Beet Soya Curry

It rained heavily yesterday in the evening, couldn’t stop myself from taking these pictures.

And this one , heavy shower lashing the sky creeper buliding .

I try often to include soya chunks into our diets, as these are rich in nutrition. Traditionally this curry is made with brinjals , beetroot and potato , and sometimes adding fish gives this curry a distinct flavor also , we call it in Bengali Beetroot Begun diye Macher Jhol . I have seen making this curry by my MIL , and who in return got it from her MIL. However for the vegan purpose ,I just substituted brinjal and fish with soya chunks .This came out great and we enjoyed eating with rotis .

Beetroot Soya Curry

Ingredients

2 Medium size potato chopped into small pieces
2 Beetroot chopped into small pieces
1 and ½ cup of soya chunks or Nutrela (prepared according to Package direction or soak them in warm water for 10- 15 mints, drain and its ready to eat )

For Tempering and Flavoring
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of salt
1 ½ tsp of red pepper powder
2tsp of turmeric powder
2tsp of coriander powder
3 tbs of oil

Method
Add mustard oil to the Kadai /heavy bottom pan , add cumin seeds ,let it splutter .
Add chopped potato , beetroot fry for 1-2 mints at high .
Add turmeric powder, red pepper powder, coriander powder, salt and stir for 3-4 mints.
Squeeze the soya chunks and add to the above, coat well with the spices.
Add little bit of water
Cover and cook for 5-7 mints or till the vegetables are cooked.
Serve with rotis .

This is going to Sia’s Place at Monsoon Spice for the lovely event of JFI-Soya, visit here for more details JFI-Soya Aug , initially started by Gracious Indira of Mahanandi .

Other Soya related posts
Soya Rice
Vegetable kabab

Happy Cooking Friends.

Hassle Free Chicken Curry

Hassle Free Chicken Curry (Murgir Jhaal)

Cooking methodically and step wise needs whole of efforts and time , however when life seems to be a roller coaster ride with toddlers , there are bound to happen some new and hassle free methods .
This Chicken curry is the result of that , whenever I am in hurry , I fix this chicken curry with warm cooked rice , No stirring and no frying and standing in kitchen when the humidity is roaring high , all you need is onion/ginger/garlic paste , little bit of yogurt , coconut paste and let it marinate for at least 3-4 hrs .
Shift the entire marinated stuff to the Kadai /heavy bottom saucepan and cover and then forget about it , do spend time with your little ones or go for a walk, whatever you feel do, and after half an hour come back to the kitchen, check the curry , if the chicken pieces needs a liitle more cooking do so for another half an hour ,then take out in a separate bowl or bring the pot straight to the dinning table .
Without adding much, I will write the recipe now .......





Hassle Free Morgir Jhaal

Chicken cooked with yogurt and coconut paste
Ingredients
Chicken ½ kg
4 onions
8 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger piece
Make a smooth paste of garlic and ginger in a mixer
Coconut ¼ cups
Make a smooth paste of coconut and 2 onions.
Make paste of rest of 2 onions.
Yogurt 4 heaped tbs
1 tsp Turmeric powder
2 ½ tsp of Red pepper powder
4 heaped tbs of mustard oil
Method
Clean the chicken pieces in little warm water, and now marinate with all the above, Salt , red pepper powder, turmeric powder, yogurt, mustard oil or canola oil whichever is available , ginger-garlic paste, onion paste, onion- coconut paste(If you have store brought frozen paste ,its absolutely fine ,go ahead add them to the marinating chicken ) .This Marination should be kept for 3-4 hrs ,not less than that .
TIP- If you don't get fresh coconut , then you can use coconut milk instead of ,Add at the time of cooking chicken but not in marination.
Add fried medium size potato if you wish to, however its not necessary..
Heat up a kadai/heavy bottom pan and add the chicken mixture to it, lower the flame and cover and cook for 1 hrs .Slow the process of cooking , it will taste more .That’s it friends , enjoy with warm cooked rice .

Happy Cooking Friends

A Meme and Fruit Punch

I was being tagged by Sra for this Bookish Meme , I don’t read much , as if I don’t wish to , But with my little one , My life is a roller coaster Ride .
Last time I read Japanese wife and that was some two-three months ago , now I just picked this book by a comparatively new writer, her first book but surprisingly very fresh and witty.



now as per Rule ,
Pick up the nearest book
Goto Page 123
Now Find the fifth sentence
post next three sentence
Tag 5 People and acknowledge the person who tagged you ,
So, I start with these lines from Page 123 ,


~I heard that jerk Shiven say that there was no wonder that true love has blossomed between me and Zahid Pathan, because he was a small town, non-MBA-Holding , sports quota type and his English sucked; just like mine, apparently .”They’ll be so matching-matching,’ he was saying to the guys in Research and Planning, they‘re from the same sec, after all! D minus minus!’ Then He cackled his stupid shrill cackle.
~I wanted to shove my ball point pen up his nose. Instead, I said snootily that I was expecting a call from Barkha Dutt,went to my cabin and tried to write a new Chocolate Maximilk Brief .


Here "I " is Zoya and Thsese lines are from The Zoya Factor by Anuja Chauhan .
Anuja Chauhan has worked in Advertising for over fourteen years and has unleashed lines like Yeh Dil Mange More, Mera Number Kab Aayega, and Nothing Official about it, and Oye Bubbly .This is her first attempt at writing a book.


Now I would like to pass it on to
Joyeeta

Sharmila

Sanhita

Sunshinemom

Swati

Asha


Also I would like to mention some of the awards that has been forwarded to me .
Uma has forwarded Blogging friends forever award ,Thanks Uma .
Sanhita has forwarded Brilliant weblog award .

Thank you all for thinking about me .

Now to The recipe

Fruit Punch
1 Pomegranate
1 sweet lime
½ tsp of salt
½ tsp of black pepper powder
1 tsp of sugar or Honey
Method
Take out juices from the fruits , add salt, sugar and black pepper powder and cumin powder .Chill or drink fresh .
This fruit punch is good for toddlers as it gets a refreshing effect and provides nourishment .
This Fruit Punch is going to Sunshine Mom for her event

,Food In Colors Red -August
Visit her lovely blog for more details .

Happy Cooking Friends .

Bhetki Macher Jhaal (Bhetki Fish Curry) and Korola Kumro (Bitter Gourd Pumpkin stir/Fry )

From Bengal the Land of Tigers, mangroves, Fish and Rasogolla , Bengali culture speaks volume about itself. People from Bengal have always actively participated in India’s freedom struggle.Subhas Chandra Bose, Rabindra Nath Tagore to name a few and contributed in the overall development of India as well .Bengal is a land of rich literature and culture also .When speaking of Bengal , How could I forget to mention the Bengali cuisine .People here Love to eat and make flavorful dishes also .
This Bhetki macher jhaal and Korola and kumro chorchori is very traditional and homely meal for lunch .
However Bhetki fish is also very popular in Biye bari(marriage venue or home) where Bhetki macher Chop is served .
Korola /Kumro is another dish which my Grandmother used to prepare, from her I have seen my mom preparing this starter, little did I noticed, even I started cooking this dish also.
This recipe is very traditional , but with being experimental by nature I have incorporated the use of aamchur powder or the mixed pickle gravy , which makes it little less bitter .However my grandmother and my mom never ever used any of them .
.
Coming to the main entrée bhetki macher jhaal , this is prepared with onion /garlic and ginger paste , just like my earlier Pomphereter kalia here is Recipe Link ,except I have added fresh coconut paste also .Bhetki is hassle free fish as you don’t need to dig out small bones from it. This curry turns out to be thick with oodles of spice and flavor but that makes it even more flavorful.

Bhetki Macher Jhaal ( Bhetki Fish Curry)
Serves for 4-5 people
Ingredients
Bhetki Mach or fish roughly 8-9 pieces

Ingredients
2 medium size onions
1 inch ginger
5 cloves of garlic
¼ cup fresh coconut small pieces
Make a smooth paste of the above ingredients in a mixer by adding little bit of butter .TIP- adding butter while preparing this makes it smooth to rotate the mixer blades and this adds to the overall flavor of curry also .

Tempering and Flavoring
1tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of salt and little bit more for marinating fish
½ tsp of sugar
1tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of red pepper powder
1tsp of coriander powder
1tomato chopped
Method
Clean the fish pieces and marinate with turmeric powder and salt,
Heat up a kadai/heavy bottom pan, add oil and fry the fish pieces at med, batch of 4 at a time, take out and drain.
Now if required add more mustard oil Add cumin seeds, let it splutter.
Now to that oil itself, add the paste , sugar salt, red pepper powder , turmeric powder , coriander powder sauté for 7 mints at high stirring continuously , add chopped tomato sauté for another 2-4 mints .Add 1 cup of water , release the fish slowly to the gravy , and cover .
Cook for 5-7 mints, now take out in a separate vessel and serve with warm cooked rice.

Korola Kumro (Bitter gourd Pumkin vegetable medley)
Serves for 4 people
Ingredients
Bitter gourd 1 cut into thin cubes
Potato 2 cut into small cubes
Pumpkin 10 -12 small cubes
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp of Red pepper powder ( add less for less spice)
2 heaped tbs of mustard oil
1tsp of salt
½ tsp of sugar
½ tsp of any mixed pickle gravy or aamchur
1 tsp of panch phoron
Method
Clean the bitter gourd pieces and marinate with turmeric powder and salt,
Heat up a kadai/heavy bottom pan, add oil and fry the bitter gourd /karela/korola pieces at med till crisp and brown, take out and drain.
Now if required add more mustard oil and add panch phoron , let it splutter .
Add potatoes and pumkin pieces and fry at med for 3- 4 mints, add salt, turmeric powder and red pepper powder, coriander powder
Add fried bitter gourd pieces also. Cover and cook for 5-7 mints till the vegetables are soft, add mixed pickle gravy or aamchur powder. TIP-This makes the chorchori less bitter, traditionally this step is not included while making korola kumro chorchori .
This makes the medley little bit tok/jhaal/teto or bitter/spicy/sour which has a very distinct taste .
Add sugar at the end, mix well with spatula/khunti and take out, and serve with garam bhaat (warm cooked rice).

This is just a glimpse to the Traditional Bengali Cooking that we love to cook in our home .

There are many more such homes where traditional meals are prepared , may be little bit different with ingredients and cooking methods .I am all eager to know those so please share your thoughts and recipes .
Readers are welcome to share their recipes and tips regarding Bengali cuisine and eating habits.

On this Great Eve of our Independence Day , I would like to wish my fellow countrymen and friends , lets work together for our Motherland and Make India more powerful and developed .

Happy Independence Day

Jai Hind

Food Events -Four-In-One

This post is going to be long and with 4 recipes at one go.Three wonderful Food Events and I must join the fun , so thought of posting it at one go, Hope you readers like it.Enjoy and have fun.

Penne pasta with stir fry cabbage For AWED-Italian AT DK'S CULINARY BAZAAR

Penne pasta with stir fry cabbage
I was quite surprised to find good quality pasta here from Big Bazaar in Kolkata , so tried making penne pasta at home , probably after a long time .This turn out to a great meal fro dinner .I had some chopped cabbage , so added those to the stir fry , next time I am going to add more vegetables .One interesting ingredient that is included in this recipe is Maggi taste-maker and it really helped to enhance the flavor .

Here is how we made it
Serves for 2-3 people
Ingredients
Quarter packet penne pasta (Golfera brand available in C3 in city centre and in Big Bazaar in Kolkata )
1 ½ cup chopped cabbage
2 onions chopped
2 garlic chopped
1 Packet maggi tastemaker
2-3 tbs of maggi hot and sweet sauce or any other tomato based sauce
1 ½ tsp of red pepper powder
1 tsp of salt
2-3 tbs of refined oil.

Method
Cook penne pasta accoriding to package direction, set aside in a bowl.
Meanwhile heat up the pan , add oil , add garlic , onion , add red pepper powder, maggi taste maker , tomato based sauce sauté at high , now add chopped cabbage , sauté at high for 4 mints .
Add the cooked penne pasta and mix in well .Take out in a serving plate and enjoy eating it .

Cold Pasta mango Pomegranate salad For AWED-Italian

Ingredients
Pasta quarter packet, cooked according to package directions
1 mango deseeded and chopped
1 Pomegranate , peeled and the seeds taken out
¼ cup of Pine Nuts (optional, If you don’t have pine nuts, you can add blanched almonds or Bengal gram or some cashews also)
¼ cup heavy cream (I have added the fresh home-made Malai also, taste doesn’t differ much)
1 cup of yogurt
1 tbs of sugar
Method
Cook pasta , it may be Penne , or Bowtie or small macaroni .This time I have used Bowtie .
Now Fold in (Mix in) gently sugar, cream and yogurt .You can add little bit of salt also.
Add mango , pomegranate and pine nuts or cashews .
Now refrigerate for 2 hrs prior to serving .Enjoy with Dinner as side-dish .I must tell you , these are very Fulfilling , you can try the above with some Vegetables that are already cooked , like Zucchini, cauliflower and peas to it ,this will turn out to one hearty meal .

Both of these are going to AWED-Italian at DK's Culinary Bazaar , check out her lovely site for more details on AWED series .

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Pomphereter Kalia For Eating with Season At Maninas- FOOD MATTERS

Kalia , don’t get confused with the film Kalia starring Amitabh Bachchan .This is nothing to do with film, except that both of the things very Masaledar , Hindi Film and this Fish Curry .
This is a Bengali Fish Curry , made with onion, ginger and garlic paste , all fresh and no frozen paste is used, we got the fish from fish market , and this fish is a saline water fish and it tastes great , plus point is that you don’t have to dig out small bones or Kanta in Bengali .
Serves for 4

Pomphereter Kalia

Ingredients
Pompheret Fish 4
2 medium size onions
1 inch ginger
5 cloves of garlic
Make a smooth paste of the above ingredients in a mixer
Tempering and Flavoring
1tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of salt
½ tsp of sugar
1tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of red pepper powder
1tsp of coriander powder
1tomato chopped
Method
Clean the fish , marinate the fish with turmeric powder , salt .set aside .
Heat up a heavy bottom pan, add mustard oil, fry the fish till crisp .You can have this fried fish , go ahead and you will enjoy this mach bhaja , it will taste heaven .
Fry all the fish in the same way , for more details of fish frying , see this recipe .
Now to that oil itself, add the paste , sugar salt, red pepper powder , turmeric powder , coriander powder sauté for 7 mints at high , add chopped tomato sauté for another 2-4 mints .Add 1 cup of water , release the fish slowly to the gravy , and cover .
Cook for 5-7 mints , now take out in a separate vessel and serve with warm cooked rice .

This masaledar or spicy fish curry is going to Maninas at Food Matters for eating with seasons and visit here for more details Eating with season -August

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Kancha Peper Chutney or Plastic Chutney

I would like to pay my humble homage to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on this special occasion of Independance .Subhas Chandra Bose was Born on 23 rd Jan 1897 in Cuttack ,Orissa .He was a very intelligent and benovalent soul . He completed his studies from Cambridge University , and later qualified for the Indian Civil services with flying colors .He realised later that he should offer his services to nation , for which he joined active politics and became part of India's struggle for Freedom.
He was elected president of Indian National Congress Twice , Due to some irreconcilable differences between the Ideology of him and Mahatma Gandhi , he resigned from the post.

Later formed a separate party All India Forward Block to continue the purpose of freedom struggle.
He traveled to many countries, including the then Soviet Union, Japan and Germany.
His association with Japanese Government , resulted in the formation of
INA or Indian National army that Laid the foundation of fight against British Rulers in India , Youths were asked to shed their lives for the noble cause of Freedom.
His motto “Tum Mojhe Khon do , main tumeh azadi Donga , was enough to charge up the spirit of youth .
When the second world war broke , he immediately utilized this war to counter attack the weak British rulers at the centre .With the Japanese aid , he and his armed forces started to battle out the weak allies in Imphal and in Burma.
He is believd to died in a plane crash in 18 Aug 1945 , but there are many controversial instances to counter this incident also .
What ever had happened on that fateful day, he still remains alive in many hearts.
More detailed life history here Subhas Chandra Bose .

Now to my usual recipe , this is a green Papaya Chutney and its called in Bengali Peinper Chutney , I had little reservation before I prepared this, But when I tasted it I got Hooked on to the taste, adding few drops of lemon juice is the trick to make it even more tasty and this make it remain fresh for 3-4 days .
I would like to send it across to Pooja of Creative Ideas for this month of special theme Theme Of the Week .
Under color Green , as this chutney is prepared from green papaya .

Kancha Peper Chutney or Plastic Chutney FOR Theme Of the Week Event At Creative Pooja

Ingredients
½ green papaya cut into small cubes or longitudinal pieces
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1dry red pepper
¾ cup of sugar ( add as per your taste)
pinch of salt
1 tbs of mustard oil
2-3 drops of fresh lemon juice

Method
temper hot mustard oil with seeds , dry red pepper, add green papaya pieces sauté for 1 mints and add salt and sugar , ½ cup of water , cover and cook at low for 10 mints or till the papaya is cooked .Add few drops of lemon juice before you serve. this remains fresh for 3-4 days .Taste better the next day .

Hope you Guys and Girls enjoy this day .

Jai Hind

Bar-B-Q at Park Street and Mutton keema kabab

If you are in real mood to indulge in some rich and spicy food, then Bar-B-Q is the right stop in Kolkata .One can choose from Indian, Chinese and Tandoori cuisine .They have separate section for Chinese and Indian Khana .Enter the restaurant and you are guided to climb the wooden steps, and then you are warmly guided to the respective sections for Chinese and Indian cuisine.
The ambiance was good and rejuvenating .The tables had a paper pasted on which the Chinese Zodiac year and its significance were written , while we waited for meals to be served we utilized this time by reading it and sipping fresh lime soda .Once the meal was served , then there was no stopping for us
While we got some of the great appetizers like Chicken Reshmi Kabab , and Mutton Bara Kabab and for the Main Entrée we ordered Chicken Biryani . I must admit these came at a very reasonable rate of Rs 700 with taxes for two.
We find the chicken reshmi Kabab very delicious, moist and cooked well with spice , a perfect balance of ingredients and spices, However Mutton Bara Kabab turned out to be very rich and spicy , we couldn’t say we enjoy eating it , but this was nothing special too , a pretty ordinary stuff .
Chicken Biryani had a mild flavor of spice and the rice grains were cooked evenly, the two chicken pieces sitting in the serving bowl looks enough for two of us, however my little one joined us in this feast which is very rare , she doesn’t like eating in restaurant, however Chicken Biryani was different ,something delicious for her, She liked the taste and ate on her own. Making this dish kids –friendly makes this restaurant even more like able for us.
When we were leaving the restaurant our little one was given a big red balloon and warm friendly smiles to be remembered .So, next time if you are thinking to visit a family restaurant, drop in to Bar-B-Q at Park Street in Kolkata .


Here is a recipe for Mutton Keema Kabab which we tried making in home , all with the left-over ingredients .This came out surprisingly very good . We had some of the mutton Keema Curry of previous day and some rajma of yesterday night, I just assembled them and with satto powder these were transformed to a lovely and delicious appetizer .I guess in place of satto , Besan ( Gram Flour) can also be used .here how we made it .

Keema Kabab

Ingredients
2 cups of cooked Keema
1 cup of cooked Rajma and urad Dal (Kidney Beans and Black Urad dal ) , I used my left- over Cooked Rajma that was made the day before with all loads of spice .
1cup of satto ( Ganesh Brand or any other Brand that is available near by your area )
½ cup of Bread Crumbs
2 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of red pepper powder (add more for more spicy Kebabs)
3-4 tbs of refined oil or Canola oil
Method
Prepare the Keema Recipe Link For Mutton Keema .

Now to the Preparing of Rajma .

Soak 1 cup of Rajma and ½ cup of Urad Dal overnight . The Other day prepare the Rajma , Transfer the entire Dal to Pressure cooker , add 1tsp of Turmeric powder, 2 tsp of red pepper powder and 2 tsp of salt , add water enough ,Pressure cook the Rajma and Urad Dal. Now Heat up some approx 3-4 tbs of oil, add add 1 inch Cinnamon Stick , 5-6 Cloves , 1tsp of cumin seeds , 1 onions, 2 tsp garlic paste and 2tsp of ginger paste , fry them at med now add 1tsp of coriander powder and 1 tomato chopped , add this fried mixture to the cooked dal , and cook it further for 10 mints till the lentils are mushy ..

Now if you are in a hurry, just get the Cans that are available at many grocery stores like Giant and Wall mart see them under Mexican section probably , and cook them with the spices just like above, however it will take very little time to cook as they are already pre-cooked.
Cool and then take out 1 cup of cooked Dal and Make an even Paste in a mixer.
Make Bread Crumbs in a mixer also. 2 slices of bread makes approx ½ cup of crumbs.

Now to Preparing the Kebabs

To the Crumbs, add salt, red pepper powder, coriander powder .Mix them evenly.
Now add the dal Paste, Crumbs and satto or besan (gram flour) , shape them like Patties of 2 inch Diameter and gently press in your palm to hold the Patties together If you feel the mixture is not getting good patties shape , add more crumbs and satto .Store them in refrigerator for 2-3 hrs before you fry them, this is a must step , if you are preparing these for dinner , make them in advance in afternoon and store them in fridge .

Heat up a griddle or Tava , add 1 tbs of oil, Grease it evenly with oil , place the kebabs and fry them at low for 4 mints each side, if required add oil at the sides of kebabs .Take out in a plate , serve them with onion slices or Baby onions .

Tip- These can be baked also just coat them with oil prior to baking and bake at 375 deg F for 8 mints each side , brushing with oil again when the side is flipped while baking .
on a Lighter note Andhra Flavor has passed me Friends Forever award , thanks for thinking about me , it means a lot .

Happy Cooking Friends .

Handi Paneer and Paneer Manpasand

Food in dhabas used to make me think about truck drivers, line of trucks, the charpoys and the Dal Tadka and the familiar dhabawala boy serving hot rotis/chappati straight from Chulhas (Tandoor oven)
But with change in every spheres the dhabas have also evolved a lot ,making it more family oriented .The charpoys made ways to wooden chairs and tables,steel Thalis (utensils) to ceramics or Hindwares.The Truck lines gave way to car and bike lines .Families also throng to these places on weekends and for them they have family room also .There are AC rooms to counter the heat and a neat and clean toilet .

The flavor however remains the same .The Dal fry ,roasted chicken and toandoori Naans.
But with change in other aspects they have also worked out on their menu ,some of them to my utter surprise serving Chinese also .One of the best vegetarian chowmein ,I ate at Sher-E-Punjab Dhaba near Kolkata Airpot..Noodles stir fry with fresh veggies like Beans,cabbage ,onions and carrots .

There is one Dhaba in the Allahabad Gorakhpur Highway called Dubey Ji ka dhaba where the meals are purely vegetarian but the taste very authentic , my brother and his friends make sure they pay visit to this dhaba during their summer offs from college ,and they swear by its delicacies like kadai Paneer, Dal fry, butter naan and the kheer which is being served in Kulhar ( earthen vessels ) topped with grated fresh coconut ,dry fruits ,dollops of fresh cream and it tastes more like rabri .People visits this place form far off just to taste this delicacy tasty kheer .

While I thought that dhabas are only a culture altogether of Punjab ,Delhi and Uttar Pradesh ,I was wrong ,here in Kolkata ,there are many famous Dhabas and people love to eat out here too .
My personal Favorite being Sher-E-Punjab and Sanjha Chulha and we love their delicious spread of Desi khana .
We often visit these on weekends and while all this come at reasonable rate also ,lunch for 4 people costs us Rs 600 -700,But one thing we make sure is we drink bottled mineral water instead of the water being served there .

Here is some of the best in this Business in Kolkata
1- Sher-E-Punjab –Near Airport .
2- Azad Hind Dhaba ,Ballygunj Circular Road.
3 -Bachan’s Dhaba ,Rash Behari Avenue
4- Honey Da Dhaba , Kankurghachi
5 -Sanjha Chulha Dhaba , EM Bypass .

Both these paneer dishes is greatly inspired by the Dhaba Cooking style .Lots of masala and spiciness is the key to the taste and flavor of these curries .Handi paneer is creamy Yogurt based Gravy and Paneer manpasand is coconut and peanut based gravy .These curries are hit with naan , Kulcha or a simple home-made rotis .We relished these eating very much , hope you people also like making and eating it .

Handi Paneer
Ingredients
250 gms of paneer , cut into cubes
2 medium size onions
1 inch ginger
5 cloves of garlic
Make a smooth paste of the above ingredients
Tempering and Flavoring
1tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of salt
½ tsp of sugar
1tsp of turmeric powder
1 ½ tsp of red pepper powder
1 tsp of coriander powder
1tsp of garam masala powder
½ cup of fresh curd or yogurt
Half tomato chopped finely
1 capsicum and cut and take out the seeds and chop into cubes
3 -4 tbs of mustard oil
Method
Temper the hot mustard oil with cumin seeds and sugar, add the smooth paste of onion, ginger , garlic .Sauté for 2 mints at high
Add all turmeric, red pepper, garam masala , coriander powder, salt and sauté for 5-7 mints at high , add chopped capsicum pieces .
Stir/fry continuously so that the masala don’t get stuck on the base or till you see the oil coming out on the sides of fried paste TIP- this shows that the rawness of masala paste is gone and that they are cooked evenly .
Add chopped tomatoes and little bit of water, let it simmer for 2-3 mints.
Add now fresh yogurt and ¾ cup of water let it simmer at med for 5-8 mints.
Add cubed paneer pieces and cook for 2-3 mints at low, serve over chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.

Paneer Manpasand
Ingredients
250 gms of paneer , cut into cubes
2 medium size onions
1 inch ginger
5 cloves of garlic
Make a smooth paste of the above ingredients
Tempering and Flavoring
1tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of salt
½ tsp of sugar
1tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of red pepper powder
5 cloves
1 sticks of cinnamon broken into random pieces
Half tomato chopped finely
3 -4 tbs of mustard oil
Make a smooth paste of following Coconut based masala
Fresh coconut ¼ cup
Peanuts ¼ cup
1 onion
2 green chilies
Salt as per taste
1tsp of mustard oil
Method
Temper the hot mustard oil with cumin seeds and sugar, cloves and cinnamon
Add the smooth paste of onion, ginger, garlic .Sauté for 2 mints at high
Add all turmeric, red pepper, garam masala ,salt, and add the coconut based masala paste, chopped half tomato also and sauté for 5 mints at high, stir/fry continuously so that the masala don’t get stuck on the base
At this time add water and let it simmer at high for 5 mints or till the gravy becomes dry and the oil starts to come at the sides of frying paste, the color of fried paste should be dark brown . TIP- this shows that the rawness of masala paste is gone and that they are cooked evenly
Add approx 2 cups of water, Add cubed paneer pieces and cook for 5-8 mints at low ,covered . Serve with chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.

Both these Paneer Delicacies is going to Srivalli's place , Visit Cooking For All Season and event details here Curry Mela .
Happy Cooking Friends !