Palak paneer

Paalak paneer , is one of the most popular North Indian vegetarian dishes. Palak means spinach and paneer is Indian cheese. Sometimes I prepare this cheese in my leisure time and keep it in freezer. But buying the paneer in any Indian grocery shop is my first choice, as there are many options like low fat paneer, traditional paneer etc. Palak or spinach as we say in USA is almost similar to the pasali keerai of Tamilnadu, which has thin leaves and purple stem and grown as ornamental plant in a kitchen garden. While Malabar spinach (the thicker leaved palak with thick stems and entirely green in color) is different and it gives a texture like okra. I am not sure, if anyone can use malabar spinach for this curry.

My knowledge on North Indian foods is through restaurants, internet and my neighbors only. My neighbor aunty from Gujarat, prepares all the vegetarian foods of North India, just like restaurant made. I like the way she includes butter and ghee in the foods and I totally agree with her that her foods have good nutrition, just like mine :) We try to share our best foods frequently and will exchange recipes. I think I am very lucky, to get her as my friend, as I am growing my cooking skills with her guidance. She elaborates me the traditional way to arrive at a recipe and also the best short cuts using masala powders.

Making palak keerai in a traditional North Indian pattern is a popular recipe. But if you want to make a palak paneer which tastes like restaurant-made in a jiffy, then here is one of our versions of palak paneer and hope you all love it!

Palak paneer

Cooking the spinach with all the masala

Step 1

Ingredients:
Spinach - 1 large bunch (doesn't matter if it is excess or lesser)
paneer - 15 pieces (Cubed)
butter - 4 tbsp
salt - to taste
red onion - 1 (big)
sugar - 1 tsp
tomato puree - 1 cup
ginger - 1 inch
garlic - 5 pieces
green chillies - 3
cilantro - handful
fresh methi leaves - few (optional)
cinnamom - 1 inch
cloves - 3
fennel - 1 tsp
cumin - 1 tsp
kasoori methi - 1 tbsp
whole milk - 1 cup

Method:
Cut the paneer into small cubes of 1 inch size. Heat 1 tbsp ghee / butter in a frying pan. Fry the paneer cubes and take out. keep this aside.

Coarsely chop onion.
In the frying pan, add some more butter (2 tbsp).Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fennel , cumin and add the chopped onion, sugar. Fry till onion turns golden. Then add chopped ginger, garlic, whole green chillies, few fresh methi leaves (if available), cilantro and fry till they wilt.
Then add a cup of tomato puree (or chopped fresh tomato) and cook well.
Clean the spinach leaves and remove the thick stems. 
Put the spinach and cook for 1 minutes. Switch off.
Add required salt and let cool.
Then grind to a medium fine puree with whole milk.
Return this to the frying pan and cook till raw smell goes (5 minutes). If needed add little more water.
Then add the fried paneer pieces and mix well.
Crush some kasoori methi (dried fenugreek / methi leaves) and switch off !
If needed add some more molten butter while serving.

Palak paneer is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve as side dish with chapati, naan, pulka.

Kadaai paneer with soya chunks

Paneer + capsicum + soya chunks in a curry = yummy ! That's all I should say now, before you try and tell me how you like it:)
Including paneer and soya chunks is my Yoga akka's (my sister) idea  to get best alternatives for non-veg. I really enjoy these ingredients and now started including more vegetarian foods.
'Kadai'  or 'kadaai ' means wok. Kadaai paneer is a semi dry gravy that is served in most of the Indian restaurants. I have added protein rich soya chunks also with that and it is absolutely delicious. Here is my version to get the restaurant flavor at home.

Kadaai paneer with soy chunks

Pan fried capsicum and paneer

Cooking soya chunks

Green capsicum, soya chunks and paneer

Ingredients:
Paneer - 1 cup (chopped)
(I used half of the above shown pack)
green capsicum - 1
Soya chunks - 1/2 cup
olive oil / butter - 1 tbsp

For masala to grind:
oil - 1 tbsp
Tomato - 2
onion - 1 (big)
ginger - 2 inch
garlic - 5 cloves
coriander seed - 1 tbsp
dry red chilly - 4
cinnamon - 1 inch

others:
garam masala powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
salt - to taste
cilantro - a handful
cumin - 1 tsp
brown sugar / jaggery - 1 tsp

Method:
Slice the onion lengthwise. Peel garlic and ginger. Heat oil in a wok.
Add a tsp fennel, cinnamon, coriander seed, dry red chilly, onion and fry till it becomes golden brown. Then add ginger garlic and fry for 1 minute. Let everything cool.
Cook tomato with 1 cup water till mushy. (I microwaved it for 3 minutes). Let it cool.
Grind all the above to a fine paste and keep aside.

Chop the paneer into 1 inch size cubes. Fry the chopped paneer till golden brown in the left over oil in the same wok and take out. Chop the capsicum to small cubes and fry for 30 seconds and keep aside.
In the same time cook the soya chunks (Bring 2 cups of water with pinch of salt to a boil , add soya chunks and cook for 5 minutes. Drain water and squeeze to remove all water). Keep aside.

Heat the wok and fry a bay leaf, cumin .

Add the ground paste, turmeric powder,  garam masal powder, salt , sugar and bring it to a boil.  Wait till raw smell vanishes.

Then add the fried capsicum, cooked soya chunks and bring to a boil. Then add fried paneer and cook covered for 3 minutes.

Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

Kadaai paneer with soya is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Serve hot with chapati or paratha or ghee rice.

Aloo methi fry

This summer I wanted to do some gardening and the first thing sparked in my mind was this fenugreek seeds in my pantry. Then the idea grew big and I planted some mint, cilantro, basil, brinjal and tomato. Now the garden is blooming with vegetables and shared them with my neighbors and we all enjoy some fresh veggies now:) I will post the photos soon. I think my readers are going to hear my gardening adventure for at least a few weeks:).

Here is a dry curry recipe with fenugreek leaves (methi/venthaya keerai) and aloo (potato). Adding a touch of greens to my favorite potatoes is much satisfying for me:)

Methi leaves grown in my kitchen garden. Cilantro was not leafy enough:)

Ingredients:

Potato - 3
methi leaf (fenugreek leaf) - small bunch
oil - 1 tbsp
mustard - 1/2 tsp
cumin - 1/2 tsp
garlic - 3 cloves
onion (chopped) - 2 tbsp
chilly powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
salt - to taste

Method:

Peel and finely chop the potato.
Heat oil in a wok and add mustard, cumin seeds. After the mustard crackles, add finely chopped onion and minced garlic. Fry for a few seconds. Then add the chopped potato, turmeric powder and stir well. Cook covered till the potato is cooked well. Add required salt, chilly powder and mix well.
In the mean time clean the fenugreek leaves and roughly chop them.
Add the leaves to the cooked potato and cook in medium flame for a few minutes.
Aloo methi dry curry is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve as side dish with roti, chapati or any rice.

Double beans curry

One day I bought this can of 'large butter beans' to test run before buying a pack of dry ones. Overnight Soaking and pressure cooking the dry beans is my first choice. But the canned cooked ones comes handy too if we didn't plan the meal earlier. The beans tasted very good just like the double beans we used to buy from T.Nagar in Chennai, India. In India the street vendors would sell freshly shelled double beans by measuring them in cups or small heaps (kooru). Long back I tasted it for the first time in my aunt Sakuntala athai's house and started liking it very much. Athai makes it like a dry masala curry along with rasam rice or sambar and that is the best according to me. May be some other day I will ask her the recipe and post here:) I prepared this like a thick gravy and it tasted great with chapati.

Ingredients:

cooked double beans - 1 cup
Shallot onion - 4
Shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
oil - 1 tbsp
ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
fennel seeds (sombu)- 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
coriander powder - 2 tsp
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - a pinch
curry masala powder - 1/2 tsp
tomato - 1 (chopped)
salt - to taste

Procedure:

If using dry beans, soak them overnight and pressure cook for a whistle. Then reduce heat and switch off after 2 minutes . Don't cook after this 2 minutes. Release pressure and it would be cooked. If it needs a little more cooking, then do it in stove top , with careful observation.....otherwise the double beans turns mushy.
Otherwise use a can of cooked beans (remove that water and rinse twice before using).
Grind the shallot, coconut and cumin seeds together to a coarse paste.
Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add the fennel seeds and let it become red. Then goes the curry leaves, chopped tomato. Saute till tomato gets mushy. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes. The put the coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt.Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes with little water. Then add the cooked beans.
Then put the ground masala and keep stirring occasionally, till the koottu / curry becomes a gravy.
Large butter beans or double beans curry is ready.

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot with chapathi, roti.

Vegetable Salna

Salna or chalna is a popular street food available as side dish for parotta or chapathi in Tamilnadu and Kerala, India. I make this salna very often and mix with chapathi, just like vegetable kothu parotta (scrambled chapati). This comes handy if we make it in a big batch and freeze in small portions for a week.

Vegetables:

Cauliflower - 1/4 of a flower
Beans - 20
fresh green peas - 1 cup
carrot - 1
potato - 2 (medium size)

Ingredients:

tomato - 2
Red onion - 1
coriander leaves - a handful.
mint leaves - few
curry leaves - few
coconut milk - 1/2 cup
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
curry masala powder- 1 tsp
salt - to taste
ghee / dalda / vanaspathy - 3 tbsp
cloves - 2
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
bay leaf - 1
ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

to grind:

cardamom - 3
shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
green chillies - 4
cashew nut - 4

Method:

Grind ginger and garlic together.
Grind the items mentioned to a fine paste.
Cut cauliflower into big pieces.
peel and cut other vegetables in to big pieces.
Heat ghee in a pan. fry some fennel seeds and bay leaf.
Add the chopped onion, green chillies ,curry leaves, cilantro and mint leaves. After the onion turns golden brown , add ginger garlic paste and saute well.Then add the chopped tomato and fry till it is completely cooked.
Now add all the vegetables and mix well.
Add 2 cups of water,salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder , curry masala powder and stir well.
close the lid and cook all the vegetables to tender.Add the coconut masala and let it boil it gives a nice flavor.
Before switching off add the coconut milk.
Vegetable salna is ready!

Serving suggestions:

serve hot with parathas, parotta, chapati, roti or idly .

Potato masala

On the other day my neighborhood aunty from Gujarat brought me this aloo masala wrapped in dosa, just like Madras masal dosa.  The potato subzi was very spicy and delicious. While talking I learned a few recipes from her and I too prepared this like her's. Though it is a very simple recipe, I find this curry a good alternative and makes me love chapati:)

potato masala with chapati.

Ingredients:

Potato - 4 (300 gms)
onion - 1
tomato - 2
lemon - 1/4
green chilli - 4
ginger - 2 inch
cilantro - a handful
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
garam masala powder - 1 tsp
oil- 2 tbsp
salt - to taste

Method:

Wash and Pressure cook the potatoes . Peel the skin and mash coarsely into small pieces.
Chop the onion, green chillies, cilantro and ginger finely.
Heat oil in a vessel and add mustard seeds, 2 tbsp channa dhal.
After the mustard seeds starts splutter, add the chopped onion, green chilli, cilantro and ginger. Saute them a while till onion gets slightly cooked.
Add the chopped tomato and cook covered with salt, garam masala, turmeric, chilly powder.
After the tomato is well cooked and oil shows up, put the potato.
Check for salt. Add 1/2 cup water and cook covered.
Switch off.
Before serving add lemon juice and chopped cilantro.

Spicy aloo masala is ready!

Serving suggestion:

Fold inside  paper roast dosa like masal dosa and serve hot with sambar, chutney.
Also makes a good side dish with chapathi or poori.

Side dish for chapathi - Part 2

Potato Broccoli Sabzi from Jaya Wagle of Jayaspace.
Green beans and moong dal sabzi from Jaya Wagle of Jayaspace.

Thanks Jaya.

The following entries are from Jyoti of Panch Pakwan.
Yennegai badanekai (Stuffed Brinjal).
Dum Aloo.
Matar Paneer.

Thanks Jyoti.

Pakoda Kadhi from Kamala Bhoopathy of cook at ease.

Thanks Kamala.

Bhutte Ka Kees from Kanchan of Kitchen Gossip.
Alu Kanda / Arbi Masala from Kanchan of Kitchen Gossip.

Thanks Kanchan.

The following entries are from Kayal of Kayal's kitchen.
Paneer Potato Masala
Cauliflower Pepper Curry
Veg Korma

Thanks Kayal.

Channa Masala from Lata Raja of Flavours and Tastes.

Thanks Lata.

Aloo Matar Capsicum (Potato, Peas and Capsicum Curry) from Lissie of Salt and spice.

Thanks Lissie.

Bharwan Bhindi (Stuffed Okra) from Mansi Twist to the taste.

Thanks Mansi.

Aloo Capsicum from Minu of Chettinad Fiesta.

Thanks Minu.


Bombay Chutney from Mythreyi Dilip of Specialty recipes from My(e) Kitchen.

Thanks Mythreyi.

North Indian Style Aloo Palak from Nisha Mudliar of Nisha's kitchen.

Thanks Nisha.

The following entries are contributed by Padma of Padma's recipes.
Aloo Palak
Black Eye Beans Kurma
Dry Val Dhal
Butter Beans Kurma
Mushroom Kurma
Navarathna Kurma

Thanks Padma.

This slide is dedicated to : Padma and Pari Vasisht.

The below are from Padma of Padma's recipes.

Palak Paneer
Palak Channa
Ridgegourd Masala
Soya Chunks and Peas Gravy
Whole Masoor Masala

Thanks Padma.

Next comes Pari vasisht of Foodelicious.


Aloo Gobi mattar
Bottlegourd in milk
channa masala
Dhaba style palak paneer
Dum arvi

This slide is completely dedicated to Pari Vasisht of Foodelicious.
Garbanzo & Paneer Curry
Healthy Pumpkin raita
Hyderabadi Bhagare Baingan
Kadai Paneer
Lazzatdar Pumpkin subzi
Nadir Yakhni
Paneer kaju pasanda
Paneer peas and potato curry
Punjabi style jeera aloo
Rajma Rasmisa
Steamed B&B kofta curry
Bharaleli Vaangi
Gheeya Makhanwala
Platform Potato Curry
Methi Baingan Bartha
Okra in Poppy and sesame.
Tangy Palak in dhal

Thanks Pari.

Creamy butter beans and green peas from Parita of Parita's kitchen.

Thanks Parita.

The following entries are from Pavithra of Dishes from my kitchen.
Paneer Butter Masala
Milky Mushroom Curry
Grilled Corn Palak
Mushroom Pepper Masala
Mushroom Potato Curry
Gobi Mutter Dry Curry

Thanks Pavithra.


Kobbari Pulusu Coconut gravy from Prasu of Prasu kitchen.

Thanks Prasu.

Side dish for chapathi - Part 4

Here comes the fourth part of the Vegetarian side dish for Chapathi event. My heartfelt thanks for my friends who made this event a great success by their delicious entries and nice comments . Enjoy cooking!

Sapthanaa Balachander of Passion4cooking surprised me with the largest number of entries I have ever heard:). Yes, She has sent us 72 recipes and they are displayed below.

Baby corn masala
Baby potato curry (goan style)
Baigan ka barta
Bendi poriyal
Cabbage kootu
Dhal
Drumstick masala
keerai parrupu kootu
kovakkai poriyal
Lettuce and chinese cabbage sabji
Meal maker masala
Mochapayuru masala

This slide is also dedicated to Sapthanaa Balachander of Passion4cooking.

Mushroom rich curry
Nolkol Coconut fry
Paneer vegetable sabji
Pavvakkai pirattal
Peas potato kurma
Potato masala
Potato podimass
Raw jack fruit masala
Ridge guard kadanjal

The above one also displays Sapthanaa's collection (Passion4cooking).

Thakkali chutney
Rajma masala
Sodhi
Sorrakkai poriyal
Stuffed ennai kathirikai
Vadai curry
Sprouts kuruma (2)
Vallakkai poriyal
Vegetable balls in garlic sauce
Aloo methi fry
Capsicum masala

Next slide is also dedicated to Sapthanaa Balachander of Passion4cooking.

Avarakkai pirattal
Araikeerai kulambu
Ladies finger fry (simple method)
Kovakkai fry
Spring onions pirattal
Paneer butter masala
Potatoes and peas curry
Spicy ladies finger
Sorrakkai Peanut Kootu
Sprouts Kulambu
vendakkai poriyal
Kathirikkai fry
Stuffed Capsicum
Channa masala
Meal maker pepper fry

Thank you Sapthanaa !

Avasara Kootu from Saraswathy Balakrishnan of Taste of saras' kitchen.
Mirchi ka salan from Saraswathy Balakrishnan of Taste of Saras' kitchen.


Thank You Saraswathy !

The following entries are from Saraswathi Iyer of Sara's Corner.

Gravy/North Indian
Palak Paneer
Kadai Mixed Veg
Channa Masala
Dal Fry

Gravy/South Indian
Keerai Kootu
Potato Sagu
Dal with Cabbage

Gravy/ Karnataka
Erulli Gojju

Poriyal / Curry South Indian:
Carrot Paasi Paruppu Curry
Cabbage Green Peas Curry
Pavakkai Uralai Fry
Beans Poriyal

Thank you Saraswathi !