Paneer Pudina Paratha

Paneer Pudina Paratha is a kind of Indian flat bread filled with a filling made from cottage cheese flavored with cumin powder and mint leaves, fried on a skillet till crisp. The best way to serve paneer paratha is with some curd or homemade white butter. You can also have paneer paratha with some pickle.

Paneer paratha is one of the many popular paratha varieties from Punjab. parathas are popular breakfast recipes in punjabi homes and there are varieties of parathas made for breakfast like methi paratha, aloo paratha, gobi paratha, onion paratha and mooli paratha.

It is always better to make your own paneer – cottage cheese and use it in your recipes.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Makes: 6 parathas

Ingredients		Quantity
Paneer (crumbled)		1 cup
Pudina leaves (finely chopped)		1/4 cup
Green chilies (finely chopped)		2-3
Cumin powder		1 tsp
Turmeric powder		1/4 tsp
Lemon juice		1/2 tsp
Salt		to taste
Other ingredients
Chapathi dough	6 balls

Method

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and check for salt. Divide into 6 equal portions.

Roll out one dough ball into a small disc by dipping it into dry flour to prevent sticking. Place one portion of filling in the center of the disc. Wrap the dough around the mixture to form a ball. Make sure all the sides are completely sealed and no holes in the dough or the filling will come out when you roll it. Dip the ball into dry flour once again and roll out the parathas thin as you can. Shake off any excess dry flour and place the paratha on a hot skillet or tava. Fry till brown specs appear apply few drops of ghee and smear if you like it.

Store paratha in a covered or insulated container until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining dough.

Serve paratha hot with pickle, yogurt or butter.

How to get rid of Garlicky Hands?

Do you hate peeling garlic because of the stench it leaves on your fingers? Here’s a tip for you.

After working with garlic, rub your hands vigorously on your stainless steel sink or a steel spoon for 30 seconds before washing them. It will remove the odor. Voilà!

MLA Pesarattu

Pesarattu is a delicacy from Andhra Pradesh. It’s basically a crepe made from green gram. It is very easy to prepare and it is also very nutritious. Pesarattu served with upma is known as MLA pesarattu. It can be combined with different kinds of chutneys like Onion Chutney, Peanut Onion Chutney or plain Coconut Chutney. It tastes best when hot and crispy.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Soaking time: 4-5 hours or overnight

Cooking time: 5-10 minutes

Serves: 4-5 people

Ingredients	Quantity
Whole Green Gram	½ cup
Split Green Gram (skinless)	½ cup
Rice (Dosa variety)	½ cup
Ginger	1 inch piece or 1 tsp
Green Chilies	3-4 or to taste
Coriander Leaves	½ bunch or ¼ cup
Water	¼ cup
Salt	to taste
Oil	2-3 tbsps.
For filling
Onions (finely chopped)	½ cup
Red Chili Powder	to taste
Lemon Juice	to taste (optional)

Method

Wash whole green gram, split green gram and rice thoroughly and soak in enough water for 4-5 hours or overnight.

Drain the water from the soaked dals and rice. Grind both the dals and rice to a coarse paste. Then add ginger, green chilies, salt, water, coriander leaves and grind till you get a smooth batter.

For filling:

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add the finely chopped onions, ¼ tsp salt and cook till onion is soft. Add chili powder stir for a minute. Turn off heat and transfer to a bowl. Add lemon juice and mix well (this it totally optional).

Allow the batter to ferment in a warm place for 1 hour if you like a crispy dosa. Once the batter is ready, check for the salt.

Heat the pan on medium. Grease the pan with few drops of oil. Sprinkle water and wipe off with the paper towel.

Add two ladles of batter and spread in a circular motion till you get a 5 inch diameter round thin crepe. Take off the excess from the top to make the dosa thin. Add few drops of oil. Sprinkle onion on the crepe.

Look for the brown spots on the bottom side of the dosa, then release the dosa from the edges and serve it hot with upma.

Serve immediately with chutney.

Points to remember:

• The cup measure is the standard measuring cup used for baking etc.

Avrekalu Rotti

Akki Rotti is a yummy breakfast special from Karnataka. Akki means “Rice” in Kannada. Avrekai is “Hyacinth” bean in English. Avarekai is a seasonal bean grown during winter. It is available between November to March. It is also one of the favorite beans of Kannadigas. There a lot of dishes that can be prepared with this bean. For most recipes the inner skin is also removed for better taste.

It is raining Avare Kai in Bangalore! It has various names including field beans, lilva beans, hyacinth beans, navy beans and so on, but they seem to be used interchangeably with a number of varieties of beans!  The pods are removed, and the beans that are used in cooking are called Avre Kalu. It has a very distinct flavor which makes it a unique ingredient.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Serves: 3-4 people

Recipe Courtesy – Smitha Pai (My mom)

Ingredients	Quantity
Rice Flour	2 ½ cup
Milk	½ cup
Ghee	1 tbsp.
Warm water	½ cup to mix dough
Avre Kalu	½ cup
Onions (finely chopped)	2 medium
Green chilies (finely chopped)	2-3 or to taste
Salt	to taste

Method

In a large mixing bowl add rice flour and salt mix well. Heat ghee in a small wok and when it hot, add it to the rice flour. Let it stand for 2 minutes. Then mix in the ghee into the flour by rubbing the flour between your fingers till the ghee is incorporated well.

In the same wok heat milk, when warm add it to the flour. After a minutes or so mix well. Add green chilies, mix well. Add enough warm water to make soft dough. Store in the fridge overnight in an airtight container. Keep at least for 4-5 hours.

The avre kalu that we use here is with the inner peel. Pressure cook avre kalu in enough water with salt for one whistle.

In the morning add chopped onions check for salt, and then add the avre kalu and mix well.

Heat dosa tawa on low flame. Add some drops of oil and spread well. Make a small ball from the rice dough. Press it on the dosa tawa and spread using water on the fingers. Keep a bowl of water handy to help spread the dough on the tawa. Spread as thin as you like. Close lid on the tawa and cook on medium flame for 1-2 minutes till you see some brown specs. Add some oil to the top side and turn it upside down. Cook till it’s crispy on the other side, this time without the lid. Both the sides need to be crispy.

Serve hot with Peanut and Onion Chutney or regular Coconut Chutney.

Points to remember:

• The cup measure is the standard measuring cup used for baking etc.

Bagara Baingan

Bagara Baingan is a popular side dish served with Hyderabadi Biryani. Brinjals are shallow fried and then added to the simmering gravy. It is also called as Nune vankaya kura in Telugu. To make the gravy taste nutty and delicious, ingredients like peanuts, sesame seeds and coconut are used. Since brinjals are fried, they turn soft and mouth melting. When simmered in the nutty, spicy gravy, they absorb all the flavors and taste delicious.

I have tweaked the recipe to suit my family’s taste by adding some potatoes and capsicum and making the gravy thick. I have also used a different type of brinjal called as gulla.

Gulla is a favourite vegetable in the Konkani community. Udupi is famous for its unique brinjal known as Mattu or Matti gulla. It is a very delicate vegetable and starts melting if you overcook.

Bagara baingan can be served with biryani or bagara rice also known as bagara chawal (plain biryani). This curry can also be served with pulao, roti, paratha.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 3-4 people

Ingredients	Quantity
Brinjal(gulla)	1 big
Potato	1 small
Capsicum	1 small
Ghee	1 tsp
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
Coriander Seeds	1 tbsp
Peppercorns	5 nos.
Sesame Seeds	1 tsp
Cloves	3 nos.
Cinnamon Stick	½ inch
Kashmiri Red Chilies	2-3
Grated Coconut	¼ cup
Onion(finely chopped)	1medium
Groundnuts	2tbsps+ 1 tbsp
Oil	2 tbsps.
Tamarind Paste	1 tbsp.
Salt	to taste

Method

Wash, wipe and chop the capsicum into 1 inch cubes. Discard the seeds.

Wash potatoes, peel and chop into inch cubes. Drop them in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Turn off the gas, cover with a lid and let it stand for 4-5 minutes. Then strain and keep aside. If you slide a knife into the potato it should go in easily without and resistance.

Wash brinjal and chop into 1inch cubes.

In a non-stick pan heat ghee and add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, sesame seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, Kashmiri red chilies and fry till the chilies are crispy. Transfer to a plate, keep aside to cool.

In the same pan heat 1tbsp of oil, add chopped onions and fry till they are soft. Add grated coconut, fry for a minute. Add the groundnuts and fry till the oil separates. Transfer to a plate, keep aside to cool.

In the same pan heat remaining oil and turn the heat to high, add the capsicum keep stirring, add the brinjals and keep stirring, add the potatoes and keep stirring on high heat till small brown specs start appearing on the skin of capsicum and brinjal and on the potatoes. Add ½ tsp salt cover the lid and keep cooking for a minute on high heat. Be careful not to burn the vegetables. Open the lid stir once close lid and simmer the flame and cook with lid covered for 2 minutes. Make sure all the vegetables are cooked well. Then transfer it to a different bowl to cool slightly and keep the lid closed.

You might think this step is too lengthy but it’s important to seal the edges of the vegetables so they don’t start melting when you boil in the gravy. Traditionally, the brinjals are deep fried in oil. But I use this method which gives it the same taste but not the excess oil.

In a large mixer grinder dry grind the roasted spice, once they and coarsely ground, add the onions and grated coconut, dry grin, then add water little at a time to grind it to a fine paste.

In the same pan heat 1 tbsp. oil, add the ground masala and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the tamarind paste and bring to a boil. Add the vegetables. And stir well. Add water little at a time. Adjust salt and consistency using more water if required.

Close lid and cook on low flame for 8-10 minutes.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Onion Chutney

This colorful, hot, sweet, slightly tangy chutney goes best with crispy dosa. The chutney is well balanced with the heat from the chilies, the tanginess from tamarind and sweetness from jaggery. Yet another recipe for chutney without coconut.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves: 3-4 people

Ingredients	Quantity
Onions (sliced)	1 ½ cups
Kashmiri Red Chili Whole	4 or to taste
Oil	2 tsps.
Jaggery	2tsp or to taste
Tamarind Paste	1 tsp
Roasted Gram (Hurigadale)	1 tbsp.
Salt	to taste

Method

Heat oil in a wide pan; add red chilies and sauté around for 30 secs. Add onion, pinch of salt and cook the onion till they are soft.

Add roasted gram (hurigadale), tamarind paste, salt, and jaggery, cook till the jaggery melts. Remove from the pan and cool down little bit.

Blend the mixture to a smooth paste. Serve it with dosa, idli etc.