Palak Paneer / Cottage Cheese & Spinach Recipe

Spinach & Paneer with Rotis serves a full healthy meal . It is very tasty and healthy Recipe .

Ingredients: 

Palak / Spinach leaves - 4 hand full(Cleaned and Chopped)

Paneer 250 gms

Tomatoes - 2 (Pureed)

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1tspn

Onion - 1 medium sized

Green Chilies - 3

Cumin Seeds - 1 tspn

Red Chilly Powder - 1 tspn

Coriander powder - 1 tspn

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn

Garam Masala - 1 tspn

Oil/Ghee - 2 tspns

Salt as per taste

Method:

Cook the spinach and chilly with little water for about 10 minutes.Grind the cooled mixture in a blender

Take a pan add little ghee and tamper Cumin seeds . Then add ginger and garlic paste .

After a couple of minutes add onion and stir till it turns transparent.

Add the pureed tomato and saute till the raw smell goes off.

Add red chilly powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder,salt and garam masala and saute for 5 minutes

Add the spinach paste and let it cook for 5 minutes.

Add the paneer and little water and cover the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes.

Garnish it with cream if desired and serve

Prawn Biriyani / Shrimp Biriyani / Dhum Biriyani

Many are scared of making biriyani because of the difficulty in preparing and its CALORIES . This Biriyani slashes both and satisfies the tummy . Here is the simple way to prepare .

Ingredients:

Safron color diluted  / Safron soaked in water
 

For Marinating:

Prawns - 350 gms

Red chilly Powder - 1 tspn

Coriander Powder - 1 tspn

Garam Masala - 1/2 tspn

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tspn

Ginger and Garlic Paste - 1/2 tspn

Salt as per taste

Combine all and marinate for about 45 minutes.

For Masala:

Onion - 1 big sized (Sliced Vertically)

Tomato - 1 big sized (Chopped Finely)

Ginger-Garlic Pate - 1.5 tspn

Green Chilies - About 10 ( Depends on spice levels)

Coriander leaves - About a bunch

Mint leaves - Handful

Red Chilly Powder - 1 tspn

Coriander powder - 1 tspn
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn

Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tspn

Whole Garam Masala(5 cloves , 2 bay leaf , 2 Star anise, 1 Cinnamon Stick , 1 black cardamom)

Shah Jeera - 1 tspn

Oil - 5 tspn

For Making Rice:

Basmathi Rice - 2 Cups ( Soaked for 15 minutes)

Whole Garam Masala(2 cloves ,1 Star anise, 1 Cinnamon Stick , 1 black cardamom) - Optional
Oil or Butter - 1 tspn ( Butter gives a good flavor)
Water - 3.5 Cups

Method:

 

For Making Rice:

 

Take a pan and melt the butter and add the whole garam masala listed under "For Making Rice" ingredients . Then add strained rice and stir for about 3 minutes till butter coats rice well.

Now transfer rice to rice cooker along with water and cook it.

For Baking Prawns:

 

Pre-heat oven at 300F

Take a baking tray and grease it . Arrange the marinated prawns on it and place it in the oven for 15 minutes . Flip the prawns and let it go into the oven for another 10 minutes . 

This process avoids deep frying . If you like it to be deep fried , do so by frying the marinated prawns in the hot oil .

For Masala:

 

Place a non-stick pan on stove (medium heat) and add the oil . Add all the whole garam masala and then add the ginger&garlic paste .

After a couple  add onion and fry it till it gets transparent.Then add tomato and stir it till it becomes mushy . Then add the green chilies and stir for couple of minutes . 

Then add red chilly powder , turmeric powder, Coriander powder , garam masala powder and salt.

Stir till the raw smell goes away . If the masala sticks to the bottom of the pan add little water .

Now add the grinded coriander leaves and then chopped mint leaves . Add little water and close the pan with the lid and let it cook for 5 minutes.

Add the baked/Deep-Fried prawns and stir it gently so that masala flavor gets into prawns.

Pre-heat the oven to 300F

Take a large glass bowl or tray . At the bottom spread 1 layer of rice and sprinkle the safron color then 1 layer of masala . Continue this process for as many layers as you wish . 

Cover the bowl or tray with aluminum foil and place it in the oven for about 40 minutes .

Take out stir gently and serve.

 

Pineapple glossy Halwa / Pineapple Halwa

Many ( including me) do not like to eat pineapple as such but likes the flavor of it . That is why i try recipes with pineapple . Today's one form of pineapple is halwa . With not so much ghee it looks glossy and yummy to taste.

Ingredients:

Pineapple puree 3 cups 

Sugar 2 cups

Ghee 3 Tablespoon

Chopped cashews 4 Tablespoon

Maida 1 tablespoon

Milk 3 tablespoon

Cardamom powder 1 tspn

Method:

Place a small pan on a low heat and melt 1 tspn ghee and add maida and stir it slowly for 2 minutes . Then  add milk and switch off the stove , Stir it without lumps and keep it aside.
Take another heavy bottomed non stick pan and melt ghee . Add the chopped nuts and fry it till golden brown color . Keep the fried nuts separately  . Now in the same pan on medium heat add the pineapple puree and stir for about 5 minutes or till a transparent texture.
Now add the sugar and keep stirring till you get bubbles .
Add the maida and milk mixture and stir it so that everything gets mixed up well .
Add the remaining ghee and keep stirring for about 15 minutes till a jam consistency is obtained .
Add the fried nuts and halwa is ready .

Note: If you like the nuts to be softer add them before the 15 minutes stir.

Ennai Kathirikkai Kulambu / Gutti vankaya Kura / Stuffed eggplant curry / Brinjal curry

This curry is very tasty and easy to make . It goes well with white rice and egg omelette

Ingredients :

Brinjals or Eggplant - 5 to 6

Tamarind paste as per taste

For Grinding:

Shallots - 5 to 6

Tomato - 1 medium

Pepper - 1/2 tspn

Cumin seeds - 1 tspn

Coriander seeds - 1 tspn

Shredded coconut - 3 tspns

Sesame seeds - 1 tspn

Roasted peanuts - 2 tspn

Garlic - 3 pods

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tspn

Curry powder - 1 tspn

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn

Coriander leaves - few

Salt as per taste

For Tampering:

Sesame oil - 3 tbsn 

Mustartd seeds - 1/2 tspn

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tspn 

Pinch of hing

Few Curry leaves

Method:

Grind all the grinding ingredients into a smooth paste and keep it aside.

Clean the brinjals and with the knife make a '+' cut at the base towards the stem but keeping the end near the stem intact.

Stuff the ground masala in to the slit brinjals and keep them aside.

Take a heavy non stick pan add oil and tamper with the tampering ingredients.

Now add the stuffed brinjal and leftover masala and close the lid for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

Open the lid and flip the brinjals and close the lid for 2 more minutes .

Add little water if masala sticks to the pan.

Add the tamarind water and let it come to a boil and cook for 10 more minutes till the oil seperates from the curry.

Note : This dish requires more oil than other curries.