Paneer Butter Masala with a hint of fresh Methi Leaves

My friends son is worried these days. He doesn't mind getting late to school if mommy grants him few extra minutes to watch his favorite cartoon show in the morning 'Cat in the Hat'. He fears about growing up to become Daddy and go to office. So he pleads with mommy darling to let him watch his favorite cartoon.

I could not stop laughing when my friend told me about it .... I loved the innocence and the genuine fear of growing up and becoming like Daddy !! I am sure we all would have had similar thoughts during our years of growing up.

When I was of his age and I heard my mom and aunts talk during family reunions or even over the phone, I always used to wonder how these women never got tired talking about the same stuff. Their world revolved around their husband, children,in -laws, maid servant, clothes,jewelry, foot wear,hand bags, food, weight gain/ loss etc. I would make faces and pledge that I would never grow up to talk stuff like that. Per me whatever they spoke was boring. My world was all about Disney Princess, story books, Tom and Jerry, Coloring Books etc.

Unconsciously I have stepped into that phase of life where I am like my mom and aunts. My day starts thinking what I need to cook to feed hubby dear. Then as I begin my daily household chores I complain to the people on the other end of the phone about the difficulties of living in a servant less country. For a moment I refuse to accept the life of luxury I lead here ....... yes, I love being a hypocrite. I look for recipes and discuss about my cooking .... sometimes I brag about my culinary skills. I look for Sale and Offers and rush to the stores to get my hands full. I love to call my friends and cousins and boast about the new dress or footwear I bought and check for updates on the latest fashion trend. I look for any fine lines on my face, look for grey hairs and worry about the 'muffin top' that shows up below the old dress. I can talk for hours about calories and healthy eating. Every damn thing that I would have otherwise ignored hurts my ego. I no longer hang on to the Cartoon Network. It is more about Fashion TV, Food Network and Home Decor Channels. I am confined to the food, cosmetic and clothes aisle of department stores. I no longer venture in the Toys Section. Barbies and Dora's of the world no longer catch my attention.

I am sure the Generation Z would be looking at us as a bunch of boring people, the same way we used to do. And I could so much appreciate the genuine concern of my friend's son about growing up.

Preparation Time - 40 minutes

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Cubed Paneer - 2 cups

Fresh Methi Leaves - 2/3 cups

Chopped Onion - 1.5 cups

Chopped Ginger - 2 tsp

Chopped Garlic - 2 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Chopped Tomatoes - 2 cups

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Cummin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Green Chillies - 3

Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Butter for cooking

Sugar - 1 pinch

Salt per taste

Method of Preparation

1 Bring any store bought paneer. Cut it into medium size cubes.

2 Finely chop onion,tomato,ginger,garlic and green chillies. Keep aside.

3 Heat some butter in a kadhai/ pan. Add cumin seeds to sputter. Add the chopped onion,ginger,garlic and chili and fry till golden brown and soft. Now add salt,chopped tomatoes,turmeric powder, red chillie powder, coriander and cumin powder. Keep stirring the mixture. Do not allow it to stick to the pan. Add about half a cup of water and simmer the masala/ sauce for some time.

4 Remove from heat and allow it to cool. Put the masala into a blender and grind it into a fine puree.

5 Add a little more butter (about 1 tsp) to the same kadhai. Add the ground/ pureed masala to the kadhai. Toss the cubed paneer and peas and stir well.Add one pinch of sugar.

6 Add the fresh chopped methi leaves to the gravy. Stir well.

7 Add little water if the gravy is dry and let the paneer simmer in it for 5 minutes.

Serving Tips

Serve hot with any Indian flat bread like Roti, Paratha or Naan.

Notes

If the paneer is in the refrigerator and hard to cube, place the entire paneer packet into a bowl of warm water. This will soften it.

Make sure that you cool down the masala before grinding it.

Variation

Use 3 tsp of canned tomato puree instead of fresh tomatoes.

Buta Daali Alu Tarkari .. aka ... Chana Daal

One universal truth is ...... nothing can replace 'Ghar ka Khana" (Homemade food ). And no food can be more satisfying than home made ones and especially if it is made by mom. ...... Guess it has the Midas touch !!

But it was not always that I admired food from mom's kitchen as much as I do today, everything was better than her's . I used to be a very willful child when it came to food. The list of food that I didn't eat or didn't like to eat outnumbered the ones I ate. I used to give my mother, grandmother and aunts a tough time everyday ..... my tantrums were unending. And being the first grandchild I was pampered and spoilt. I used to piss my mother so much that she would threaten me about boarding schools and hostels.

And I used to dream of the freedom of staying in a hostel with nobody around to boss, nobody to force feed me with veggies. Little had I imagined about the food and other problems associated with hostel life. I still remember the first day in hostel when I walked up to the dining hall and served myself with cold rice, daal and eggplant curry. With moist eyes I walked to a corner trying to hide my tears as I ate that meal. No one was around to pamper me and none at whom I could throw my tantrums.

Laxmi Amma the cook stared at me as I struggled to finish that bland and disgusting food. "Don't waste food ..... you have to finish all you have on your plate", she told in a stern voice pointing at my plate. I struggled with every morsel as tears rolled down my eyes. I was missing home and more than that I missing the food from mom's kitchen. Slowly I befriended Laxmi Amma. She would fry me an extra pappad or make me an omelet. In return I would buy her jasmine flowers or get medicines for her aching knee. Each meal time I would remember 'ghar ka khana' and finish my food with a sigh. It was a lesson learnt the hard way. I remembered the words wisdom of my grandmother about God punishing children who wasted food.

Soon my semester was getting over ...... which meant that I was going home for vacation. Rather than making a list of lessons that I had to study, I made a long list of things that I wanted to eat. I would read out my wish list each time my mother would call to make sure that she remembers it all.

And the day I was home I ate like there was no tomorrow ..... everything that was on my plate !! As I licked my plate there was a burst of laughter. My mother, aunts and grandmother laughed their hearts out. It was sweet revenge !!

Preparation Time 30 minutes

Serves 3

Ingredients

Chana Daal - 3/4 cup

Potato cubed - 1 medium size

Chopped Onion - 1 tbsp

Chopped Garlic - 1 tsp

Chopped Ginger - 1 tsp

Green Chili - 2

Cinnamon - 2 inches

Cardamon - 2

Bay leaf - 1

Cumin seed - 1/2 tsp

Cumin Powder - 1/3 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1/3 tsp

Clarified Butter - 1 tsp

Garam Masala - 1 pinch

Turmeric - 1 big pinch

Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Cilantro for garnishing

Oil for cooking

Salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1 Wash daal and pressure cook till one whistle adding salt and turmeric. Keep aside.

2 Add a little oil in a kadhai. Fry the potato when the oil is hot. Fry till all the sides brown. Remove and keep aside.

3 Add some more oil if required. Add Cumin seeds, bay leaf, Cinnamon, cardamon to it and fry for a minute. Add the chopped onion, garlic and ginger. Sprinkle a little salt and fry till they are soft and there is no raw aroma.

4 Add a little turmeric, cumin powder and coriander powder. Fry for 2 -3 minutes. Add the potato and mix in. Add a little water and cover and cook till the potatoes get cooked.

5 Add the cooked daal and simmer.

6 Add butter and garam masala and stir in.

7 Before removing from heat add the shredded coconut and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with rice or roti.

Notes

Do not over cook the daal. You may also opt not to add the coconut.

Let me know what Ghar ka Khana/ home made food means to you. I would love to hear it from you all .....

Brussel Sprouts and confessions of an imperfect wife .....

The husband is no more amused of visiting the neighborhood super market, neither does he stop by the old lady selling her favorite 'Malli Phula' (Jasmine flower) on his way back from office. And the forgetful and lazy wife doesn't care to make a list of things for the weekly grocery/ vegetables that needs to be bought. Thus making the husband run to the stores more than once a week. They both grumble but things don't change much. Life goes on .....

The moody wife cooks per her convenience and if not in a mood doesn't care to move a spoon or buzz by the kitchen. The poor fellow has to do with Maggi or anything that is ready to eat. The husband sits with his eyes glued on the television or on his laptop watching everything that disinterests her.

The 'Impress Me' game is long over. They both love being themselves and still enjoy each other's company.

But things were NOT the same few years back. Everything was a fairytale ...... ok not a fairy tale but like the Hindi movies from the 80's. I suppose it was meant to be that way.

The wife was (read as pretended) 'Pati vrata' and the husband 'Joru ka gulam'......

The wife would finish all her work, clean the house, cook some of his favorite dishes before he returned. She would line her eyes carefully with kajal,dab some talcum powder on her face, comb her hair and fill her parting with sindur ..... and wait with a smile on her face for the husband to return. Both of them would perch like two love birds sipping their tea and munching their favorite Haldiram Alu Bhujia after the husband returned from work. The husband would then empathize with the wife for the lonely hours spent and propose for a drive or shopping trip. In no time would the wife get ready and they soon would be headed towards their favorite shopping complex. The guy would insist on buying something for her to make her evening a little special and would never get bored walking up and down the aisles of the Women's section. They would come back late and the wife would still have all the energy in the world to impress him with the new recipe she learnt from the aunty next door. Sounds perfect isn't it ....... but perfection everyday too can be monotonous ! Boring for me .....

So like the most imperfect wife (self confession needs a lot of gut and that too in public) I refuse to make a list of things that needs to be bought. I love the disgust on J's face when asked to accompany me to the neighborhood store ..... he looks real cute that way ! And I was almost like a vegetable last week ..... I refused to see the work around me. I just wanted to spend 'my time' ..... but please don't get ideas .... I did cook and did make the morning tea too ...... no I lied a little bit. J made the morning tea on Tuesday and Wednesday.

But then I did dedicate my 100th post to him ..... And made his favorite Chicken Marsala although I had other plans. So the bottom line is ....... I love being an imperfect wife, if you call it that way.

Had enough of laugh ..... so better get back to some serious business - Recipe for Brussel Sprout curry.

Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Serves - 3

Ingredients

Brussel Sprout - 1 pound

Finely chopped Onion - 1/2 cup

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 tsp

Chopped Tomato - 1/2 cup

Garam Masala Powder - 1 pinch

Turmeric - 1 pinch

Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Whole Cinnamon - 1 inch

Cardamon - 2

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Salt per taste

Oil for cooking

Method of Cooking

1 Chop the Brussel Sprouts into two half. Microwave it for 4-5 minutes by adding a little water to it. Keep aside.

2 In a pan drizzle a little oil. When warm add the cumin seeds and whole garam masala (cinnamon and cardamon).

3 Add the onions and fry till translucent. Then add ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes.

4 Next add the chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder and chili powder. Fry the mixture for another 5 minutes.

5 Add the Brussel Sprouts now. Add salt per taste and mix well. Cover and cook on medium heat. When the sprouts are soft add a little garam masala powder and remove from heat.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with roti or rice

Notes

Do not over cook the Brussel Sprouts

Chicken Marsala & A Milestone

It was only couple of months back when I was a rookie in this blog world. After long hours of discussions and brain storming I and J decided to name our 'Blog Baby' - 'Food for thought' - Meaning something that tickles one's grey cells. Well it tickles our taste buds too .....

After long hours of selecting the layout, design etc I decided to make my first post. I was nervous like a small kid going to school for the first time. I wanted to start the blog with something sweet, so decided to post the recipe for 'Rasgulla'. Like a curious little kid I clicked on my blog every hour to check if I had any visitor. Not to forget I called my parents, in - laws and relatives ..... to make this very important announcement.

I was exhilarated the moment I saw my first follower and then the first comment. The excitement and happiness was nothing less than what I had felt when I got my first salary credited to my bank account.

Time flew and this space of mine became an open book ..... Something like a diary where I could pen down my memories, experience and thoughts without the fear of being judged.More than anything I was loving what I was doing ...... and this is what mattered to me at the end of the day.

If you are wondering why all this nostalgia. Well my friends ..... even to my own disbelief this happens to be the 100th post !!!

And if there is one person who has happily stood by me, encouraged me and has been a gleeful Guinea Pig to my 'food experiments' .....it's J.

I owe it all to my loving husband ........

I would love to say few lines from my favorite movie 'Julie and Julia' for him ....

'You are the butter to my bread and the breath to my life'

(No matter how much I irritate you and fight with you) I still love you :-)

He is the one who has been my friend, mentor and critic ....... So as a remembrance to this happy journey to my 100th post I would love to dedicate this post to J.

I also want to thank everybody who has constantly encouraged me through their loving comments.

Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Serves -2

Ingredients

Thin sliced chicken breasts - 3/4 pound

All purpose flour - 1/2 cup

Oregano - 1/2 tsp

Fresh Crushed Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Chopped Mushrooms (Baby Bella) - 2 cups

Marsala Wine - 1.5 cups

Olive oil for cooking

Method of Preparation

1 Wash the chicken breasts and pat them dry using a kitchen towel. Place them on a hard surface (chopping board) and pound them a little.

2 In a plate mix All purpose flour + Oregano + Pepper. Dust the chicken breasts on both sides on this flour mixture.

3 In a wide pan heat some olive oil. Take enough oil to coat the pan. Fry the chicken breasts on both sides for 2 minutes each. This gives a nice texture to the chicken pieces. Remove from heat and keep aside.

4 In the same pan, drizzle little more oil if needed. Add the chopped mushrooms to it. Do not crowd the mushrooms else they won't brown. Add one cup of marsala wine to it. Add the fried chicken pieces too. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium flame. Stir occasionally if required.

5 Add the remaining wine to it and cook for some more time till the chicken pieces get cooked.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with grilled asparagus/ mashed potatoes and red wine.

Notes

Marsala Wine by itself is salty, so add salt only if required.

Make sure you use thin sliced chicken breasts and do not forget to pound them.

Daal ..... The Common Man's Meat !!

Is a 2 Billion dollar home flamboyant enough ? And that too for a family of four ! To add to that there are 3 helipads and and parking space for 160 cars. Not to forget 600 people working to maintain this much talked about billion dollar home. I am not sure how many Indians are taking pride in this India's first Billion dollar house making it to the Forbes Magazine. But surely not me ! I get grumpy and upset when people discuss about this abode of Mr Mukesh Ambani in which he takes so much self pride. Does one really need all these ? Was the current 22 floor house of Mr Ambani not enough for four people that he had to move to a 27 floor mansion ?

Could Mr Ambani not find a better way to spend this 2 Billion Dollars ? I can think of a hundred more effective ways to spend the money.

A small percentage of this amount would have made a big difference for a lot of people who do not even get a meal a day.A charitable hospital, better education for the poor and needy, vocational school and colleges to make more people self employed. .Or how about funding a world class cancer research institute. These are few things that come to my mind in a blink .... I am sure there are many noble ways to spend this 2 Billion.

I believe making it to the list of 'Richest People of the World' on Forbes is not a measuring tape for your riches. It is about how much you give back to the society. I know many people whom I interact with ....... they are not even 0.0001 % as rich as Mr Ambani. But they have dedicated their time and money (whatever little they have) in the service of mankind. One such organisation is Seva Samarpita Charitable Trust. It is run by few retired doctors and teachers.

To me they are the real heros. One's life is not remembered by how much riches he accumulated or where he lived or what car he drove. It is important to have values in life and believe in serving the less privileged ones.
The world remembers JRD Tata just not for the industrial empire he set up but for his philanthropy and simple living !!

So as a silent protest to this 2 Billion Dollar lavish home, I decided to post the recipe for 'Garlic Daal', Daal being the common man's 'Meat'.

Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.

Epictetus

Preparation Time 30 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

Toor Daal - 1 cup

Garlic - 4 cloves

Green Chili -1

Dry Red Chili - 1

Panch Phoran - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Chopped Coriander leaves - little

Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch

Salt per taste

Method of Preparation

1 Wash the daal and soak in in water for 15 minutes.

2 Pressure cook adding salt and turmeric.

3 In a kadhai, add some oil. When hot add minced Garlic and chopped green chilies. Also add the panch phoran and red dry chili to sputter. Pour the cooked daal carefully to this seasoned oil.

4 Simmer for a minute. Garnish with chopped Coriander.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with rice. Add a little ghee or butter on top of it for flavor.

Variation

You may prepare using any other daal, Moong or Masoor Daal.

Egg Curry .....

This week began with a pile load of pending stuff. I am struggling to make things work ..... can't blame anyone but myself for this situation. Well I can ....... blame it on the weather. The cloudy rainy days dampen my mood and make me lazy. Not to forget the dropping temperature.

I wish I had a magic lamp like Aladdin ...... rub it and the Genie appears saying 'Kya hukum hai mere aka'. And then I can read out my never ending wish list to him. Yah I know that's called day dreaming ..... but there is no harm in dreaming if that makes you feel good.

But I am well aware that nothing like that is ever going to happen. So to lighten my spirits I decided to cook, to take a break from the mundane life.

Ever since I saw the egg curry recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's Cookbook on Indian Simmer, I was desperate to prepare it. The inspiration - Prerna :-) , the blog owner who posted this as her 50th post celebration. Her recipe and clicks are a sure motivation for food lovers. Every time I see her posts I can't stop myself from drooling. Wish she was my neighbor.

So today I decided to make this egg curry ..... I tweaked the recipe a little bit though.

It was perfect combination with plain basmati rice for this busy day.

Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients

Boiled Eggs - 4

Grated Onion - 1/2 cup

Grated Ginger - 1/2 tsp

Grated Garlic - 1/2 tsp

Tomato Paste - 1 tsp

Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/3 tsp

Crushed Black Pepper - 1 big pinch

Turmeric Powder - 1/3 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1/3 tsp

Salt per taste

Oil for cooking

Method of Preparation

1 Heat about 1 tbsp of oil in a kadhai. Add a pinch of turmeric to it. When the oil is hot add the boiled eggs to it. Fry the eggs till they are golden in color. Remove and keep aside.

2 Add the grated onion, ginger and garlic to the hot oil now. Add turmeric and salt and fry till the masala gets cooked and leaves oil. (Approximately 10 minutes).

3 Add the tomato paste to it and mix into the masala.

4 In a separate bowl mix Cumin + Coriander + Red Chili Powder. Add a little water to make a paste.

5 Add this paste to the cooked masala and fry for 2 minutes. Add about 2/3 cup of water and let the gravy simmer.

6 Add the eggs to it and cook for two minutes.

7 Add garam masala powder and simmer for a minute.

8 Remove from heat and sprinkle the crushed pepper on it.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with rice.

Notes

Do not over fry the eggs. The oil should be hot when you fry the eggs, else the eggs will stick to the vessel.

Variation

Use fresh pureed tomato if tomato paste is not available.

Other Names

Egg Curry - Anda Curry.

Mahalaya ...... Khichudi, Dalma and Kheeri

The air outside was crisp and the a cool breeze swayed the curtains. I heard the bells and the sound of conch from the near by temple. I looked outside through the narrow gap between the windows, it was still dark. The morning hustle bustle in our house had started much early.

Aai (my maternal grandmother) had switched on her old transistor on full volume. A familiar voice recited the chants of various hymns of 'Mahisasura Mardini'. I guessed it was 'Mahalaya' ! I have always associated Mahalaya with an early morning audio montage of recitation of stanzas from 'Mahisasura Mardini'.

I heard Padma fill the bucket with water and splash it. Her glass bangles moved in rhythm to make a nice jingle as she swept the courtyard. Gopal Bhai the 'Phul wala' was also early. He rang his bicycle bell twice before he left the small woven bamboo basket with flowers for the usual morning puja. But today there was a 'Laal Mandara Mala' (Red Hibiscus Garland) along with the marigolds. Aai had asked Gopal Bhai for the Laal Mandara ..... she wanted to beckon the goddess by offering her favorite flower. Padma finished sweeping the courtyard and grabbed the faded plastic bowl in which Aai kept the Muruja ( Muruja is fine rice powder/flour. It is used to prepare motifs/rangoli ). She moved her hands swiftly to make a big rangoli around the 'Tulsi'.

The early rays of the sun and the early morning breeze was intoxicating. This morning was quite special in it's own way.

Aai was ready for the morning puja . Her long wet grey hair swayed in the morning breeze as she lit the lamp near the 'Tulsi' and watered it. I stood behind her as she began the puja . My eyes were stuck on the special bhoga/ prasad. "Aai is it Mahalaya ? Does that mean it is Durga Puja ?" Aai smiled and nodded as she gently caressed my tangled hair. Aai completed her Puja and placed a laddu on my hand. I happily roamed around the house nibbling on the laddu.

I knew it was time for new dresses, sweets, buying balloons from every balloon wala that passed by our house, exchange of puja gifts among kith and kin. And most importantly it was time for family reunions and pandal hopping.

I spent the rest of the day following Aai wherever she went and listening to stories of 'Maa Durga' and the victory of good over evil.

I have got so engrossed and busy with life that I have almost forgotten the true meaning of celebrating Puja. I wish I could unwind time and wake up to run to the courtyard and hear stories from Aai while eating Khichudi, Dalma and some warm Kheeri.

Sending this to Pree's 'Beyond Five Days of Durga Puja'.

Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Serves -3

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 1/2 cup

Mung Daal - 1/2 cup

Chopped Onion - 1/2 cup

Chopped Methi Leaves - 1 cup

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Cinnamon - 2 inches

Cardamon - 4

Green Chili -3

Roasted Peanuts - 1/3 cup

Clarified Butter - 1 tbsp

Salt per taste

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Method of Preparation

1 Wash the rice and mung daal and keep aside.

2 In a pressure cooker add the clarified butter. When warm, add the cumin seeds, slit green chilies, Cardamon and Cinnamon.

3 Add the chopped onions and fry till brown. Now add the rice and the daal. Stir fry for about 5 minutes. Make sure you stir continuously else it will stick to the bottom of the cooker.

4 Next add the chopped methi leaves and peanuts. Fry for 2 minutes. Add salt per taste and sugar.

5 Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook till you get one whistle.

6 Remove from heat, open cooker and add some clarified butter on top of it.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with Dalma

Variation

You can use roasted mung daal instead of raw one.

You can use cashew nuts instead.

Other Names

Mung Daal Khichudi - Muga Dali Khechedi, Methi - Fenugreek.