A Sweet Present For My Friend

Cakes That I Bake - A cake that I gifted to my Best Friend.

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Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer Butter Masala has been my favorite since childhood. I used to savor this at a restaurant called Minerva in Hyderabad. Whenever my dad takes us there for 'The Special Sunday Dinner', I used to order this dish with butter naan for sure. I used to crave this dish here and tried all sorts of recipes to expertise and reach the taste close to that I ate at Minerva.

Well, I guess ' Mere Manoo kamna puri hogayi -My wishes have been fulfilled' with this recipe. It is very close to the one I ate and would like to share with you all. Give it a try !

Ingredients :

Serves : 4

Difficulty : Very Easy

8-9 oz , 250 gms - Paneer, cut into small squares

1 tbsp - Butter

2 1/2 - 3 cups - Milk

1/2 - Onion , finely chopped

2 1/2 tbsp - Tomato puree (or) 1 tbsp - Tomato paste

1 tsp - Tomato ketchup

1/2 tsp - Ginger Garlic paste

1 tsp - Coriander powder

1/4 tsp - Garam masala powder

1/2 tsp - Red chilli powder

1/8 tsp or pinch - Orange food color

2 tsps - Salt or to taste

Method:

In a thick non stick sauce pan or kadai, on medium-high heat, add butter. When the butter melts, add finely chopped onion. Stir for few minutes till they turn transparent. Add G-G paste.

Cook for another minute.

Add coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, tomato ketchup and tomato puree or paste. Mix well. Add milk and combine well again. Simmer the heat and let it cook till the butter floats on the top of the gravy. Note: If the gravy is too thick add little more milk or if it is too thin let it simmer for more time. Add orange food color and salt. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add fresh diced panner to the gravy. Cover the pan with lid and cook for 5 mins on low flame.Turn off the heat and serve Garama-Garam, Taaza Taaza with Naan or with Pulav.

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Bread Upma

Bread Upma

Bread is readily available in many homes. It serves as a quick breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner too. I was never inclined towards eating bread when I was a kid, as I had a different attitude towards it. I used to think only sick people eat them. But, I've changed after coming here to US. So many varieties of bread is available and it is staple food here.

Subway sandwiches serves a quick and healthy bite on a busy day. I buy a loaf of bread almost every week and use it to make sandwiches like bread-butter sandwich, with lettuce,tomato, with green chutney or pudina chutney, with potato curry, bread pakodas and this recipe - Bread upma.

Bread upma is taught to me by my husband, who was taught by my MIL. I've liked it a lot and has become a regular item in my home. When I get bored of the sandwiches and when I want to make something fast and different from usual tiffins, I prepare this dish. It is a very yummy food. You'll love it.

Ingredients:
(serves : 2)

12 loaves - Bread (White or Wheat)
1 - Small onion
1 - Medium sized tomato
10-12 - Peanuts, roasted
3 - Green Chillies
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp - Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp - Garam masala powder(optional)
1 tbsp - Lemon juice

1 tsp - Salt (adjust salt accordingly, bread contains salt too)
Few sprigs of coriander leaves
3 tbsps - Oil

Method:

Take bread slices and tear them into bite size pieces - roughly, they need not be the exact same sizes. Sprinkle about 1/5 cup water and mix gently, trying not to make it mushy.Chop onions, tomatoes and green chillies into small size.

Chop coriander leaves.In a pan, on medium-high heat, add oil. When oil turns hot, add green chillies, peanuts, onions. When onions turn transperant, add turmeric and tomatoes, cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Add bread pieces and mix well. Now add red chilli powder and garam masala powder. Mix again. Cook for about 10 mins on medium flame, till the bread pieces gets crispy on sides. Add coriander leaves and lemon juice and mix well. Turn off the heat. Serve hot.

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Bitter Gourd Kootu

Kakara Kaya Kootu

Bitter gourd - ' Yikes- sooo bitter'. Are you the one who feels this way about this vegetable ? Try this dish. Bitter gourd is one of my favorite vegetable-'Yes,I am right' and the one who made me like it, is my Mom. She used to make dishes out of this vegetable in such a way that anybody who eats will definetly start liking it. And, another thing she used to say about eating this vegetable is that it is good for health and it will remove all the bad stuff in the stomach. I don't know if that's true :-)

Kakara kaya kootu or Noori-pettina pulusu is a regular in my home and is considered a special dish. It is called Noori-pettina pulusu because of the ground-masala coconut paste which is added to the tamarind juice. ' Noori pettadam' traditionally means 'to grind in mortar and pestle' in Telugu.

Ingredients:

2 - Kakara kayalu, Bitter gourd
1/2 cup - Toor dal, kandhi pappu - cooked
1 lemon size - Tamarind
2 tbsp - Peanuts, roasted
1 1/2 tsp - Salt or to taste
1/2 tsp - Turmeric
2 tsp - Oil

For Coconut-masala paste:

1/4 cup - Coconut , grated
1 tbsp - Coriander seeds ( Dhaniyalu)
1 tbsp - Channa dal ( Sanaga pappu)
1/2 tbsp - Urad dal ( Mina pappu)
1/2 tsp - Fenugreek seeds ( Menthulu)
3-4 - Red chillies
pinch of asafoetida

For Tempering :

1 tsp - Mustard seeds ( avaalu, rai)
1 tsp - Urad dal ( mina pappu)
1/2 tsp - Fenugreek seeds ( methulu)
Few curry leaves

Wash and cut Bitter gourd into desired shape, either small squares or circles. Put them in a colander and add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp turmeric and mix well. Keep it aside for about 20-25 mins. Now, take the chopped and soaked bitter gourd into your fist by your hand and squeeze harder to take out the juice from the vegetable. Repeat for the rest of the vegetable.

Note: It is said that the juice which is extracted from the bitter gourd is very good for Diabetics.

Soak tamarind in 1-1/2 cup warm water and make tamarind juice.

In a pan, add 1 tsp oil and fry all the ingredients except coconut, till the dals turns golden brown. Grind everything, along with grated coconut into smooth paste by adding little water when needed.

Now, in a sauce-pan, on medium-high heat, add remaining oil and do the tempering. Add roasted peanuts. Add the bitter gourd and fry for about 1-2 mins. Add the tamarind juice, turmeric, salt and let it boil for 8-9 mins. Add cooked dal and mix well. Add the ground paste and mix well. Make sure there are no lumps. Let it cook for another 5 mins till you get a nice aroma. Turn off the heat.

You can add 1 tsp sugar or jaggery to the kootu, before adding cooked dal and masala paste, to reduce it's bitterness.

Serve hot with rice.


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