Hyderabadi Paneer Biryani

Hyderabadi veg./paneer biryani

(A minty biryani with paneer & a host of fresh vegetables)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
30 Min 3-4 30 min

Ingredients:

For the masala:
1/2 bunch pudina/mint
1 bunch coriander (mint & coriander in 1:2 ratio)
2 tbsp dessicated coconut
1 handful roasted peanuts
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp jeera/cumin
5-6 peppercorns
1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric pwd
1/2 onion
2 red chillies or 2-3 green chillies
6 cloves garlic
1/2 inch ginger.

500g paneer cubes
3 small potatoes - peel skin off & cut in half
1/2 cup cubed carrots
1/2 cup green peas
2-3 boiled eggs (optional)
2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
1 large chopped onion
1 inch cinnamon stick
4-5 cardamoms
1 more chopped onion
rice (about 2 cups for 3-4 ppl) - washed & drained
salt to taste
2-3 bayleaves
a mix of 1 small chopped & fried onion, roasted/fried nuts & raisins, chopped coriander/cilantro and 1/4 cup lime juice

Cooking Instructions:

Grind the masala ingredients with a lil' water to a smooth paste. Deep fry paneer cubes & set aside. Heat oil, fry onions till pink and then add the masala, 2 tbsp at a time, frying well in between. Then add the potatoes & carrots with a little water, cover & cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Then add the paneer & peas & cook for 2 minutes, covered. In a separate vessel, heat some ghee & fry a chopped onion till pink, then add the cinnamon, cardamom & bay leaves. Add rice, nuts & raisins & fry well. Add water & salt and cook till rice is almost ready - drain off excess water & add the paneer-gravy, tossing lightly. Place halved boiled eggs in between some layers & steam closed for till rice is cooked fully. Garnish with limejuice, nuts/raisins & coriander.

Veg. Stuffed Bell-peppers

Veg. Stuffed Bell-peppers

(Bell-peppers stuffed with a flavorful mix of paneer/cottage cheese & vegetables like carrots, peas & potatoes.)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
20Min 4 20Min

Ingredients :

4 medium bell peppers of any color
200g paneer cubes (small)
100g grean peas
1 medium finely chopped onion
1 medium size potato - cut in small cubes
1 carrot - cut as the potatoes
2 green chilies - chopped
1/2 bunch coriander leaves
1/4 tsp red-chili pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
1/4 tsp pepper pwd
salt to taste
cooking oil
2 tbsp butter
some thick thread


Cooking Instructions :

Soak paneer in turmeric-water. Heat some cooking oil & fry the onions till pink. Then add the chillies & powder spices and fry well. Add the potatoes & carrots with a lil' water and cook for 5 whole minutes, tossing a few times in between. Drain the paneer & add along with some salt. Cook till its done, toss in the chopped leaves & then simmer open to dry out excess water. Cut a 'lid' off the top of each capsicum, empty the cavity & apply the butter to its inner & outer surfaces. Fill them equally with the veggies & cover with their lids tying with some thread to secure the lid in place. Grease a pan & shallow fry the stuffed bell-peppers, sprinkling some salt on them. Cover & cook till they are soft; don't overcook till they are soggy. Cut off the threads & serve hot as an appetizer or side to a rice dish.

Alternative: Grate some cheese onto the stuffed bellpeppers before tying & frying them. Stuffed & tied bell-peppers can be baked instead of shallow-fried.

Paneer Manchurian

Paneer Manchurian

(An indo-chinese dish of cottage-cheese dumplings in a mild-spicy soy-sauce gravy.)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
20Min 4 10Min

Ingredients :

200 gms paneer/cottage cheese
1/2 cup chopped coriander
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup crushed cashewnuts or almonds
25 gms cornflour
100 gms flour
1/4 cup spring onions - chopped
1 clove garlic - flaked
4-5 green chilies - chopped
100 gms tomato sauce
1/4 tsp pepper pwd
1/4 tsp chilli sauce
1/4 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
onion leeks for garnishing
cooking oil

Cooking Instructions :

Mash together the paneer, leaves, nuts, flours, spring onions, garlic, pepper pwd, salt, sugar & green chilies. Add 1/3rd of each of these - the tomato, soya & chili sauces and vinegar. Mash to a thick mixture, adding a little water if reqd. Make golf-ball size balls of this mixture & deep fry till golden brown. In a saucepan, add all the remaining sauces & vinegar with 2 cups water bring to a boil. Taste & add salt/sugar and thicken the mixture with cornflour, while simmering. Last, add the balls & garnish & simmer for just 2 minutes.

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.

Shahi-Paneer Bread Pakora

Shahi Paneer Bread Pakora

(A hot tea-time or rainy-day snack made by deep-frying mini paneer/cottage-cheese sandwiches soaked in a spicy gram-flour batter)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
2Min 3 15Min

Ingredients :
6 bread slices
3 tbsp spicy mint chutney/sauce
3 tbsp sweet tamarind chutney/sauce
4-6 5mm thick paneer slices
2tbsp butter
1 cup gram-flour
1/2 cup beaten curd/yoghurt
1.5 tbsp chaat masala
1/4 tsp ajwain
1/4 tsp red chili pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1/ tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp sugar
water to make the batter
salt to taste
oil to deep fry

Cooking Instructions:

Marinade paneer slices in butter & chaat masala - set aside for 10-15 mins. Make a smooth batter (ribbon - consistency) of the flour, sugar, salt, yoghurt, turmeric, red chili pwd, cumin pwd, ajwain with some water. Trim the edges off the bread slices & apply tamrind sauce to 3 slices & mint sauce to the other 3. Place paneer slices between a slice of tamrind sauce & 1 with mint sauce. Repeat with the remaining bread & paneer. Cut into half or diagonally to triangles. Wet your hands & press each sandwich between moist palms to ensure slices stick together & don't slip apart. Heat oil in a deep-frying vessel (kadai). Insert triangles delicately into the batter, coat evenly & safely immerse into the hot oil. Turn over when its golden-brown beneath & fry to get an even color all-round. Leave to drain on paper towel & serve with chutneys, ketchup of any sauce of your choice.

Daal Makhni Paneer

Daal Makhni Paneer

(A creamy North Indian black lentil gravy with cottage cheese/ paneer influences topped with a generous dollop of butter)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
5 Min 2 15 Min


Ingredients :

1 cup kaali daal/ whole masoor daal - soaked overnight or for 1 hour if you have a pressure cooker.
1/2 kg paneer/ cottage cheese cubes
2 cups fresh cream - beaten
salt to taste
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp red chili pwd
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp cumin seeds/ pwd
1/4 tsp ajwain
1/2 tsp cardamom pwd
1/4 tsp cinnamon pwd
3 garlic cloves - chopped
1 medium onion - chopped
1/2 cup tomato puree
1 tsp amchur/ dried mango pwd
1/2 tsp ginger pwd
1/4 tsp asafoteida
2 tbsp cooking oil/ ghee
2 tbsp butter


Cooking Instructions:

Soak daal in a warm water for 1 hour. Immerse paneer cubes (small 1 cu.cm cubes) in a bowl of water with a pinch of turmeric pwd added to it. Heat ghee/ oil & fry onions till well cooked. Add the garlic & all powder spices & fry well, stirring continuously. Add tomato paste and fry well. Then wash & drain the daal & add it to the spices - stir well, add water to cover daal completely & cover and cook till daal is done (1 whistle on high-flame & simmer for 4 minutes in a pressure cooker). While still simmering, add beaten cream 2 tbsp at a time, stirring continuously & then drain paneer & toss into the curry. Add salt & sugar to taste & top with butter - simmer till desired consistency is reached. Serve hot with rotis or rice - best with piping hot plain/garlic naan.

Palak Paneer

(A creamy medium-spicy North-Indian spinach(palak) gravy with cottage cheese (paneer) cubes.)


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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
10 Min 3 10Min


Ingredients :

2 bunches spinach
1 bunch coriander
1 chopped large onion
1 cup cooking cream
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
salt to taste
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1 green chili
1/2 kg paneer/ cottage cheese - cut in 1"x1" cubes
3-4 cardamoms/ 1/s tsp cardamom pwd
1/4 tsp ajwain (optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric
cooking oil/ clarified butter


Cooking Instructions:

Finely grind the spinach, coriander leaves, cumin, peppercorns, chili, cardamom, ajwain, turmeric & half the onions with some water. Place the paneer cubes in room temp water with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder added to it - Leave aside. In a sauce pan, heat 3 tbsp cooking oil/ butter, fry the remaining onions well. Then add the ground mixture 2-3 tbsp at a time, frying well & then add salt & suger. Drain the paneer & drop the cubes into the gravy. Simmer open (not covered) for 2 minutes & then add beaten cream 2 tbsp at a time, gently folding it into the gravy to get a pleasant green colour & then simmer (open) till desired consistency is reached. Garnish with cream & serve with steamed rice or piping hot rotis/ naans.

Paneer Kathi rolls

Paneer Kathi Rolls

(Paneer/ cottage cheese stir-fry rolled in a roti/ burrito bread & served with sauces/ chutneys of ur choice. )




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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
10 Min 3 10 min


Ingredients :

6 rotis/ burrito breads
1/2 kg paneer/ cottage cheese
1-2 green & red bell peppers - finely sliced
1 medium onion - finely chopped
1 green chili
salt & pepper to taste
finely chopped 1/2 " ginger
1/4 tsp red chili pwd
1/4 tsp jeera/cumin pwd
sauces/ chutney of your choice (mint/ tomato-chili, etc.)
1/4 cup lime juice
butter
cooking oil

Cooking Instructions :

Heat cooking oil & fry onions, then add green chili, ginger & bell peppers. Add the powder spices, salt & pepper. Then add the paneer with 2-3 tbsp water, cover & cook till soft. Roughly mash paneer & vegs and then add 3-4 tbsp lime juice & the sauces as per your taste. Cover & toss. Simmer for 2 mins & set aside to cool.

On a pan/tava, brush on some butter. Place 1-2 tbsp of the mix on each roti, fold in 3 corners & fold the roti over, forming a roll. Place it on the heated pan with the lose end touching the pan. Keep Repeat for other 5 rotis. Keep turning the rolls so they are uniformly brown on each side. Serve with sauces/ chutneys of your choice.