Palak Mutter Paneer With A Review

It happened a month back, when I was sent Hudson Canola Oil to review. I was very excited to use it because I never heard about Canola oil before; Canola oil is supposed to be a healthier option when compared to other oils. In India most of the houses uses peanut oil for cooking but  in my case it is never an option as my husband is allergic to nuts, which of course was the second reason why I wanted to use the canola oil.

Indian cooking involves the use of oil a lot which in turn makes our health worse, hence Canola oil is a better choice. Hudson’s canola oil looks like melted ghee and I am totally in love with this oil- it heats fast, has no particular smell and is very light in texture. I have made parthas, fried puri and even used this oil in baking (because of no prominent smell) and it impresses me every time. Why not buy your own batch of Husdon Canola Oil from  here.

Talking about today’s dish- Palak Mutter Paneer is also made using Hudson canola oil. Palak paneer and mutter paneer are the classic Paneer dishes that I am sure are made in every Indian house (ok, at least once!). Well! My attempt with this dish, was to turn two famous recipes into one curry and voila! I succeeded. Palak mutter paneer is the new delight and is just perfect in colour, taste and texture. What a makeover of two dishes-Right??

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped ,boiled spinach/palak

1 length wise chopped onions/pyaz

1 cup boiled peas/mutter

1 ½ cups grated cottage cheese/paneer

2 length wise chopped tomatoes/tamatar

5 cloves of garlic chrushed/lehsun

1 teaspoon of ginger paste/adrak

½ teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi

3 green chilles chopped/hari mirchi

1 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1 tablespoon coriander powder/dhainya

¼ teaspoon garam masala powder

1 clove/laung

1 bayleaf/tej patta

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon oil (I used Hudson canola oil)

Method:

Heat oil in a pan/kadai and add cumin seeds. When cumin seeds crackle, add bayleaf and clove. Leave for 10 seconds.

Add ginger paste, crushed garlic, green chillies and onions. Saute till raw smells of garlic fades and onions turns pink in colour.

Then add boiled peas, paneer, spinach and tomatoes and mix well. To it add all the spices and stir well.

Cover and let it cook on medium flame for 5-8 minutes or till tomatoes are soft and mushy.

Serve hot with parathas or rice.

Notes:

I like it the burji style, but if you want you can add cubes of paneer too.

I prefer chunks of cooked tomatoes; those who wish can blend tomatoes in mixer and then use it.

Taste:

Spicy, green and of new taste.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. With thanks to Hudson for sending me canola oil to review

Mutter Masala: Peas Dry Curry: Sukha Matar

Mutter Masala / Peas Masala is of semi-thick consistency. This is can be served as side dish and also main course. The best part of this recipe is that its very simple and can be prepared in minutes.

Ingredients:

Fresh/Frozen Green peas - 1 cup,

Tomato - 1 (Finely grated),

Green chilli - 1 (slit lengthwise)

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp (Haldi)

Red chilli powder - 3 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp (Dhaniya Powder)

Bay leaf - 1

Salt - as per taste

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Boil & cook the green peas in water with salt. Once boiled drain the water.
2. Heat oil in pan, add green chilli, bay leaf and sauté for 5 seconds.
3. Add the tomatoes and saute till they are mashed and soft.
4. Now add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt and mix. Add water for the curry and bring to boil.
5. When it boils, add the cooked peas. Cover and let it cook for few minutes.

6. Green Peas masala is ready to serve hot with rice or bread.

Tomato Garlic Chutney

We Indians love chutneys-any type, anytime and with all most all kinds of food. This is tomatoes and garlic chutney which can be served with sandwiches, rotis, muthiya, cheela, pancakes, rice, khakhra etc etc  (the list is endless :)). At my home chutney is always there ready in fridge because we enjoy it with all our meals. This is a quick chutney recipe; I hope you will relish it with your food like us!....

Tomato Garlic Chutney

Ingredients:

• 2 tomatoes (chopped finely)
• 1 tsp garlic (lehsun) paste
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds ( rai/sarson)
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp oil

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
2. When the seeds crackle, add the garlic paste and cook till paste turns golden brown.
3. Add the chilli powder, tomatoes and salt, mix well and saute for 10 minutes or till the oil leaves the sides and tomatoes are mashed and soft.

Serve hot or cold. You can use this chutney for a week.

Tip: Having a party at home and wanna have finger food? Buy chips packet from the market and serve them with chutney. New version of salsa and nachos is ready!.

Moong Ki Daal Ka Cheela/ Pancake

Moong ki daal ka chilla or pancake is a very healthy snack. You can make them in breakfast and even during evening tea time.  My husband loves to eat them, so I make them quite often. My aunty told me that secret to this recipe is adding Suji/Semolina-it brings crispiness to the chilla. So here it is-

Ingredients:

• 2 cups split moong lentils without skin – the yellow one
• 2 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1/4 tsp asafetida powder (heeng)
• 2" piece of ginger, finely grated
• 2 finely chopped green chillies (optional)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
• Salt to taste
• 3-4 tbsp Semolina (suji)
• Vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil to pan-fry the Chilla

Preparation:

• Thoroughly wash the Moong under running water. Put it into a large bowl and add the dry red chillies, cumin seeds and asafoetida. Mix well and add enough warm water to cover the Moong fully. Leave overnight to soak.
• Next day, drain the water away; grind the moong mixture in a food processor with suji to get a fine paste. Add water only if required to get the pour-able consistency .Mix in it grated ginger, coriander and salt to taste.
• Heat the pan on medium heat. When hot, add a few drops of cooking oil and mix such that it coats all sides of the pan. Now pour a ladle full of batter onto the pan and spread the batter into a circular shape from the centre to outwards. Cook for 1 minute.
• Drizzle with a little oil to Cheela to allow oil to go under it. Flip now and cook till the other side is golden too.
• Remove from pan and serve hot with chutneys of your choice. I made garlic –tomatoes garlic chutney( I will upload the recipe soon)

Tip: You can add paneer in to make Paneer Cheela.

-Add shredded cabbage, carrot, onion; and your vegetable chilla is ready.

ALOO KI SABJI/DRY POTATO

Aloo ki subji is a very popular dish in India. This is cooked in various style and methods. I love adding sesame seeds to this recipe as they are very rich in omega-6 fatty acids and adds right amount of crunchiness to the dish. I served it with puri.When I was a kid this was my favourite Tiffin snack. So lets begin!..

Ingredients:

• Big sized Potatoes or Aloo – 2 (cut in cubes)
• Green Chillies – 3 (finely chopped)
• Turmeric Powder (Haldi) – 1/2 tsp
• Mustard Seeds (Rai) – 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds (Jeera)- 1/2 tsp
• Sesame seeds (Til) – 2tsp
• Curry Leaves – 7-8
• Lemon Juice – 1/2 tsp or Dry Mango Powder/Amchur Powder – 1/4 tsp
• Coriander Leaves or Cilantro
• Oil – 3 tsp
• Salt

Method

1. Heat Oil in a pan, add Mustard and Cumin seeds. Once the seeds splutter add Curry Leaves and Green chilies and fry for a minute.
2. Now add chopped potatoes and sesame seeds.
3. Then add Salt and turmeric powder. Cover it with a lid on medium flame.
4. Once the potatoes are soft add lime juice or Dry Mango Powder/Amchur Powder
5. Garnish with Coriander Leaves and green chilies

You can serve this dish with poori, roti, paratha and even dosa.