“Paneer dishes are probably the most common choices in the vegetarian menu while ordering food or cooking something special at home. There are many Paneer options to choose from like Paneer Butter Masala, Paneer Tikka Masala, Kadai Paneer etc. Although all these dishes are great in taste yet it gets repetitive and boring once you have tried all of them with their traditional style. Therefore, I keep exploring new dishes to avoid monotonous cooking process and enjoy new flavors. I posted one such non-typical Paneer recipe, Lehsuni Palak-Paneer sometime ago (I hope you liked it). With the same idea, today I am presenting this very unique recipe which gives you a refreshing tangy-cum-spicy taste with a pinch of sweet (Jaggery). Try this distinguished method for a change and I am sure you will make it more often.”

Ingredients:

• 400 gms- Diced Cottage cheese (chokor kate huye Paneer ke tukde)
• 1 cup- Yogurt/Curd (Dahi)
• 6 to 8- Garlic cloves (Lehsun)
• 1 inch- Ginger (Adrak)
• 1 cup- Finely chopped Onion (Barik Kati hui Pyaaz)
• 1 tablespoon- Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 1 tablespoon- Coriander seeds (Khada dhaniya)
• 1 tablespoon- Fenugreek seeds (Methi Dana)
• ½ tablespoon- Black pepper whole (Khadi kaali mirch)
• 8 to 10- Dry red chilli whole (Sukhi Lal Mirch khadi)
• 1 teaspoon- Red chilli powder (Lal Mirch powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 3-4 tablespoons- Tamarind paste (Imli ka paste)
• 1 tablespoon- Powdered jaggery (Gud powder)
• 4 tablespoons- Clarified butter (Ghee)
• Finely chopped coriander for garnishing (Bareek kata hara Dhaniya)
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Take yogurt/curd in a big bowl; add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well to form a paste.
• Marinate diced cottage cheese (Paneer) with the paste (as shown in the Picture-1) made in the previous step.
• Keep the bowl in the fridge to rest for 25- 30 minutes.
• Take cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, black pepper whole, dry red chillies (whole) in a pan and dry-roast these whole spices on low- medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until they splutter (as shown in the Picture-2).
• Now transfer these whole spices in a grinding jar. Add garlic cloves, ginger and tamarind paste. Grind these spices into a fine paste.
• Heat ghee in a pan, add chopped onion and sauté till they turn golden brown (as shown in Picture-3). Now add spice paste which was prepared in previous step, mix and cook for 3-4 minutes on low-medium heat.
• Add marinated cottage cheese (Paneer) along with all the marinating paste left, mix gently with spices and cook covered for 3-4 minutes. Add 1 table spoon jaggery powder and salt as required, give it a gentle mix.
• Cover the pan again and let it cook for another 2 minutes on low heat.
• Transfer in a serving bowl and garnish it with chopped fresh coriander.
• Serve hot with Naan/Chapati/Phulka/ Rice.

Kadhi is yet another most common side dish which is made in almost every Indian kitchen and liked by most. The usual Kadhi is made of Yogurt and Besan (Gram flour) also it has many variations e.g. Saadi (Plain) Kadhi, Kadhi Pakoda, Mutter Kadhi, Bathua Kadhi etc.Sindhi Kadhi, on the other hand, uses Imli (Tamarind) paste or Amchur (dry mango) powder instead of yogurt for the tangy flavour. This popular Sindhi recipe has a unique flavourful taste thanks to the mix of roasted besan, assorted vegetables and spices. You can add as many vegetables as you like e.g. Cauliflower, Drumstick etc. It is generally served with rice and/or roti/chapati. Alternatively, it can also be used as a soup. So, go ahead and try this fantastic variation of Kadhi and add a new option to your dining table.

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup- Gram flour (Besan)
• 1- Medium sized Potato (Aloo)
• 2- Tomatoes (Tamatar)
• 6 to 8- Okra/ Ladyfingers (Bhindi)
• 6 to 8- Green Beans
• 2 to 3- Small sized Eggplant (Chaukor Kate hue Baingan)
• ½ inch- Grated Ginger (kisi Hui Adrak)
• 1- Medium sized Onion (optional)
• 1½ teaspoons- Red Chilli powder (Lal Mirch powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 1½ tablespoons- Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 1 table spoon- Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Mustard seeds (Rai)
• ½ teaspoon- Fenugreek seeds (Methi Dana)
• 1 pinch- Asafoetida (Hing)
• 1½ tablespoon- Dry mango powder (Aamchur) or 1 table spoon- tamarind paste ( Imli paste)
• Dry red chilli (Sukhi Mirchi)
• Salt (as per taste)
• ¼ cup- oil
• 5 to 6 Cups- Water

Method:

• First of all Wash/ Clean vegetables.
• Cut potatoes and eggplants into small dices, slice okra into half and then chop into ½ inch pieces, chop beans into ½ inch pieces, slice onions lengthwise and chop tomatoes into small pieces. Keep chopped vegetables aside for later use.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
• Splutter fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds into oil.
• Add gram flour and stir continuously on low heat till it roast and colour changes to light brown (Do not overcook).
• Add dry red chilli (whole), turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and dry mango powder/tamarind paste and roast this masala mix for a minute on low heat. Then slowly add water and keep stirring to avoid lumps. (Consistency should be running)
• Let it boil for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat and then add all the chopped vegetables and mix well.
• Pressure cook for a whistle. Leave it on low heat for 2-3 minutes and then turn off the heat. Once the pressure of the cooker releases, open the lid of the pressure cooker and transfer in a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander.
• Serve hot with rice and chapati as a side dish or enjoy it as soup.

Bhindi (a.k.a. Okra or Lady Finger), is one of the most popular green vegetables. Just like in our last post Bharwan Baingan (Stuffed Eggplant) where we discussed the long list of dishes that the king of vegetables “Baingan (Eggplant)” can be prepared in, Okra also enjoys a rich set of recipes attributed to it. Some of these dishes are Masala Bhindi, Bhindi Do Pyaza, Stuffed Bhindi etc. Today’s recipe Crispy Okra or Kurkuri Bhindi is another very interesting variety of this green and fiber-rich vegetable. Due to its crispy and complete taste, this can be used both as a side dish and a snack item. So try this delectable recipe and I am sure, your admiration for Bhindi will increase to a greater extent.

Ingredients:

• 500 gms or 1 lb – Bhindi/ Okra
• 2- Long sliced medium sized Onions (lambi kati hui pyaaz)
• ½ Cup- Gram flour (Besan)
• 1 tablespoon- Red Chilli powder (Lal Mirch powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 1½ tablespoons- Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 1 tablespoon- Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Mustard seeds
• Salt (as per taste)
• Oil for frying

Method :

• • Rinse the Bhindi (Okra) with fresh water. Wipe them with a kitchen towel. Remove the top stem and slice Bhindi vertically into 4 pieces. If Bhindis are long in size, first cut them into halves and then slice them vertically.
  • Take gram flour, turmeric powder, ½ tablespoon red chilli powder, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, ½ tablespoon cumin powder and some salt in a big bowl mix everything all together. Add ½ table spoon of oil and give it a mix. Then add little water in a mixture and make a smooth batter (same as Pakora batter).
  • Marinate sliced Bhindi with gram flour batter. Bhindi must be evenly coated with batter.
  • Heat oil in a deep pan/kadai for deep frying.
  • Deep fry (in batches) marinated Bhindi till golden brown. While frying, do not overcrowd kadai and the oil must be hot, otherwise, the Bhindi will absorb too much oil and end-up being soggy.
  • Take out fried Bhindi on an absorbent paper/ kitchen towel to get rid of excess oil. (You can also serve these fried okra/ Bhindi as a snack with a sprinkle of chat masala).

• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wide pan, splutter mustard seeds and add sliced onions and sauté till they become golden brown. Now add ½ tablespoon of coriander powder, ½ tablespoon cumin powder, ½ tablespoon red chilli powder, some salt, mix everything all together and cook for a minute on low medium heat.
• Now add fried Bhindi and mix gently with onions and spices. Turn off the heat and immediately remove the pan from the hot surface or else it will turn soggy.
• Delicious Crispy Okra is ready. Transfer it to a serving bowl and serve hot with chapatti/paratha (any bread) or Daal-Rice as a side dish.

Baingan (a.k.a. Eggplant or Brinjal) is a very popular vegetable that can be cooked in a number of dishes, be it Baingan Ka Bharta, Aloo Baingan, Achari Baingan, Mix-Veg and many more. That is probably why baingan is also known as the “King of vegetables”. This recipe “Bharwan Baingan” is another delicious dish of baingan which is made by stuffing the baingan with finely cooked spices. Try this fabulous variation of baingan and join the fan club of the King of Vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 8 to 10- Small sized Eggplant (Baingan)
• ½ inch- Grated Ginger (kisi Hui Adrak)
• 2 – Finely chopped green Chillies (Bareek kati hui hari mirch)
• 2 – Finely chopped medium sized Onions (Bareek kati hui pyaaz)
• ½ Cup- Groundnuts/Peanuts (Moongfali)
• 2 teaspoons- Red Chilli powder (Lal mirch powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 1½ tablespoon – Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 1 tablespoon- Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 1 pinch- Asafoetida (Hing)
• ½ tablespoon- Dry mango powder (Aamchur)
• Salt (as per taste)
• 5 tablespoons- oil

Method:

The entire cooking process is divided into following two parts:

Stuffing/Masala Preparation:

• Heat a pan and dry roast peanuts on low-medium flame until peanuts crackle. Once cool down coarsely grind them and keep them aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil, splutter cumin seeds and then add asafoetida. Now add chopped onion and sauté till the onions turn golden brown in colour.
• Now add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, dry mango powder and salt. Mix will and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add coarsely ground peanuts and again mix everything together, cook for one more minute.

Curry preparation:

• Wash and pat dry eggplants.
• Cut cross (x) in all the eggplants. Do not cut through.
• Heat 2 table spoons of oil in a wide pan, place cross marked eggplants and sprinkle some salt. Shallow fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Take out shallow fried eggplants in a plate and let them cool.
• Once cooled off, stuff the eggplants with the masala mix which was prepared in the earlier stage of the recipe.
• Heat the same pan which was used for shallow frying and add 2 more table spoons of oil in the previous oil which was left after frying.
• Place the stuffed eggplants in the hot oil.
• Sprinkle the left over stuffing Masala over the stuffed eggplants, cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes on low-medium flame.
• Keep checking frequently and flip in between. Cook until the eggplants become soft.
• Transfer in a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander.
• Serve hot with chapati or paratha (any bread) as a side dish.

“Palak-Paneer” is one of the most common dishes made from Paneer (Cottage Cheese). When you think of “Palak-Paneer”, you generally imagine a dark green gravy with Paneer cubes in it. However, this recipe “Lehsuni Palak Paneer” is quite different from the traditional form. Unlike its green cousin, this variation of palak-paneer has yellow gravy with the tang of garlic. The cooking process is easy and the result is well worth the effort. Try this experimental (but successful) recipe for a change and give your loved ones a palatable surprise.

For another interesting dish made from Spinach (Palak), please check our post “Spinach Pasta“.

Ingredients:

• Ingredients:
• 200 gm- Diced cottage cheese cubes (Paneer ke chhote chokor tukde)
• ½ Cup- Milk (Doodh)
• ½ Cup- Curd (Dahi)
• 1 Cup- Spinach (Palak) washed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons- Garlic-Ginger paste (Adrak-Lehsun paste)
• 5 to 6- finely chopped garlic cloves (bareek kate hue Lehsun)
• ½ Cup- Onion paste (Pyaz ka paste)
• 2 teaspoons- Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 2 teaspoons- Red Chilli powder (Lal Mirch powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 2 teaspoons- Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Black pepper powder (Kali Mirch powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Kitchen King Masala
• 2 teaspoons- Pav bhaji Masala
• Salt (as per taste)
• 1½ tablespoons- Oil
• 1½ tablespoon- Gram flour (Besan)
• 1 tablespoon- Kasoori methi
• 1 tablespoon- Tomato Ketchup (Optional, for a sweeter taste)

Method :

• Take curd in a big bowl, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, pav bhaji masala, sabji masala, black pepper powder, besan, garlic-ginger paste and salt. Mix well to form a paste. Marinate diced Paneer with paste. Now add milk, mix gently and keep the bowl in the fridge to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan and splutter cumin seeds. Add chopped garlic, saute for a minute and add onion paste again saute until the onion’s colour changes to golden brown. Now add chopped spinach and some salt, mix well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add marinated cottage cheese then cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes on low-medium flame. Finally, add crushed kasoori methi and tomato ketchup (if you prefer a sweeter taste), mix it gently and cook for another minute.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish it with cream. Your ‘Lehsuni Palak Paneer’ is ready, serve hot with Naan/Chapati/ Phulka/Poori/Rice.

Today’s life is busy and fast-moving. Our health is at a greater level of risk due to the rise of the unhealthy lifestyle and popularity of junk food. This is probably why I keep getting frequent requests for more and more healthy food ideas. A few days ago, I posted one such healthy recipe Avocado Paratha which has some interesting health benefits at the same time it’s quite delicious too. This recipe received a great response from the readers of my blog.

Today’s recipe “Methi-Dana Sabji” also follows the same “healthy-yet-tasty” approach. Methi Dana (Fenugreek Seeds) apart from being antioxidant and antidiabetic it is also a great source of fibre, proteins, magnesium, iron, manganese and vitamin B6. It reduces blood cholesterol, controls blood sugar levels, helps losing weight and improves digestion Ingredients. These are just a subset of its numerous health advantages, for a detailed list of its benefits click here. Despite its goodness, Methi dana is not very popular probably because of its bitter taste. Therefore, this recipe uses jaggery to lessen the bitter taste and make it a more “tastebud-friendly” dish and goes well with paratha, poori or chapati. This dish also lasts long (6-7 days) when refrigerated in airtight container. The process to make this curry is fairly easy and ingredients are commonly available in a typical Indian kitchen.

So wait no more…take this unsung hero out from the back of your kitchen-shelf and try your hands at another “healthy-yet-tasty” dish.

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup- Fenugreek seeds (Methi-Dana)
• 1 Cup- Milk
• ½ Cup- Jaggery (Gur)
• 2 teaspoons- Red Chilli (Lal Mirch) powder
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric (Haldi) powder
• 2 teaspoons- Coriander (Dhaniya) powder
• 2 teaspoons- Cumin (Jeera) powder
• 1 teaspoon- Black salt (Kala Namak)
• 1 pinch- Asafoetida (Hing)
• 1½ tablespoons- Oil
• 1 tablespoon- Dry mango (Aamchur) powder
• 2 dry red chillis (Sukhi Mirch)
• 2 bay leaves (Tej Patta)
• 1 tablespoon- Raisins (Kismish)
• 1 tablespoon- Cashew nuts (Kaju)
• Salt (as per taste)

Method :

• Wash methi dana with drinking water and soak it for 6-8 hrs in a mix of milk and water in equal proportion (using milk to reduce bitterness).
• Strain the mix of milk and water. Keep it aside for later use.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add bay leaves and dry red chillis.
• Now add asafoetida, turmeric powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Roast spices for 2 minutes.
• Add soaked methi dana into the cooker and mix well with roasted spices, now add raisins and cashew nuts and mix again.
• Now add red chilli powder, jaggery, salt, black salt, dry mango powder and mix well.
• Add the leftover mix of milk and water and bring it to boil. The consistency of the gravy should be running if needed add additional water.
• Close the lid of the cooker and pressure cook until 5-6 whistles.
• Once the steam completely released from the cooker, transfer the curry to a serving bowl.
• Serve hot with Parathas, Puris or Chapatis. It can also be used as the sweet and sour chutney with Kachori or Samosa.

Baingan (a.k.a Eggplant or Brinjal) is an ordinary vegetable however when used creatively, it can create mouth watering wonders. “Baingan Bharta” is one such wonderful recipe. This is usually served as the side dish with Roti, Naan, Parantha or even Daal-Baati. Some people also call it vegetarian’s grilling substitute for chicken. The magic of “Baingan Bharta” lies in its roasted smokey flavor which originally came from the clay ovens (a.k.a. “Tandoors”) used in old times. Though the new style homes usually don’t have these clay ovens anymore but the good news is that you can still make this delicious dish using the common electric oven or even on the regular gas stove burners. As usual, I did some experimenting with the traditional recipe by adding peanuts to give it a crunchy (rather than usual soggy) texture. This is very popular among my friends and I am certain you will enjoy it too. So what are you waiting for…..Go and give it a shot!!

• 1 medium sized eggplant (Baingan)
• 2 medium sized onions
• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• 8-10 garlic cloves
• 2 small green chills
• 1 small piece of ginger
• 4-5 table spoon- cooking oil
• 1 tea spoon- turmeric
• 1 table spoon- coriander powder
• 1 tea spoon- red chili powder
• 1 tea spoon- Garam masala (optional)
• Salt as per taste
• 1 cup- Peanut (Moongfali)

Method:
Baking/ Roasting:

• Make a hole on the top of the Baigan (as shown in the first picture above).
• Fill 4-5 garlic cloves in the hole and reseal it.
• Grease the baingan with little oil.
• Place the baingan in the oven @ 475 degree Fahrenheit for 30-45 mins or over the flame (whichever available)
• Let it cool down for 5-10 minutes.
• After cooling remove the skin and mash it finely. Now Keep it aside for later use.

Preparation of Masala:

• Grind onion, garlic, ginger and green chilis all together to make a paste.
• Now take tomatoes in a grinder separately and make a purée, keep both of them aside.
• Heat oil in a pan to shallow fry peanuts.
• After cooling, grind fried peanuts into a coarsed powder. Keep it for garnishing.
• Add the paste (onion, garlic, ginger and green chili) into the remaining oil in the pan used earlier and sauté till they turn golden brown.
• Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and salt. Mix well.
• Add tomato purée, mix and cook until the oil starts separating from gravy.

Putting it altogether:

• Mix the mashed baingan (eggplant) into the gravy. Stir well.
• Cover the pan with a lid and let the mixture cook for 10-15 mins on a low heat. This way, mashed baingan absorbs all the flavors of masala.
• Take out in a serving bowl, garnish with coarsed groundnuts and fresh coriander leaves.
• Serve hot as a side dish.

My husband says, “Most healthy things are exhaustive, expensive or bitter in taste”…LOL!! Well, this is true at least in case of Bitter guard (Karela). Bitter guard has numerous health benefits and helps with Diabetes, Cancer, blood purification, detoxification, digestion, weight-loss etc. Despite its proven benefits, most people don’t fall in love with this great vegetable because of its bitter taste. Specially, moms find it hard to convince kids (and sometimes their dads too…wink) to eat this vegetable with medicinal characteristics. This very challenge was the motivation for creation of this recipe which tries to make this (usually) bitter tasting vegetable a mix of sweet and sour in flavor with crispy texture. Trust me, most people turn ‘Karela lovers’ after eating this. So here is the recipe for you to try it yourself:

• 5-6 medium sized Bitter Gourds (Karela)
• 4- table spoon cooking oil
• cup Groundnuts (coarsely grinded)
• Salt (as per taste)
• 1-1/2-table spoon Sugar
• 1-tea spoon Turmeric powder
• 2-tea spoon Red Chilli powder
• 4- tea spoon Coriander powder
• 1-1/2- table spoon Dry raw mango powder (Aamchur)

Method:

• Rinse and dry bittergourds.
• Peel the ragged skin of the bitter gourds and keep it aside.
• Cut the bittergourds in halves, remove the seeds and slice them in small pieces.
• Take oil in a pan and heat.
• Add the jagged part of the bittergourds in hot oil, shallow fry them (will help to reduce the bitterness).
• Add turmeric powder, salt and coarsely grinded groundnuts and stir the mixture till golden brown.
• Add coriander powder, red chilli powder and mix.
• Add the slices of bittergourds and mix well, cover the pan and keep on low heat for 10-15 mins.
• Add sugar and dry raw mango powder, mix and cover the pan for further 5 mins.
• Transfer in a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander (optional).
• Serve hot with chappati or paratha (any bread) as side dish.