PALAK PANEER GRAVY - INDIAN COTTAGE CHEESE COOKED WITH SPINACH GRAVY

Palak paneer is a delicious gravy that goes very well with roti varieties. It is so tasty, creamy, rich and healthy dish. Paneer is always our favourite thing. This palak paneer is a north Indian curry variety, which mainly used spinach and paneer as base. We usually prefer to prepare and eat this curry in home only. Very few times may be one or two times only we had this in restaurant.

Do try this yummy recipe and don’t forget to tell me how it turns out for you.

Ok now coming to the recipe.

VIDEO RECIPE:

PALAK PANEER

RECIPE TYPE: SIDE DISH | CUISINE: NORTH INDIAN |

PREPARATION TIME: 5 MIN | COOKING TIME: 10 MIN

INGREDIENTS:

                                                                                   

2 cup palak tightly packed

1 medium onion

1 medium tomato

1 cup paneer

1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala powder

2-3 green chillis

4-5 garlic pods

2 inch ginger 

1 teaspoon kasoori methi

(|Dried fenugreek leaves)

4 -5 cashew nuts

salt to taste

2 tablespoon fresh cream

1 cup water

2 tablespoon butter

1 inch cinnamon

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

METHOD:

Finely chop the onion and tomatoes separately.

Wash the spinach/palak and cook in boiling water just for 2 minutes. Then drain and soak them in cold water to avoid the change of color.

Grind the cooked palak, green chillies, ginger, garlic and cashew nuts in to smooth paste.

In a pan add a table spoon of butter and sauté the paneer for few minutes. Keep it aside.

In the same pan add the remaining butter. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, and cinnamon and saute well.
Then add the onion and sauté till it becomes translucent.

Then add tomatoes and required salt and sauté till the tomatoes becomes mushy. Add salt.

Then add the ground palak paste and sauté. Add the chilli powder and mix well.

Add water and let it boil for around 2 to 5 minutes till the raw smell goes off. Now the gravy becomes thick and creamy. Check for salt and add if needed. Add the sauted paneer and mix well.

Add garam masala and kasoori methi and mix well.

Pour the cooking cream on the top and serve hot with any roti or mild pulao varieties.

NOTES:

• You can sauté the palak instead of blanching and then grind with green chillies.
• Don’t use more chilli powder as it will change the color. If you want spicier you can add more green chillies.
• If you want, you can soak the sauted paneer in warm water to retain its softness.
• Instead of ginger & garlic you can add the ginger garlic paste.
• You can use soaked badam intead of cashew

Do try this recipe and please don’t forget to give your feedback in comments.

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CHANNA(CHOLE/CHICKPEAS) MASALA RECIPE- WITH VIDEO

Channa Masala/chole masala is an easy yummy gravy pairs up great with rotis or pooris. It is one of the very popular gravy in india. The main ingredient used is channa/chick peas. Ie., chickpeas cooked in spicy flavourful gravy.

Everyone may follow different ways to make the gravy. Here I hae given one ways which I usually follows, one more method is there, in future I will post that too.

Ok now coming to the recipe
.
VIDEO 



RECIPE:

                  CHANNA/CHOLE MASALA

RECIPE TYPE: MAIN | CUISINE: NORTH INDIAN |

PREPARATION TIME: 15 MIN | COOKING TIME: 20 MIN

                                                                                            

METHOD:

Wash and soak the chick peas/channa overnight or for minimum 5 hours.

Then cook the channa dhal till it becomes soft with little salt.

Drain the channa and keep aside.

Grind the green chillies , onion , tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and mint leaves in to smooth paste by adding a little water. Keep the ground paste aside.

In a heavy bottomed pan, add the oil and ghee, once it becomes hot, add the whole masala given under the “for tempering” table.

Then add the ground paste and sauté well. Add the chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder, and mix well.

Add required salt and mix well.

Once the masala cooked well, add water and mix well.

Close the pan with lid and let it boil for around 5 to 10 minutes. Add the cooked chick peas and close the lid and let it boil for 5 more minutes.

Then add the garam masala powder and finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

At the end add the cooking cream and remove from heat.

Serve hot with chapathi or any other rotis as per your wish.

NOTES:

I used the chickpeas boiled water(chickpea brine) to prepare aquafaba, so I didn’t add salt while cooking chickpeas, if you add the salt while cooking chickpeas, add adjust the salt quantity while adding in gravy.

You can use ginger garlic paste and sauté, instead of grinding with onion and tomato. 

Adding cream is optional only, you can omit that.

Adding garam masala at the end gives very nice fresh flavor to the gravy.

Do try this recipe and please don’t forget to give your feedback in comments. 

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KASI HALWA / WHITE PUMPKIN HALWA (POOSANIKKAAI HALWA)

KASI HALWA / WHITE PUMPKIN HALWA (POOSANIKKAAI HALWA)

Poosanikkaai halwa/Kasi halwa(White pumpkin halwa) is a easy and tasty halwa recipe which requires minimal ingredients only. Actually this halwa is served commonly in south Indian weddings also.

My sister is expert in making this halwa, she made this halwa many times than me.

It is much simple when compared to our traditional wheat halwa and it requires lesser ghee than wheat halwa.

The only time consuming part in making of this kasi halwa is shredding the white pumpkin. Other than that, it is very easy to make.

White pumpkin and sugar are the major ingredients of this halwa.

Ok now coming to the recipe.

VIDEO RECIPE:

            KASI HALWA/WHITE PUMPKIN HALWA

(POOSANIKKAAI HALWA)

RECIPE TYPE: SWEET | CUISINE: SOUTH INDIAN |

PREPARATION TIME: 15 MIN | COOKING TIME: 15 MIN

                                                                                              

METHOD:

First peal the skin of the white pumpkin and remove the center part with seeds.

Then finely grate it. Discard the last pieces if anything left out. Because the grated pumpkin should be of same size, then only the texture of halwa will be great and will be evenly cooked.

Squeeze the grated pumpkin and to remove excess water. It will reduce the cooking time. No need to squeeze fully, little water is require to get it cooked.

Then in a heavy bottomed pan heat a tablespoon of ghee and add the cashews and let it roast.

Then remove and keep aside.

In the same pan add some more ghee and grated white pumpkin. Sauté it well in low medium flame for around 5 to 7 minutes. Close the lid and cook and stir in between to avoid burning at the bottom.

 Once it cooked completely, i.e., the pumpkin will be soft, add the sugar and stir continuously. Add the cardamom powder, saffron strands and color powder .Stir well.

Add the ghee little by little in between and stir continuously. The heat should be medium.

Once it comes together you can see white spots in the bottom side while stirring. Add the roasted cashews and stir.

Yummy kasi halwa is ready. Serve.

NOTES:

If you prepare in bulk you can cut the white pumpkin as pieces and cook in water. Then drain the water and let it cool a bit. Then grind in mixer grinder. Don’t grind it as smooth paste, just give few pulse. Then sauté in ghee for few minutes and follow the same procedure as said above.

You can use yellow color also instead of orange, or completely skip and use only saffron for color.

You can use a pinch of edible camphor for different flavor.  

Do try this recipe and please don’t forget to give your feedback in comments.

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ALMOND VERMICELLI KHEER/PAAYASAM

ALMOND VERMICELLI KHEER/PAAYASAM

Almond vermicelli kheer/paayasam is slightly different from our normal vermicelli payasam. It is so rich and tasty kheer that can be made in jiffy. For this recipe I have used very thin vermicelli/semiya but you can use any type.

My friend kalpana told me this method of preparing kheer. Thanks you kalpnaJ

Nowadays am preparing this kheer only during guest visits for payasam.

So so try this recipe and tell me how it turned out for you.

Ok now coming to the recipe.
VIDEO RECIPE:

            ALMOND VERMICELLI KHEER/PAYASAM

RECIPE TYPE: SWEET | CUISINE: INDIAN |

PREPARATION TIME: 2 MIN | COOKING TIME: 10 MIN

                                                

                                           

METHOD:

Grind the almonds, cashew, saffron and cardamom to a coarse powder. Don’t grind more; just give few pulse that’s enough. The ground mixture will be having few almond and cashew bits also.

In a heavy bottomed pan add the ghee and roast the vermicelli for 1 or 2 minutes, be careful, vermicelli will burnt soon, so roast in low flame.

Add milk and water let it boil  allow the vermicelli to cook till it becomes soft, not mushy.

Once the vermicelli is half cooked, add the ground almond, cashew mixture and mix well.

Allow it to boil for few more minutes.

 Once the vermicelli cooked fully , add the sugar and let it boil till the kheer reaches desired consistency. Then remove from flame and serve.

This kheer will tastes yummy in both the ways hot or cold.

NOTES:

•  Roasting the vermicelli gives nice flavor and prevents the vermicelli to become mushy while cooking. 
• While grinding the almond& cashew don’t make it as smooth powder, because the left small nut bits will be good while having the kheer.
• Remember the kheer will become thick once cooled. So add boiled milk if required to get right consistency while serving.

Do try this recipe and please don’t forget to give your feedback in comments.

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