Paneer Kofta Curry

Paneer Kofta Curry

(A festive medium-spicy creamy gravy with rich stuffed dumplings of cottage cheese/paneer and nuts)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
20Min 4 15Min

Ingredients :
A) For the koftas:
3 medium size potatoes
1 cup finely chopped/ grated paneer
2 bread slices - edges off
1/2 cup crushed mixed dried-fruits & nuts: cashews, almonds & raisins
salt to taste
1 tbsp sugar
2 chopped green chilis
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1/2 tsp pepper pwd
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp cardamom pwd
oil to deep fry dumplings

B) For the gravy:
1 medium onion - minced
2 cups tomato puree/paste
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp whole garam masala - some cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, pepper, dried red chilis.
1 tsp red chili pwd
1/2 cup thick cooking cream
2 green chilies chopped
1/4 cup cashewnut pwd (optional)
1 tbsp garlic-ginger paste
1/4 cup grated paneer
2tbsp cooking oil
salt to taste
1 tbsp sugar


Cooking Instructions:

To make the kofta-filling, mix together half cup grated paneer, nuts, raisins, green chilies, cardamom pwd, pepper pwd, cumin pwd, sugar & salt. Add a little water & make 8 equal size balls of this mixture.

To make the koftas, boil, peel & mash the potatoes. Add 1/2 cup paneer, the bread & salt and bind this (with a little water if reqd) into a smooth dough. Make 8 parts of this dough. Greese your palms with a little oil to avoid sticking. Take each part in your palm, flatten it, place a filling ball in it & cover/wrap the filling ball well to form a stuffed dumpling. Heat oil in a deep pan/ kadai & deep-fry koftas to an even brown color on medium heat - Drain & set aside.

To make the gravy, heat oil in a saucepan & crackle whole garam masala in it before frying in the onions. Add garlic-ginger paste & chopped green chilies and fry for 2mins. Add tomato puree - fry well. Then add the powder spices, sugar & salt. Add grated paneer & cashew pwd with a little water & bring to a boil. Simmer for 6 minutes &then add the beaten cream 2 tbps at a time, stirring gently continuously. Add sugar & simmer for 2-3 mins till desired consistency is reached. Immerse koftas in the gravy & take it off the stove - Don't boil them in the gravy. Serve hot.

Gobi Manchurian

Gobi Manchurian

(An Indo-Chinese recipe for Cauliflower dumplings in a traditional Chinese Manchurian sauce.)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
15Min 4 30 Min


Ingredients :

1 small cauliflower clean and broken into big florettes.
1 small bunch spring onoin finely chopped
2 tsp. ginger finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic finely chopped
1/4 cup plain flour
3 tbsp. cornflour
1/4 tsp. red chilli powder
2 red chillies, dry
3 tbsp. oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp. Milk

Cooking Instructions:

Boil the florettes for 2-3mins in plenty of water, to which a tbsp. of milk has been added. Drain well and pat dry on a clean cloth. Make thin batter out of flour and 2 tbsp cornflour, adding 1/4 tsp each of ginger and garlic and red chilli powder and salt to taste. Dip the florettes in the batter one by one and deep fry in hot oil. Keep aside.

In the remaining oil, add remaining ginger, garlic and crushed red chili and fry for a minute. Add the salt and spring onions - stir fry for a minute. Add 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Dissolve 1 tbsp cornflour to 1/4 cup water & gradually add to the gravy, stirring continuously till it boils & then the gravy becomes transparent. Add florettes and soya sauce. Boil for two more minutes and remove.
Serve hot with noodles or rice.

Variations:

- Dry Gobi Manchurian

Dry manchurian can be made by omitting the gravy. Make florettes as above and instead of adding water as above, add fried florettes, spring onions and soya sauce at this stage. Sprinkle 1 tsp cornflour on the florettes and stir-fry for 2mins. Serve piping hot with toothpicks or miniforks and chilligarlic sauce or tomato sauce.

- Mixed Vegetable Manchurian

Same procedure for mixed Veg. Manchurian (with gravy or dry), but instead of using only cauliflower, use finely chopped/minced cooked vegetables like carrots & peas and bind with some cornflour or bread crumbs and make small lumps the size of a pingpong ball. Fry as above and proceed as above.

Kadhi Pakora

Kadhi Pakora

(A spicy yoghurt-based gravy which contains fried chickpea-flour-dumplings called 'pakoras', eaten with rice/ roti.)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
5Min 2 20 Min


Ingredients :
6 cups curd
5 tsp Gram flour
1 tsp Mustard seed
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
2 Green chillies chopped
1" piece: Ginger (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp Asafoetida powder
6 tsp Oil
3 cups Water
1 tbsp sugar
Salt to taste


For Pakoras
1 cup Gram flour
2 Onions (medium sized)
2 Green chillies
1 tsp Red chilli powder
4 tsp Oil
Oil for frying
Salt to taste
Sufficient water for the batter

1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander


Cooking Instructions:

For the curry: Churn the curd along with gram flour and water. Heat oil and fry the mustard seeds, asafoetida, chillies and ginger for five minutes Add the churned curd, turmeric powder and salt. Boil on a high flame and then simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside.

For Pakoras: Finely chop onions and green chillies. Make a thick batter by mixing gram flour with onions, green chillies, salt, oil and water. Deep fry in small portions.

Add these pakoras in kadhi. After adding pakoras boil kadhi for five minutes, add sugar & simmer for a minute. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander & serve with hot rice.

Sikkimese steamed Veg-Momos

Sikkimese steamed Veg-Momos


(A light stater of steamed dumplings with a flavorful filling within, served with tomato chutney/sweet-n-spicy tomato chili sauce)


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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
15 Min 4-6 15 Min


Ingredients :

2 cups flour
water
1/2 tsp baking soda
Salt to taste

1/2 kg finely chopped veg mixture: carrots, cabbage & (any or all 3 color) capsicums
1 large onion chopped very fine
8-10 cloves of garlic chopped very fine
3 tbsps soy sauce
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste
3 tbsps vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil

Cooking Instructions:

Mix the flour and salt to taste and add a little water at a time to make a stiff yet sticky dough (not TOO wet), like a pizza dough. Keep aside covered with a moist napkin. Do NOT let it dry.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions to pink (not brown). Add the garlic & fry well. Then, add the mix vegetables mixture & fry well. Add the soy and chilli sauces, freshly ground pepper and salt to taste and cook till the veg is done.

Make small balls of the dough & roll out each to 4" diameter rounds. Dab a lil' water on the edges & place a tablespoon of the mix in the center of each circle. Fold the edges over the meat & pinch and twist to seal or fold the Momo in half (into a semi-circular/ moon shape) and pinch the edges shut. Place these arrangements onto a moist cloth/ parchment paper or well greased surface.

Before placing them in the steamer ensure the steamer layers/ trays are well greased. Place the Momos into the steaming dish and cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve with tomato chutney or a sweet-n-spicy tomato-chili sauce.

Sikkimese Steamed Non-Veg Momos

Sikkimese steamed Non-Veg Momos


(A light stater of steamed dumplings with a flavorful filling within, served with tomato chutney/sweet-n-spicy tomato chili sauce)


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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
15 Min 4-6 15 Min


Ingredients :

2 cups flour
water
1/2 tsp baking soda
Salt to taste

1/2 kg chicken/beef/pork/prawn/fish/mutton mince
1 large onion chopped very fine
8-10 cloves of garlic chopped very fine
3 tbsps soy sauce
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste
3 tbsps vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil

Cooking Instructions:

Mix the flour and salt to taste and add a little water at a time to make a stiff yet sticky dough (not TOO wet), like a pizza dough. Keep aside covered with a moist napkin. Do NOT let it dry.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions to pink (not brown). Add the garlic & fry well. Then, add the meat & stir fry till its browned evenly. Add the soy and chilli sauces, freshly ground pepper and salt to taste and cook till the meat is done.

Make small balls of the dough & roll out each to 4" diameter rounds. Dab a lil' water on the edges & place a tablespoon of the mix in the center of each circle. Fold the edges over the meat & pinch and twist to seal or fold the Momo in half (into a semi-circular/ moon shape) and pinch the edges shut. Place these arrangements onto a moist cloth/ parchment paper or well greased surface.

Before placing them in the steamer ensure the steamer layers/ trays are well greased. Place the Momos into the steaming dish and cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve with tomato chutney or a sweet-n-spicy tomato-chili sauce.