Paneer Butter Masala

     Paneer butter masala is a very famous recipe but in this recipe I have tried to reduce the usage of masala by using only red chilli powder. It is come out well and goes well with chapathi, roti, etc.,

Check out my Paneer Makhani Recipe here.

Recipe Cuisine : Indian | Recipe Category: Side Dish

Preparation Time:  15 mins  | Cooking Time: 25 mins | Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

Paneer Cubes	200 gm
Boiled Cold Milk	¾ cup
Kasoori Methi / Dried Fenugreek Leaves	¼ tsp
Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder	1 tbsp
Sugar	1 tbsp
Salt	As required
To Temper:
Butter + Oil	2 tbsp
Cumin seeds /Jeera	1 tsp
Chopped Onion	¼ cup
To Fry and Grind into Paste:
Oil	1 tbsp
Onion	2
Tomato	3
Ginger	1 inch
Garlic Pods	4
Badam	3
Cashew Nuts	10
Roasted Gram / Pottukkadalai	1 tbsp
Kasoori Methi / Dried Fenugreek Leaves	¼ tsp

Procedure:

Preparation Procedure:

1. Peel the skins of the onions and chop them into small pieces.

2. Wash and cut the tomatoes into small cubes.

3. Remove the skin of the ginger and cut it into small pieces.

4. Remove the skin of the garlic and chop them into small pieces.

Cooking Procedure:

For Paste:

1. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee, add chopped onion and sauté till they become translucent.

2. Then add chopped ginger, chopped garlic, roasted gram, badam and cashew nuts. Fry them well for 2 mins.

3. Now add the chopped tomatoes and fry till it becomes mushy. Add ¼ cup of water and cook till the water absorbs completely. Switch off the stove and add the kasoori methi.

4. Allow it to cool down completely and grind it into a fine paste using little water.

For Paneer:

5. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan, add panner cubes and fry till they turn into light brown color.

6. Take them out from the oil and put them in the warm water. This step is used to avoid the paneer becoming hard after frying.

For Gravy:

7. In the same pan (after frying all the paneer cubes) add butter, add the cumin seeds and wait for splutter.

8. Then add the finely chopped onion. Sauté till they become translucent. Now add the ground paste, red chilli powder and salt. Cook till the gravy become thick.

9. Now add the sugar and milk. Cook for few mins.

10. Then add the fried paneer cubes and ¼ tsp of kasoori methi. Mix them well and cook for 2 mins. Then switch off the flame.

    Colorful and tasty paneer butter masala is ready.

Note:

1. Use panner as it isinstead of fry.

2. Use ginger garlic paste instead of adding ginger and garlic.

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Little Millet Phirni in Indus Ladies

    Phirni or Firni is a rice based pudding with milk and nuts. It is a famous Indian dessert. It is a must have dish for festivals like Kawra Chauth in North India.

     Usually Phirni is prepared using Basmathi rice. I have tried with Little Millet Rice.  The taste is almost similar to the Basmathi rice phirni.    

     I have participated in Indusladies Kawar Chauth festival recipe. Please click here for the complete recipe at Indus Ladies site.

      I thank Indus Ladies (Magee Prem) for inviting me for participating in the festival recipes.

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Red Butter Beans Sundal | Sundal Recipes

     Butter beans sundal can be a good evening snack for kids and also a side dish for rice based dishes. It can be also prepared as a variety during the Navarathiri festival.

Recipe Cuisine : Indian | Recipe Category: Snacks / Sundal

Preparation Time:  5 mins  | Cooking Time: 15 mins | Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients:

Red Butter Beans	1 cup
Salt	As Required
To Grind:
Grated Coconut or Equivalent	2 tbsp
Red Chilli	1 0r 2
Garlic Pods (optional)	1
Cumin Seeds / Jeera	1 tsp
Fennel Seeds / Sombu	¼ tsp
To Temper:
Oil	2 tsp
Mustard Seeds	½ tsp
Urad Dal	½ tsp
Curry Leaves	1 spring
Chopped Onion (optional)	2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Pressure cook the butter beans with ¼ cup of water and little salt for 2 whistles in high flame. Otherwise cook till they become soft and mushy when you press the beans.

2. Grind the coconut, red chillies, garlic pods, cumin seeds and fennel seeds without water using the mixie. Keep it aside.

3. Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and wait for popping.

4. Then add the urad dal and curry leaves. Then add the chopped onion (if used) and sauté till the onion becomes translucent.

5. Now add the cooked butter beans with cooked water and salt (salt already added when pressure cooked) .

6. Fry till the water evaporates completely and then add the ground mixture. Mix them well and cook till the raw smell goes off.

7. Switch off the flame and serve it hot with tea.

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Pearl Millet / Kambu Poori

      My earlier recipe Ragi Poori had come out very well and liked many people. So I continue trying various other combinations for preparing pooris using Millets. This is the second millet poori prepared using Pearl Millet. The taste is indistinguishable from wheat poori.  

Other Poori Recipes:

1. Poori 

2. Ragi Poori

3. Palak Poori

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Breakfast

Preparation Time:  10 mins  | Cooking Time: 10 mins| Yields: 15 Pooris

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour	1  1/4  cup
Pear Millet Flour / Kambu Maavu	½ cup
Salt	As required
Water	As required
Oil	For fry

Procedure:

1. Mix Wheat flour, Pearl Millet flour and salt in a wide bowl.

2. Mix them well with your fingers.

3. Add enough water to knead into a soft dough. Keep it aside for 5 mins.

4. Divide the dough into equal lemon sized balls. Either roll it into a medium size  circular rounds or press them using the machine.

4. Heat the oil in a pan and slide the poori. After few seconds, press it with the help of the ladle with the holes. When it puffs up, turn over it carefully and fry the poori till the poori becomes crisp and golden color. Then take it out from the oil and drain the oil using tissue paper.

 Healthy Pear Millet / Kambu  poori is ready. Serve it with poori masala or vegetable kuruma.

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Soft and Puffy Paniyaram

   Want to make your Paniyarams soft and puffy? Most people prepare paniyaram with Idli batter only. This will mostly become hard and will not puffy.  To avoid this we make paniyaram slightly different using a mixture of raw and par boiled idli rice. This recipe is a traditional recipe from our kitchen (Kongu Region).

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Breakfast

Preparation Time:  10 mins  | Soaking and grinding Time: 3 hrs

 Fermentation Time: 8 hrs | Cooking Time: 15 mins| Yields: 50 nos (approx.)

Ingredients:

Raw Idli Rice	1 cup
Barboiled Idli Rice	1 cup
Urad Dal	½ cup
Fenugreek Seeds	1 tbsp
Salt	As required

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak both the rice together for 2-4 hours.

2. Wash and soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds together for 3-4 hours.

3.  Grind the rice into a little bit coarse paste with enough water. ( grinding upto 90% is enough)

4. Grind the urad dal till the urad batter comes soft and fluffy.

5. Mix both the batter together with salt and keep it 6-8 hours or overnight for fermentation.

6. After fermentation, the batter would have become fluffy. 

7.  Suppose the batter is too thick add little water and mix well. The paniyaram batter is ready.

8. Heat the kuzhi / kuli paniyaram pan, pour few drops of oil and then pour this batter upto only 3/4^th  of the kuzhi (depression) .

9. After few mins, turn them to the other side and cook until it becomes golden color on both sides.

   Tasty paniyaram is ready to serve. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Click here for more interersting paniyaram recipes.

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Paruppu Podi /Dal Powder

      Podi / Powders are famous rice based starters in Andhra and Tamilnadu. Eventhough ready mix powders are available,  it is better to make it at home for purity and to avoid chemicals. Moreover it takes only short time to prepare.

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Homemade

Preparation Time:  5 mins  | Cooking Time: 20 mins| Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients:

Thur Dal / Thuvarm Paruppu	½ cup
Split Green Gram / moong dal / Pasi paruppu	½ cup
Red Chilli	10-15
Salt	As required

Procedure:

1. Dry roast thur dal, split green gram dal and the red chillies separately in a heavy bottom pan. Fry them till they become golden color and also till  nice aroma comes out from it. You should keep the flame at medium.

2. Allow it to cool down completely.

3. Grind the roasted dals, red chillies with required salt into a fine powder using the mixie.

4. Then sieve the mixture and store it in a air tight container.

  Really yummy and tasty paruppu podi is ready.  Mix 1 tbsp of podi and 1 tbsp of sesame oil with 1 cup of hot rice  and serve. 

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