Creamy Avocado Pasta | Avocado Recipes

I rarely find good Avocados here in Mumbai and whenever I  get an opportunity to source them from Bangalore, I never miss that chance. Recently, I got hold of a few avocados which were sent by my mom from Bangalore.While I mostly use Avocados to prepare my favorite Butterfruit Milkshake or Guacamole, I reserved a few this time to experiment something new. Avocados have a natural buttery taste and makes the dish really rich and hence it worked beautifully even in this pasta recipe.I have combined the avocado with tomato to reduce the dominance of the buttery taste of avocado as TH is not very fond of it.You would not not miss cheese in the recipe as the sauce feels rich due to the avocado.The recipe is quite similar to any pesto recipe minus the nuts and cheese.

Check out other Pasta recipes in my blog, if you are interested:

• Basil Pesto with Spiral Pasta 
• Macaroni with Roasted Vegetables and Herbs in White Sauce
• Pasta Salad
• Spinach Pesto Penne Pasta
• Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta 

Creamy Avocado Pasta Recipe:

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 cups of Pasta(any shape would do,I used fettucine)

1 Onion,finely chopped(optional)

1-2 Garlic pods,finely chopped

1/2 tsp Red chili flakes

1/2 tsp Pepper corns

2 tbsp Olive oil 

Salt to taste

Avocado Sauce:

1 small Avocado or 1/2 big Avocado

1 large ripen Tomato

1-2 Garlic pods

1/2 tsp freshly ground Pepper

1 tbsp dried Basil or 1/4 cup fresh Basil leaves

2-3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

To Cook Pasta:

• Cook the pasta according to the instructions of your package or follow this procedure:
• Bring water to boil in a big pot (filled to its half) and add salt,1 tsp olive oil and pasta and cook over medium flame for 10-12 mins until al dente(cooked and tender to teeth).
• Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of water for later usage.you can even give a cold bath to the pasta by running it under fresh tap water which helps in keeping the pasta separate.

To prepare Avocado Sauce:

• Mark a cross on tomato and bring water to a boil and add the tomato to it and boil for 2 mins and remove the tomato.After it cools down,peel the skin and roughly chop it and keep it aside.
• In a mixer add scooped avocado, chopped tomato, basil leaves or dried basil, garlic pods, pepper, olive oil, ground pepper, salt and griund to a smooth paste.
• Now check for the taste and adjust the salt and pepper for the pesto.We will add salt and pepper even to the pasta,so keep that in mind and adjust the seasonings.

 To prepare Avocado Pasta:

• Heat olive oil in a wide bottomed pan and fry sliced garlic until slight brown and add thinly sliced onions and fry until they are pink and soft.
• Add cooked pasta and mix well until all the pasta is covered with the sauce and is warm.Now add red chili flakes,salt and pepper and mix well.
• Dish it out to the serving platter and serve with the generous portion of Avocado sauce.Drizzle extra Olive oil and some pepper and dried basil on top.As we are using Avocado in the recipe it is not advised to heat the sauce,just serve the sauteed pasta with the freshly made sauce.

Serve it immediately.I also served it with some sauteed bell peppers as I like the bite of vegetables in my pasta.

Notes:

1. To make sauteed peppers - heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan,add finely chopped 1 garlic pod and add 1/2 chopped onion and 1 cup chopped colored bell peppers and saute them for 2-3 mins.Season it with salt and pepper.You can even add some Italian herbs and red chili flakes if you want.
2. As we are using Avocado in the sauce it is not advised to heat the sauce,just serve the sauteed pasta with the freshly made sauce.
3. You can use any pasta variety for this like Penne,Fusili,Sphagetti etc.
4. Do not add more garlic pods as the flavor will dominate the avocado sauce.

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Indo-Mexican Fusion Meal | Weekend Lunch Ideas

 

On a daily basis my usual preference would be for either a simple South Indian or North Indian dish or at times Indo-Chinese or Pasta.I usually love making an elaborate menu for friday dinners or for a weekend lunch.It was one such day a couple of weeks earlier when I wanted to make something elaborate and serve it in the restaurant style and I chose the theme as Mexican,however it turned out as half Indian Mexican and so I can call my meal as Indo-Mexican or a Fusion meal.

This meal can be even converted to a Mexican Sizzler by plating it on the sizzler plate.I will try posting some sizzler recipes in my blog sometime.The preparation of the entire meal is a bit time consuming but if you can plan ahead and do slight preparation it would make the job easy when you are planning the meal.Try this Indo Mexican meal and let me know if you like it.

Check out the closer view of the meal below where I have highlighted each dish separately

Few recipes make a mark in my mind and I try making them.Chipotle style Burrito Bowl was one such dish.It is a combination of  Cilantro-Lime rice with Pinto or Black beans,Corn or meat,Guacamole,Salsa and Sour cream which makes a complete set meal.But I could not make the entire meal as I could'nt fetch all the ingredients when I planned making it.I have created my own set meal,though not exactly Mexican with the ingredients which were available in my pantry.This meal can be rather called as Indo-Mexican or just a Fusion meal.I have adapted few recipes and modified them conveniently to suit our taste buds.But I intend to prepare that Burrito Bowl sometime and post it.

As I have posted most of the recipes in this meal,I am just linking all the recipes as follows.The meal consists of:

• Cilantro-lime Rice
• Stuffed Bell peppers with Corn and Cottage cheese filling
• Broccoli Patties
• Broccoli stir fry
• Potato wedges - used frozen ones,just sauteed them in oil
• Cucumber- Mint Yogurt dip 
• Hot Bell pepper Sauce

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Stuffed Bell Peppers with Corn and Cottage Cheese

It is not necessary that an exotic looking dish should be complicated to prepare. Today's recipe is one such example.These Stuffed Bell peppers look quite exotic but they are relatively simple to prepare.While the options for the stuffing are endless, I chose a classic Corn-Cottage cheese filling which works beautifully as a stuffing for bell peppers.I have previously posted a Stuffed Capsicum recipe with lentil filling,a typical South Indian variety and also Potato stuffed Capsicum in a rich Restaurant style gravy which pairs nicely with Naans,Rotis and Pilaf varieties.

While the nuts add a nutty crunch,the puffed up raisins add a slight sweetness to the filling and the oozing cheese makes the Bell peppers taste delicious.You can serve these beautiful Stuffed Bell Peppers as an appetizer as a side dish for Pasta,Noodles or flavored Rice varieties with Sauce.It is a nice party dish and goes with anything.

If you are interested check out few Indian style Stuffed Capsicum recipes here:

• Stuffed capsicum with Lentil Filling
• Stuffed Capsicum in rich gravy

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Corn and Paneer(Cottage cheese):

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 Red Bell peppers(or yellow)

1 tbsp Oil/butter,for basting

for marinade:

1 tbsp Lemon juice

1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

1 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

for filling:

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Paneer(Cottage Cheese)

1/2 cup fresh/frozen Sweet Corn kernels,boiled

1 small Onion,finely chopped

1 tbsp chopped Cashew nuts

12-15 Raisins

2 tbsp chopped Coriander

1 tsp Mixed Herbs or Herbs de Provence

1/2 tsp Red chili flakes

juice of 1/2 Lemon

2-3 Green chillies,finely chopped

1/2 cup grated Mozzarella Cheese

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Cut the bell peppers into two equal halves with the stem intact.Scoop out the seeds neatly with the help of a knife.
• In a bowl mix all the ingredients mentioned under marinade- lemon juice,ginger-garlic paste,oil and salt and rub this marinade liberally on the inside of bell peppers and leave them aside for half an hour.
• Mean while take a pan and heat olive oil and add onions and fry until they turn slight brown in color.
• Add chopped green chillies, cashew nuts and raisins and fry for a couple of minutes until the raisins puff up.
• Add boiled corn and fry for a minute and add chopped fresh paneer(cottage cheese) and mix well. Add salt,red chili flakes and mixed herbs and mix well.
• Remove from heat and add coriander leaves,lemon juice and 2 tbsp of mozzarella cheese and mix nicely.
• Remove the extra water from red peppers(which is because of the marinade) and rub oil on the outside of bell peppers.
• Stuff them with this corn-paneer mixture and top the bell peppers with the remaining grated mozzarella cheese to cover the filling.

• Preheat the oven at 180 deg C for 10 mins.
• Line a baking tray with foil and apply some oil on it.
• Place the stuffed bell peppers on the baking sheet and grill it in preheated oven for 12-15 mins until the cheese melts on top and the bell peppers wilt.Check it in between and bash it with more oil/butter if needed.

Serve them hot with Pasta/Noodles/flavored Rice or as a snack/appetizer.

Notes:

1. You can use mixed bell peppers or capsicum in the recipe.
2. You can add Indian flavors to it by replacing the herbs with Garam masala and Cumin powder.
3. I have used cheese slices to cover the bell peppers as I did not have mozzarella cheese that time.
4. You can grill them in tandoor or on the stove top.If you are doing on stove top place wide nonstick  pan and heat a couple of tsp of oil and place the stuffed bell peppers and cover it with lid and keep on low- medium flame.Let them fry until the cheese melts and the bell peppers wilt.
5. You can use Tofu instead of cottage cheese in the recipe.

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Five Taste Uthappam | Uthappam Toppings ideas

'Uthappam' or 'Oothappam' or 'Utappa' is a thick dosa and is usually prepared with various toppings of vegetables like tomatoes,onions,carrots etc.If I go to any joint for breakfast,my typical order constitutes Masala Dosa or Set dosa unless something else impresses me in their menu. I don't usually order Uthappam when I go out as I prefer eating it at home-don't know why!!

Onion Uthappam is the most famous among all other Uthappam varieties and is also my personal favorite.I usually love to add generous amounts of finely chopped onions,green chillies and coriander and sprinkle lots of Milagai podi over it and roast with a double dose of ghee-it tastes really delicious. Today I am posting various toppings options for Uthappam which might be colorful and a perfect way to feed those fussy kids.
The batter for uthappam is bit different from the regular batter and it makes a soft and fluffy uthappam.You can be creative with the toppings and use the same batter for any kind of uthappam.
Check out another interesting version of Uthappam - Masala Uthappam, a version from Khao gallis of Mumbai.

Five Taste Uthappam Recipe: 

Ingredients:

for Uthappam Batter:

2 cups Raw rice(sona masuri or similar)

2 cups Idli Rice or Par boiled rice

1 cup whole white Urad dal

1/4 cup Toor dal

1/4 cup Chana dal

1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
a pinch of cooking soda

Salt to taste 

Oil/Ghee, to roast utappams

for toppings:
1 small Tomato,seeded and chopped fine
1 Onion, finely chopped or Shallots,sliced
1 small Carrot,grated
1 green Chili,finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped mixed bell peppers
2-3 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander
2 tbsp Idli Milagai podi,to sprinkle

 

Method:

to make dosa batter:

• Wash and soak raw rice,idli rice(or par boiled rice), urad dal, toor dal, chana dal, fenugreek seeds together in water for  4-5 hrs.
• Grind all the ingredients in the wet grinder to a fine batter by adding water at regular intervals.The batter should be like regular dosa batter consistency.
• Add required amount of salt at the end of grinding and mix well.
• Allow the batter to ferment for 12-14 hrs.

to make Uthappam:

• The dosa batter should be at room temperature.Mix in a pinch of cooking soda and mix well.
• Pour a small ladle of batter(do not spread) of 2-3" inch size on a hot tawa,you can prepare 2-3 at a time based on your tawa size
• You can sprinkle various toppings like grated carrots on the first one,chopped tomatoes on the second,finely chopped onions(or shallots) + finely chopped green chillies on the third one, chopped coriander leaves + Idli Podi on the fourth one, chopped bell peppers on the fifth one.Pour a tsp of oil/ghee generously over the mixture and also pour the oil from the sides and cover with a lid and cook it on medium flame for a minute or two and remove the lid..
• Increase the flame to high and cook until you can see the golden brown crust formation.
• Now turn the dosa to the other side and fry for a minute.

Serve it hot right out from the pan with coconut chutney and Sambar.If you want you can sprinkle milagai podi or kaarapodi over the hot uthappams before serving.Check out other side dishes for Idli/dosa here.

The options for Uthappam toppings are endless.I am sharing you many more options here:

1. a mix of chopped onions + grated carrots + chopped coriander + chopped green chillies
2. Potato Masala .check the link for a detailed post.
3. slices of tomatoes instead of chopped tomatoes
4. grated Cheese + chopped coriander + chopped green chillies - do not turn this utappam,roast it only on one side.
5. finely chopped onions + generous sprinkle of Idli Milagai podi
6. finely chopped onion + chopped tomatoes + chopped green chili + grated cheese - it is called Pizza Utappam.Do not turn this utappam,roast it only on one side.
7. thinly sliced Mushrooms sauteed in oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.

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SUN DRIED TOMATO PESTO PASTA | EASY PASTA RECIPES

We usually prefer Pastas for our weekend dinners and both of us love the simpler versions of pastas or the pesto based ones more than the tomato or cheese loaded ones.Our most favorite pasta being the Basil pesto pasta and the next comes this Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta.

The preparation process of the Pesto sauce is quite simple as we just need to grind the ingredients to a coarse paste.You can toss the cooked pasta in a good amount of Olive oil with the pesto sauce for a quick pasta,but I love to add some crunch to the pasta and hence I always saute few bell peppers,babycorns,broccoli etc as I like to bite into the crunchy vegetables in pasta.

Sun dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Recipe:

Ingredients:

To prepare Sun dried Tomato pesto:

1 cup Sundried Tomatoes

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh Basil

1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil(EVOO) + 3 tbsp oil from Sundried tomatoes

1/3 cup Pine nuts or Walnuts

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese(optional)

4-5 Garlic pods

1/2 tsp ground Pepper

1/2 tsp Red chili flakes

Salt to taste

To prepare Pasta:

10-12 blocks Fettucini pasta(or any other pasta-2 cups)

1/2 cup Sundried Tomato Pesto Sauce

1 Onion,sliced

3-4 Garlic pods,sliced

1 cup chopped Vegetables(Bellpeppers, Capsicum,Babycorn,Mushrooms)

1 tsp mixed herbs

1/2 tsp Chili flakes

1/2 tsp ground Pepper

1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese(optional)

8-10 Basil leaves,torn

2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Salt to taste

Method:

To prepare Sun dried tomato Pesto:

• In a mixer add sun dried tomatoes, basil leaves,pine nuts/walnuts,garlic pods,pepper,add half the quantity of olive oil,parmesan cheese,red chili flakes,salt and ground to a medium coarse paste.Add the remaining olive oil in stages in between to ease the process of grinding.Do not add water to grind it,the EVOO is enough to grind into a slight coarse and uniform paste.
• Now check for the taste and adjust the salt for the pesto.

To Cook Pasta:

• Cook the pasts according to the instructions of your package or follow this procedure:
• Bring water to boil in a big pot (filled to its half) and add salt,1 tsp olive oil and pasta and cook over medium flame for 10-12 mins until al dente(cooked and tender to teeth).
• Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of water for later usage.you can even give a cold bath to the pasta by running it under fresh tap water which helps in keeping the pasta separate.

To prepare Sundried tomato Pesto Pasta:

• Heat olive oil in a wide bottomed pan and fry sliced garlic until slight brown and crisp and add thinly sliced onions and fry until they are pink and soft.
• Now add sliced vegetables and saute them for few minutes.
• Add the sun dried tomato pesto sauce and mix well.Add 4-5 tbsp of reserved pasta liquid if required add more to get a medium sauce consistency.
• Add cooked pasta and mix well until all the pasta is covered with the sauce and is warm.Now add red chili flakes,Italian herbs,basil leaves,salt and pepper and mix well.
• Dish it out to the serving platter and sprinkle some cheese over it.Garnish with basil.

Serve it hot or warm with Raspberry Soda or drink of your choice.

 Notes:

1. You can add more Parmesan cheese while preparing sauce in the above recipe to make pasta more cheesy.
2. You can replace fettucini pasta with any of the pasta like penne,spiral,macaroni ,farfelle or any other pasta of your choice.
3. You can add finely chopped carrot,blanched broccoli,thinly sliced mushrooms,blanched asparagus,zucchini to the pasta
4. You can even fill the pasta in a baking dish and cover with grated Parmesan cheese(1/4-1/2 cup) and cover it with a foil and bake it in oven @ 160 degrees for 20 mins until the cheese melts.Serve it hot right from the oven.This would be a exclusive dish for parties especially or for special romantic dinners.
5. For a Vegan version avoid parmesan cheese while making pesto,it tastes even delicious without cheese in it.

You can check out the other pesto versions of various Pasta varieties here - Basil Pesto Pasta and Spinach Pesto Pasta.

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Babycorn Capsicum Stir Fry | Babycorn Capcium Dry Curry | Babycorn Recipes

Babycorn is my most favorite vegetable.I know I have mentioned that for many vegetables but Babycorn stands the top position in my favorite vegetable list and I do not get bored of it even if I eat the same for a week,such is my love for those baby corns.I like them more because of their slight sweet and crunchy texture.

I like to use babycorns in stir fries,pastas,salad,soups,pulavs,curry,gravies,pakoras etc.Steamed Babycorn-Mango Salad is another favorite of mine which is a popular street food in Bangalore.You can check Babycorn-Capcium Gravy is one of the most popular posts in my blog which got raving reviews from my readers for its taste,if you have not tried it I highly recommend to try that recipe.Today I am posting a simple yet delicious Babycorn Bell Pepper stir fry,I usually add various bell peppers if I have them in hand otherwise I use only Babycorn and capscium in the recipe.This stir fry goes well with rotis or rice or pulav.

Babycorn Capsicum Stir fry(Sabzi) Recipe:

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

10-12 Babycorns

1/2 Red Capsicum

1/2 Yellow Capsicum

1 Green Capsicum

1 Onion,thinly sliced

4-5 Garlic pods,finely chopped

3/4" Ginger,finely chopped

2 Green chillies,finely chopped

1 tsp Kitchen king masala

1 tsp roasted Cumin powder

1/4 tsp Garam masala

1/2 tsp Amchur(dried mango) powder

1/4 tsp freshly ground Pepper or 1/2 tsp Red chili powder

a pinch of Turmeric powder

1 tsp Cumin seeds

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Oil

Method:

• Cut Babycorn into 8 thin strips of 2" pieces.Microwave them for 2 mins or par boil them on the stove for 3 mins.They should be crunchy and should not become soft after they are cooked. Drain them and keep them ready.
• Remove the seeds from the bell peppers and capsicum and cut them into thin strips of 2" length.
• In a wok/kadai heat oil and crackle cumin seeds.
• Add finely chopped ginger-garlic-green chillies and fry them for a minute on high flame.This process of stir frying will be done on high flame.So you need to be quick in adding the ingredients one after the other.
• Add thinly sliced onions and fry them until they turn pink.
• Add the par boiled baby corns and bell pepper strips and capsicum strips and fry them continuously for 3-4 mins on high flame giving a stir often.The vegetables should not loose their crunchiness and color while frying.So be quick in this process.
• Add kitchen king masala,garam masala,roasted cumin powder,pepper powder(or red chili powder),turmeric powder and salt and continue frying for another 2 mins.Take care not to burn the masalas while frying.

Serve the stir fry hot with Roti/Naan/Chapati/Pulao.

Notes:

1. If you do not have bell peppers,avoid them and use green capsicum instead in the recipe.
2. I personally like to add pepper powder to baby corn stirfry,but you can add red chili powder too.
3. I recommend to add kitchen king masala to this stir fry,it definitely makes it tastier.If you do not get it you can skip it and increase the masalas accordingly.You can even add a big dash of Pav Bhaji masala instead of kitchen king masala if you have.
4. You can add Ginger-Garlic paste instead of chopped ginger and garlic in the recipe. 
5. Adjust all the masalas according to your personal preference.

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KADAI PANEER RECIPE | PANEER RECIPES

The first time I tasted Kadai Paneer was almost a decade ago when my mom prepared it after watching a cookery show.We instantly fell in love with the curry, as it was lip smacking good with all the freshly pound spices which takes the curry to another level, in my view.This recipe was a keeper and it got transferred to all my hand written cook books (only the trusted recipes find their way in my hand written cook book!) over a period of time and I thought this is the time to get its place in my virtual cook book - my blog.You can see my hand written cook book in this picture which I treasure from more than 5 years.

I have modified the recipe a little bit over a period of time.The original recipe used fenugreek seeds in the masala which got replaced with fenugreek leaves in the gravy and also few minor changes in the process of roasting vegetables which yields into a delicious curry.

When I saw the Kadai Paneer recipe in Anu's space, I was very happy to see a version similar to what I prepare at home and of course with a few tweaks, as every one has their own personal touch which makes the recipe special.I liked her idea of frying the vegetables individually and coating each vegetable with the freshly pound spices, which is slightly different in my case as I roast all the vegetables at one go, and coat them with spices in the end.

I love the Kadai Paneer semi-dry,I do not like it in a gravy form or a stir fry form.The moist paneer pieces and the crisp roasted vegetables are coatedt with a light coat of aromatic spices and a mildly spiced gravy, the taste of which lingers for a long time.If you taste this one, I am sure you would make it again and again.It is really that good,don't trust me? then give it a try and let me know your views. 

Kadai Paneer Recipe - Restaurant Style:

(serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

250 gms Homemade Paneer (Cottage cheese) (or store bought),cubed

1 small Red Capsicum,seeded and cubed

1 small Green Capsicum,seeded and cubed

1 small Yellow Capsicum,seeded and cubed

1 medium Onion,peeled and cubed

1 big Tomato,seeded and cubed

2-3 tbsp fresh Curd,beaten

2 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander

1 tsp Kasuri Methi(dried Fenugreek leaves)

1 Bay leaf 

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Oil

for the Onion-Tomato masala:

1 medium Onion,chopped

1 big Tomato,chopped

3-4 Garlic pods

3/4" Ginger,roughly chopped

1 tsp Red chili powder

1/3 tsp Turmeric powder

1/4 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

1 tsp Oil

for Kadai masala:

1 1/2 tbsp Coriander seeds

1 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

7-8 black Pepper corns

2 Red chillies

1/2" Cinnamon

2-3 Cloves

Method:

to make Kadai Masala:

• Dry roast coriander seeds,cumin seeds,black peppercorns,red chillies,cinnamon and cloves separately until they turn slightly brown and starts releasing the aroma.
• Cool them and pound it in a mortar and pestle to a coarse masala.You can even grind it in mixer to a coarse powder but I prefer to pound my spices manually for this recipe.

to make Tomato-Onion masala:

• Heat 1 tsp of oil and add garlic,ginger and fry for a couple of minutes.
• Add chopped onions and fry until they turn pink.
• Add tomatoes and fry well until the tomatoes turn mushy.
• Add turmeric powder,little salt,red chili powder,sugar and cover it and cook well for a couple of minutes.
• Cool the mixture and grind it to a fine paste and keep it ready.

to roast Vegetables:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil and add chopped paneer pieces and fry them until you see light golden spots.You should not fry them for long,otherwise the paneer will become hard.So just fry for a minute on either side.Remove and keep it aside.
• In the same pan add little more oil if required and add the cubed bell peppers and fry for a couple of minutes.Maintain the crispy ness of the bell peppers which is a key taste for the curry.
• Add cubed onions and fry for a minute along with the bell peppers and add seeded and cubed tomatoes at the end and fry for a minute.Take care that onions should be crispy and also the tomatoes should be slightly cooked and not become mushy and also should not loose their shape.
• Now add fried paneer pieces to the pan and add the kadai masala and required salt and mix the vegetables and paneer pieces well until the masala coats all the vegetables and paneer.Leave them aside for sometime.

to assemble the kadai paneer:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai and add bay leaf and ground tomato-onion mixture and fry well.
• Add kasuri methi(slightly press it in between your fingers before adding) and required salt(remember you added salt to the veggies and also the ground tomato-onion mixture early).Cook the mixture until it is very thick.
• Reduce the flame or remove the kadai from the flame and add beaten curd to it and cook for another few minutes.The gravy should be thick enough to coat the vegetables,but it should not be of flowing consistency.
• Add the roasted vegetables and paneer pieces(coated with the masala) to the gravy mixture and mix well.
• Add coriander at the end or either garnish the kadai paneer with coriander at the end.

Serve it hot with Naan/Roti/Kulcha/Chapati/Paratha.It tastes very delicious and pair up beautifully with any flat bread or pulao.I served them with laccha paratha.

Notes:

1. Use freshly pound masalas (kadai masala) and do not replace them with either ready powders or Garam masala .The taste definitely differs.
2. Maintain the crispyness of bell peppers and onion while roasting,which makes the bite of them more delicious in the curry.
3. Malai paneer tastes quite good in the recipe.If you do not get hold of malai(soft) paneer,you can keep your paneer pieces soaked in warm water after they are roasted.This will make the paneer pieces very moist.

Check out other Paneer recipes in my blog:

Paneer Butter Masala - Restaurant style!!

Paneer Modak Peda

Paneer Tikka 

Paneer Bhurji

Paneer Jalfrezi

Paneer Sabzi | Simple Paneer Curry

Palak Paneer

Paneer Makhani/Paneer Makhanwala

Grilled Corn-Palak Paneer | Makai Palak Paneer

Matar Paneer

 

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PANEER JALFREZI | PANEER RECIPES

I have recently posted a simple paneer sabzi in my blog which is quite easy to make and tastes delicious too.Today's version is similar to my simple paneer sabzi recipe which I posted earlier.Ever since I have found this recipe in Nita Mehta's cook book,I have been preparing Paneer Jalfrezi recipe.I have avoided few ingredients and added few more ingredients to the original recipe to suit our taste buds.

These kind of dry paneer sabzis like my simple paneer sabzi, paneer bhurji, paneer jalfrezi and kadai paneer make excellent fillings for frankies or sandwiches(like foot longs).Hence, I always make more quantity of these sabzis so that I can use them for my next day morning's breakfast in the form of rolls.I can say it serves the dual purpose - TWO-in-ONE Recipe.The list of ingredients looks long but all the ingredients are easily available in any Indian pantry,so go ahead and try this to treat your family.
Paneer Jalfrezi Recipe:
(serves 2)
source: adapted from Nita Mehta

Ingredients:
250 gms Homemade Paneer (or store bought) ,cut into thin strips of 1" pieces
1 Onion,cut into half ring julienne
1 Tomato+ pulp of another tomato mentioned below,pureed
2 tsp Tomato ketchup
1 tsp Kasoori Methi
2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
Salt to taste

masalas:
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/4 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp Red chili powder
1/2 tsp Amchur powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

vegetables:
1/3 cup Bell peppers(red and yellow),cut into thin strips of 1" pieces
1/4 cup green Capsicum,cut into thin strips of 1" pieces
1 Carrot,cut into thin strips of 1" pieces
1 firm Tomato,seeded and cut into thin strips of 1" pieces

for tempering:
2 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Nigella(Kalonji) seeds
Method:

• Cut all the vegetables uniformly into 1" thin strips.Remove the pulp of tomato and cut into thin strips.
• Puree the other tomato with the pulp of tomato(which was cut into strips).
• Heat oil in a kadai/pan and add cumin seeds and nigella seeds and let them splutter.
• Add julienne onions and fry until they turn pink and then add ginger-garlic paste and fry well for a minute.
• Add thinly cut carrot strips and fry on high flame for 1-2 minutes.
• Add tomato puree, tomato ketchup, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, amchur powder, garam masala, kasuri methi and salt. Fry them until the mixture is slightly dry.
• Add the colored bell peppers,capsicum and fry again on high flame for 2 mins.
• Add tomato strips(seeded and cut) and paneer strips and gently mix them until all the masalas coat all the vegetables and paneer.Continue cooking for 2-3 mins.

Serve it hot with roti/paratha/pulaos.
Other serving suggestions:

• Stuff it in a thick chapathi and eat as a kathi roll or you can even stuff it in a sandwiches or foot longs.
• If you want to make a kathi roll out of it spread this curry in the center of thick chapathi lengthwise and top it with julienne onions and sprinkle chaat masala generously,salt and pepper and a dash of tomato ketchup and roll it and serve immediately.
• For foot longs apply tomato ketchup and then spread this curry and top it with julienne onions and serve.
• For a normal sandwich,stuff in between two butter ladened bread slices and toast it in toaster or on a pan and serve it with ketchup.

Notes:

1. If your paneer is slightly hard,immerse them in warm water until its usage which will make it soft.
2. You can avoid carrots in the recipe if you do not like them.
3. Do not miss nigella seeds,kasuri methi and tomato ketchup in the recipe.As these three ingredients makes this curry taste different from the usual ones.
4. Her version had mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds and curry leaves in the seasoning.I avoided mustard seeds and curry leaves as I don't like the mustard seeds and curry leaves popping over those pretty paneer pieces.I replaced fenugreek seeds by kasuri methi which works great for this curry.
5. I do not like much of carrots in this recipe,hence I added only one.If you want you can add more carrots in the curry as the original recipe said.

Check out other Paneer recipes in my blog:

• Kadai Paneer - Restaurant style 
• Paneer Butter Masala - Restaurant style!!
• Paneer Modak Peda
• Paneer Tikka 
• Paneer Bhurji
• Paneer Sabzi | Simple Paneer Curry
• Palak Paneer
• Paneer Makhani/Paneer Makhanwala
• Grilled Corn-Palak Paneer | Makai Palak Paneer
• Matar Paneer

 

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