various occasions.

Lets look at the list of ingredients used:-

Makhane ke kheer

1. 1 Bowl of makhana
2. 500 ml milk
3. Sugar to taste
4. Cardamom powder
5. Chopped almonds, Cashews, pistas and raisins(optional)

Lets look at the step by step process:-

First of all makhane are soaked in water for about an hour, this process makes them soft and tender. Use a shallow dish ensuring that all the makhanas are dipped in water or dip them with your hand from time to time so that all of them evenly soak the water.

After this milk is taken in a heavy bottom pan and boiled stirring continuously. It is reduced on a medium flame so that it gets thicker. Also add cardamom powder and sugar at this stage.

Then squeeze out the makhanas from the water and add to the milk. Some makhana will tend to break while squeezing out but its ok as they will mix well with milk and further improve the consistency of milk.

Lastly add the chopped cashew, almonds, pistas and raisins. Though this step is entirely optional but it makes this desert rich and more flavourful.

Stir in for 2-3 mins till all the nuts incorporate well and release their flavour. This kheer taste good if eaten chilled so before serving refrigerate it for sometime or just cool at room temperature.

Benefits of Makhana/ lotus seeds

1. It strengthens heart and is very useful in cardiac protection.
2. Makhana act as a good antioxidant.
3. It is very light in nature, so is easily digestive by all age groups.
4. It is high in fibres hence helps to avoid constipation.
5. They are also recommended to women during pregnancy and postnatal weakness, it tonifies the kidney and spleen to build up the energy.
6. They are also very useful in curing anaemia. 

Vegetable Sandwich

One of the most common breakfast reciepe which is very quick to make and is also healthy for a start up is vegetable sandwich. It even works as a great tiffin idea for kids and does not require any cooking. People can experiment with lots of vegetables which they like and experience a new taste every time they make it.
I tried with the following ingredients:-

Vegetable Sandwich

1. Capcicum
2. Tomato
3. Onion
4. Lettuce leaf
5. Tomato cheese spread
6. Wheat bread
7. Oregano
8. Black pepper
9. Salt

First of all the vegetables were finely chopped and kept aside. Below is the picture of the chopped vegetables

Then in a bowl all the veggies and seasoning (salt, oregano, black pepper, salt, tomato cheese spread) were mixed well. 

Lastly spread the mixture on bread slice and enclose with another slice to make a sandwich. One can eat it as it is or toast the sandwich in a toaster or a pan, as per the wish.

Vegetable sandwich

This one was ready in 3 easy steps and without any hassel. Eating vegetable in raw form have there own benefits.
Some benefits of lettuce leaf are :-

1. Lettuce contains considerable amount of iron and supplies a good form of vegetable haemoglobin. It can, therefore, be used as a good tonic food for anaemia.
2. It is rich in cellulose, thus increases the bulk of the intestinal contents and encourages peristalsis (Intestinal movement).
3. It is beneficial in the treatment of insomnia as it contains a sleep inducing substance called 'lectucarium'.
4. Fresh leaves contain good amounts folates and vitamin C. Folates is required for DNA synthesis and therefore, vital in prevention of the neural tube defects in-utero fetus during pregnancy. 
5. It is a rich source of vitamin K. Vitamin K has a potential role in the bone metabolism where it thought to increase bone mass by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bone cells.
6. It also contains good amount of minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium, which are essential for body metabolism.
7. It is rich in B-complex group of vitamins like:- thiamin, riboflavin and vitamin B-6.

Though lettuce leaf is quite new in Indian market but these days it is availabe in most of the grocery stores. So next time make it a point to add it in your basket and give it a try.

Wheat Porridge

Porridge was a tradition food in much of North Europe and Russia, but it is making its own space in India as well; as one of the healthy breakfast options. Many kinds of cereals can be used like barley, rice, corn, oats, legumes etc to cook porridge. Though ready to cook option of oats are readily availabe in the stores today but none can be much satisfying than a home made dish. Porridge can be cooked in milk or water but i would be using water in which milk is added afterwards according to ones own taste. I learned this style of cooking from my mother, who always cooked it for my grandparents in this way.

Wheat Porridge

Ingredients used to make this healthy breakfast are:-

1. Wheat rawa
2. Sugar
3. Almonds (chopped)
4. Rasins
5. Cardamom powder
6. Water

 






 Lets start the process:-

First of all wheat rawa is roasted in a pan till it starts turning golden brown.

Also add the chopped almonds, rasins and cardamom powder along with the wheat rawa so that there flavour is also incorporated while cooking.

Keep on stirring and make sure that it is not over cooked, keep the stove on medium flame for even cooking. After that add water to it, about 2 cups of water is added in 1 cup of wheat rawa and bring the water to boil.

When the water gets evaporated, add sugar according to your taste and keep stirring, i added 1/2 cup of sugar in this.

When the sugar incorporates well, the whole mixture will start moving as a mass together leaving the sides of pan. This stage shows that our porridge is ready to be served and can be taken out in a bowl.

Finally enjoy the porridge with milk or one can also add yogurt inspite of milk as per the taste.

Wheat Porridge

The best thing about cooking this ways is, it has more shelflife than the one which is made by adding milk inspite of water. It can be stored for week together in your refrigerator and had every morning with hot milk.

Some benefits of porridge are:-

• It is rich in fiber so improves digestion and prevents heart disease.
• It boosts concentration because the slow releasing complex carbohydrates in porridge oats sustains energy levels.
• Eating porridge reduces blood cholesterol and improves blood flow.
• It helps the brain to produce serotonin. Serotonin is a brain transmitter that helps keep our spirits up and our appetites down.
• It also helps to loose weight, as it keeps you full for the entire day; thus avoiding the amount of food you consume throughout the day.

So porridge is an ideal morning breakfast that keeps you going for the entire day.

Caramel Rice

Like the gems embedded in a jewel, caramel rice is filled with the aromatic flavours of  spices and taste of dryfruits. I have been cooking this dish past many years and it has been among the most liked varient of rice dishes. There are quite a number of ingredients used in this reciepe but one can skip anyone of it if he/she does'nt like. But certain things which are the base of this reciepe and can't be avoided are rice, curd, butter, sugar and salt.

Caramel Rice

Lets look at the ingredients in detail:-

1. Rice: 1 bowl
2. Curd: 1 bowl
3. Butter: 2tbs
4. Sugar: 1/2 bowl
5. Salt: 1tbs
6. Red chilli powder: 1tbs
7. Fried onion: 1
8. Green elaichi/ cardmom: 4
9. Cloves: 2 
10. Cinimom: 1 stick
11. Almonds grated: 4
12. Cashewnuts: 4
13. Rasins: 2 tbs 
14. Dry coconut pieces 

Now lets start the process:-
First of all heat butter in a pan and add cardmom, cinamom & cloves

 After that add sugar and caramalize it. Below is the pic of caramalized sugar.

Then one should add rice, curd, salt and red chilli powder to it. When adding rice to caramalized sugar it tends to stick but one should not worry as after adding water and boiling, it the texture becomes smooth. After this one must add 2 bowls of water and cover the pan so that rice gets boiled. It takes about 15 - 20 minutes to completely boil. Finally garnish it with the dry fruits and fried onions. One can roast or fry the dryfruits as well; as it gives a nice flavour or can simply add as it is. This reciepe taste awesome with raita or a salted curd with bit cumin powder in it. It also serves as a side dish during a lunch or dinner which can be enjoyed with some curry.
The caramelized sugar gives a nice colour to the rice and curd imparts nice creamy texture to it.

Lets look at some benefits of Spices used in it
Cardamom:-

Apart from being used as a flavouring and aromatic agent in our food cardamom have various medicinal uses as well.

1. It is used for curing digestion problems like heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, intestinal gas and loss of appetite. 
2. It helps in cleansing body as it has detoxifying property. 
3. It is also used for common cold, cough, sore mouth & throat and tendency towards infection.
4. It improves the blood circulation to lungs and helpful in prevention of spasm and convulsions.  

Cloves:-

1. Cloves are known to cure tooth infections and also alleviating pain.
2. Chewing cloves not only gives best breath but also keeps nausea and heartburn away.
3. It is used in aroma therapy and improves respiratory problems.
4. It can also be used in household as fly and ant detterent.

Cinnamom:-
It is one of the world's oldest known spices and have a great place in bakery products. After going through its uses one is sure to add it in his/her diet.

1. It act as brain power booster and smelling it improves the cognitive function of brain.
2. It is used as a digestive aid and helps breakdown fat during digestion.
3. It is commonly used to thin blood hence improving circulation.
4. Adding to food prevent bacterial growth and food spoilage.
5. It is great arthritis pain reliver and also have regulatory effect on blood sugar.

So enjoy the reciepe and also reap the benefits out of it!

Pumpkin Raita

It would be hard to believe if anyone says that i have not tried pumpkin! it is one vegetable which is eaten in many forms ranging from sweets, soups, salads, pies, veggies and the list is endless. I was doubtful before trying this recipe, as to how it would taste? but it came well giving nice light yellow colour to the curd.
Ingredients  used in this are:

1. Fresh curd
2. Pumpkin pieces
3. Salt to taste
4. Cumin powder
5. Red chilly powder

First of all pumpkin was peeled and some cubes were taken which were boiled till they were tender.

Pumpkin pieces

                                                        

Ensure the pumpkin you have taken is ripe and yellow in colour as it imparts nice colour to the curd. Then using your mixer or blender make a smooth paste out of the boiled pumpkin pieces. Add the paste to the curd and mix well till it is well incorporated. Also add salt, red chilly powder and cumin powder according to your  taste. Garnish it with cumin powder and red chilly powder, it looks awesome. I used 4 tbs of paste in 200ml of curd which imparted nice light yellow colour. One can adjust the quantity as per need and taste.         

Pumpkin Raita

 Though there are endless benefits of pumpkin but some of essential ones are:

1. Its pulp contain pro vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, salts and minerals. So it helps in regeneration and slowing down the ageing process. 
2. This vegetable have laxative action which helps in curing constipation and dyspepsia. 
3. It also protects against heart diseases as it contains antioxidants.
4. Pumpkin juice is indicated for ulcers and high acidity.
5. Pumpkin is also indicated to cure hormonal disorders or adolescent behaviour & intestinal parasites.

So after going through these benefits of pumpkin one can't avoid adding it, in his/her diet.

Jaggery Sweets(Makar Sakaranti Delight)

As far as i remember "Makar sakranti" is celebrated all over India from north to south with different names. But one thing which is common every where is that, it is celebrated with great joy. People decorate there houses with rangoli, perform pooja, children fly kites and people make traditional sweets. It is a symbol of  begining of harvest season in most part of the country. So for this occasion i decided to make sweets out of jaggery, which have high nutrative content than white sugar. I used very limited ingredients to make it simple and quick. Here 

Jaggery Laddos and Burfi

is the list:-

1. Jaggery(400gms)
2. Wheat flour(200gms)
3. Ghee(3tbs)
4. Roasted peanuts(2tbs)
5. Roasted white til(1tbs)
6. Grated coconut(2tbs)
7. Water(1cup)

First of all roast wheat flour on a medium flame till it changes it colour to light brown and keep aside. Then in another pan add a cup of water and jaggery to it, keep on stiring till the jaggery melts. Bring the jaggery and water mixture to boil, then add the ghee into it to make a smooth paste. After that switch off the flame and add the wheat flour which was already roasted and kept aside. Keep on mixing till the contents mixes well. Also add some peanuts, til and grated coconut at this stage,while keeping aside some for garnishing, (these dry fruits are optional according to ones own taste). Then grease a tray with oil and spread the above mixture over it and garnish with left over dry fruits. Let it cool and cut with a knife into squares or as one desires. I made some square shaped sweets and also prepared laddos out of it. Its flavour was nice and peanuts complimented it.

There are some uses of jaggery as compared to white sugar like:- it is rich in iron and copper content. It regulates liver function, purifies blood and keeps the body healthy. It also contains protiens, minerals and vitamins which are essential for our body. These small replacements in our eating habits can lead us to healthy life. So enjoy the recepie and stay fit!

Fruit Salad

Kidney beans and fruit combo

As the weekend approached it was time to refill the refrigerator with fresh vegetables and fruits. I had little left over in all the corners of my refrigerator, which needed to be cleared as i don't like wasting anything. So i decided to make fruit salad with some boiled Rajma/ Red kidney beans. For the fruit salad i used grapes, apple, pomegranate seeds and rajma. Apple was peeled and chopped to make fine cubes and some slices were kept for the decoration. Grapes and pomegranate seeds were used as whole. One can work out with other fruits as well like banana, pineapple, papaya or anything else according to ones own taste. The only thing which is required is to make any dish palatable and tempting. According to me digestion starts from eyes then mouth and finally stomach plays its role. So i arranged the fruits and rajma and sprinkled chat masala over it and squeezed some lemon juice to give it a tangy taste.
This is how a healthy fruit salad was ready in no time and it also works well during lunch or dinner parties.

Quick-Healthy Toast

In today's busy lifestyle , people hardly gets time to cook healthy snacks. Many of us fall in this category. We often complain about the time to cook as we are packed with busy schedule. So this is one of the simplest recipe which can be enjoyed with tea or even work as a healthy breakfast. All you need is:-

Besan Toast

1. Gram flour/ Besan
2. Bread slices
3. Salt to taste
4. Onion finely chopped
5. Coriander leafs
6. Water to form the paste

Firstly cut the bread slices in small pieces like square, rectangle or triangle whatever pleases you . Then mix the gram flour, salt, chopped onions and coriander leafs with water to form a smooth paste, one can also add green chillies, tomatoes, ginger/garlic paste as per the taste. Take a non stick pan and put on a medium flame, then grease it with a table spoon of oil. In the mean while take the bread slices and dip it in the paste to cover both the sides and place on the pan. Then cook both the sides till they are golden brown. Lastly remove the bread slices and garnish with coriander leafs.

It takes about 5 Min's to cook this snack. This works well when some guests drops in, also my grandma used gram flour recipes during cold flu, so this can also be used as soothing agent during cold flu. 

Enjoy the various shades of cooking! and stay healthy.. 

Choco and Vanilla cake

choco n vanilla cake with choco lollipops

My first blog of joy of cooking! Wanted to start with some thing sweet. So i decided to present this cake which i prepared for the new year party. Being a vegetarian i prepared an eggless, double flavoured cake. For this ready made cake mix of chocolate and vanilla flavour was used. Though its very easy to follow instructions and get your cake ready in no time but still you can add some difference by using your creativity in it.
All you needed in this is:- two different cake moulds. One at the bottom is hollow in the middle and  makes around 500gm cake which formed the base. I choose to make a chocolate marble cake at the base which itself have dual flavour of chocolate and vanilla. the outer cake is vanilla and as you cut the slice out of it you will see the chocolate layer. You can use some walnuts and raisins to give additional flavour to it.
The top layer is a pure chocolate cake of 250gm which was half of the size of the base and a simple round mould can be used for it. The top layer of the cake was coated with chocolate sauce which gave it a shiny look and added extra chocolate flavour to it. For the final touch of decoration i made small balls of the cake and dipped it in the chocolate sauce and inserted the wafer rolls, which was placed on the sides of the cake and on the top. Some strawberries and cherries were used to give a final red touch which complimented the colour of the cake.
So this is how i made a very simple and a pleasing cake with a twist.