Paneer Bhurjee (Scrambled Cottage Cheese Curry)

Paneer or cottage cheese is to vegetarians what chicken/fish/mutton is to non-vegeterains in India. And the fact that you can make cottage cheese very easily at home with full cream milk is an added advantage. Paneer should always be fresh and soft. My wife usually makes this at home whenever we are in the mood to have a paneer dish. You can see several online tutorials about how to make paneer at home. The health conscious among you, can substitute paneer with tofu. However the taste of the dishes would not be the same. So go ahead and indulge in paneer once in a while.

We made this dish today. Since my wife is a vegetarian, I hop to add more and more vegetarian recipes to this blog as we make them.

Ingredients

• 200 gram fresh paneer grated/crumbled
• 1 large onion finely chopped (add more onion to increase the quantity of the dish)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp chopped ginger
• A pinch of asafoetida
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• 1 large tomato finely chopped
• ½ cup thick cream
• ½ tsp of dried fenugreek leaves, crushed into a fine powder
• 2 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp paav bhaji masala
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp red chilly powder
• Salt as per taste

Method

• Heat the vegetable oil in a pan.
• Lower the flame and add the asafoetida and whole cumin seeds to the hot oil
• After a few seconds, add the finely chopped garlic and sauté the garlic until they turn slightly brown but not burnt. Add the finely chopped ginger after sautéing the garlic for a few seconds.
• Add the finely chopped onion and sauté them until they caramelize but are not burnt
• Add the paav bhaji masala, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and a tbsp. of water
• Sauté the masala for a minute
• Add the finely chopped tomato and sprinkle some water over it. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the tomato becomes mushy and the oil separates from the masala.
• Add the crumbled paneer and mix everything well
• Add salt as needed
• Cook this for a couple of minutes and then add the cream. Mix everything well
• Cook further for two minutes.
• Sprinkle the dried fenugreek leaf powder and then add the chopped coriander leaves
• Serve hot with naan or roti

Notes

• The final texture should not be dry but a little wet. So add the cream (you can also add plain milk instead of cream)

Laal Maas - Rajasthani Red Meat Curry

Laal maas is a traditional meat curry of Rajasthan. This used to be made during the hunting expeditions using the meat of the animals that were hunted. Today it is made mostly using mutton. Since this used to be cooked while on hunting expeditions, most of the spices used for this used were the dry ones along with onions and garlic. So no curd, tomato etc. were used in this recipe. Even though I have used green chillies, I guess perhaps even those would not have been part of the original recipe. These days however, most of the recipes you find online use curd and tomato. And they all omit a very special ingredient of this dish which is dried Kachri powder. Kachri is a type of cucumber that grows in the wild, in some parts of Rajasthan. They are bitter when raw and sweet and sour when ripe. These are dried in the sun and then powdered and used for meat dishes. The dried powder has a very distinct flavour and is a combination of bitterness and sourness, depending on the state of Kachri (raw or ripe) when dried. It tenderizes meat and imparts a unique flavour to it. Dried Kachri is also used to make chutney in Rajasthan. You can find more about Kachri here.

We went visiting Jaipur in Rajasthan during Dec 2014. And obviously I was after this dish. I tasted it at a couple of restaurants. I am not sure how authentic they were. My next goal was to buy Kachri powder. So I ended up at the Chaandpol market in the Pink City area that has many wholesale shops selling spices. And finally I found dried Kachri at one of the shops and bought half a kg of it for Rs. 60.

I have tried to find a non-vegetarian Rajasthani friend who could get me the original recipe of Laal Maas. Unfortunately all my Rajasthani friends are vegetarians. So I continue to look for an authentic version of this recipe. Given below is a version that I have tried based on the various recipes found online. The outcome was very good. It had a very different flavour compared to the other mutton recipes and I loved it.

Ingredients

• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 18-20 whole red Kashmiri chillies (reduce the number if you want this to be less spicy or increase the number to make this extra spicy. But remember that this is one of the most important ingredient of this recipe and should be used generously)
• 2 tsp coriander seeds, whole
• 1 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
• 3 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 tbsp of garlic, finely chopped.
•  1 tsp of ginger, finely chopped
• ½ kg mutton or lamb, cut into pieces with bones
• Salt as per taste
• 3-4 tbsp of kachri powder (There is no substitute for this that I can think of)
• 3-4 pods of green cardamom
•  ½ tsp whole black pepper
• 1" piece of cinnamon stick
• A little bit of mace
• 1 pod black cardamom
•  Water
• A handful of coriander leaves, chopped (optional)

Method

• Dry roast the red chillies until it gives out a distinct aroma. This is a very important step of this recipe.
•  Add to that the coriander seeds and cumin seeds and dry roast them until their aroma is released. Make sure not to burn these while dry roasting. Always dry roast on low heat and continuously stir the contents.
• Once done, cool and grind them into a nice fine powder.
• Heat the mustard oil in a pan. Bring it to its smoking point and then reduce the heat.
• Add cinnamon, black pepper, green and black cardamoms and mace. You can lightly crush the green and black cardamoms before adding them to the oil.
• Add to this the garlic and ginger.
• Once the garlic turns slightly brown add the mutton/lamb pieces and salt and turn the heat high.
• Add the Kachri powder and then turn the pieces frequently until the pieces have browned on all sides.
• Remove the mutton pieces to a plate and keep aside.
• Reduce the heat and add the chopped onions and mix all well. Add more mustard oil if required.
• Once the onions have browned (take care not to burn them), add the mutton pieces back to the pan.
• Add the ground red chilly powder and roast it for a couple of minutes.
• Add enough water to cook the meat. Cover and cook until the meat is cooked. (I used a pressure cooker and cooked the mutton at this stage for about 15 minutes after full pressure was achieved.)
• Add about half a cup of hot water if needed so that you have a slightly thick gravy.
• Continue to cook it and when you reach a good consistency of gravy, turn off the heat.
• Add the chopped coriander leaves (if using)
• Serve hot with naan, roti or rice.

Note

• If you so wish, you can grind into a fine powder the whole spices except mace and add that to the mutton while browing the mutton.

Szechwan Prawns

This is a snack that can be prepared in a jiffy and yet tastes very delicious.

Ingredients

For the Marination

• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice

Other Ingredients

• 200 gm of cleaned and deveined prawns
• 2 tbsp of finely chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp of finely chopped ginger
• 3 tbsp of szhechwan sauce
• ½ tsp of black pepper powder
• 1 medium onion thickly sliced
• 2 tbsp of chopped spring onions (optional)
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
• ½ tsp of dark soy sauce
• ½ tsp Red chilly paste (increase this to make the dish spicier) – to prepare red chilly paste, blanch whole dry red chillies in hot water for about 15 min, drain them and then grind to a fine paste.

Method

• For Marination
• Wash and pat dry the prawns
• Marinate the prawns with salt and lemon juice and refrigerate for 30 min
• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok
• Once the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic and chopped ginger. Keep stirring them on high heat for a minute (they should not turn brown)
• Add the onion and sauté till the onion turns translucent
• Add the prawns
• Add the Szechwan sauce, black pepper powder, soy sauce, red chilly paste and salt
•  Stir fry the prawns on high heat for two minutes until they are cooked and coated with the spices. Take care not to overcook the prawns as overcooking makes them rubbery.
• Throw in the spring onions and serve hot.

Note

If you use store bought Szechwan sauce, check the hotness of it and adjust the quantities of Szechwan sauce and red chilly paste to provide the level of spiciness you want to the dish. The prominent taste of this dish comes from Szechwan sauce. I make my own Szechwan sauce.

Malvani Masala Prawns

Ingredients

For the Marination

• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice

For the Paste

• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 5-6 Whole Kashmiri Red Chillies broken into smaller pieces (For a spicier version, use only whole Sankeshwari red chillies or a mix of Sankeshwari red chillies and Kashmiri red chillies).
• ¾ cup of grated dry coconut
• 2 tbsp of whole coriander seeds
• ½ tsp of cumin seeds
• 3 green cardamoms
• 2 medium sized onions thinly sliced
• One inch stick of cinnamon

For the Malvani Masala Powder

• 2 whole Kashmiri Red Chilly
• ½ tsp of whole coriander seeds
• 1 clove
• 3-4 whole black peppercorns
• A pinch of fennel seeds
• A small pinch of cumin seeds
• A pinch of caraway seeds (Shahi jeera)
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 inch stick of cinnamon
• 2 stone flowers (dagad phool)
• 2-3 nagkeshar
• A pinch of mustard seeds
• A small piece of dried turmeric (or directly use a pinch of turmeric powder while making the powder without dry roasting it first)
• A pinch of asafoetida
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 1 star anise

Other Ingredients

• 400 gms of cleaned and deveined prawns
• 3 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 1 tsp of cumin seeds
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 2 medium sized ripe tomatoes finely chopped
• ¼ tsp of turmeric powder
• 1.5 to 2 tbsp of Malvani garam masala
• Salt as required
• ½ cup of thick coconut milk
• 2 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander leaves

Method

• For Marination
• Wash and pat dry the prawns
• Marinate the prawns with salt and lemon juice and refrigerate for 30 min
• For the Paste
• Dry roast the whole red chilly, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon and green cardamom on a hot pan on low heat until their aroma is released. Transfer them to a plate to cool.
• Dry roast the grated dry coconut on a hot pan on low heat until it becomes light golden in color. Transfer it to a plate to cool.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and sauté the sliced onions until they caramelize and turn a light golden brown color. Transfer it to a plate to cool.
• Once all the ingredients are cooled down, grind them to a fine paste using a mixer grinder. Use water as required so that you get a fine thick paste.
• For the Malvani Masala Powder
• Dry roast all the ingredients one by one on a hot pan on low heat until their aroma is released. Cool them and then grind into a fine powder. This should make about 1.5 to 2 tbsp of powder.
• Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a deep pan.
• Once the oil is hot, reduce the flame add the cumin seeds and after they splutter add the curry leaves.
• After a few seconds, add the chopped onion and sauté them until it turns light golden brown
• Add the chopped tomatoes and cook them until the tomatoes turn pulpy.
• Add the turmeric powder and the ground masala and the Malvani garam masala
• Add salt as required
• Cook the mixture on a low heat until the oil separates from the masala
• Add the prawns and mix everything well. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the prawns are perfectly cooked. Overcooking the prawns will make them hard. Hence take care not to overcook them.
• Once the prawns are cooked, add the coconut milk and mix everything together and cook for another two minutes
• Adjust salt as required.
• Remove the pan from the stove and add the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with white rice, appam, neer dosa etc.

 

Butter Garlic Prawns

 

Prawns are yummy in any way. They are great as main dishes or as starters/entrée/appetizer. They are quick to prepare because the cooking time required for prawns is just 2-3 minutes for the small/medium prawns. Cook any longer and they become rubbery. You really do not need to marinate them for long. They absorb flavors quickly.  The only downside is that they are usually expensive. Select prawns that are not stale. They should be firm on the touch and should smell fresh. If you do not want to go through the hassle of cleaning them, buy them frozen which are already peeled and deveined.

Go to any restaurant serving sea food and you will always find butter garlic prawns on their menu. This is a recipe that lends itself to a lot of variations that are fun to make and super tasty to eat. The basic ingredients are butter, garlic, prawns, lemon juice and seasonings like salt and black pepper. So below is the very basic version of this recipe. I have added a bit of bell peppers to this preparation as you can see in the pictures. But you can avoid them if you do not like them.

 

Ingredients

• 200 gm of peeled and deveined prawns. You can leave the tails on to make the prawns look more sophiscated.
• 1 tbsp of finely chopped garlic cloves. You can add more garlic if you love them.
• 2 tbsp of butter (Amul butter for those in India). If needed add a bit (1 tsp) of olive oil too along with the butter. The olive oil prevents the butter from getting burnt.
• 1 tsp of finely chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp each of yellow, red and green bell peppers cut into 1 cm x 1 cm cubes
• Salt as per taste
• Black pepper powder as per taste
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Method

• Wash and pat dry the prawns using a kitchen towel
• Heat a skillet over medium heat
• Add the butter (and olive oil) and once the butter melts add the garlic
• Sauté the garlic until the raw smell goes away (1-2 min). Make sure that the garlic does not turn brown. So reduce the flame if needed while stirring the garlic often.
• Add the bell peppers and sauté for a min.
• Add the prawns and sauté for about 2-3 min (depending on the size of the prawns) until they turn from translucent to opaque white inside and pinkish on the outside
• Season with salt and black pepper powder. If you have used salted butter (like Amul) then add less salt than usual.
• Add the chopped coriander leaves
• Add the fresh lemon juice

Serve hot on a bed of iceberg lettuce

 

Mutton Masala

Ingredient Set A – To be dry roasted and ground

• Black cardamom – 2
• Green cardamom – 5
• Clove – 4
• Black pepper – 1 tsp
• Black cumin seeds (Shahi Jeera) – 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Whole coriander – 2 tbsp
• Nug meg – a small piece
• Mace – 1 full
• Dried bay leaf – 2
• Cinnamon – 1.5” piece
• Poppy seeds – 2 tbsp

Dry roast the above ingredients without any oil until the aroma is released. Cool and then grind them into a fine powder.

Ingredient Set B

• Vegetable oil – 4 tbsp
• Finely sliced onion – 4 large numbers
• Finely chopped red tomato – 3 large numbers
• Curd – 1 cup (curd should not be sour)
• Water – 2 cups or as required
• Green chilly slit lengthwise – 2
• Kashmiri red chilly paste – 3 tbsp (You can substitute with 3 tbsp of Kashmiri red chilly powder mixed with a little water)
• Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
• Chopped mint leaves – 2 tbsp
• Chopped coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
• Salt as required.
• Mutton cubes with bone – 1 kg

Method

• Heat a large skillet or kadai and add the oil
• Add the sliced onions and sauté them until they are translucent and begin to turn golden brown
• Add the washed and drained mutton cubes to the onions and over medium high heat sear them in the oil – cook them this way for about 10 minutes turning them around after every minute or so.
• Move the mutton pieces and onion to the sides of the skillet and add the ginger garlic paste into the oil at the center. Sauté the ginger garlic paste for about a minute in the oil. And then mix the ginger garlic paste with the mutton pieces and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
• Add the red chilly paste and then cover and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
• Add salt as per taste at this stage.
• Now add the garam masala powder prepared earlier (Ingredient set A)
• Now add the chopped tomatoes and then cover and cook for another 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are fully cooked and have become mushy and the oil is separated from the masala
• Add the curd, chopped mint and coriander leaves and cover and cook for another 5 minutes
• Add sufficient boiling water and then cover and cook over low flame for another 25 – 30 minutes or until the mutton pieces are tender and the gravy has the desired thickness.
• Adjust salt as required.
• Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves along with rice or naan/roti. The dish would have a rich dark red color and velvety gravy.

I have not added any garnish since the curry looked so beautiful without any garnish.

 

Pan Seared Tuna Steak

 

Tuna is an interesting fish. They can be as small as weighing 1 kg and can be as large as ones weighing upto 400 kg (Atlantic Bluefin Tuna) or more. The ones I have seen in the local markets are about 1 – 3 kg in size. Tuna has red flesh and you can get large chunks boneless fillets. Because of this, it can be used for cutlets, sandwich filling etc. It is also used extensively in Japanese cuisine for Sushi & Sashimi. In the West they are cooked like steak – rare, medium rare etc.

Ingredients

• One tuna steak – ½” - 1”thick, 1" - 2” wide, 6”-8” long
• 1 tbsp of finely chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tsp of finely chopped curry leaves
• ½ tsp of finely chopped green chilly
• Salt as per taste
• Black pepper powder as per taste
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp of olive oil for the marinade
• Finely sliced onions and lemon for garnish
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil for pan searing the steak

Method

• Wash and pat dry the tuna steak
• Apply the marinade of salt, black pepper, lemon juice and olive oil all over the fish and leave it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes
• Mix together the coriander leaves, curry leaves and green chilly in a plate and then roll the tuna steak to coat on all the sides with this mix
• Heat the oil on a pan and the sear the tuna steak on all the sides until done
• Serve with a garnish of onion slices drizzled with lemon juice and lemon wedges.