Paneer Momos

Ingredients:

• 1 cup  Maida
• 1 cup Paneer crumble
• 1 Onion
• 2 teaspoon Ginger garlic paste
• ¾ teaspoon Red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon Garam masala powder
• ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
• Salt – As needed
• 3 tablespoon Coriander leaves
• 2 teaspoon Oil
• Water – as needed

Method:

• First prepare the outer dough with flour, salt and water. 
• The dough should be non sticky. 
• To prepare the filling. Take oil in a pan, fry the chopped onions and ginger and garlic paste.
• Followed by red chilli powder, garam masala powder, turmeric and salt. Give it a stir.
• Add the paneer and fry for a few minutes. 
• Add finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Switch off the flame. Let it cool down.
• Now take out the dough from cover and knead well for couple of mins or until smooth.
• Roll out the dough into small discs. Place the paneer mixture in the centre and shape into momos.
• Steam the prepared momos for 5-6 minutes.  Serve hot with chilli sauce.  

Paneer Veg Lasagna

This yummy lasagna was our dinner a couple of days ago. My book club ladies are all quite the bakers! So in the midst of reading books, we are constantly on a bake off and swapping recipes. During one of our WhatsApp chatting sessions, my beautiful friend Maria passed me this great tried and tested Veggie Lasagna recipe. This recipe was originally from allrecipes.com, but I totally Indianised it! 

There was way too much cheese in the recipe, so I used up some paneer and veggies and whipped up this cheesy Paneer Veg Lasagna.

So go get your lasagna noodles and start layering! Add whatever veggies you like and don’t forget to sauce it up!

Paneer Veg Lasagna

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Lasagna Noodles – 9 sheets (I used San Remo Instant Lasagna)

Spinach Leaves – 1 bunch (finely chopped)

Capsicum – 1 big size (finely chopped)

Carrots – 1/2 cup (grated)

Paneer – 200 gms (crumbled)

Mozzarella Cheese – 1+ 1/4 cup (grated)

Egg – 1 (optional)

Chilli flakes – 2 teaspoons

Salt and ground pepper – to taste

Pasta Sauce – 3 cups (I used Prego Traditional pasta sauce)

Parmesan Cheese – 1/4 Cup (grated)

Directions:

• Rub little olive oil on the inside of a 9” baking pan/casserole dish. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
• Cook the spinach in a pan of water for 8-10 minutes and drain.
• In a bowl, lightly beat the egg and add 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese, spinach, capsicum, carrots and paneer. Add the salt, pepper and chilli flakes and mix well.
• In the greased casserole dish, first spoon a layer of the pasta sauce and spread to cover the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with 3 strips of lasagne noodle. On top of this, spread a layer of the paneer mixture followed by a layer of pasta sauce.
• Repeat the above layering steps for two more times using up the 9 lasagne noodles and end with a layer of pasta sauce. Be sure to coat the lasagne noodles with enough pasta sauce to help cook the noodles.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese and the parmesan cheese on top. Cover the casserole with aluminium foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Then remove the aluminium foil and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes until lasagne is bubbling and lightly browned on the top.
• Remove from oven and let it stand for 5 minutes. Cut into 4 or 6 portions and serve warm.

Veggie Cheese Balls

 This is a great choice as a appetizer when your hosting a party. I made these cheese balls a few months back when we had a game night at our place. Deep fried cheese is always a hit among guests. The panner and cheese makes this a yummy appetizer, so I often make this just when we have guests over. 

The usual cheese ball recipe sounded too plain for me. So I added some spaghetti and grated veggies to give a nice texture to the otherwise rich cheese balls. The breadcrumb coating is so crispy which complements the smoothness of the cheese filling.

When we have guests over for dinner, I usually prepare the cheese balls with the bread crumb coating in the morning, store in an air-tight container and freeze it. And when the guests arrive, I just take out the prepared balls and deep fry them and serve it hot. This way it is hassle free and piping hot.

Veggie Cheese Balls:

Makes: 25 small balls

Ingredients:
Spaghetti  Pasta – 100gms (cooked and strained)
Cheese – ¼ cup (grated)
Paneer – ½ cup (crumbled)
Beans – ¼ cup (finely chopped)
Carrots – ¼ cup (grated)
Green chillies – 5 (finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste – 1 teaspoon
Milk – 1 ½ cups
Corn flour – 2 tablespoon
Maida – 2 tablespoon + more for coating
Breadcrumbs – 1 ½ cups
Salt – 2 teaspoon (or as needed)
Oil – for frying

Directions:

• Heat some oil in a pan.  Add the green chilies, beans, carrots and ginger garlic paste, and fry for a few minutes.
• Then add the crumbled paneer, grated cheese and salt to the vegetables, and fry. To this, add the cooked spaghetti and mix everything together.
• Mix the corn flour with the milk and add to the pasta and vegetable mixture. Cook until the mixture becomes thick.
• Add 2 tblsp of maida to the mixture and mix until well incorporated. Remove from flame and let it cool down.
• After the mixture cools down, roll into small bite sized balls.
• In a bowl mix water and maida to form a very thin paste. In another bowl take the breadcrumbs.
• Take the vegetable cheese ball and dip it into the maida paste and then coat it with the breadcrumbs.
• Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the balls until golden brown. Serve hot.

 

Palak Paneer

I come across palak in our Indian super market all the time. But I have never tried out Palak Paneer. So this was my first trial, and it was a hit.

Hubby is supposed to be taking in good dairy products for Calcium. So I have been looking out for healthy paneer recipes. Whenever we go out, if ordering vegetarian gravy, Hubby orders something healthy. Like Kadai vegetable or palak paneer. So I have been thinking of making palak dishes at home for chapathi or roti.

This week I was too busy, to try out anything new. But I had already bought Palak during the weekend, and it was sitting in the fridge waiting to wilt away. So I had to make it for dinner last night. To my surprise it was quite easy and hassle free.

It turned out good, not bitter at all, as I thought it might be. It was spicy and yummy. And to think of all the vitamins and calcium from the green leafy palak and the paneer, it was a pleasure. I always use Amul Paneer, and store it in my freezer.

Palak Paneer:

Ingredients:

Palak(Spinach) – 1 Big Bunch

Green Chillies – 4 Small

Finely Chopped onions – 1 Table sp

Cumin Seeds – ½ tea sp

Masoor Dhal – 1 Table sp

Dhania Powder – 1 Table sp

Chilli Powder – 1 ½ tea sp

Oil – 3 table sp

Paneer (Cottage Cheese) – 8-10 cubes

Big Onions – 2 or 3

Tomatoes – 3

Garlic – 9 flakes

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Garam Masala – ½ tea sp

Grated Cheese - 1 Table sp (optional) 

Directions:

·         Wash and chop palak finely.

·         Add masoor dhal and palak to pressure cooker with enough water to cover it. Cook for 3 minutes.

·         Allow it to cool, strain and reserve the liquid.

·         Slice the onions and tomatoes into long thin pieces.

·         Peel garlic and cut the ginger finely.

·         Heat 1 table spoon oil, first add the garlic, ginger, onions and tomatoes in order.

·         Fry for 3 minutes.

·         Grind the cooked palak with the fried ingredients.

·         Heat the rest of the oil in a kadai, add the cumin seeds, fry the slit green chillies and 1 table sp finely cut onions. Fry for 1 minute.

·         Add the dhani powder, chilli powder and the garam masala, fry for a few seconds.

·         Then add in the ground mixture with enough salt.

·         The reserved water from the cooked palak can be poured in now as required to make the gravy.

·         Allow it to boil in a medium flame, stirring now and then.

·         Fry the panner cubes in a separate kadai with little oil, until golden brown on all sides.

·         Add the roasted panner to the gravy, mix well and remove from stove.

·         Add grated cheese and serve with cream.

Rasmalai

Hi all. Hope you had a lovely weekend.  I have made Rasmalai about two times before. And they have always turned out well.  

It is Hubby’s favourite Indian dessert!! So I try to make it when possible, even though it has so many steps involved. But all the hard work pays off, rewarding you with these yummy, fluffy and delicate Rasmalais!

 Rasmalai: Makes 15 rasmalais

Ingredients:

• Milk 4 cups
• Saffron, cardamom, pista, almonds A pinch
• Lemon juice as per requirement
• Water 3 cups
• Sugar 1 cup
• For the Syrup
• Milk 3 cups
• Sugar 4 1/2 tbsp

Directions

• Boil the 4 cups of milk for the paneer till it is reduced to 1 3/4 cups.
• Also boil the remaining 3cups of milk and as it starts to boil, put in the lemon juice to make it curdle, stirring continuously.
• Once the curdling process is completed, drain the contents into a thin muslin cloth.
• In another vessel, add the water and the sugar.
• Remove the paneer from the muslin cloth and make around 15 balls with it.
• Place the balls in the pressure cooker and wait for two whistles.
• Now, in the milk made ready for the Ras, add the sugar, cardamom, pista, almonds and saffron.
• Remove the paneer balls from the pressure cooker and drain any excess water by pressing them gently with a spoon.
• When the milk is cool enough, add the paneer balls into it and refrigerate.
• Mouth watering Rasmalai is ready to be served!