This is another rice recipe loved by all. Its not only easy to make and quick but it extremely appetizing not only to the palate but for presentation too. Sudden guests?  Whip this up in matter of minutes. Lazy Sunday? Don’t feel like cooking anything elaborate yet want to please the family – this needs no major prep. work. The Paneer as I always repeat on and oft in my blog is a staple and which I just add to enhance the dish.

Paneer is not really mandatory for this dish. You can skip it and make this dish as it is. I like to lightly shallow fry the paneer first since it helps to add color to the otherwise plain looking rice dish. Few roasted cashews help to make this simple dish special. Instead of just cilantro for garnish, I add few mint for that fresh taste and aroma.

You might also be interested in :
Indian Rice Recipes: South Indian Kadambam, Bisi Bela Bath, Hyderabadi Biryani, Ven Pongal
Paneer Recipes: Muttar Paneer Paratha, Barley Paneer Soup, Paneer Bhurji, Muttar Paneer
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Post tags: Basmati rice, bay leaf, cardamom, cashews, chillies, cilantro, cloves, cumin, garlic, mint, onions, Paneer, peas

I thought I made lots of pumpkin puree and was wondering how I was going to finish all of it! I need not have worried. With the last of my puree, I made these utterly delicious spiced Pumpkin cupcakes. These cupcakes have gone places – from David Leite to Smitten kitchen to Honey and Jam. With such a fan following, I knew I had to make it.

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Post tags: baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, buttermilk, cake flour, cinnamon, cloves, cream cheese, eggs, ginger, ginger powder, lemon, nutmeg, pepper, peppercorns, powdered, powdered sugar, pumpkin, squash, sugar

This recipe is in my drafts for like ages. To be precise 8 months!. But after getting repeated recipe requests for Baklava, I had to do “open sesame” and post this now. Why the hesitation? This Baklava is the Best one I have ever tasted, it just was the photo. It simply does not do justice to the heavenly sensation that it creates in your mouth and down your throat. I was waiting for the moment, when I would make this sinful indulgence again, but well it just did not arise.

Anyways, I personally think that we should ban Baklava. yes, you heard right. Its worse than drugs – makes you a die hard addict. I mean see it this way – I, don’t love sweets. Period. I am among the 0 .00000001% of women who DON’T go gaga over chocolate. In fact I run the other way. Sugar syrup makes me hurl and even the smell of desserts in general does not give that velvety esthesis which it usually induces in average humans. Inspite of all this – I did a complete U-Turn and all but finished a huge plate of Baklava all by myself. I simply couldn’t stop myself from reaching the fridge like 10 times a day to fork a mouthful!
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Post tags: almonds, caster sugar, cinnamon, cloves, lemon, walnuts

“..100? what 100? who does she think she is kidding! She crossed 100 posts already!!!! I read your mind dint i? You are right – It is not my 100th posts overall, but I sure hit my century for Indian food – which by the way will surely raise eyebrows of my dear friend to whom I insisted that making Indian foods alone is not going to be the forte of my blog, when I started out. She used to complain earlier that I rarely made posted Indian food, that I was not patriotic  to my country, that I would lose out on cartloads of readers because of my stubborn attitude. I have my own reasons for being the way I am which I don’t think is important enough to mention here, but I have to insist that I certainly am patriotic enough (much much more than some I know!!!!!!!) and that if sole reason for me to have this blog was to market/earn money/to get more readers then I would not have lasted this long and the future of this blog will indeed be bleak! I have no endurance for anything that does not interest me enough.
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Post tags: cardamom, cloves, cumin, fennel, holy basil, milk, tea leaves, Tulasi

Lentils(dal) is predominantly a major player in my kitchen. We love dals and we usually accompany it for our dinner with roti’s / phulkas. The protein in the dal helps to satisfy our hunger faster and thereby eat less. I consume these often enough to cut the amount of rice I eat per day. I cannot do without rice though, hence eating minimal works for me. Also including greens at least twice each week is another habit in my kitchen. The nutrients that it has to give is immense. Try to buy fresh greens and cook them on the same day. That way nutrients are not lost too much.

Recently on my recent grocery shopping, I came across the freshest looking Red Chard. I bought them home and thought of making a stir fry. I was not too sure if it will go well with my khasta roti, so thought of making it into a dal instead. The afternoon lunch was a joke with not so much of protein hence I thought I will make a mixed dal constituting 5 different lentils cooked together and add in the red chard along with it. It turned out to be a very satisfying meal.

Method

In a saucepan, in 1/2 tsp oil add the spices. Saute for few seconds until aromatic. Add the onions and tomatoes along with salt, stir for 1 min and then add ginger and garlic.

Add the lentils(washed with cold water until clean water runs through),

stir for few more minutes and then add about 3 cups of water (or vegetable stock) along with turmeric.

Close the lid and cook for 8-10 minutes until the lentils are almost soft.  Add the chopped chard, close the lid and cook until the greens have wilted.

Few minutes before serving, add the lemon juice,

stir well and serve warm.

Related posts:

1. Kamut and Mixed Greens Pilaf
2. Stuffed Acorn Squash with Mixed Rice Pilaf
3. Dal Makhani, Ma(a) Ki Dal, Maa di dal, or Kaali Dal……
4. Tadka Dal
5. Adai
6. Tomato Dal – Healthy comfort food

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Post tags: bengal gram, black gram, caraway seeds, chillies, cinnamon, cloves, dill seeds, garlic, ginger, lemon, onions, pigeon peas, red chard, red lentils, tomato, turmeric, yellow lentil

Borscht (borsht or borshch ) is traditionally an Eastern Europe soup where the prominence is given to Beetroot along with other vegetables. There are basically two variations of this soup – hot and cold and since we are not fans of cold soup, I opted for the former. It is totally yummy with minimal ingredients and effervescent flavors. The color is deep red thanks to the beetroot and its only enhanced further with the addition of Beetroot Kvas. This is a recipe from a ‘Detox health-plan cookbook’ which I adapted quite mildly for my tastes.

To prepare Beetroot Kvas

Grate one beetroot, add it to 2/3 cup of water and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Cover and set aside for about 30 min.

For Borscht

In a saucepan, in 1/2 tsp of olive oil, saute the onions until soft (yes, chop onions first – otherwise they will look ‘bloody’ like this one

Chop beetroot, celery and carrot into thick strips and then along with garlic add them to the onions. Saute for 2 seconds with little salt (about a pinch or so).

Add the tomato puree and saute for another 1-2 min.

Tie the bay leaf, peppercorns, herbs and cloves in a muslin cloth. Add about 3 cups of water/stock to the saucepan, drop the muslin cloth with the stock, cover and cook for 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Remove the muslin bag, add the strained Kvas, season to taste and serve garnished with chives.

This is also my entry for SWC : Soups hosted by Neha conceptualized by Cooking Station

How to Remove Beetroot Stains

I love Beets and use it so often for my recipes. While I love the color, I personally am not so sure about seeing the color everywhere in my kitchen – wooden boards, counter tops, my clothes etc. Here are some tips which have helped me to counter this ‘bloody’ trail.

1. Its always better to clean right after cutting the beets. Don’t let it dry out. Makes cleaning a bit harder.

2. Better safe than sorry – so don’t wear your snow white, ultra light colors when cutting Beets – old worn out clothes are a good idea! Or else wear an Apron.

3.Having Lemons are such a boon. If your wooden chopping board has stained – sprinkle some salt over its “wounds” / stains – let it sit for 15-20 minutes, then with a chopped lemon rub it on the stains until the stain slowly dissoves. Sometimes if the stain is not dark enough, just lemon juice rubbed on the stained part for 20-30min is enough.

Few more tips in the following links :-

1) Tips to remove Beetroot stains from Carpet

2) Tips to remove Beetroot stains from clothes and Fabric

3) Tips to remove Beetroot stains from upholstery

Related posts:

1. Creamy Carrot Soup
2. Red Lentil and Coconut Soup
3. Celery Soup – Simple and Hearty
4. Jerusalem Artichoke (sunchoke) soup – A little nutty , little sweet.
5. Baked Onion Garlic Soup
6. Vietnamese Pho Soup – Vegetarian Version

© DK for Chef In You, 2009. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beetroot, carrots, celery, chives, cilantro, cloves, garlic, lemon, onions, parsley, peppercorns, tomato

….Dal Makhani by any other name would taste just as yummy and delicious. This Punjabi delicacy is another feather to Indian cuisine. Rich, creamy lentils cooked with assorted spices makes it one of the best warm and soul foods ever! Dal (lentil) Makhani (cream/butter) as the name insists is filled with calories and is a special treat – for people like me who have been good the whole week with their diet!! Yeah! That’s the longest I can deprive myself Since its been cloudy and rainy in my side of the world, I wanted to indulge myself with this dish.

There are couple of variations and I have tried them all. I have finally settled down to this recipe. The secret to best Dal makhani is the number of hours one cooks the lentils. Traditionally, the Dals are simmered overnight in Tandoor which enhances the taste. Otherwise, I find that soaking the lentils a little longer than norm also does the same. No scientific explanation – just experience. I usually soak it say evening when I need to make this dish for next day’s lunch. Otherwise you can use slow cooker if you have one.!

Method

Soak the lentils and kidney beans overnight. Cook until cooked, almost mushy. In a saucepan, add butter along with cloves, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, cumin-coriander powder,bay leaf, ginger-garlic paste, chillies and onions. Saute until aromatic and onions gets soft.

Add the Tomato puree, close the lid (unless you love being covered with tomato puree ) and cook for 5 min until the raw tomato smell leaves.

Now add the lentil mixture, reduce the heat to simmer, add salt close the lid and slow cook for 15-20 min. Stir occasionally to avoid the lentils from sticking to the bottom.

Add the fenugreek leaves along with cardamom powder, stir and then add the cream.

Cook for 5 more minutes and serve hot garnished with Naan/ Roti garnished with cilantro. I usually pair it with Roti/ Phulkas. Guess I am not too comfortable with too many rich dishes at the same time.

Related posts:

1. Mixed Dal(lentils) with Red Chard
2. Muttar Paneer
3. Tomato Dal – Healthy comfort food
4. Kala Channa Masala (Black Chickpeas)
5. Tadka Dal
6. Banarasi Aloo

© DK for Chef In You, 2009. | Permalink | 23 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bengal gram, black gram, cardamom, chillies, cinnamon, cloves, cream, cumin, dried fenugreek leaves, kasoori methi, kidney beans, onions, tomato, turmeric

Quick breads are a joy to work with! Why? ‘cos they are quick of course! Its been a while since I baked some bread and I wanted something fast and which I dint have to wait – proofing, doubling etc. I had this recipe from our neighbors which I wanted to try for a while now. Here I have to mention about Barbara and Bill! They are such a blessing to have around. I am used to neighbors who either “pretend that you don’t exist” or are “too curious about everything who goes in and out, what you are up to – what time you sneeze!” – and Barb and Bill are a breath of fresh air among such ppl. They have generous smiles to give around along with one more prized thing which I get from Bill often – His breads! I have only one word for those – “AWESOME”. His breads belong to that rare category where you want to keep admiring the piece of art but want to eat it at the same time.
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Post tags: baking powder, baking soda, cloves, ginger powder, honey, pastry flour, Persimmon, walnuts, wheat flour, wheat germ

Festive cooking never fails to bring out the Kid in us – esp baking. The fun of loved ones milling about, shouts of laughter and arguments, kids running here and there makes us jump with utmost glee. Thanksgiving always reminds me of the Gingerbread Man, of course after Pumpkin Pie. I just realized that I had almost all the gingery bites posted. Right from Gingerbread to Gingersnaps to Ginger Cookies and I seemed to have missed on the most funnest of them all – yes Gingerbread Man.

Gingerbread Man is actually a cookie and is based on a fairy tale.It is crunchy and has a delicious bite to it. I have tried many recipes but the one I love most is this one which I stumbled upon all of a sudden when I ran out of ingredients right in the middle of making a batch. I ran out on Brown sugar and Molasses, two essential ingredients and dint have enough as asked for in the recipe. So instead I made use of some brown Rice syrup and Demerera Sugar lying in my pantry and VIOLA! This one was a total winner.

1.Sift all the dry ingredients together for the cookies in a bowl.

2.Now beat the sugar and the butter together.

3.Add rest of the wet ingredients till they come well together.

4.Mix the dry into the wet and make into a dough.Wrap in a plastic sheet and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours. Then remove and set aside in the counter to get to room temperature. Now on a floured parchment/wax paper, place the cookie dough and roll it out using a rolling pin.

5.Roll it to 1/8th inch thickness and cut out Gingerbread Man shapes using the cookie cutter. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake it in a preheated oven at 350F. I had one single one in the shape as given above. I did a freehand to cut a Man and used this for a woman

6.It should be done in about 8-10min and you know its done when the edges start browning slightly.Remove and cool completely.

7.For the Icing : Mix the butter and sugar together. Lightly blend in the milk and vanilla till it forms into an icing consistancy. If too thick, add little more milk otherwise add more sugar if too watery. Now decorate the cookies as per your needs.

This is my entry to Susan’s Event : Christmas Cookies Event. Check out this roundup to drool over the other creations for this event.

Related posts:

1. Gingerbread (Eggless)
2. Nutritious Gingersnaps – Eggless
3. Ginger Cookies
4. Gingerbread Man for A.W.E.D German
5. Sugar Cookies
6. Christmas Shortbread/Cookies

© DK for Chef In You, 2008. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: baking soda, brown rice syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, Demerara sugar, eggs, ginger powder, milk, molasses, nutmeg, powdered sugar, vanilla extract