Paneer Tikka Masala

Recently when I had buffet in Indian restaurant I tasted Paneer Tikka Masala. It was delicious, I could taste paneer butter masala flavor along with paneer tikka taste. I tried to combine my tofu butter masala and tofu tikka recipe; prepared this Paneer tikka Masala and happy with the results:-)

Preparation Time : 15 mins | Marination time : 2 hours | Cooking Time : 45 mins

Recipe Category: Side dish

Ingredients:

For Tikka:

Paneer – 1 packet (225 gram)

For marination:

Hung Curd/Sour Cream – 3 tbsp +1 tsp (I used Sour Cream)

Pepper Powder – 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Garam Masala powder – 1/4 tsp

Tandoori Masala  – 1 tsp

Chat Masala – 1/4 tsp (optional)

Lemon juice – 1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

How to make hung curd:

Hang 1/3 cup curd in a muslin cloth or any thin cloth for an hour to make the required hung curd.

For Gravy:

Onion – 2

Tomato – 3

Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp

Garam Masala powder- 1 tsp

Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp

Heavy Cream – 3 tbsp

Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp

Cinnamon Powder – 1/4 tsp

Salt – as needed

Butter – 1 tbsp

Method:

• Preheat the oven at 400 deg F
• Cube the Paneer and keep it aside. In a separate bowl Mix the ingredients listed under ‘for marination’ and keep aside. Mix paneer with the marinated ingredients and keep refrigerated for 2 hours (minimum an hour). Take it out and arrange the Paneer in the baking tray

• Bake them for 15-18 mins, turning over in between for even cooking. Paneer tikka is ready

• Boil onion and tomato in hot water and strain the water. When it comes to room temperature, blend them into fine paste

• Add butter to the pan. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the blended tomato and onion puree and cook for 3-5 minutes

• Add garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder and allow it to cook for 2-3mins

• Add heavy cream and cook till it starts boiling. Add paneer tikka and cook for 2 minutes and switch off

My Notes:

• Instead of fresh cream you can add 1/3 cup of milk and cook for 5-8 minutes till the gravy become thick
• If you are using a cinnamon stick, add it while tempering
• Can marinate capsicum and onion along with paneer while preparing tikka and use it
• This gravy goes well with any variety rice like fried rice as well as with naan/rotis
• I boiled the onions and tomatoes, blended them, instead can sauté them in oil and grind them

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Tofu Butter Masala

As I had mentioned in Kadai Tofu and Tofu Tikka, though I love paneer, I am afraid of the calories it adds. Happy that Tofu can satisfy my taste buds in the same way as paneer. Couple of days weeks back I had prepared Malai Kofta with paneer. I was craving for paneer dish again, and this time, tried a side dish with tofu instead of paneer.

Tofu is similar to paneer, except that it is made with soy milk, which is said to be protein rich. My version of Tofu Butter Masala:

Tofu Butter Masala

Preparation Time : 10 min | Cooking Time : 25 mins | Serves : 4

Recipe Category: Side dish

Ingredients:

Firm Tofu – 1 packet (225 gram)

Onion – 1 big

Tomato – 2

Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp

Garam Masala powder- 1 tsp

Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp

Milk – 1/3 cup

Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp

Cinnamon Powder – 1/4 tsp

Salt – as needed

Butter – 2 tbsp

Method:

• Boil onion and tomato in hot water and strain the water. When it comes to room temperature, blend them into fine paste

• Add butter to the pan. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the blended tomato and onion puree and cook for 3-5 minutes

• Add garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder and allow it to cook for 2-3mins

• Add the Tofu and salt. Saute well for 2-3 minutes

• Add cinnamon powder and milk and let it cook for 3-5 minutes

My Notes:

• Instead of milk, you can add 3 tbsp of fresh cream
• If you are using a cinnamon stick, add it while tempering
• This gravy goes well with any variety rice like fried rice/ pulao as well as with naan/rotis
• I boiled the onions and blended them, as it will save time while cooking blended onion. Instead, you can also sauté the onions
• For vegan version, instead of butter, you can add oil and use coconut milk to try Tofu Butter Masala:-)

Vazhakkai Podi Curry

Vazhakkai (Plaintain) podi curry is one of the traditional recipes from my place.  This dry curry goes well with any rice accompaniment.   Powder that I prepared for this can be made in advance and stored in airtight container and it will last for so many days, but I generally prepare it fresh as it will have freshness with nice aroma.

Vazhakkai Podi Curry

Preparation Time : 10 mins  |  Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves : 2

Recipe Category: Side Dish

Ingredients:

Vazhakkai / Raw Banana – 2, diced

Salt – as needed

Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp

Asofetida – a generous pinch

Podi:

Oil – 1 tsp

Channa Dal  – 1 tbsp

Coriander seed – 1 tbsp

Dry Red Chilli – 3 (According to your spice level)

Sesame seeds – 1/4 tsp

Peanuts – 1 tbsp + 1 tsp

For Tempering:

Oil – 2 tsp

Mustard Seeds  – 1/4 tsp

Urad dal  – 1/2 tsp

Channa dal – 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 spring

Method:

• Dry roast all the ingredients mentioned under “Podi’ till they are golden brown. Switch off and set aside. Once they come to room temperature grind it without adding water

• Add oil to the pan. When the oil is hit, add the ingredients listed under ” To temper”  and let them splutter. Add the diced plaintain and saute for 5 –  7 till they are cooked. Add the grinded powder and salt and combine well. Cook for 2-3 minute and switch off

 

 

My Notes:

• If you think curry is dry sprinkle water, but I haven’t added water
• Can prepare the powder without sesame seed and peanut

Dal Tadka

Dal tadka is an easy and tasty side dish for roti, and a good accompaniment for rice. Usually when I prepare dal tadka, I use moong dal alone, as my Amma used to prepare that way. But when I have it in restaurants, I always get the flavor from 3 types of dal. I liked that, and I have tried one version of dal tadka with moong dal, toor dal and chana dal.

Dal Tadka

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Soaking Time : 30 mins | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2

Recipe Category: Sidedish/Rice Accompaniments

Ingredients

Toor Dal – 1/2 cup

Chana Dal – 1/4 cup

Moong Dal – 1/3 cup

Onion -1 chopped finely

Tomato – 1 chopped roughly

Ginger and Garlic paste – 1 tsp (you can also use fresh minced ginger and garlic)

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder -1/2 tsp

Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp

Garam Masala – 1/2 tsp

Water – 3 cups

Salt – to taste

Oil – 1 tsp

To temper:

Ghee – 1 tsp

Jeera – 1 tsp

Red Chillies – 2

Method:

• Soak moong dal, toor dal and chana dal for 30 mins. I soaked them in warm water
• Put a pressure cooker on the stove and add oil, and ginger garlic paste. Saute for 30 seconds. Add the onion and tomato and saute till raw smell goes. Add the garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric powder. Allow it to cook for  2 mins

• Add the soaked Lentils and mix well. Add required salt and 3 cups of water and cover the cooker. Switch off after 3 whistles

 

• Add ghee to the pan, add cumin seeds and red chillies, let it splutter. Once steam releases, open the cooker lid and add the tadka to the cooked lentils. Dal tadka is ready to be served

Kadai Tofu

Though I love paneer, I am afraid of the calories it adds. Happy that Tofu can satisfy my taste buds in the same way as paneer.

Tofu is similar to paneer except that it is made with soy milk, which is said to be protein rich and low in cholesterol when compared to paneer. I have followed the traditional kadai paneer recipe, but  replaced paneer with Tofu.

Kadai Tofu:

Preparation Time : 10 min | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2

Recipe Category: Side dish

Ingredients:

Firm Tofu – 1 packet (225 gram)

Green Bell Pepper – 2 medium size, diced

Onion-1 diced

Tomatoes – 3 finely chopped

Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Coriander seeds – 2 tsp

Red chilli – 3 (use according to desired spice level)

Garam masala – 1/4 tsp

Fennel seed powder – 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon powder -1/8 tsp

Oil- 1 tsp

Asafoetida – a pinch

Salt as needed

Method:

• Dry roast 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp of coriander seed and 1/2 tsp of cumin seed and red chilli. Blend into coarse powder

• Drain the water out of the tofu, pat it dry with a paper towel and keep aside
• Add oil to the pan. Once the oil is hot, add 1/2 tsp of coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds, fennel seed powder and cinnamon and let it splutter. Add tomatoes and sauté till it becomes mushy. Add bell pepper, onion, and stir fry. Add salt, the ground coarse powder and  garam masala,  and saute for 5 minutes

• Add tofu and gently mix. Cook for 5 minutes

 

My Notes:

• Instead of directly adding can roast tofu in oil and add them
• Can follow the same procedure and cook paneer

Channa Masala – Easy Chole Masala Recipe (Pressure Cooker Method)

Channa masala is one of the most common side dishes at home for chappati. It tastes great with batura, but the oil factor in batura is scary! Luckily, it also tastes good with chapatti. There are many ways to prepare channa masala. My Amma usually cooks channa separately, prepares masala and adds the channa to it, along with ground coconut and fried gram. When we were in UK, I didn’t have blender initially, so I opted for this direct pressure cooker method. Since it is easy and simple, till date I am following this method.

Preparation Time : 10 min | Soaking Time : 4 hours | Cooking Time : 30 mins | Serves : 2

Recipe Category: Side dish

Ingredients:

Channa/Chickpea  – 1 cup

Onion – 1  roughly chopped

Tomato – 1 roughly chopped

Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp

Channa Masala powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Amchur powder/Lemon juice/Curd – 1/4 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1/4 tsp

Cardamom pods – 2

Cinnamon – 1/8 stick

Cloves – 2

Bay leaves – 1

Fennel seeds – 1/8 tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Salt – as needed

Method:

• Blend raw onion and tomato into a coarse paste and keep it aside
• Put a pressure cooker on the stove and add oil, whole spices and ginger garlic paste. Saute for 30 seconds. Add the onion and tomato paste and saute till raw smell goes. Add the garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, channa masala powder, turmeric powder and amchur powder. Allow it to cook for  2 to 3 mins

• Add the soaked Chickpea and mix well. Add required salt and 3/4 cup  of water and cover the cooker

• Switch off after 3 whistles. Once steam releases, open the cooker lid and garnish with onion/lemon. Channa Masala is ready to be served with batura/roti/poori

 

My Notes:

• I soaked Channa in hot water for 4 hours. You can either follow this procedure or soak it in normal water for 7-8 hours
• I directly cooked this gravy in cooker, instead you can also cook channa and  masala separately, and finally add cooked channa to the masala
• After adding channa you can even add coconut (2 tbsp) and fried gram (3tsp) paste

Vegetable Salna

I like vegetable salna with parotta, but almost all of the restaurants I visit offer vegetable kurma and raita as side dish for parotta. Recently when we went to have dinner in a restaurant, I saw parotta and vegetable Salna in the menu card. I was excited that I finally found it, and ordered without a second thought. One thing I noticed is the predominant coconut flavour in the Salna. It was also pretty oily. I altered mixed vegetable kurma recipe from mom’s cookbook to make vegetable salna.

Vegetable Salna:

Preparation Time: 15 mins | Cooking Time : 25 mins | Serves: 2

Recipe Category: Side dish

Ingredients:

Cut Vegetables (I used carrot,beans, potato,cauliflower) – 1 cup

Onion –1 finely chopped

Tomato – 1 roughly chopped

Cinnamon Stick – around 2 inch

Fennel seeds powder- 1/2 tsp

Mint leaves – handful (Around 10)

Coriander leaves – handful

Coconut Oil – 2 tsp

Salt  – to taste

To grind:

Onion – 1, diced

Tomato – 2

Ginger – 1/4 tsp, peeled and chopped

Garlic – 4 cloves

Cashewnuts – 3

Fried Gram (Pottukadalai) – 1/2 tsp

Fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp

Poppy seeds – 1/4 tsp

Red chilli – 2

Peppercorns – 1/8 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon powder – 1 tsp

Garam masala – 1/2 tsp

Cardamom – 2 pods

Cloves – 2 nos

Oil – 1 tsp

Method:

• Add oil to the pan and in a medium flame, saute the  ingredients listed under ‘to  grind’ (including the masala powders, except coconut and fried gram). Once tomato shrinks, add coconut and saute for 2 mins. Switch off and cool down. Once it comes to room temperature, transfer the roasted ingredients to a mixer, add little water and grind to coarse paste. Set aside

• Add coconut oil to the pressure cooker. Saute onion, tomato, curry leaves, cinnamon and fennel seed powder. Saute the ingredients till the tomatoes become mushy. Add the vegetables and saute for a min. Add the masala paste and salt and mix well

• Add 1 cup of  water and pressure cook for 1 whistle. After the steam is released, Garnish with coriander leaves

 

Black Bean Gravy

Now a days Mexican cuisine has became one of our favorites. After having many Mexican dishes, I liked black bean and  knowing its health benefits, I wanted to try an Indian gravy with black bean. This  black bean gravy tastes amazing and goes well with roti, rice, bread, burrito, quesadilla.

Black Bean Gravy:

Preparation Time : 10 min | Soaking Time : 4 hours | Cooking Time : 30 mins | Serves : 3

Recipe Category: Side dish

Ingredients:

Black bean – 1 cup + 1/2 cup

Onion – 1  finely chopped

Tomato – 1 finely chopped

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Channa Masala – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Amchur powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Coriander leaves – 1/8 cup roughly chopped

Cardamom pods – 2

Cinnamon – 1/8 stick

Cloves – 1

Bay leaves – 1

Fennel seeds – 1/8 tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Salt – as needed

Method:

•  Put a pressure cooker on the stove and add oil, whole spices and ginger garlic paste, saute for 30 seconds. Add onion and saute till onion is cooked, and then add tomato
• Once onion and tomato are cooked, add garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, channa masala, turmeric powder and amchur powder. Allow it to cook for 3  to 5 mins

• Add the soaked black bean and mix well. Add required salt and 1 cup + 1/2 cup of water and cover the cooker. SwitcH off after 3 whistles. Once steam releases, open the cooker lid and garnish with coriander leaves. Black bean gravy is ready to be served.

My Notes:

• I soaked black bean in hot water for 4 hours. You can either follow this procedure or soak it in normal water for 7-8 hours
• I directly cooked this gravy in cooker, instead you can also cook black bean and  masala separately, and finally add black bean to the cooked masala (same procedure can be followed for cooking rajma / channa / moong bean or any dal)
• Since bean is directly cooked in gravy, add same quantity of water as bean to maintain gravy consistency