Shahi Paneer Kofta Masala

You might have noticed that I have been posting a lot of recipes with Paneer and Tofu. We love them so much that these two appear on our table often.Though I wanted to share some other recipe here, I am posting one of my favorite recipe today which is paneer based . This dish has been praised and savored with the same gusto every time I serve it.  

Shahi denotes something rich,creamy and fit for kings. In one word it can be summarized as 'Royal'. Paneer is Indian cottage cheese. Koftas are dumplings. So I guess you would have understood that you are about to be a part of a royal indulgence......

I came up with this recipe a few months ago when I was feeling so bored one afternoon and wanted to cook something different and exotic[That usually happens to me-Boring = go and cook something]. I had to prepare dinner earlier as we had plans to go shopping . A side dish would be the perfect thing to cook ahead and so this dish came up in my mind. It took an hour from start to finish. I had made paneer earlier that day with no idea what to make with it and used it here.

When dinner was served hubby was the first one to taste it and he was literally spell bound. I am not exaggerating here. He loved it so much. Lil angel loved the koftas and MIL made no comments about the gravy. When she came into the kitchen later that night she praised it. She said it was just like the ones served in restaurants and hubby who happened to pass that side peeped in to comment that it tasted better than the restaurant food!!

All those rich and creamy ingredients had worked their magic on the dish and I got praised for it!!!!

I used:

Homemade paneer from ¾ liter milk [ make sure that the whey is completely drained out]
Coarsely ground pistachio nuts – 2 tablespoons
Almonds -10
Khus- khus seeds / Poppy seeds -2 teaspoons
Tomato puree- 1 cup
Onion- 2, sliced
Ginger garlic paste- 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds -1 teaspoon
Fresh Yogurt -1 cup
Whole spices – cardamom seeds from 2 pods, cloves -2 , cinnamon- a small piece.
Kasuri methi / Dried fenugreek leaves -1 tablespoon
Red chilli powder -1 ½ teaspoons
Coriander powder -1 teaspoon
Cumin powder -1/2 a teaspoon
Salt to taste
Butter -1 tablespoon
Oil to deep fry


1.    Soak khus khus / poppy seeds in the smallest jar of your blender.[It is a lot easier this way than soaking it in a cup and then transferring to the blender jar as half of them get stuck to your finger / spoon / the cup]
2.    Microwave almonds in a cup of water for 2 minutes and when cool remove the skin[and discard] and keep aside[the almonds].
3.    Heat butter in a pan and sauté onion till brown. Cool and grind to a smooth paste.
4.    Grind the almonds along with the soaked khus khus to a fine paste and keep aside.
5.    In a bowl take crumbled paneer and coarsely powdered pistachio and mix well. Make small balls and deep fry in oil till golden brown and keep aside.
6.    Heat a little oil in another pan and add cumin seeds and whole spices.
7.    When the cumin crackles, put in the ginger garlic paste and onion paste. Cook for a minute.
8.    Add the tomato puree, coriander powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, salt and mix well.
9.    Add around ½ a cup of water and bring to boil.
10.  Now put in the ground almond-khus-khus[poppy seed] paste and mix well.
11.  Simmer for 5 minutes and add the yogurt.
12.  Adjust consistency by adding water/ milk.Simmer for 10 minutes.
13.  Add the kasuri methi and remove from heat.
14. When you are ready to serve, heat the gravy once again and bring to boil and add the fried koftas.Simmer for a couple of seconds .

Serve with Roti / Chapathi [Griddle cooked Indian flatbreads]

Though the ingredient list and the steps are lengthy, this is a true treat. Served with Chapathi / Roti, every bite is pure bliss.



Bon Appetit...

 

Catch me cooking @ Seduce Your Tastebuds

No Cook Fruit N Nut Squares

A couple of days ago Mister turned a year wiser.I made these simple and nutritious square for the occasion along  with Microwave Churma Ladoo[Wheat flour Ladoos].This is a very simple recipe and can be prepared in less than 5 minutes!!It has no added sweeteners / fats.!A quick energy boosting snack that little ones [and adults] will love.

So in the midst of B'day celebrations,this happened to be Lil angels favorite and I had a tough time stopping her from grabbing for more.

I am celebrating one more milestone.This happens to be my 300th vegan post on my blog!!

Now to the easy breezy recipe..

I used:

Pitted dates-1 cup
Almonds,roasted-1 cup
Raisins-1 cup
Sesame seeds-2 tablespoons

Pulse all the ingredients together till you get a consistency where the mixture holds itself when shaped.

Spread on a tray and mark squares,cover with a cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour before serving.

If you want to serve immediately, shape into balls and enjoy!!!!

You can add any type of nuts and dried fruit.For an exotic touch you can even dust dessicated coconut over the squares and serve...

Bon Appetit...




Catch me cooking @ Seduce Your Tastebuds

Blackberry-Mint Shortcakes with Almond Cream

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Yesterday was GORGEOUS day. The storm the night before cooled down the day instead of making it hot and humid, which was a nice change. Despite that fact, Ryan went out and bought a box fan because, since we do not have A/C in our house, the outside somehow does not ciculate inside our house that often. We have friends that lent us their window unit which cools our bedroom but our little fan does not help circulate that cool air around the house. Ryan set up the box fan and our house started cooling down faster! The things we do for comfort, eh?


My herbs looked happy though after a crazy thunderstorm so I was happy for that!

See how my herbs looked like a month ago?? They have grown SUPER fast and I am having fun using them.

I looked over at my pineapple mint and decided I needed to do something with it beside make a mojito. :) Since I did not have any pineapple to combine the pineapple mint I decided to use a berry and make a fresh dessert. Did you know that the raspberries and blackberries have been a $1 a pint at the store? A cobbler was calling out to me but I felt inspired to do something different.


I combined mashed blackberries with the pineapple mint and agave for a fresh fruit filling.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

I then proceeded making vegan shortcakes, which yet again I have never made before. I found a great recipe that was crunchy and flavorful and smelled fantastic as it cooked. Ryan came out of his office wondering what SMELLED so good.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Yep. They came out golden,  sugar-crusted and ready to eat! Now, what to do about the Whipped Cream?


Since I was out of cashews, I decided to make a cream out of almonds, I soaked them 6 hours, but folks, if you can, soak them 24 hours in the fridge. I get these ideas for recipes at the last minute and I usually do not get time to soak the almonds.


I process the almonds in the processor and added vanilla and agave. Please feel free to substitute with a cashew cream and refrigerate before serving. SO delicious.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Blackberry-Mint Shortcakes with Almond Cream


serves 6


3 pints blackberries, washed
6 tablespoons fresh pineapple mint, chopped (use reg. mint)
2 Tbsp agave nectar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon


In a large bowl, add berries and mash with a potato masher. Do not liquefy but keep some fruit semi-whole. Add chopped mint and agave and mix well.


Refrigerate while making the almond cream and shortcakes.


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Almond Cream


3 cups raw almonds (if using cashews, soak 6-8 hours), almonds require more than 8 hours.
3 Tbsp almond water (water used to soak nuts)
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp agave nectar


After the nuts have been soaked, blend the nuts and water in a food processor until creamy. Add the vanilla and agave and blend well. Refrigerate while making shortcakes.
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Vegan Shortcakes


adapted from Vegan Cooking


1/3 cup + 3 Tbsp almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups cup whole wheat-white flour
3 Tbsp vegan sugar, plus 1 teaspoon to sprinkle on dough
1 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup Earth Balance non-dairy butter
1 tsp vanilla extract


Set rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.


Combine milk and lemon juice or vinegar in measuring cup. Set aside for at least 5 minutes to curdle.


Combine flour, 3 Tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in large bowl. Stir well with wire whisk to aerate and combine.


Use small spoon to drop tiny bits of butter evenly over flour mixture. With pastry blender or fork, work in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.


Add vanilla to milk mixture and drizzle over dry ingredients. Stir with fork just until mixture forms soft dough. (Do not overwork dough.)


Divide dough into 6 equal portions and place on prepared baking sheet. Shape into round blobs approximately 1" thick. Sprinkle the tops with 1 teaspoon sugar.


Bake until tops have hint of color and bottoms are lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Transfer shortcakes to wire rack to cool.
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 Assemble


Cut each shortcake in half and place bottom half of shortcake on a plate. Add a 1/2 cup of berry mixture and cover with top half of shortcake.


Top with cold almond or cashew cream and drizzle with berry juice. Enjoy!!

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen