Cottage Cheese-stuffed Baked Portobello Mushrooms

when i started making these mushrooms, i was a bit nervous. you see, this was not exactly my first attempt at making stuffed mushrooms. past attempts, which involved white button mushrooms, usually ended up in a soggy mess that didn't really measure up to taste as well. i got frustrated and shelved the thought of stuffed mushrooms - until i came upon a box of mini portobello mushrooms during one of my grocery store visits. when i looked up recipes online on how best to use them, the suggestion to stuff and then bake/grill them kept coming up - and i decided to give it one more try.

i made up my own stuffing with paneer (cottage cheese), adding in tomatoes and topping it all off with cheddar cheese. and to give it a bit of flavour, i used olive oil seasoned with garlic and chilli flakes. once the mushrooms were done, i waited for them to cool a bit and then took a bite - with the flavours of the mushroom and cheese coming together, i felt like i was eating a mini shrooms pizza (without the dough)! :) the natural flavour of mushrooms is enhanced in this dish and is complemented rather than submerged by the cheese stuffing - if you like mushrooms, you gotta love it :)
 
Ingredients:

9 or 10 mini Portobello mushrooms
1/2 cup crumbled Paneer
1/4 Cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 big tomato, minced finely (*i removed the seeds before mincing them)
1/2 small Onion, minced finely
5 tbsp Olive oil
1 heaped tsp Chilli flakes (* just dry-grind some dried red chillis)
Salt, to taste

Making the Stuffed Baked Portobello Mushrooms:

Wash your mushrooms and pat them dry with a clean tea towel. Remove the stems and keep aside if you want to use them in the stuffing or just discard them (I discarded the stems). Using a rounded teaspoon, gently remove the gills from the cap and discard them. Keep aside. Heat half the olive oil on a low flame, add in the garlic and keep for a few minutes and then add in the chilli flakes. the idea is to allow the flavours to get absorbed slowly, so don't crank up the heat. When the garlic starts to get a bit brown, turn off the heat and take the pot off the stove. Add in the rest of the oil and mix well.

Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, coat each mushroom with a bit of the oil from the heated mixture (on the top and bottom) and then place gill-side up on the parchment paper. Mix the crumbled paneer, minced tomato and onion well, adding salt while mixing them up. Once its well mixed, put the mixure into the remaining garlic-chilli-olive oil and mix well. Stuff each mushroom with about a spoonful of this mixture (or more if you are able to balance it), top with the grated cheddar and then put them into the oven to bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheddar cheese turns golden brown in colour. Serve immediately as these taste best when they are warm. (*When I baked these mushrooms, i noticed water seeping out after a while - in that case, just keep the mushrooms for a while in the oven even after you turn it off. The water will evaporate with the heat.)

Posted by Yamini V

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Cottage Cheese in Thin Gravy

I've stayed away from thin gravies because I've always wanted to perfect a thick gravy. Most of my thick gravies come from tomato and onion and while they taste good, the looks are less than pleasing, and the effort to make them look good continues. So I surprised myself when I found myself attracted to a recipe of Paneer in Light Gravy from a book on Bengali cuisine that I own, called Pumpkin Flower Fritters.

I also liked this recipe because it calls for using coriander in the cooking, and not merely as a garnish at the end. It's been a while since I did that, and I'm glad I was reminded of it because it really tastes good.

Here's my version of the recipe:

Cottage Cheese/Paneer: 250 gm, cubed
Tomato, chopped: 1 cup
Dry ginger powder OR Fresh ginger, chopped: 1 tbsp
Fresh coriander leaves, minced: 1 tbsp
Bay leaves: 1 big or 2 small

Tempering
Cumin seed/jeera: 1 tsp
Green chilli, slit: 2-3
Garam masala: 1 tsp
Oil: 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Water: 1/2 cup

In the oil, fry the paneer till light brown and reserve.

Temper the same oil with the cumin. Add the bay leaves, the ginger and the garam masala - make sure all this has been done on the lowest heat.

When it's fragrant, add the tomato, coriander and the green chillies.

Add the salt and saute till the gravy turns red and the tomato is well cooked.

Add the paneer and saute.

Now add the water. Let the paneer soak up the spices.

The books says to serve this with chapatis or luchis (deep fried bread) but I just made a soupy meal of it!

No Crying Over Split Milk

In India, milk is split/curdled to form a cottage cheese we usually call paneer or chena. Last night at the store, I bought four packets of milk, just grateful that they were available at that late hour. I had some doubts about them that I managed to repress but was unfortunately proved right when I set it to boil - it curdled immediately - two packets yesterday and one packet today.

I tasted the cheese and it was pleasant and sweet, so I strained the whey and stored it in the fridge intending to make the above. I had more of it this morning after the third packet went off.

You can substitute tofu for a vegan alternative.

Here's how to make scrambled paneer:

Paneer: 2 cups (You can always make the paneer fresh or crush the block of paneer you get in the store)
Onion, chopped: 3/4 cup
Water: 1/8 cup

Spices
Chilli powder: 1/2-1 tsp
Turmeric: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Garam masala: 1/2-1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tbsp (you can also chop/crush/grind them in equal proportion to make up a tbsp)

Tempering
Cumin seed: 1 tsp
Oil: 3-4 tsp

Coriander leaves, to garnish

Heat the oil in a pan, temper with cumin seed.

Fry the onions on low heat.

Add the ginger-garlic paste. Mix well and fry for a while. In India, we like to say "till the raw smell goes".

Add the spices. Mix well and add the water. Let it come to a boil.

Now add the paneer. Stir to ensure it blends well with the spices.

Let the water evaporate and garnish with some coriander leaves if you like.

And here's Cynthia's post on how to make fresh paneer - she also has some useful links there, and her gorgeous photos are a sight for sore eyes.

You can also check this link.

Here are some links from my own blog:

A fusion dish

Gravied/curried paneer

There are several more. Click on this link and you'll be taken there.