Tandoori Stuffed Gobi

My mashi (aunt) loves cauliflower and so my cousin Puja went out and bought some with the intention of making Tandoori Gobi for mashi’s birthday. Puja was not that successful in finding a recipe online which she could successfully execute. She requested me to make some and post here.

I mixed mashed paneer (cottage cheese) with tandoori spices. Then stuffed the cauliflower with it and also smeared it on top. Finally baked it in an oven.

Ingredients

For Stuffing

• 1 medium sized cauliflower
• 250 gms. of grated paneer (Cottage cheese)
• 4 tbsp. plain yogurt
• 1 tsp. chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp. raisin paste
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 tbsp. Kashmiri red chili powder
• 2 tbsp. chicken tandoori masala
• 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp. butter
• Salt

For Infusion

• 2” cinnamon stick
• 5 cloves black cardamoms
• 3 bay leaves
• Salt

Procedure

Take a deep wide vessel and pour enough water to cover the cauliflower. Add all spices along with salt to the water and bring it to a boil. Keep boiling on medium heat for about 20 minutes till the water is fragrant.

Place the cauliflower in the water and boil on high heat for 10 minutes. Do not cover the pan while boiling. By this time the cauliflower would be 80% done. Gently remove cauliflower from the water with a slotted spoon and allow it to cool so that you can handle it comfortably.

In a mixing bowl take mashed paneer and one by one add yogurt, butter, lemon juice, chili powder, tandoori masala, chopped ginger, raisin paste, honey and salt. Whisk it thoroughly to make a paste.

When the cauliflower is ready to handle, over turn it and stuff the paneer mixture through the gap between the florets. Use your finger to reach almost every corner of it.

When the bottom portion is done, gently slather the stuffing on top of the cauliflower.

Allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Preheat oven at 350 F. Place the stuffed cauliflower on a baking dish and drizzle one spoon butter over it. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. After 10 minutes drizzle another one spoon of butter over it.

Remove the baking dish carefully and sprinkle chopped coriander before serving.

Note: If you have a microwave with convection,  bake it for 15 – 20 minutes at 180C. For microwave with grill you can cook it at micro-grill combination mode for 10-15 minutes, but you need to brush oil at every 5 minutes.

Paneer Kadai (Cottage Cheese in Tomato Gravy)

After I have started food blogging, I have also got myself into collecting dishware. Obviously to post about Paneer and Chicken Kadai I needed some nice Kadai. So I made my friends visiting India and also those already in India to run around to get some fine copper bottomed Kadais. The Kadai in the picture here came from Jaipur, Rajasthan. I “employed” true Rajasthani couples Nisheet and Kavya to get it, they were  reimbursed with the panner in this kadai.

I have also got a bunch of other copperware from Hyderabad, they will be revealed in due time.

Ingredients

• 200 gms. paneer (Cottage cheese) cut into cubes
• 1 medium sized onion cut into cubes
• 1/2 green bell pepper (Capsicum) cut into cubes
• 5 medium tomatoes finely chopped
• 1 tomato cut into big cubes
• 1” ginger cut into julienne
• 1 tsp. Kashmiri red chili powder (Paprika)
• 1/2 tsp. kasuri methi (Dried Fenugreek leaves)
• 4 Kashmiri red chili
• 1 tsp. fennel seed
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 3 tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp. peppercorn
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste
• Oil

Procedure

Dunk the paneer cubes in salty warm water, it will make the panner soft.

In a pan dry roast whole red chilies, 1 tsp. cumin seeds, 2 tbsp. coriander seeds, fennel and peppercorn. Grind them into a coarse powder.

Heat 3 tbsp. oil in a pan and temper it with 1 red chili and whole cumin seed. Sauté till they start to crackle. Add coriander seeds to it. Fry on medium heat for a minute.

Next put in the chopped tomatoes. Fry till they turn pulpy and start releasing their juices. Now add red chili powder, sugar and salt. Sauté till oil gets separated from the spice mixture. Add ginger, tomato cubes, onion cubes and capsicum. Fry on high heat for a minute.

Drain the paneer cubes and add in. Sprinkle 1tbsp. of ground dry spice powder and kasuri methi. Mix gently. Turn off the heat and keep it covered so that paneer cubes can absorb the flavors.

Sprinkle one more spoon of ground spice powder just before you serve.

Enjoy with some naan or kulcha..

Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer is my daughter’s absolute favorite. There are many variants of Palak Paneer that I have come across. This particular one I learnt from Kalpi Pishi. She always used cinnamon in tadka which gives an unique flavor.

Ingredients

• 250 gms. paneer ( Cottage cheese) cut into cubes
• 1 bunch spinach cleaned and washed
• 1 medium tomato finely chopped
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1” ginger grated
• 2-3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 2 green chilies finely minced
• 1/2 tsp. coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. kasuri methi ( Dry fenugreek powder ) 
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1” cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste
• Oil

Procedure

Heat 2 cups of water till warm and dissolve 1tsp. salt into it. Dunk the paneer cubes into it. This will make the paneer ultra soft.

Clean and wash spinach thoroughly. In a pot bring 1 cup of water to a rolling boil and then add spinach leaves to it. Add 1/4 spoon of turmeric to it. This turmeric will help retain its fresh green color. Allow it to simmer for 2-3 minutes before you drain the excess water. Now dunk the spinach leaves in a pot full of cold water.

Heat oil in a pan and temper it with cinnamon stick. Allow it to sizzle and then add chopped onion, ginger and garlic. Fry on low heat till onion turns translucent. Now add chopped tomato, chili, coriander and cumin powder. Fry on low heat till the raw smell goes away and oil separates out. Allow this mixture to cool down completely.

In a blender take blanched spinach along with the spice mixture. Puree them into a smooth paste.

Transfer the pureed paste into a pan and bring it to a boil. Add kasuri methi, salt and sugar. Cook it covered for 2-3 minutes.

Drain the paneer cubes and add them to the gravy. Sprinkle garam masala powder and add fresh cream to it. Mix once more before you turn off the heat.

Serve with kulcha or naan.

Paneer Butter Masala

Long time back when we used to live in India, my husband came on a trip to US with one of his colleagues Neeraja. They went shopping together and landed up buying the same clothes and jackets for their children. So in couple of work parties my daughter had the exact same attire as Neeraja’s daughter. It was pretty funny. Couple of months back Neeraja came to visit us and I was reminded of this incident.

Since Neeraja is vegetarian I made Paneer Butter Masala along with some Doi Phulkopi. Here goes the recipe for the former as requested by Neeraja.

Ingredients

1. 200gms paneer cut into cubes
2. 3tbsp. finely chopped onion
3. 1tsp. ginger paste
4. 1tsp. garlic paste
5. 1tsp. cashew powder 
6. 1tbsp. tomato paste or tomato puree
7. 1tsp. coriander powder
8. 1tsp. cumin powder
9. 1tsp. Kashmiri red chili powder 
10. 1/2tp. garam masala powder
11. 1/2tsp. chicken tandoori masala
12. 1tbsp. tomato ketchup
13. 1/2 tsp. kasuri methi (Dry fenugreek leaves)
14. 1/2 cup milk
15. 1tbsp. sugar
16. Salt to taste
17. Chopped cilantro
18. 1/2 cup fresh cream or whole milk
19. 4tbsp. butter

Procedure

Cut paneer into medium cubes and dunk them in lukewarm water. Keep one or two cubes aside for garnishing.

In a bowl take garam masala powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, chicken tandoori masala, chili powder, cashew powder, tomato ketchup, kasuri methi and mix well. Slowly add 1/2cup of milk and whisk it o make a smooth mixture. Keep it aside.

Heat butter in a pan and add chopped onion to it. Fry on low heat till they become translucent. Add ginger garlic paste to it and sauté till the raw smell goes away. Add tomato paste and fry till you see a fine line of oil oozing out of the spices.

Add the liquid spice mixture you made before and stir everything well. Cook it covered for 3-4 minutes and then turn off the heat. cool it down completely.

Transfer the mixture in a blender and blend it really well. Now strain this mixture to get a smooth and silky gravy.

Transfer the strained gravy to the pan and once again bring it to boil. Drain the water and add the paneer cubes to the gravy. Sprinkle salt and sugar to it and give a gentle mix. Let it simmer for 2- 3 minutes and then pour the fresh cream over it. Mix once again before you turn off the heat. Garnish with chopped cilantro and shredded paneer.

Serve with naan or roti.

Chaanar Payesh

Let me start by wishing all my readers Subha Mahalaya.
Today is Mahalaya, which signifies the start of the fortnight long celebration of Durga Puja at our home. Mahalaya is very significant to Bongs. It marks the day, the schools close for Durga Puja. The roads are choked with gazillions of people putting in their final effort to close the pujo shopping. Frantic efforts to finish the extravagant pandals, lighting gets underway.
In our childhood the morning of Mahalaya used to start at four to listen to Mahisasuramardini on the All India Radio. In this digital age many of these customs are losing it’s meaning. You can now stream mahisasuramardini at your own convenience, at any place and time, like from this site. It’s hard for our kids to imagine the ritual of getting up so early in the morning just to listen to a radio program.
Like most households our home also got into festive mood on that day. Since it was a holiday for my mom, she made lots of great stuff for us. One of the regulars used to be Chanar Paayesh (Cottage Cheese Pudding). Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients

1. 1+1 liter full cream milk
2. 1/4th cup granulated sugar
3. 1/4th cup lemon juice or synthetic vinegar
4. 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
5. Few pistachios and almond finely chopped

Procedure

In a heavy bottom pan take one liter of milk and bring it to a boil. When the milk rises to its surface slowly add lemon juice or vinegar to it and turn off the heat. Stir it well to mix. You will see the milk curdles and gets separated from the yellowish green whey.
Keep a strainer lined with a cheesecloth ready. Pour the curdled milk over it to strain the whey . You will see that the paneer or chana is collected in the cheesecloth. Pour one or two glasses of cold water over it to wash any residual sourness and the flavor of lemon out of it.
Tie the four corners of the cheesecloth and hang it from your water faucet for about half an hour.
In a separate thick bottom pan start boiling the rest of the milk and keep stirring continuously to avoid scalding. Lower the heat and let it cook for about half an hour. It will become a shade darker than its original milky white.
Add strained chaana or paneer to it and keep stirring to mix everything well. Let the paneer cook in the milk for 10 minutes. Add sugar and mix well. Taste and adjust accordingly. Remove from heat and sprinkle cardamom powder. Garnish with chopped pistachio and almonds.
Chill before you serve.

Chaanar Dalna

Most of our guests these days turn out to be vegetarian. Serving authentic bong food to them becomes a hard chore. I have already gotten tired of the same old gazillion combinations of paneer. So this authentic but a little hard to make variant of paneer or chanar dalna comes as a welcome change.

Ingredients

1. 500 ml of full cream milk
2. 2 medium potatoes cut into cubes
3. 1/2 cup frozen peas
4. 1 tbsp. ginger paste
5. 2,3 green chilies chopped
6. 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp. Bengali garam masala powder
7. 1/2 tsp. + 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
8. 1 tsp. turmeric powder
9. 1 tsp. chili powder
10. 1 tsp. sugar
11. 1 tsp. ghee (Clarified butter)
12. 2-3 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves
13. For tempering
1. 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
2. 2 green cardamom pods
3. 1’” cinnamon stick
4. 2 cloves
5. 2 bay leaves

Procedure

Step1: Making the Chana

Take 500 ml of milk in a heavy bottom pan and bring it to a boil. Once it rises to the surface of the vessel, lower the heat and add lemon juice to it. Stir it well to mix it. You will see milk curdles and separates out from the whey. Pour the contents in the strainer and drain out the whey.

Now add chopped coriander, chopped green chilies, 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin powder to the paneer and mix. Transfer it to the cheesecloth. Bring the four corners of the cloth together and twist it. Hang the cheese cloth from the water faucet for about 30 minutes to drain out the last drop of whey.

Now place the cheesecloth with the paneer in it on  a flat surface and put something very heavy on it for another one hour to squeeze out the residual whey. I used my wooden chopping board and a water filled stock pot for this purpose.

Now take out the block of paneer from the cheesecloth and cut it into squares to give them a structure.

Step 2: Making Chaanar dalna

Heat oil in a kadai and fry the paneer cubes till the edges turn brown. Remove and keep aside.

Temper the oil with whole cumin, bay leaves, and whole garam masala. allow them to crackle. Add potato cubes to it and sauté for a while.

Gradually add ginger paste, turmeric , chili and cumin powder one by one. Fry them along with the potato cubes till the raw smell goes away.Sprinkle some water in between so the spices don’t get burnt. Keep cooking till you see the oil separates out from the spice mixture.

Pour about 2 cups of water followed by salt and sugar. Mix it well and let it cooked on medium heat till the potatoes are just done.

Check the seasoning and adjust. Throw the frozen peas and fried paneer cubes to it and allow it to simmer for another 5 minutes. Add  green chilies and a spoon full of ghee to it. Sprinkle Bengali garam masala powder to finish.

Goes best with plain rice.  

Methi paneer or Indian cottage Cheese with Fenugreek

For a change there is no story behind todays recipe. I had some paneer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paneer) and methi and hence made Methi-paneer :). I was in a hurry so ran to the nearest store and bought some naan (so no I didn’t make the naan in the picture above)

Ingredients

1. Paneer or cottage cheese - 200gms or 7oz cut into cubes
2. Fenugreek/ Methi leaves - 1 bunch coarsely chopped
3. Cashew paste - 2 tbsp
4. Onion - 1 medium
5. Ginger - 1"
6. Green chili -  1,2
7. Fresh cream or whipping cream - 50 ml
8. Salt
9. Sugar
10. Whole Garam masala ( cinnamon 1 piece, 2 green cardamoms, 4 cloves)

Procedure

1. Take a bowl of hot water and keep the paneer pieces into that for 5 mins.  It will make the paneer much softer. Now drain the water.
2. In a grinder make a fine paste of onion, ginger and green chilies.
3. Heat oil in a cooking pan and temper with coarsely pound cinnamon, cardamom and clove. When the fragrance of garam masala hits the air add the paste you made.
4. Start frying in a medium heat and continue doing so till the oil separates from the spices.
5. Add water to it. Add salt and sugar. When the gravy starts boiling add  paneer pieces and chopped methi leaves to it.
6. Cook for about 5-6 mins. When you get your desired consistency finish it with fresh cream.