Matar Paneer / Cottage cheese and peas in an aromatic gravy

Paneer or cottage cheese is something that's been popular in North Indian cuisine, and not an inherent part of South Indian food. But with all the 'North Indian' restaurants opening all over in the cities in the South, it was almost mandatory for a person to order for something with paneer, if you ate out at one of these restaurants. Many years back, when I was younger, I remember some families that stuck to very traditional South Indian food at home, but insisted on something with paneer when they ventured out to eat.
The absolute standard order would be paneer butter masala, which was usually an oily, greasy masala with fried paneer floating in it. I could never get myself to even taste it, but people relished it. The slightly healthier option would be a palak paneer and sometimes, for a change, there would be an order for matar paneer.
Unfortunately North Indian food was always associated with a lot of oil and masalas, but that is not how their home cooked food is. Very few restaurants got it right back then, at least.



I was not very fond of paneer and it is something I started enjoying only when I had it home-cooked. This matar paneer is one such dish that I quite enjoy. The usual suspects that go into any such dish would be onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and some masalas. I decided to do it different this time. Onions are added to give some body to the gravy, but there are communities that don't eat onions for religious reasons and so substitute it with ground cashewnuts. I have used an onion and then added some sunflower seeds instead of the cashewnuts, to cut down on the calories and give it a different taste and texture.

Fresh paneer or home made paneer has a wonderful taste, but if you cant find that, and you only option is frozen paneer, then ensure that you keep the paneer in the 'fridge (not freezer). I keep it in the chiller tray of the regrigerator and it works just fine. Keep it out at least 10 mins to half an hour before you plan to use it. Boil a pan with water that should be enough to cover the paneer and then add a little salt. Once the water starts boiling, drop in the paneer pieces and turn off the heat in about 2 mins. Keep the pan covered till you use the paneer. You could also shallow fry the pieces, but deep frying really kills the taste of paneer completely, so please avoid that

Matar Paneer / Cottage cheese and peas in an aromatic gravy

What you need -

150 gm / 3/4 cup paneer / cottage cheese pieces
1 cup shelled green peas
1 onion (can be omitted)
3 pods garlic (can be omitted)
a small piece of ginger
2-3 green chillies
2 tsps sunflower seeds
2 large tomatoes
1/2 cup curds / yoghurt
1-2 tbsp oil (I used rice bran oil)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp jeera powder / cumin seed powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garam masala

What you do with it -

If you are using frozen paneer, thaw it and cut it in pieces
Heat water with a little salt in a pan and bring it to a boil
Drop the paneer pieces and turn off the flame in about 2 mins
Cover and keep aside
If using frozen peas, keep the peas in a bowl of warm water
If using fresh peas, bring the peas to boil in some water, or you could use the microwave to cook the peas
Peel the skin off the tomatoes and cut into large pieces
Roast the sunflower seeds on a low flame for 2-3 mins. Take care not to make it too brown
Chop the onion into pieces
Grind the onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies and roasted sunflower seeds into a smooth paste
Grind the tomatoes, curds and chilli powder to a paste
In a pan, heat about 1 tbsp oil, add kasuri methi and the ground onion paste
Allow it to turn slightly brown, adding about 1 more tbsp of oil, if required.
Once the raw smell of onions is gone, add the tomato-curd paste
Add turmeric powder, salt and cumin powder
Allow it to simmer for about 5 mins and then add the paneer and peas
Simmer for another 3-4 mins
Add the garam masala and the sugar
Stir once and take it off the heat
Serve hot with jeera rice or hot rotis

Karnataka farmer style food - Bas saaru and soppina palya

Its been over a month since I really made some regular South Indian food. There's been a lot of pizza, pasta and the like happening in my kitchen for a while now and last Sunday TH even commented about it. Luckily, TH and my son are very open to any type of food, but definitely our regular food is what is comfort food for us.

At my mom's place, we had this cook for a little while who made amazing Karnataka style food. Avrekayi masala, bisi bele bhath, Mysore rasam and this bas saaru were her specialitiesI found these amaranth leaves / dantina soppu here after a long time, and remembered its been ages since I had this bas saaru. Though this is not something I grew up with, I enjoy the earthy traditional goodness of this dish



This is a nutritious meal that is popular among the Gowda community of Karnataka. In Kannada 'basidu' means strained, since the saaru/rasam is prepared from this strained water it is called 'Bas Saaru'. The broth of the cooked greens and dals is made into a rasam / saaru and the remaining cooked dals and greens are made into a sabji / palya. This is usually had with ragi mudde / finger millet steamed balls. Packed with protein and iron, this is a staple among the farmers in Karnataka who need this to keep them going, with all that hard labour in the fields



We have something very similar in Konkani cooking too, called saar-upkari, where the grains or legumes are cooked with a lot of water. The water is used to make saar and the legumes are made into an upkari or a dry side dish. My favourite is alsande / black-eyed peas saar - upkari.
The bas saaru has more strong spices like cinnamon and garlic, which is not something I regularly use in a saar. This bas saaru is had with ragi mudde which is very nutritious but doesn't really have a taste of its own, so the accompaniments are usually quite spicy.

This made for a nice hearty, healthy Sunday lunch

Bas saaru and soppina palya

What you need -

3 cups packed chopped amaranth leaves (use spinach or any other combination of green leaves)
1/2 cup tur dal
1/4 cup yellow moong dal
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsps grated coconut

3-4 peppercorns
3-4 pods of garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 stick cinnamon
2 tbsp coriander leaves
a small ball of tamarind / 1/4 tsp tamarind extract
1/2 tsp grated jaggery
1 tea spn mustard seeds
2 red chillies
4-5 curry leaves
Oil
Salt

Method:

Combine the greens and the dals in a large vessel. Wash and drain and then add 4 cups of water and a little turmeric powder
Keep it partially covered and allow it to cook on a medium flame till the dal and the greens are cooked
Add a tbsp of grated coconut and continue cooking for another 5 mins
Strain the water and keep aside

For the saaru -
Take about 1/2 a cup of the cooked dal and greens and grind it along with the onion, garlic, pepper corns, cinnamon, coriander leaves and tamarind into a smooth thick paste
Add this paste to the water / broth in which the dal and greens were cooked
Add salt and jaggery and bring it to a boil
Season a few mustard seeds and curry leaves in oil and pour over the saaru

For the palya -
(this is really my version of making this palya, this is how we like it)
Heat a pan with a tsp of oil and a tsp of mustard seeds
Allow the mustard seeds to splutter and add the red chillies and curry leaves
Mix in 1/2 tsp of tamarind paste and 1/2 tsp grated jaggery into the remaining greens and dal and add this to the pan
Add a little salt and cook, adding a little water if required
Garnish with coconut
Serve hot saaru and palya with rice or ragi mudde

Phodni Mirchi / Capsicums in a spicy sesame paste

I am almost at the end of my holidays, actually the end of my son's school holidays, since all our travel plans revolve around that. Once his school starts, its back to the grind again and I start counting days to the next break.
We have been eating out at restaurants and been invited to so many lunches, plus Ma has been making all her specialties at home. Its been a treat and unfortunately, really showing up.
Got to get back home and hop back onto that dreaded treadmill !



Phodni(Foe-d-nee) Mirchi is a Maharashtrian dish which is usually made with green chillies, but Ma has always made it with capsicums instead, since we never ate very spicy food at home. 'Phodni' ~ tadka or tempering and 'mirchi' ~ chillies. This has a zingy spicy taste, almost like a pickle and goes well with a simple dal and some hot rice

It can be stored for 3-4 days in the refrigerator

Phodni Mirchi

What you need -

4 green capsicums
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
juice of half a lemon
1.5 tbsp oil
1/2 salt

To roast and grind-
3-4 green chillies
1.5 tbsp sesame seeds / brown til (white til can also be used, but not the 'nylon' variety)
8-10 fenugreek / methi seeds
a pinch of asafoetida / hing

What you do with it -

Wash and dry the capsicums and green chillies
Chop the green chillies into big pieces and the capsicums into small pieces. Set aside
In a pan, heat a tbsp of oil and add the capsicums and the turmeric powder and roast well
The capsicums should retain a slight crunch, so don't cover the pan
Once done, transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool
In the same pan, add half tbsp oil and roast the green chillies, methi seeds, sesame seeds and hing
The sesame seeds tend to splutter a lot, so be careful while roasting this
Powder this in a blender, without any water
Add it to the cooled capsicum, with the salt
Sprinkle the lemon juice over it and serve with rice and dal

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

Stuffed Okra / Bharwan Bhindi

Ladies finger / okra is one of my favourites and features at least once a week in my kitchen...Surprisingly, I don't seem to have put up too many recipes with okra here.
Stuffed okra tops the list of al the okra recipes and I realised it had been a really long time since I made these.
There are two types of stuffed okras I make, one is what I learnt after coming to Gujarat - its a mild, flavourful one with besan, coconut and spice powders, the other is what I have here for you today...spicy, tangy and served with fried onions !!



Tava vegetables was a very popular dish at buffet lunches at one point and they are lip-smacking, different vegetables, stuffed with spices and served out straight from the tava. Thats where I had these roasted onions with the okra and they make a lovely pair...

What you need -

15-20 fresh tender okra
2 tbsp cleaned and chopped coriander leaves
2 onions
3-4 tbsp oil

Spice powder
2 tbsp cumin/jeera powder
1 tbsp coriander seed / dhania powder
1.5 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp dry mango / amchur powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp aniseed / saunf (whole)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

What you do with it -
Wash the okra, dry them with a kitchen towel
Cut off the two ends and make a slit lengthwise on one side of the okra, without cutting thru it
Keep the okra aside
Chop the onions lengthwise
Mix all the ingredients listed under 'Spice powder' with a tbsp of oil
Add half of the coriander leaves to this
Stuff the okra with the spice powders
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a shallow pan and then add the okra to it
On a low flame, fry the okra till it changes to a dark green colour
Take the okra off the pan and add the onions to the oil remaining in the pan
If you have any of the spice mix remaining, add it to the onions
Once the onions are nice and brown, add the okra back to the pan for a minute and mix with the onions
Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves
You could add the juice of half a lemon to this to make it tangier
Serve hot with rotis/ parathas / rice and dal

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

Aloo matar, aur bohot saare matar....

This is from an ad that used to screen when I was young (that was ages ago...)
I think it was an ad for some refined oil - the mother asks the little girl what she wants to eat and she says "Aloo matar, aur bohot saare matar, aur garam garam puriyan..."
I loved this line and everytime Ma made aloo matar I would say this line - I used to do silly things like that !!

A few years back, we were invited for lunch at one of S's colleague's place. They are Marwaris (who did not eat onions and garlic) and there was this huge spread with puris, aloo matar (I was so tempted to say that line, but had to stop myself), kadai paneer, gatte ki sabji, shrikhand, malpuas, rotis, dal, peas pulav, cant remember the rest.

I had never tasted aloo matar made this way. Mine was always the Punjabi Aloo Matar, dry one with onions and masalas. I took down the recipe from the lady there and have made it many times after that. Here's what it looks like...




What you need -

4 potatoes
2 cup shelled fresh / frozen green peas
1 tomato
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp kalonji
1 tsp oil
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

What you do with it -

Peel and chop the potatoes into bite size pieces
Chop the tomato into tiny pieces
Heat oil in a pressure pan (the flat version of a cooker) or a deep pan
Add the asafoetida and cumin seeds and kalonji when the oil is hot
Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt
Add potatoes and peas and stir in with the oil and masalas
If using a pressure pan, add 1 cup of water and the chopped tomato and cook for one whistle and turn off
If using a pan, add 1.5 cups of water, cover and allow it to cook till the potatoes and peas are cooked. Stir in between and add water if required
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot
Goes really well with puris / rotis / parathas

Cochi-Konkani style Beets

A sect of Konkanis moved to parts of Kerala many many generations ago (I'm talking like 13th century) and over the years have adapted a lot of Kerala in their dialect and cuisine.
They are known as Cochi-Konkanis and their Konkani has so much of Malayalam that I may not understand it too well.

This recipe is from my mom's friend, who's spent the better part of her life in Kerala. This one has garlic, which really makes it different from the regular upkaris / poriyals we make.

I love beets and so does my little one, so I make it quite often in some form or the other. Beets have a good nutritional value, scoring high on potassium, calcium, antioxidants and folic acid ! Juice of beets combined with other juices like carrot and cucumber are supposed to be great for cleansing the kidneys and gallbladder and being a fibrous root, is excellent for eliminating constipation.

All this apart, I love the colour, though my chopping board, peeler, grater, basically half my kitchen and my son's clothes have a nice pink hue when I make anything with beets at home..




What you need -

3 medium sized beets
3 cloves garlic
6-8 curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp oil
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp grated coconut

What you do with it -

Peel and chop the beets into small pieces.
In a pan, add a little oil and season the mustard seeds and curry leaves
Add the beets, salt and a little water and cook covered on low heat
Grind together 3 tbsp coconut, cumin and garlic
When the beet is almost done, add the coconut paste and cook till done
Garnish with the remaining grated coconut

Tendle Bhutti (Kovakkai / Tondekai / Tindora / Ivy Gourd in coconut masala)

The most popular tendle dish in Konkani cuisine is, of course, the tendle-bibbe upkari.
This bhutti has a nice fresh masala which I really like with chapatis and dal.



When we were kids, I was not so big on tendles - I never did fuss over food, but this was not on my 'favourites' list. Actually the only vegetable I really cared about, was the magnificient potato !!

Anyway, a few years back, when my brother had called and we were talking about food (we talk a lot about food - he is on his way to becoming a really good cook !!) and he mentioned this tendle bhutti which ma had made. He made it sound so good, that the next thing I did was to make tendle bhutti. It was really nice. The masala is ground coarse and gives you a taste of all the ingredients that go into it.

Tendle Bhutti

Recipe Source - Rasachandrika, the ultimate Saraswat cookery book

What you need -

250 gm tendle
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
1 tbsp grated jaggery
small ball of tamarind
salt to taste

For the Masala -
5 red chillies
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp black gram/ urad dal
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 coconut grated

What you do with it -

Wash the tendles, slice off both ends and cut them into small pieces
Heat oil in a pan and prepare a seasoning with mustard seeds and asafoetida
Add tendle pieces, salt, jaggery and a little water. Cover and allow it to cook
Roast the grated coconut
In oil, fry the red chillies, coriander seeds, urad dal, garlic and fenugreek seeds
Make a coarse paste with the coconut and the fried ingredients
Add the masala to the cooked tendles and stir well on heat, till all the water is absorbed

Khatkhaten - Vegetables in a coconut base (Konkani style)

Making this is easier than trying to say the name of it !
You pronounce this as 'khat-khat-ein', where the 'ein' needs to be said with a real nasal twang, which we Konkanis are famous for !!
My dad's very close friend's family lives in Goa - they are like an extended family to us. On one of my visits, I happened to go to their place for a self-invited lunch on Monday. The lady of the house was so upset because Mondays are 'Shivraak', its the vegetarian day of the week and she could not make her famous prawn pulav or fish ambotik for me. My son was about a year old and I told her I wanted just simple home-cooked food.



There was Solkadi, dal, rice, chapatis and this khatkhaten - it was a lovely meal, though I was invited the next day again for the fishy spead !!
My son loved the khatkhaten, and its so packed with veggies, that I have started making it very often after that...

Khatkhaten (Mixed Vegetables in a coconut masala)

What you need -

2 cups cubed red pumpkin
1 cups cubed potatoes
1/2 cup beans
1 cup cut carrot
6 triphals / sichuan pepper
10 garlic cloves
1/2 cup grated coconut
3 red chillies
1 tsp coriander seeds
small ball of tamarind
2 tbsp grated jaggery
salt to taste

What you do with it -

Steam the pumpkin, potaotes, beans and carrots
You could do this in a cooker, but keep it for just 1 whistle, or it could get overcooked
Add salt and jaggery to the steamed vegetables
Grind together the coconut, red chillies, 3-4 pods of garlic, coriander seeds and tamarind to make a smooth paste
Add the ground masala to the vegetables
Crush the teppals lightly in a spoon of water and add (Dont grind the teppals - they are too strong in taste)
Simmer on a low flame till it comes to a boil
Heat oil and add the remaining garlic pods and fry till they turn reddish-brown
Add the seasoning to the dish
The teppals can be discarded before you serve. Its used just for the aroma and taste it adds to the dish

This can be had with a simple dal and rice.
Teppal has a very sharp and strong flavour. It tastes great with the fish curries, but I love it in this dish too.

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

Paneer with three coloured capsicums

I just happened to have one red, one yellow and one green capsicum, thats the inspiration behind the name of this otherwise fairly standard paneer capsicum dish.

Everytime we went out for a team lunch from office, there would always be someone who wanted a paneer butter masala or a paneer capsicum. It was such a standard item our our lunch menu, but since I was never a big fan of paneer, I always stayed away from it.

After I got here, and i guess in the memory of all the team lunches that I really miss now, I happen to have this sudden love for paneer.

Actually, the paneer here is excellent - always fresh. Being in the land of Amul, the milk and all milk products are of excellent quality. The cream of the milk is so heavy, that I have started collecting it and making butter and ghee out of it at home. Its what most people always do, but I am just proud that I have overcome my laziness finally and got down to doing this !!



What you need -

400 gms Paneer
3 Capsicums / Bell Peppers
8-10 cashewnuts
2 green chillies
1 tsp jeera / cumin seeds
4 onions
4 tomatoes
5 cloves garlic
1 small piece ginger
handful of coriander leaves
1/2 cup milk
2 tsps cream

What you do with it -

Blanch the tomatoes, remove skin and puree
Chop onions, garlic and ginger. Grind together to a smooth paste
Chop the capsicums into bite sized pieces and saute in a little oil
Cut the paneer into cubes
If the paneer was refrigerated, put the pieces in boiling water for about 5 mins and take it out. This makes is soft
Grind together the cashewnuts, green chillies and jeera with a little water to make a smooth paste
Heat oil in a kadai, add the paste of onion, ginger, garlic and fry it turns slightly brown
Then add the cashewnut paste and fry a bit longer
Add the tomato puree and cook till the oil separates
Now add the paneer and sauted capsicums
Add salt and milk
Garnish with cream and chopped coriander leaves

Tendli Bibbe (Ivy gourd and Cashewnut) Upkari

When I was in school, during one of our summer vacations, my cousin was to visit his grandparents and I tagged along - it was the most peaceful, pampered one week I ever had !!

They lived in a place near Mangalore, had this lovely house with a 'garden' that had about 100 coconut trees, mango trees and even a cashewnut tree...that was the only time I saw the cashew fruit. Serene place, close to a beach which was hardly ever visited by anyone and absolutely awsome food
We were fed every four hours with authentic Konkani food and during our food breaks, we would walk to the beach, or water the plants or sleep - Its been so many years now, but I can still relive that one week as I am writing this।

I could go on and on about it, but what I really wanted to write about was this fabulous 'bibbe upkari' that was made for lunch one of the days.
A side-dish made with just cashewnuts !! Now the thought of it gets me thinking about calories and cholesterol - those days, we lived in the blissful ignorance of all these terms !!

Upkaris are a regular side dish in most Konkani homes - simple, tasty and easy...upkaris are made of beans, carrot, potato, raw banana... basically any vegetable that you can think of ! This tendli bibbe upkari is a big treat, served at weddings, pujas and special lunches॥

Found really tender tendlis in the market and had a pack of cashewnuts, so made this mainly for my son (thats the excuse for almost everything i make, but feel guilty about eating)




What you need -

1/4 kg tendlis / tindora / kovakkai
10-12 cashew nuts
3 tbsp grated coconut
1 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste
1/2 cup water


What you do with it -

Quarter the tendlis length wise
Soak the cashewnuts in warm water for 10 mins
In a pan, heat a tsp of oil and add the mustard seeds to it
Add turmeric powder and asafoetida
Add the tendlis and 1/2 cup water
Once the tendlis are partially cooked, add the cashewnuts and salt
Cook till done
Garnish with grated coconut

Chow Chow

My husband always tries to prove that I (Konkanis, in general) have some Chinese connection !! Konkani is spoken with a very nasal twang and lots of words sound very Chinese to a lay person.
Out of curiousity, I googled on this word "ChowChow" before I started writing this post. I googled more to find out if this was the way its spelt, because this recipe doesnt feature in any recipe books, not even Rasachandrika (The bible for Saraswat cooking) and guess what the first result was for a breed of dogs found in Mongolia and China !!


15/8/12 This pic is an updated one. I seem to have all photos that I uploaded directly into blogger :(

Chow chow is also the name of a vegetable in Kannada - I am not sure of the English equivalent, but its known as Bangalore Kathrikai in Tamil. This recipe has nothing to do with the dogs or this vegetable.

Its a medley of potaoes, beans, carrots and bell peppers in a spicy-tangy dry masala. This is a favourite at Ma's place.

What you need -

3 carrots
2 potatoes
2 green bell peppers
10 french beans (I didnt have these at home, so eliminated it)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp pepper corns
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 heaped teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
juice of 1 lemon

What you do with it -

Cut the vegetables into bite size pieces
Roast the cut bell peppers.
Parboil the potatoes, carrots and beans
Roast the pepper corns, mustard and fenugreek seeds and powder it
In a kadai, heat 2 tsps of oil and add chilli powder, turmeric powder and the dry masala
Add the vegetables and mix well
Add salt and lemon juice

Lauki, chana dal with paanch phoron

Paanch phoron (five spices) is essentially a Bengali blend of 5 whole spices in equal quantities -
Fenugreek (methi), Nigella seed (kalonji), Mustard (rai), Fennel (saunf), Cumin (jeera)

A few years back, my mum was to go to Kolkatta for a wedding and, at that time, I didnt know what this panch phoron was all about, though I had read it in a few recipe books. Though most of the spices are used in my regular cooking, kalonji (nigella seeds) is something I had never used before. I dont think it features anywhere in South Indian cooking.
My mum asked her hosts there where she could buy 'panch phoron' and the lady there promptly gave her a box of this from her kitchen. I then picked up a bottle of mustard oil and started on a lot of Bengali cuisine and loved it.

This time I got a bit experimental and tried it with the usual lauki, chana dal combination.
The spices give a lovely aroma to the dish and this combination really worked for me.



What you need -

1/2 bottle gourd (lauki)
1/2 cup chana dal
1 onion
1 tomato
1 tbsp panch phoron
1 bay leaf
a pinch of turmeric powder
2 green chillies

What you do with it -

Chop onion and green chilli lengthwise. Chop the tomato
Peel bottle gourd and chop into bite size pieces
Soak chana dal in water for about an hour
Heat oil in a pressure pan and add the bay leaf and panch phoron mix
Add onion, green chillies, turmeric powder and fry till onions are translucent
Add chana dal and the bottle gourd pieces
Add tomatoes and salt
Add about 1/2 to 1 cup water and cook in the pressure pan