Recipe: MATTAR PANEER

Mattar Paneer gravy

The next few recipes are for the dishes I made for lunch on Diwali. The spices used may seem the similar but give or take one or more makes all the difference to the taste. Indian spices – each of them has its own exotic flavour and give out a different aroma when used differently. For eg.: garlic tastes one way when you grind it and very different when you grate it. The same goes for tomatoes too.

If it is a quick method you are looking for then check out the Quick-fix Recipes section of my blog. The section with ‘Recipes’ is all about proper cooking methods that bring out the flavour and aroma of the dishes created.

Mattar Paneer is a gravy with peas and paneer just as the name suggests. It is not so difficult to make and tastes delicious too.

Ingredients:

Peas – ½ kg (I used frozen ones as fresh peas were not available) 
Paneer (cottage cheese) – ¼ kg (cut into cubes)
Tomatoes – 2 (cut into pieces)
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder – 1 pinch

Masala ingredients

Red Chilli powder – 1 pinch
Oil – 2 tsp (for the gravy)
Cream – ½ cup (you can use less)
Chopped Kotmir (Coriander leaves) – 2 tsp
Some oil for frying the paneer

Masala:

Garlic – 2-3 cloves
Green chillies – 4
Ginger – ½ inch piece

Masala cooking

Onions – 2 (cut into pieces)
Dhania – 1 tbsp
Jeera – 1 tbsp
Saunf (Sombu) – 1 tbsp
Cloves – 3
Black pepper – 3
Cinnamon Bar – 1 tiny piece
Elaichi (Elakkaai) – 1
Khuskhus (khasakhasa) – ½ tsp

Method:

1. Boil the peas in water with ½ tsp salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Switch off gas and drain the water when peas are soft.

Tomatoes added to masala

2. Grind the masala ingredients along with some water into a smooth paste. Ensure that all ingredients are well ground.
3. Place a saucepan (kadai) on the stove and add the oil to it. When hot, add the ground masala to the oil. Allow it to cook for a while, stirring regularly. Add a bit of turmeric powder and the red chilli powder before adding salt. Let it cook some more. You can cover the saucepan with a lid and keep the flame at a medium level.
4. Grind the tomatoes and add to the saucepan as well.

Fried paneer

5. Stir for a short while and add the peas to the mixture. Cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Beat the cream and add to the peas gravy and cook for 2-3 minutes before switching off the gas.
7. In another saucepan, heat some oil and shallow fry the paneer cubes in two or three batches till golden brown. Drain the oil and place them on a plate.

Add the fried paneer to the peas-gravy along with kotmir before serving hot along with Puris or Rotis.

Festival: HAPPY DEEPAVALI

One more festival in the long line of celebrations that have been running over three months in a row. And Deepavali is the best of all – a time to celebrate, make merry, visit relatives and friends, a time for giving, one for sharing, wearing new clothes, buying gold and other assets, eat sweets and savouries, burst crackers – let me catch my breath – and whatever you all want to do. The idea is to enjoy and be happy.

The Legend the North Indian way:

Lord Rama slew Ravana of Lanka and rescued Sita Devi from his clutches and that occasion is celebrated as Dassera. Just after the war, Rama, Lakshmana and Sita complete their fourteen years of exile outside the home country of Ayodhya. Lord Rama’s triumphant return to Ayodhya is celebrated as Deepavali. The people were overjoyed to have the rightful heir to the throne return to take up the reins.

How Deepavali came about in South India?

Narakasura was a demon who was born to Bhumi Devi or the Goddess of Earth. He performed severe penances and became very powerful. So much so, that he threatened the city of Indra. He battles with the King of Devas and wins over his crown. A petrified Indra goes to Lord Krishna and seeks his help. The Lord went into battle with the asura and after a long fight, cut of his head with the Sudarshana Chakra. The dying Narakasura requested Lord Krishna to grant him the boon that his death day would be celebrated as Deepavali. This is the day when good triumphs over evil and the people celebrate it by taking a Ganga Snan – a ritual oil bath – early in the morning. The Lord had promised that the divine River Ganges will flow through all the water ways on that day. People wear new clothes, light a number of lamps, burst crackers and eat sweets to celebrate the end of the demoniac era.

Recipe: RAVA LADOO

One more easy-to-make sweet recipe that you can relish this Diwali! Another recipe from my Grandma’s kitchen! :)
Ingredients:

Rava – 3 cups
Sugar – 2 cups (ground to a fine powder)
Ghee – ½ cup
Elaichi – 8 (peeled and powdered)
Kaju – 6 (broken into small pieces)

Method:

Take a saucepan and add two spoons of ghee to it. Once heated, add the rava and roast it in the ghee till golden brown in colour. Stir continuously to ensure that the rava is evenly roasted. Cool the rava and grind it to a coarse powder.

Mix the powdered rava and sugar and add the elaichi powder to it. Heat the rest of the ghee and fry the broken kaju in it and add the whole thing to the rava ladoo mix.

Mix well and mould into round balls the size of lemons. The delicious Rava Ladoo is ready to eat now. Have a wonderful Diwali, one and all!

Recipe: RIBBON PAKODA

We can’t just manage with the sweet, can we? So try out this salt item that is easy to prepare and yummy too!

Ingredients:

Rice flour – 3 cups
Besan flour – 1 cup
White butter – 1 cup
Water – as required
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:

Take a flat vessel and add the two flours and salt to it. Mix it lightly before adding the butter and mix well. Then add water and mix into dough the consistency of that you make for rotis. Heat oil in a saucepan. Use a hand-press (check out picture) to squeeze the dough in the requisite shape – that of ribbons – directly into the hot oil. Be careful so that the steam rising from the saucepan does not hurt you. Wait for a few moments for the pakoda to fry before turning it over to fry the other side. The oil stops bubbling once the pakoda is cooked. Make sure that it is cooked to a nice golden brown colour and does not become too brown. That is the right time to remove it and place it on a tray lined with paper towel. Store it in an air-tight container once the ribbon pakoda is cooled. The crunchy Ribbon Pakoda tastes delicious with Godhumai Halwa or with tea or coffee.

Recipe: GODHUMAI HALWA

Otherwise known as Wheat Halwa, this is one of my favourite sweets. I remember my grandmother, Pattu Paatti, making this so many times. After all these years, while I handle my kitchen, I appreciate the way in which Paatti took care while cooking anything. I used to think that she took too much tension. Looking back, I realise that it was not tension but a load of respect to the process of creating a dish. Thank you Paatti, for making me aware of the value of great cooking!

Ingredients:

Wheat – 1 cup (soaked in water for about 4 hours)
Water – 2-3 cups
Sugar – 2 ½ cups
Elaichi (Cardamom) – 6 (peeled and powdered)
Kesar – a little
Badam, Kaju, Pista – 3 each (sliced into slivers)
Kesar colour – 1 pinch
Ghee – 1 cup

Method:

Grind the soaked wheat along with water into a fine paste and strain the white milk through a tea strainer or a fine cloth. Grind for 3-4 times till the milk extract is quite thin. Keep the thick milk in one vessel and the last thin one separately.

Take a steel plate or tray and apply ghee to the surface and keep aside. Shallow fry the dry fruit slivers till they are crisp.

Take a thick-bottomed vessel (a pressure cooker or pan can be used) and add the sugar and a cup of water to it. Heat it on the gas till the sugar dissolves. Filter the sugar water before heating it again till it thickens to the consistency of honey. Keep the flame low and add the thick wheat milk extract while stirring non-stop. Add half a cup of ghee while stirring the mixture as it thickens. Make sure that it does not get stuck to the bottom of the vessel. Stir continuously while adding kesar colour, kesar and elaichi powder. The mixture must be quite thick now. Add the thin milk and mix in well. Add the rest of the ghee, fried dry fruits and cook till the mixture begins to leave the sides.

Pour the hot halwa mixture on to the prepared steel tray. Wait for the mixture to cool for a while before cutting the halwa into squares.

You can have the delicious melt-in-the-mouth halwa immediately or wait for Diwali morning!