Paneer Pasanda

I promised you a rich dish today. Well, here it is. Richer than a chocolate cake, if you ask me. Stuffed cottage cheese deep fried and dunked in a cashew-tomato-onion-milk gravy. Yes. I think that is the gist of the long recipe we're gonna make together! :-D

Spicy Mango Pickle (Avakkai)

There are a gazillion ways of making pickle. This mango pickle, or Avakkai Oorgai (read: aa-vuh-kkaay oor-gaai) as we Tamilians call it, is our family recipe. This is how ladies of my family have been making for generations.

Grissini (Italian Breadsticks)

I think yeast is starting to love me. ;-) How else would you explain every yeast experiment succeeding? (touch wood!!!) In fact, I've already made them thrice, in varying sizes. Homemade breadsticks are delicious! Plus there's an added satisfaction of consuming what you made - from scratch! Grissini, commonly known as breadsticks are Italian appetizers. They are perfect sides for a bowl of soup.

Mixed Vegetable Curry

I know I’ve been MIA for quite sometime. I’ve been vacationing down south. Well, more like sweating truckloads & doing absolutely nothing! Since there was no scope for baking, (which I consider to be my specialty! :D) I resorted to writing simple gravy recipes. And now that I’m back from the fiery land of Chennai, I decided to test one of those recipes. A lot of people I know are afraid of making gravies. It is really funny, because there really is nothing simpler than making gravy! I kid you not. How hard is it to throw in some vegetables and spices and give it a quick blend? I hope this recipe will serve as a simple guide to making any gravy, anytime you want.

Instant Raw Mango Pickle | Cooking With Kin #15#

I'm here with another guest post for my CWK Series. And this time, Anjali from Spice n Sugar Tales has graced us with her delectable Raw Mango Pickle! I got acquainted with Anjali 2 months ago, when she won the Jingle All the Way event hosted on my blog. Mails were sent back and forth and before I knew it, we became good friends! :-) She agreed to do the guest post and sent me this recipe long back. Enjoy!

Chickpea Sundal | Garbanzo Bean Salad

This is one of my mum's classic recipes; and my most favorite sundal too. Sundal is basically lentils/legumes cooked with seasoning. They are commonly prepared during festivals to give away to guests. This is also a very high protein snack and can easily leave you full with just 1 cup.

Shaam Savera (Spinach Balls in a tomato sauce) | Cooking With Kin #14#

In terms of blogging, she's younger than me! ;-) But what amazes me is that she's already managed to post so many delicacies; supporting them with good looking photographs! It took me 2 months of blogging and a friend's advice to realize that food pics have to be neatly designed too! But this blogger's clean photographs and precise recipe instructions make her blog really beautiful! Here's introducing Rasi, from Vegetarian Food and Me.
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Stuffed Spicy Capsicum | Cooking With Kin #13#

Hello everyone! :)
Its my pleasure to have the very talented Chitra, who writes at Chitranna and Chitravali, here as my CWK Guest. Apart from being an excellent cook, she draws, paints and is into the whole art-scene! Check out her other blog, you'll know what I'm talking about. :) Today, she's here to share her Spicy Stuffed Capsicum recipe. Stuffed veggies are really interesting to eat, and I'm sure by the end of this post, you'll be wanting to make Stuffed Capsicum!
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Green Peas and Palak Masala | Cooking With Kin #8#

This is Part - 2 of Gayathri's contribution to my CWK series. Check out her Poppy Seeds Poori in the previous post

Yam & Green Gram in Coconut Gravy | Cookin With Kin #6#

Hi friends!! :)
It has been 6 weeks since I started the Cooking with Kin series. And I am so glad to have made such wonderful friends who agree to do guest posts for me so that my blog doesn't remain dead while I go write exams! :-) One such good friend is Priya Sreeram. She is someone I look up to! An ICWA by profession, she writes at Bon Appetit. Before I started blogging, I used to hang out at a few food blogs gazing at recipes all day long. One such blog was hers. Usually, a reader-blogger relation is restricted to answering queries regarding the recipes. But I've been able to forge a friendship with Priya. :) And she is here with a healthy recipe (something my Recipe Index lacks! :D)
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What do you guest post for someone who is still in college but boasts of an array of recipes that belies her age and would put seasoned chefs & veteran bloggers to shame ? ! Though, I have no qualms in admitting that my culinary adventures started only after marriage, this blogger's space just puts you in awe ! Yup, I am talking about the bubbly and vivacious Kavita, the star behind Edible Entertainment. After much thought, I settled on this simple but tasty gravy with yam & green gram.Veggie & Lentils in a dish is something my hearth loves and this recipe from a keralite friend of mine was an instant winner.

 The gravy gets its oomph from shallots while coconut adds pep and it is a perfect accompaniment to rice.

Dum Aaloo | Baby Potatoes in Almond-Yogurt based Gravy

Visit www.foodomania.com for the recipe & step by step pictures.
Link to this recipe - http://foodomania.com/dum-aloo-baby-potatoes-yogurt-gravy/

Soya Tamatari | Soya Beans in rich Tomato Gravy

Chole Masala | Chickpea Curry

Looking forward to what Mom will be cooking for my lunch box or peeking to see how she goes on about making the food or quickly making 1 or 2 Dosas when she is away for 2 seconds are a few things that made me realize I definitely had a lot of interest in cooking. And I have to majorly credit my mother for nurturing the interest at a very young age. Since the 5th grade, she has been encouraging me to do a little of this & a little of that. No matter how exact the recipe is, a little advice from Mom always reassures my confidence in the dish.

Mung ki Sabzi | Green Bean/Gram Side-Dish

They are small, ovoid in shape, and green in color

They are an excellent source of PROTEIN

And they are delicious

Not to be confused with french green bean.

Welcome to my blog again. Here I am, with another healthy side dish. You can have this with Roti (Tortilla) or Rice or Bread. It is full of nutrition and yumminess! :-D And I really have nothing much to say about this dish except for how simple it is to make and how good it tastes!

You'll need -

1. Mung / Green Gram - 100 grams / 1 cup

2. Boiled & cut potato - 1 medium sized

3. Tomato - chopped - 1 medium

4. Green Chili - 2 finely chopped or sliced from the middle

5. Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon

6. Salt - 1 teaspoon or as per your taste

7. Red Chili Powder - 1 teaspoon (optional)

8. Asafoetida / Hing - 1/4 teaspoon

9. Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon

10. Garam Masala Powder - 1 teaspoon (optional)

11. Turmeric / Haldi powder - 1 teaspoon

12. Cooking Oil - 1 teaspoon

13. ONIONS - 1 (tastes good if you use onions. I was out of them so I skipped)

14. WATER - enough to cover the sprouts and cook. (around 1 and half cups)

Method-

1. Soak the beans for 5-8 hours. If it sprouts, all the more better!

2. In a Rice Cooker (Or any pressure cooker) (Or any pan), heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds, garlic, chili, onions & sauté for 1 minute. 

3. Add salt, red chili powder, garam masala powder, turmeric / haldi, asafoetida / hing and mix well.

4. Then add the potato & tomato and satué for 1 minute.

5. Add the sprouts and mix well.

6. Finally, add the water, give it a nice mix & close the cooker lid and let it cook until 5-6 whistles. If you are using a pan, close the pan with a larger plate or a lid and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes. Occasionally, pick the lid up & stir everything together and close again.

 Healthy Sprouts / Mung Sabji ready! ☻

Kadai Mutter Paneer (Cottage Cheese Side Dish)

(makes about 1-2 cups)
Ingredients -
Cottage Cheese / Paneer - 100 grams
Green Peas / Mutter - handful
Tomato - 1, finely chopped
Capsicum - 1, finely chopped
Cashew Nuts - 3-4
Green Chili - 2-3 finely chopped
Yogurt / Curd - 1 tablespoon
Coriander Powder - 2 teaspoons (Get coriander seeds, dry roast them & grind them into a fine powder)
Red Chili Powder - 3-4 teaspoons
Garam Masala Powder - 2 teaspoons
Dried Fenugreek Leaves / Kasoori Methi - 1 teaspoon
Coriander / Celery leaves - 1 tablespoon
Salt - as per taste (2-3 teaspoons)
Cooking Oil - 2 teaspoons

Method -
1. Marinating the Cottage Cheese / Paneer - Cut the paneer into cubes, and mix with 1 tablespoon yogurt/curd, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon red chili powder and let it rest for about 1-2 hours.

2. Boil the peas in microwave or on the stove, strain water & keep aside.
3. After 1-2 hours, heat 1 tsp oil on a pan. Add the green chili, half of the sliced onions, tomato & cashew nuts and stir till they start changing color.

4. Switch off the flame. Transfer the veggies to a blender, add 2 tsp garam masala, coriander powder / dhania powder, 1/2 tsp salt and blend until you get a smooth paste. (This forms the base your your gravy)

5. Again, heat 1 tsp oil, add the remaining cut onions & satué for 30 seconds & add the capsicum.

6. Add the gravy mixture from STEP 3 to the onion-capsicum and give it all a nice mix. Let it cook on medium-high flame for at least 5 minutes (or taste it regularly to ensure that you no longer get an un-cooked smell ☺). You can add around quarter - half a cup of water to it & let it boil.

Meanwhile - take half cup of warm water. Add the dried fenugreek leaves / kasoori methi & let it rest for 5 minutes.

7. Give the cottage cheese / paneer a good mix & transfer to the gravy cooking it on medium flame. It has to cook for around 2-3 minutes. Add the boiled peas, dried fenugreek / kasoori methi to it & let it boil.

Transfer to a bowl & serve with Roti (Tortilla) or Paratha or Rice or anything you like! ☺