Palak Paneer / Cottage Cheese In Spinach Sauce

          Palak paneer is one of the most popular North Indian gravies. It is a combination of appealing color, taste and texture with the added goodness of spinach. Its super easy and quick to prepare and tastes exotic.

Serves 3 to 4.
Ingredients:

• Spinach / Palak - 4 hands full, Gives 1 cup puree.
• Cubed Paneer / Cottage cheese - 1 cup
• Green chillies - 1 to 2 depending on the spiciness
• Onion - 1 medium sized, chopped finely
• Garlic - 3 to 4, chopped finely
• Tomato - 1 small, chopped finely
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chillie powder - 1/2 tsp
• Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) - A generous pinch, available in all Indian groceries (optional)
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Lemon juice - 2 tsp
• oil - 3 tsp
• Salt - to taste

Method:

• Heat 1 tsp oil and fry paneer until they brown on sides.

• Wash the spinach nicely, add to the boiling water and cook uncovered for 4 to 5 minutes.

• Take out spinach from the boiling water, allow to cool, add green chillies and puree it.

• Put 2 tsp oil in a pan, put cumin seeds. After they sizzle add chopped garlic and fry. When they turn brown add onion and fry until they calomelise.

• Add in the finely chopped tomato and fry them until they turn mushy.

• Now add pureed palak, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, chillie powder, turmeric powder, salt and mix nicely.

• Add 1/2 cup milkand mix nicely.

• When the mixture starts to boil, add kasuri methi, lemon juice and give a good mix.

• Finally add fried paneer, mix once and remove from heat.

• Palak paneer goes very well with naan, chapati and any kind of rotis.

Note:

• Paneer when fried gets enhanced in its flavor. But if the paneer is fresh, it can be added without being fried if desired.

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Sabudana Kichdi / Sabbakki Uppittu / Seasoned Sago (Tapioka)

          Sabudana kichdi is a breakfast item prepared by soaking sago pearls and is widely relished in western part of India including Maharashtra, Gujrat and Madhya Pradesh. This can also be had as an evening snack accompanying a cup of tea or coffee. Its also one of the foods of choice during vrats like Shivaratri. Even though the sago pearls take a bit long time to get soaked, the kichdi can be prepared much easily and quickly afterwards...

Serves: 2 to 3
Ingredients:

• Sago / Sabbakki / Sabudana - 1 cup
• Potato - 1 medium sized, cut into small cubes
• Green chillies - 2 to 3, finely chopped
• Curry leaves - 10 to 12
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp (Optional during vrat)
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp (Optional during vrat)
• Roasted peanut powder - 2 tbs (Roast some peanuts, allow to cool and grind into powder)
• lemon juice - 2 tsp (Optional during vrat)
• Coriander leaves / Cilantro - For garnishing
• Oil - 3 to 4 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Water - as required

Method:

• Wash the sago 3 to 4 times until the white powdery stuff reduces.
• splash some water on the surface of sago and soak for minimum 8 hrs. mix intermittently 1 or 2 times if possible by giving a splash of water. 1 cup of sago puff up to 3 cups after getting soaked.

• Add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder to the soaked sago and give a good mix. This ensures even distribution of turmeric onto the sago.

• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, when they start to crackle add the cumin seeds. As the mustard seeds stop crackling add in the green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and fry.

• Add potato cubes and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are done.

• Add sago, mix well and keep frying until the sago turns translucent. 

• At this stage add in the roasted peanut powder, salt, lemon juice and give a good mix.

• Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve hot.

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Dosa Batter - Making Plain and Set Dosa

          Dosa is one of the most popular dishes of south India. It is a kind of pan cake prepared from the fermented batter of rice and lentils. Being a fermented food its not only healthy with loads of probiotics but also very delicious.    
      

Serves 3 to 4
Ingredients:

• Raw rice - 1 cup ( I used the regular sona masoori rice)
• Urad dal - 1/2 cup
• Channa dal - 2 tbs
• Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste

Method:

• Wash the rice and dals thoroughly. Mix all the ingredients except salt and soak in water for 6 to 7 hours.

• Drain out the water and grind the mixture using minimum amount of water.

• Allow the mixture to ferment overnight. The fermented batter should look frothy, which I have tried to show in the picture below.

• Next morning add in the required amount of water to achieve dosa batter consistancy. Add in the salt and mix well. The batter should have the consistency as shown in the following picture, 

• Heat the skillet, Pour a laddle full of batter and spread immediately so that it forms a thin layered crepe.

• As the sides start turning brown, pour few drops of ghee (clarified butter) or any edible oil on the top and sides of the dosa and flip its side. Allow the other side to cook for few seconds

• Remove from the skillet and repeat the process. This makes the plain dosa which can be had with chutney, aloo masala or chutney pudi (gun powder chutney)

• The procedure is similar for making the set dosa. The only difference is instead of spreading the batter in to thin layer on the hot skillet, its gently made to spread a little bit so that it looks like a pan cake. Usually set dosas are served  with coconut chutney and vegetable saagu or kurma.

Note:

• 1 tsp of curd can be mixed with the freshly ground dosa batter to aid the fermentation.
• If the atmosphere is cool, the container of the batter can be placed inside the oven overnight, since it will be comparitively warmer inside the oven. This helps in the fermentation process.
• The batter can be preserved refrigerated for a week. Take out the batter from the refrigerator atleast half an hour before using. This ensures the desired crispyness and the golden brown colour of the dosa.

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Bread Vada / Deep Fried Bread Patties

          Bread vada is a crispy and yummy dish perfect to be served as a tea time snack, or apetizer and a quick way to entertain sudden guests.

Ingredients:

• Bread slices - 4
• Potato - 1 large sized
• Curd (yogurt) - 4 tsp
• Rice flour - 3 tsp
• Baking soda - a pinch
• Onion - 1 small, chopped finely
• Green chillies - 1 to 2, finely chopped 
• Ginger - 1" piece, grated or finely chopped
• Curry leaves - 7 to 8, finely chopped
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Fine sooji - A few tbs (optional)

Method:

• Remove the edges from the bread slices and cut them into small pieces.

• Peel the skin off the potato and grate it.

• To this add chopped onion, green chillies, curry leaves and ginger followed by cut bread cubes.

• Add in the cumin seeds, curd, baking soda, salt and mix well so that the bread cubes get mashed up.

• Finally add rice flour, give a good mix to make a dough of vada consistency.

• Make small patties out of this and roll them in fine sooji to coat the surface.

• Fry the patties in hot oil on a medium heat until they turn golden brown.

• Enjoy the bread vada with tomato ketchup or any kind of chutney.

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