Paneer, Babycorn Stir fry with Kasuri Methi

I've always liked cooking, though before I was married, it was just an occasional fancy sounding dish, once in a while and I'd never bothered with the basics like roti, dal, sabji...
After I got married, with both of us working really long hours and fairly far from home, we lived off Maggi(instant noodles), omelettes, bread, butter and jam and invariably landed up at Ma's place for dinner and ate out on weekends !



The regular LPG cylinder used for cooking, which lasts about 28-30 days now, lasted for about 11 months, so you get the idea !! I think we had a party when it finally got over, and we got the cylinder replacement :)

Over the years, I got more interested in trying out various cuisines and only after starting my blog, did I really attempt baking and trying out dishes that I hadn't even heard of before
I tend to rely on blogs more than cookbooks, when I am trying out something for the first time. There is so much information on how to go about the dish, the potential mistakes, substituting local ingredients and of course, the fact that these recipes are tried, tested and tasted !

This is one really simple, quick dish that also looks pretty because of the colours of the vegetables used. The main ingredient that contributes to the flavour here is kasuri methi / qasuri methi, which is dried fenugreek leaves. They have a bitter taste and a characteristic smell. Used in small quantity, these leaves enhance the flavour of any dish...
Here it is used with cottage cheese / paneer and baby corn, which on their own, really do not have any distinct taste or smell

I hope to put up more recipes which are simple to make and something that new cooks can easily make...

Paneer, baby corn with kasuri methi

What you need -

10-12 baby corns
150 gms cottage cheese / paneer (10-12 long slices)
2 onions
2 medium size tomatoes
1 green bell pepper / capsicum
1 yellow bell pepper (feel free to use any coloured pepper instead)
1 tbsp kasuri methi
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp amchur powder
1 tsp sliced garlic
coriander leaves to garnish

What you do with it -

Cut the baby corn into half and then slice into 4 lengthwise
Blanch in salted water for 7-8 mins or put them in the microwave for about 3-4 mins
This is important because baby corn doesn't cook as fast as the other vegetables used here
If the paneer is frozen, allow to thaw and then cut into long slices. Heat water and then put the paneer pieces in it and simmer for 3-4 mins and keep covered
If the paneer is fresh, just dip in hot water for 2-3 mins
Cut the peppers, tomatoes and onions lengthwise
In a pan, heat oil and then add cumin seeds and kasuri methi
Add the sliced garlic and fry for 2 mins, then add the onions and peppers and saute till the onions become translucent
Add the baby corn, cumin powder, chilli powder, amchur powder and salt
Add the tomatoes and paneer and saute on high heat for 2 mins
Lower the flame and cover for 2 mins and take it off the heat
Garnish with coriander leaves and sprinkle some lemon juice over it
Serve hot with rotis

Kasuri Methi Aloo Gobi

After an action packed holiday in Bangalore-Coorg-Chennai-Pondicherry, all in 10 days, we were back home and wanted some simple food. As usual, we had overeaten at every single meal and just wanted the basic roti-sabji dinner.
This aloo-gobi is simple and tasty and gets done in about 20 mins. With hot phulkas and a cool cucumber raita, it was a fast and easy dinner.

I also managed to unpack the bags and set up my shiny new 'Preethi' mixer from Chennai, which many friends had suggested. This apparently works really well with the idli-dosa batter grinding. Haven't started using that option as yet, but will do, very soon...



This aloo gobi I make, uses a lot of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), which is one of my favourite herbs...It has a slight bitter taste and a strong smell especially when fried in oil, but does a lot to the taste of what you add it to.


What you need -

2 tsp kasuri methi
3 medium sized potatoes
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 tomato
1.5 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1.5 tsp amchur powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala
2 cloves garlic chopped
small piece of ginger sliced
1 tsp salt

What you do with it -

Peel the potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces
Rinse the potatoes and cauliflower in some water with turmeric powder
In a deep bottom pan, add 2 tsp of oil and the ginger, garlic, kasuri methi, turmeric powder, chilli powder and let it sizzle
Add the potatoes and cauliflower and then add the coriander powder, cumin powder and salt and mix well so that the powders coat the vegetables well
Add 1/4 cup of water, cover and cook for 5-7 mins
Add the chopped tomato and stir once
Cook for another 2-3 mins or till done
Sprinkle amchur powder and chaat masala
Serve hot with rotis

Kasuri Methi Bhindi

Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) - This is one of my magic herbs ! I just love the smell of it and it just transforms the taste of any vegetable and takes it to a whole new level. The best way to make a regular dal-rice dinner more interesting is to have a nice side dish with kasuri methi in it - the slightly bitter-pungent taste always seems to work for me



I've always used potatoes, cauliflower or a combination of the two with kasuri methi.
The other day, I had bhindi lying around and had made dal-rice for dinner, so tried a kasuri methi bhindi and it tasted so good.
Simple, fast and really yum - good for dinner on a week night.

Sometimes just the way a vegetable is cut makes so much of a difference to way it looks finally. I had this girl who helped out at home in Bangalore and she was always innovative in the way she cut vegetables - she always cut bhindi into longish pieces and slit it into four pieces length-wise. For some reason, I always cut bhindi into round small slices and I loved the way the bhindi looked when cut into these strips. So thats what I did this time...

If you have always avoided bhindi because of the sliminess, just ensure that you wash the okra first, dry it well using a kitchen napkin. Fry it with little oil, and cook without using any water. Always use something sour, like tomatoes, lemon or amchur powder, it helps get rid of that sliminess. Cover with a lid and cook and you really should not have any problems.

What you need -

1/2 kg bhindi
2 onions
1 tomato
2 tsps kasuri methi
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp chaat masala (optional)
2-3 tsps oil
juice of half a lemon
salt to taste

What you do with it -

Wash and wipe the bhindis dry
Cut off the edges and then cut into inch long pieces and slit lengthwise
Chop onions and tomatoes lengthwise
Heat oil in a kadai and add the onions
When they turn a little brown, add the kasuri methi and fry for 2-3 mins
Add bhindis and stir for another 5 mins on medium flame
Add more oil if necessary
Add salt and all other powders except the chaat masala
Stir and allow bhindi to cook
When the bhindi is almost done, add the tomato pieces
Cook for 2 more mins and turn off the heat
Sprinkle chaat masala and lemon juice on top and serve hot