Muli Dal Paneer

One day when I opened my fridge found some leftover cottage cheese and a horse raddish, and was really confused how to utilize them. Then it suddenly struck in my mind to combine them with daland made this Muli Dal Paneer for dinner. The key ingredient of this recipe is Motor dal or Yellow split peas that is known to be a rich source of fibre and protien as well as minerals like phosphrus and potassium. This is tasty as well as health friendly.

Ingredients (4 servings):

• Yellow split peas( matar dal), 1 cup or 200 gm
• Cottage cheese or paneer, 150 gm
• Horse raddish, 1
• Coriander leaves, 1 handfull, chopped
• Onion, 1, sliced
• Garlic cloves, 4
• Ginger, 1"
• Coriander powder, 2 tsp
• Garam masala powder, 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder, 1 tsp
• Mango powder(Amchoor powder), 1 tsp
• Green chillies, 4-5
• Bay leaf, 1
• Whole dry red chilli, 1
• Green cardamom, 2
• Cinnamon, 1"
• Mustard oil, 4 tbsp ( you may use Soybean oil)
• Salt to taste 
• Sugar, 2 tsp

Methods:

In a cooker add 1 and 1/2 cup water and dal and pressure cook peas with 3 whistles.  Wait for the pressure inside to release.Then open the lid and mash dal a little using a manual hand blender or a spatula.

Slice raddish and shallow fry in oil till they turn soft. Seasone with a pinch of salt. Keep them aside.

Blend together garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, mango popwder and keep them aside. In a pan hat oil and temper the oil with bay leaf, red chilli, cinnamon and cardamoms. Let them release flavour and then add sliced onion. Saute them for a minute and seasone them with a pinch of salt.  Now as they start turning light brown add blended spices and then again saute for 2-3 minutes. Add sugar and salt according to your taste. 

Add 4 tbsp water and let the spices release oil. Slice paneer and add. Toss them in spices. Now add precooked dal and green chillies and combine with spoces. cook untill it turns thick . Now discard bay leaf and remove from flame and combine chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Roti or steamed rice.

Cheese Envelopes

Movie/ Party with friends = Snacking. Experimented with some left over cottage cheese and sorted Indian spices to make a crunchy party snack. It was an weekend evening and my ma demanded for some snack to boost up the windy, rainy atmosphere of monsoon that complemented a scheduled movie we watched that evening.

Ingredients(8 servings):

1. Cottage cheese, 100 gm
2. Boiled Potato, 1, large 
3. Green peas, 1 handfull
4. All purpose flour, 1 cup
5. Chopped coriander leaves, 2 tbsp
6. Green chillies, neatly chopped, 1 tbsp
7. Garlic cloves, neatly chopped, 1/2 tbsp
8. Red chilli powder, 2 tsp
9. Coriander powder, 2 tsp
10. Salt to taste
11. Sugar, 3 tsp
12. Refined oil ( vegetable oil is appropiate for deep frying, like I used Soybean oil)

Methods:

Combine flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar, 4 tbsp oil and knead into dough.

For stuffing in a pan heat 4 tbsp oil . Add chopped garlic first and then boiled potato, green peas, all the powdered spices, chopped green chillies, salt to taste and 1 tsp sugar. After sauteing for a minute add small cubed paneer and coriander leaves. Combine well and remove from flame.

Make small balls out of dough and roll each of them into 3' diameter. Place 1 tbsp stuffing in the centre, First fold one edge to other side to form semi-circle and then fold both the sides to the centre to shape like an envelope.

In a pan heat enough oil for deep frying. Slide the envelopes into oil and fry till they are golden brown.

Serve with tomato ketchup or your favourite dips.

Chanar Dalna

In Bengal people also say it 'Paneerer torkari'. Chanar Dalna is made of 'chana', largely known as Paneer or Cottage Cheese. When it comes to vegeterian menu in a Bengali household , Chanar dalna becomes an obvious choice. Cottage Cheese cooked in bengali style 'torkari' (Curry) added with some aromatic Bengali spices.

Ingredients(4 servings):

1. Paneer(Cottage cheese), 200 gm
2. Potato, 4 medium
3. Cumin Powder, 1 tbsp
4. Coriander Powder, 1 tbsp
5. Garam masala powder,2 tsp
6. Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 tsp (Optional)
7. Mango Powder(amchur)/Lime juice, 2 tsp
8. Turmeric powder, 2 tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Sugar, 1 tsp
11. Whole dry red chilli, 1
12. Bay leaf, 1
13. Cumin seeds, 1 tsp
14. Ginger, 1 and 1/2"
15. Green chillies, 4-5
16. Ghee(Indian clarified butter),  2 tsp
17. Curd, 1 tbsp
18. Mustard oil, 5-6 tbsp

Methods:

Cut Potatoes into medium cubes and Paneer also. Fry them seperately. Make surethat the potatoes are soft and paneer cubes are evenly golden brown . Marinate paneer cubes with 1 tsp turmeric powder and a pinch of salt before frying. Leave 2-3 cheese cubes to use later.

Heat oil and temper with whole dry red chilli, bay leaf and cumin seeds. Blend ginger, cumin and coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, mango powder together and add into oil. After a minute of sauteing add curd, green chillies and crush the remaining cottage cheese cubes. Add salt to taste and sugar. Cook for a minute. Let the oil seperate from spices.

When the oil seperates, add potato cubes and cook in spices for 2 mins. Add 2 cups of water. Bring it to boil and add paneer cubes. As soon as the gravy thickens (it will not too much thick gravy) sprinkle ghee and a pinch of garam masala powder.

*If you are using lime juice instead of mango powder, add after removing from flame.

NOTE-If you are using homemade paneer marinate them with 2 tsp of cornflour powder and fry them oil and also add into curry before removing from flame as they tend to be softer compared to shopmade paneer. This prevents them from breaking.

Serving suggestions- Steamed rice, Luchi, Ruti.

Posto Paneer

When Cottage cheese and poppy seeds paste are combined they turn into a creamy thick gravy and everytime I make it I fall for it.

 Ingredients (4 servings):

1. Paneer(Cottage cheese), 250 gm
2. Posto(Poppy seeds), 5-6 tbsp
3. 8 Cashews
4. Salt, 2 tsp
5. Sugar, 1 tsp
6. Green chillies,4
7. Ginger paste, 1 and 1/2 tbsp
8. Curd, 4 tbsp
9. Garam Masala powder,1 tsp
10. Bay leaf, 1
11. Whole dry red chilli, 1
12. Green cardamoms, 2
13. Cinnamon stick , 1"
14. Cloves, 2
15. Soybean oil/Olive oil
16. Ghee, 1 tsp

Methods:

Turn poppy seeds and cashews into a fine paste. Refer here the to know how to make poppy seeds paste.  Paste poppy seeds  and cashews together.

Cut paneer into medium cubes and toss them in few drops of oil till slightly golden brown. These prevents paneer from breaking.

In a pan heat 4 tbsp oil. If it is olive oil use 2-3 tbsp oil. Temper oil with whole dry red chilli, bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon. After a minute add ginger paste , slit green chillies and saute for 20 secs. Mix poppy seeds paste, curd, salt, 1 tsp sugar and garam masala powder together. Add into pan and cook for a minute. Add  4 tbsp water till the oil seperates. Add paneer cubes into gravy and add 1 small cup of oil. Cook till the gravy is thick. Sprinkle ghee before removing from flame.

• Serve with Luchi, Paratha, Roti, Fried rice, Yellow rice.