AACHARI PANEER

Aachari paneer is nothing but the gravy is made with  aachari/ pickling spices and it is without onion and garlic. The flavours are much more intense and the taste is so pleasant. A simple mixture of curds, flour and a few spice powders forms the base of this delectable cottage cheese preparation.  Generally the main ingredients in any pickle is mustard seeds, fennel, cumin and fenugreek seeds. Roasting these seeds and powder them in a mixer grinder and add it to the gravy. The spicy aachar masala brings the unique taste to this dish and you can enjoy the taste of paneer in the aachar gravy. As other paneer gravies this is also an excellent accompaniment for any Indian Breads. I have shared so many recipes with paneer and this time I decided to try this recipe with paneer and it turned out just as super delicious. As a bonus it is also very light on the stomach, having almost no heavy spices. Lets see how to make this aachari paneer recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

200 gms Paneer/ Cottage Cheese, cut into cubes

1 Cup Fresh Whole Milk Curd [dahi]

1 ½  teaspoon Green Chilli + Ginger Paste

2 -3 Dry Red Chillies [sukki lal mirchi]

2 Medium Sized Toamtoes, chopped

10 -12 Cashew nuts [kaju]

½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder [haldi]

2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder [mirchi powder]

2 teaspoon Coriander Powder [dhana powder]

1 teaspoon Cumin Powder [jeera powder]

2 teaspoon mango Pickle Masala [lonche masala]

1 ½ tablespoon Gram Flour [Besan]

1 teaspoon Kasoori Methi

3 tabelspoon Low Fat Cream [malai]

2 tabelspoon Oil / ghee

Chopped Coriander for garnishing

Salt as required

A pinch of Asafoetida

Pickling Spices:

1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds [saunf]

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds [jeera]

1 teaspoon Mustard seeds [mohari/ rai]

½ teaspoon Nigella Seeds [kalongi]

¼ teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds [methi dana]

METHOD:
Roasting pickling spices:

STEP 1 – Take a small pan, heat it on low flame. Roast all the ingredients under the title “pickling spices”. Don’t over roast. Roast till feel the sweet fragrance.

STEP 2 - Remove it from the pan and cool it completely.

STEP 3 – Dry the spices in a mixer jar to a semi fine powder. Don’t make a fine powder. Keep this aachari masala powder aside.

STEP 4 – Take thick curd and whisk it till it is smooth. Don’t use the sour one.

STEP 5 – Make the fine powder of cashew nuts in the mixer jar. Keep it aside.

STEP 6 – Heat a pan with 2 tablespoon of ghee in it. Add red chillies and hing in it.

STEP 7 – Then add green chilli-ginger paste and sauté for a minute.

STEP 8 – Add chopped tomatoes in it and cook till the tomatoes soften completely and become pulpy.

STEP 9 – Add besan flour and roast for a minute.

STEP 10 – Then add the freshly made pickle masala powder as well as the rest of the spice powders. Give a nice stir and mix well. [see notes]

STEP 11 – Add cashew powder and the readymade mango pickle powder and mix nicely and roast for next 1 minute and incorporate into the rest of the masala.

STEP 12 – Add the whisked curd, mix it and then season it with salt.

STEP 13 – Now add the paneer cubes and half cup of water and give a nice stir. Adjust the consistency accordingly.

STEP 14 – Lastly add fresh cream, kasoori methi [see notes] and again stir and mix the cream with the gravy.

STEP 15 – Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and switch off the flame.

Sprinkle the reserved pickle masala powder and serve the hot aachari paneer with naan, chapatti, paratha or tandoori roti and enjoy.

NOTES: * Keep some fresh pickle powder for garnishing.

Crush the kasoori methi between your palms before adding to the gravy, it gives a nice aroma to your gravy.

KANTOLA FRY / KAKROL FRY

Kantola / kartola is available across most parts of India during monsoons. Some may know it is as kekol, kekrol, kartoli or some other name, but cannot deny the health benefits of this vegetable. It belongs to the botter gourd family but is not as bitter in taste even with the skin on. So it is also known as spine gourd. It is a great health food as it is rich in proteins and iron and is low on calorie. It is high in fiber and anti-oxidants and thus very useful for easy digestion. It keeps your stomach in good shape during the monsoons by reducing the infections caused and controlling constipation. Carotenoids like Lutein present in this vegetable helps in prevention of various eye diseases, cardiovascular diseases and even cancers. Hence, this vegetable helps inlowering blood sugar and controlling diabetes. Since Kantola is mostly available during monsoons, it must be used regularly to keep seasonal cough, cold and other allergies away. Only the fresh green coloured variety of this vegetable is edible. The skin packs a lot of nutrients and hence should not be removed while cooking.

      Kantola / kakrol is from the gourd family and is seasonal vegetable. It looks like a spiky melon and tastes almost similar to bittergourd. Infact its less bitter and a mix taste of bittergourd and parval. This is an easy and quick recipe of kantola fry with step by step photos. Kantola is often made in various regional Indian cuisines. During monsoons, we usually get kantola here in India. This is my mom’s recipe which is shallow fried and I avoided the extra fat so I have sautéed them in less oil. My husband love this kantola fry.  It gives a wonderful crunchy bite and compliment very well with rice.    

INGREDIENTS:

250 gms Kantola/ Kartoli/ Spine Gourd

¼ teaspoon Cumin Seeds [jeera]

2-3 Green Chillies, chopped

1” piece Ginger, chopped finely [adrak]

1 teaspoon Coriander Powder [dhana powder]

½ teaspoon Fennel Seeds Powder [saunf powder]

1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder [mirchi powder]

¼ teaspoon Amchur Powder

¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder [haldi]

Salt as needed

 A pinch of Asafoetida [hing]

1-2 tablespoon Oil

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Wash Kantola under running water. Slice them finely.

STEP 2 – Heat pan with oil and splutter cumin seeds.

STEP 3 – Add turmeric powder, green chillies, ginger, coriander powder and fennel seed powder. Roast it for a minute. Don’t add amchur powder at this time.

STEP 4 – Add sliced kantola in it and sauté well for 2-3 minutes.

STEP 5 – Season with red chilli powder, salt and cook them on high flame for 1-2 minutes.

STEP 6 – Add 1-2 tablespoon water in it, mix well and cover it with lid. Cook it for 4-5 minutes on low flame.

STEP 7 – Remove the lid in between and check the kantola, whether they are cooked or not.

STEP 8 – Now remove the lid and cook it for another 3-4 minutes on low flame. Stir it occasionally.

STEP 9 -  Once they get cooked, add amchur powder and chopped coriander and switch off the flame and serve.

Serve hot kantola fry with chappati, paratha or as a side dish.

MOLAGA PODI /MILAGAI PODI

You can find Idli milagai podi/ Malaga podi is a popular powder/ chutney / podi in almost every South Indian kitchen. It is also known as gun powder. It is a nice accompaniment to serve with idli, dosa, adai and vada. This recipe is more healthy than any other recipe, because it is with horse gram/ kulith in it. Kulith is a type of legume, generally grown in dry agricultural areas. It is used as a staple food for horse in India, which explains its name. Its aroma is similar to freshly-cut hay. It is very hard in texture and requires prolonged cooking to obtain palatable value. It is consumed as whole seed, sprouts or as whole meal largely by rural areas of Southern India. It is very common lentil and available in most grocery stores. The nutritive value of horse gram is almost similar to the other pulses. It is good source of dietary fibre and helps to regulate blood pressure and blood glucose levels. Sprouts of horse gram are rich in proteins, vitamin C and iron.  It is also used in Maharashtra for making usal, salads, soups and curries.

  Though there are many recipes to make milagai podi and every family has their own traditional family recipe but the main ingredients remains the same just different ratios of ingredients or few more or less. Traditionally idli malga podi is served mixed with little sesame oil but you can use ghee or have plain like I do. Idlis smeared with ghee and podi taste wonderful and also very good to pack in kids lunchbox. This is a delicious spice mix made with lentils and dry red chillies which is very easy recipe. This is the first time I have made the powder at home. I am very thrilled that the molaga podi has turned out so well, it had a very good colour. I made little spicy molaga podi but if you prefer less spicy then decrease the amount of chilly powder in it. It is up to you to make it more spicy or less as per your liking.Try this version of Molagai Podi and share your experience!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup  Horse Gram/ Kollu / Mudhira [Kulith in Hindi or Hulga in Marathi]

½ Cup Chana Dal

¼ Cup Urad Dal

5-6 teaspoons Red Chilli Powder [according to taste]

½ Cup Black Sesame Seeds [kale til]

Salt as per needed

A pinch of Asafoetida

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Heat a wide pan on low flame.

STEP 2 – Dry roast all the lentils and sesame seeds  separately. Keep aside and cool it completely.

STEP 3 – Add all the ingredients with red chilli powder and salt in a mixer chutney jar and grind.[see notes]

STEP 4 – Add asafoetida while grinding.

Do not grind it into fine powder. The powder should be coarse and semi fine.[see notes]

STEP 5 – Remove from mixer jar and store it in a air tight container for further use.

Mix as and when required with sesame oil/ vegitable oil and have it with idlis and dosas.

NOTES: *You can use dry red chillies instead of red chilli powder. Roast them before grinding.

               *If using dry red chillies then grind chillies, salt and chana dal first and then add the rest of the ingredients.

CHICKEN RESHMI KEBAB

Chicken reshmi kebab is a very popular dish all over India and other countries. Love chicken kebabs??? If yes then here is a simple, easy and quick recipe of Chicken reshmi kebab at home. Yes you heard it right….!!! India is a land of diversities, which is well portrayed in its culture and cuisine. A land where taste changes at every 100 kms. Hence it has wide spectrum of food. Here I am sharing the recipe of reshmi kebab that is not only quick, but can be easily made at home.  This is super simple and mouthwatering “must try” reshmi kebab recipe. Bite size pieces of chicken are marinated in afresh and flavorful spicy creamy sauce. You can grill the kebabs on skewers in your oven or barbeque grill or simply grill them on grill pan. I have already shared many veg as well as non-veg recipes of kebabs and starters in my blog. This is my alltime favourite kebab and this is on my to do list from past many days.  So I tried it few days back and it come out so delicious.  Trying this reshmi kebab recipe at home is an easy way to get a delicious meal. Here is the step by step recipe with detail pics.

INGREDIENTS:

½ kg Chicken [cut into small pieces]

½ Cup Thick Curd [greek yoghurt]

½ Cup Fresh Cream [here I used Amul]

½ inch Ginger

5-6  Garlic Cloves

½ teaspoon Black Pepper Powder

Salt as per taste

9-10 Cashew nuts

9-10 Almonds

1 tablespoon Chopped Coriander

1 tablespoon Mint Leaves

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

½ teaspoon Chaat Masala +1/4 teaspoon for sprinkling

METHOD:

For Marination:

STEP 1 – In a mixer pot, take cashew nuts, almonds, ginger, garlic, mint leaves, chopped coriander along with fresh cream and curd and blend it to a fine paste. Don’t add water while blending. The paste should be thick consistency.

STEP 2 – Remove the paste in the bowl and add lemon juice in it. Add some more chopped coriander in it and mix it well.

STEP 3 – Now add chaat masala and mix it.

STEP 4 – Add salt as per taste.

STEP 5 – Now add the chicken pieces in this marination and marinade with the creamy mixture.

STEP 6 – Keep this marinated chicken for minimum 30 minutes and maximum 4 hours to overnight in the refrigerator.[see notes]

STEP 7 – If using the wooden skewers, then soak the skewers for at least 1 hour before using them.

 STEP 8 – Thread the marinated chicken pieces into skewers and keep them aside.

STEP 9 – Pre-heat the grill pan with few drops of oil.

When it is hot, place the chicken skewers one by one on the grill pan.

STEP 9 – Sizzling sound comes when you place the chicken skewers on the grill pan.

STEP 10 – First cook them for 2 minutes on medium heat and then drizzle 1 teaspoon oil on the skewers and then turn them.[see notes]

STEP 11 – Cook evenly from all sides, in between drizzle oil, so that the marinate will not stick to the grill pan. Cook them till completely  cooked, it will take about 15 minutes to get done on medium heat. Remove them from skewers and serve.

Serve hot with mint chutney or tomato ketchup or any dip as per your liking, onion rings and lemon wedge and enjoy as a starter or with any meal. Sprinkle some chaat masala at the time you serve them.

NOTES: *The longer we allow the chicken pieces to rest, the softer they turn out.

              *The timings may vary which depends upon the size of the chicken pieces.

              *Turn the skewers carefully while cooking on grill.