Paneer butter masala

Ingredients:

Paneer-250 gms (cut into cubes, shallow fry, soak in hot water for 5 minutes, drain and keep aside)
Butter-1tbsp
Onion- 2 big (puree)
Ginger & Garlic paste-1 1/2 tsp
Tomato -3 big (blanch & puree)
Cashew nut paste-2tbsp
Chilli powder-3/4 tsp
Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
Corriander powder-1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp
Fresh cream-2 tbsp
Kasuri methi leaves-1/2 tsp (crush in your palm before adding)
Salt

Method:

Heat 1 tbsp oil and butter. Saute onion puree until golden brown. add ginger garlic paste. After 2 minutes add all the masala powders and saute for a few minutes. Then put cashew paste, tomato puree and salt. Pour 1 cup water and boil for 5 minutes. check for taste.Reduce heat and add paneer cubes. Let the gravy simmer to required consistency. Switch off the stove and add cream and methi leaves. combine well.
This curry goes well with fried rice, pulav and rotis.

Note: I did not add color to my gravy. If you desire a red color gravy , You can either use kashmiri chilli powder or a little red food coloring.

Sundal :) - Merina Beach speciality

Ingredients:

Black channa/ white channa- 1 cup

onion- 1/4 (chopped fine)

coconut- 1 tbsp (grated)

hing- 1/2 tsp (optional)

curry leaves- few

red chillies- 2 (broken)

mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

urad dal- 1 tsp

channa dal- 1 tsp

Method:

Pressure cook channa with 2 cups water and required salt for 3 whistles. (cook according to your cooker. The count for whistles differs from one cooker to the other). Drain all the water and set channa aside. Heat oil in kadai and fry mustard seeds, urad and channa dal. Then fry onion, red chillies and curry leaves. Now add cooked channa and mix well. Finally add coconut and hing and roast for 5 mins. 

If you want the beach - feel, make paper cones and serve in them :)

Pudina Pulao

Ingredients:

Basmathi rice- 2 cups
Water- 4 cups
Mint- 1 small bunch
Coriander leaves- handful
Garlic- 4 pods
Ginger - 1 " piece
Coconut- 1/4 cup grated
Elachi-2
Bay leaf- 1 big broken
Cinnamon stick- 1" (2 pieces)
Star anise- 1
Fennel- 1 tsp
Potato-1
Green chillies- 3 or 4
Onion- 1/2 sliced
Ghee- 1 tbsp

Method:

Grind ginger, garlic, mint, corriander leaves, chillies, coconut and fennel seeds. Heat some oil and ghee in pressure cooker. fry all the spices and then onions and potatoes. Then fry the ground paste until you get a good aroma. Don't over-fry it. Just do it until the color changes from deep green to light green. Add required salt and rice. Fry for a few minutes. Add water. Check for seasonings and close the cooker. Wait until the pressure comes. Put the vent and keep the flame on medium. Wait for 10 to 12 mins. Switch off gas and open cooker when the pressure completely subsides. Open cooker and mix well. Finally add the fried cashews . Serve with onion raitha.

Egg Capsicum Masala - Real easy and Yummy !!

Ingredients:

• Egg- 4
• Onion- 1/2 sliced
• Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
• Tomato- 1 chopped
• Capsicum- 1/2 sliced
• Sakthi masala powder- 1 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
• Coconut- 1/4 cup
• Corriander leaves-few
• Salt to taste

METHOD:
Heat oil in kadai and fry onions, capsicum and ginger garlic paste. Then add tomato, masala powders and salt. Add ground coconut and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Add salt. Now add boiled eggs (slit them before you slip them into the gravy). Bring to another boil. Finally add coriander leaves to garnish .

Isn't that real easy .? :)

Onion Raitha

Ingredients :

Onions - 1
Green chillies - 1 chopped fine
Curd - 1 tbsp
Milk - 1 cup
Salt to taste.

Method :

Chop onions into thin slices. Take the onions in a bowl and add a teaspoon of water . Mix the onions squishing them a lil with your fingers. To this add the chillies . Add well beaten curds to this mixture . Add salt to taste. Can be garnished with green coriander leaves according to taste.

I normally add little curd to milk and make the curd set as by lunch, it will turn sour if only curd is used.

Another variation is where finely chopped tomatoes are added to the above.

Channa Pulao

Ingredients :

For Rice

• Basmati Rice - 1 cup
• Turmeric Powder a pinch
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1
• Clove - 2
• Cinnamon - 2 "
• Cardamom - 2
• Salt to taste
• Ghee - 1 tbsp
• Water - 1 &1/2 cup

For Masala

• Onion - 1
• Green chillis - 2
• Mint Leaves (Pudina) - 1/2
• Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup
• Coconut - 50 gms
• Garlic - 4 pods
• Ginger - 2"

For Channa Pulao

• Kabuli Channa - 1 cup
• Onion - 1
• Tomatoes - 1
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method :

Wash and cook Channa in cooker for 3 whistles with little salt. Keep it aside.
Wash and soak basmati rice for 15 mins.
Meanwhile, grind all the Masala ingredients to a fine paste.
Then chop onions as juliennes, chop tomato fine.

Once rice is soaked for 15 mins, heat a cooker with ghee. Add cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf. Fry for few mins. Then drain rice and fry for few mins ensuring the rice does not break. Add 1 1/2 cup water and pinch of turmeric. Salt to taste. Cook for 1 whistle. Keep aside.
Heat Oil in a big kadai, add onion juliennes, fry until brown in colour. Add the ground masala. Cook on high flame for few mins, add chilli powder. Simmer for 5 mins. Add tomatoes with salt. Cook till its soft and mashed.

Then add cooked channa and mix well. The masala should not have water in it. Then gently mix cooked rice to this masala. Simmer for 5 mins. The rice is ready.

Note: Please adjust the chilli and salt as its added in two process.The water used to cook channa can be used to cook rice.

Tomato Chutney in 5 minutes :)

Ingredients

• Tomatoes - 2 medium
• Onion- 1
• Garlic - 4 pods
• Curry leaves - 5
• Coriander leaves - 4 springs
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• salt to taste
• Oil - 1 tsp

Method

Chop onion and tomato. Heat oil in a tawa and fry chopped onion, then curry leaves. Once its little brown, then add tomatoes. Fry for a while, then add salt and chilli powder. Remove and cool.

Run it for one or two rounds in mixie with garlic pods and coriander leaves. The chutney should be a little coarse.

This tastes fantastic with Dosa / Phulka s / Idlis or even with bread :)

Vendakai (OKRA / BHINDI ) Kurma

Ingredients :

• Bindi / Okra / Bendakaya - 250 gms
• Onions - 1
• Tomatoes - 2
• Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Chili Powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder/Paste - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder a pinch
• Coconut paste - 1 tbsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - for seasoning
• Curry leaves
• Coriander Leaves for garnishing
• Peanut / Groundnut Powder - 1 tbsp

Method :

Wash and pat dry the bhindi s. It has to be real dry. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Fry on dry tawa till it changes bright green in colour. Keep aside.

Heat Oil add mustard seeds, curry leaves. Then add chopped Onions, sauté till they are brown in colour. Then add ginger garlic paste. Fry well

Then add tomatoes, chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Cook till tomatoes are well cooked. Then add the Bhindi and mix well. Add Coconut paste with water. Cook on high flame for 5 mins. Simmer for 10 mins until the gravy thickens.

Finally add peanut powder and Coriander leaves and cook for 2 mins.

Curd Brinjal

Ingredients 

• 1 Brinjal
• Curry leaves
• Mustard, Fenugreek, Cumin, Kala Jeera and fennel seed
• 250gm of Curd
• 1 tea spoon of Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 2 Green chilies
• Small piece of Ginger
• A pinch of turmeric
• Oil for frying

Method

• Cut brinjal into thin 2-inch long pieces.
• Mix turmeric and salt in brinjal
• Deep fry the brinjal pieces and keep aside.
• Mix yogurt gently with sugar, salt and little water and fried brinjals.
• Heat one table spoon of oil in a pan and put the panch puran and allow them
to splutter. Add green chillies and ginger and fry them and then add curry
leaves.
• Then add it to yogurt.

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Ingredients:-

Flour - 50 gm
Corn flour - 50 gm
Egg(beaten) - 1 no
Water - As required
Garlic(grated) - 30 gm
Carrot(grated) - 50 gm
Cabbage(grated) - 60 gm
Capsicum(grated) - 60 gm
Beans - 50 gm
Sugar - 1/2 tbsp
Soya sauce - 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt - As required
Pepper - As required
Oil - As required

Method

Mix together flour, corn flour and beaten egg along with required water to get a idli or dosa batter.
Place a nonstick pan over the stove.
When it is hot, pour some batter over the pan and make pancakes.
Repeat the procedure for the remaining batter.
Heat oil in an Aluminum vessel.
Add garlic and saute well.
Add carrot, cabbage, capsicum and beans and saute well.
Add sugar, soya sauce, salt and pepper and saute and mix well.
Switch off the flame.
Place the pancakes over the table.
Put the cooked vegetable mix over the pancakes.
Roll them well and lock it with a pick.
Heat oil in a frying pan.
Fry the rolled pancakes in it.
Remove them onto a plate when they turn golden brown.