Potato and herb salad

Introduction:

This potato salad will give you the feel of international taste while sitting at your home dining table. It is made up of simple ingredients but tastes delicious. Try this salad as a variant for your dinner table.

Ingredients:

Baby potatotes: 8 (boiled and peeled)

Hung curd: 1 cup

Dry pudina powder: 1 tsp

Chopped green chillies: 2

Chopped coriander: ½ cup

Chopped mint leaves: ½ cup

Lemon juice: 1 tsp

Black pepper powder: ½ tsp

Mayonnise: 2 tsp

Salt: to taste

Oil: 1 tsp

White sesame seeds: 1 tsp

Method:

Peel the boiled potatoes and with help of a fork, poke all the potatoes. In a bowl, take hung curd. Add dry pudina powder, black pepper , salt and lemon juice to it and mix well. Add potatoes to it and mix well. Let it rest for 3-4 mins. Now mix chopped coriander, mint leaves and mayonnise to it and mix well. In a pan, heat oil. Add white sesame seeds to it. When they starts spluttering, add this dressing all over the salad. Serve immediately.

Tips:

This salad taste much good if the potatoes are a little warm. So try to make the salad with freshly boiled potatoes to retain the warmness.

You can add spring onions and any other herb of your choice to this salad.

Khoya Matar

Introduction:

This recipe is yet another addition to party dishes. It is excellent for main course and contains the sweetness of green peas with the richness of cashew and evaporated milk.

So try this tasty recipe in this winter season.

Ingredients:

Khoya/Mawa: 1 cup

Green peas (peeled and shelled): 3 cup

Tomatoes(Medium sized): 3-4

Green chillies: 2

Cashew nuts: ½ cup

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: ¾ tsp

Corriander powder: 1 tsp

Fenel seeds powder (saunf): 1 tsp

Garam masala powder: ¾ tsp

Sugar: ¼ tsp

Bay leafs: 2 (optional)

Oil: 4-5 tsp

Salt: to taste

Chopped coriander: for garnishing

Coconut powder: for garnishing

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Method:

Wash all the vegetables. Boil water in a pan and add tomatoes and green peas into it. Let them boil for 5 mins without covering. Strain the vegetables. Peel off the skin of the tomatoes and make a smooth paste of it with green chillies.

Heat oil in a pan and add bay leafs to it (if using). When they splutter, Add mawa to it and simmer the flame. Keep stirring and cook the mawa till it changes color and starts becoming granular. Now add all the dry spices to it and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the peas and tomato paste to it. Give a nice stir to the mixture and cover it with lid. Let the mixture to cook on sim to medium flame for 5-8 mins. Adjust the seasoning and add half broken cashew nuts and sugar to it. Cook again till a thin layer of oil comes over the mixture(5-6 mins). Put off the flame.

Garnish it with chopped fresh coriander and coconut powder. Serve hot with chapatis or Paranthas.

 

Kadhai Paneer

Introduction:

"Kadhai paneer" is an ultimate combination of capsicum and cottage cheese. This curry is really good for those who avoid to eat a lot of gravy dishes. This is so easy to prepare and delicious for day to day servings. I'm telling you the recipe for kadhai paneer without onions and garlic but if you like, you can add onions and garlic to the dish.

Ingredients:

Green Capsicum: 250 gm

Cottage cheese: 150 gm

Tomatoes: 4-5 medium sized

Giner: 1 inch piece

Green chillies: 2 (finely chopped)
Curd:1/2 cup
Fresh cream/malai: 4 tsp
Cumin seeds: 2 tsp
Bay leaf-4
cloves-4
Black peppercorn: 4
Cinamon stick: 1/2 inch piece
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder: 2 tsp
Garam masala powder: 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder: 1/4 tsp
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Oil: 5 tsp
Green corriander: for garnishing
Fresh cream: for garnishing

Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 15 min
Serves for : 4 Persons

Method:

Wash all the vegetables. Soak the paneer in water so that it will get soft. Cut the stem and Deseed the capsicum. cut the capsicum in suitable size square pieces. Finely chop the tomatoes. chop the green chillies. Peel and grate the ginger.

Heat oil in kadhai. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, cinamon and black peppercorn to it. Fry till it starts spluttering. Now add chopped tomatoes, green chillies and ginger to the oil and let it cook till the tomatoes get mushy and leaves oil on surface. It will take approximately 3 minute on medium flame. Now add chopped capsicum to it and mix well. Add all the powdered spices and cover the kadhai with lid. let it cook for 5 minuts on slow flame. Open the lid and check that the capsicums are soft. Now add The beaten curd with malai to the kadhai and mix well.Cook for 2 minutes. The mixture will turn into a rich colorful gravy.

Take the paneer out of the water. Cut the paneer into square pieces and add to the gravy. Mix well. Cook for 3-4 minutes or till the paneer is perfectly mixed in gravy. Put off the flame.

Garnish the recipe with chopped green corriander and whipped fresh cream. Serve it with hot chapatis, paranthas and naan.

TIPS:
1. Sugar is added to cut the sourness of curd.
2. You can also make a smooth paste of tomatoes and grren chillies. But the chopped version of tomatoes make it more delicious.
3. Capsicums and paneer can also be deep fried before adding it to the recipes. This will make the curry more quickly, as we do not need to cook till the capsicums are soft but it will result in a more oily dish.
4. Onions and garlic can aslo be added. Add the chopped onions and garlic before adding tomatoes and cook them till it turns golden brown. Then follow the recipes as mentioned above.

Dal Makhani

Introduction:

"Dal Makhani" is a very famous dish from punjabi cuisine. The whole black urad dal is cooked with kidney beans in a rich, creamy gravy and excellent for every party dinner. This tastes awesome with hot chapatis and rotis. So let's make ur weekend lunch and dinner special by cooking dal makhani for your family.

Ingredients:

For dal

Whole black urad dal: 1 cup

Kidney beans(Rajma): 1/4 cup

Onions: 1 cup (chopped)

Green chillies: 1 tsp(minced or paste)

Ginger: 1 tsp(chopped)

Garlic: 5-7(chopped)

Tomatoes: 2 (pureed)

Fresh Yogurt: 1/4 cup(beaten)

Fresh cream: 1/4 cup(beaten)

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp

Corriander powder: 1 tsp

Garam masala: 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp

Asefoetida: 1/4 tsp

Butter: 3 tsp

Salt: to taste

For garnishing:

Onions: 1(cut into rings)

Lemon juice: 2 tsp

Fresh cream: 2 tsp

Chopped corriander leaves

Preparation time: 10 hours(for soaking the dal)

Cooking time: 20 mins

Serves for: 2 persons

Method:

Soak the dal and rajma in 3 cupsof water for 6-7 hours or overnight. Strain and wash th soked dal and pressure cook it with 3 cups of water, 1/2 of salt, 1/2 of ginger and a pinch of soda bicarbonate. Cook for 2 whistles on  medium flame. Sim the gas and cook for 5-6 mins. Put off the flame and let the pressure to get released by itself. Meanwhile, prepare all the vegetables for the tadka.

Heat butter in a pan. Add cumin seeds and asefoetida in it. Add onions and garlic into it. Saute till the onions are translucent. Now add all the spices into it and saute for another minute. Add tomato puree, green chilli paste and ginger into it. cook on low flame till the oil separates. Add beaten curd into it and continue to cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionaly.

Open up the cooker and check whether dal is properly cooked. Add the boiled dal and rajma in the tadka and cook on low flame for 5 mins. Add cream into it and cook for 5 mins. Put off the flame. Take the dal in serving bowl. Garnish it with lemon juice, cream and onion rings. You can add a spoonful of butter also.

TIPS:

1. The most important point is that the dal and rajmas should be properly cooked and get softened in the cooker. So cook it accordingly.

2. Dal makhani is thick in consistency. so you need not to add extra water into it. The amount of water used for pressure cooking the dal will be sufficient.

3. Cook the dal on low flame. Then only the gravy gets more creamy.