Borrowed Recipes- Punjabi Paneer Makhani and Masala Bhindi

Punjabi Paneer Makhani

Miri from In Vogue at Home, a cousin of mine, and above all a good friend was telling me how she made this Punjabi Paneer Makhani and the pic she posted on her blog convinced me it was indeed a must-try. After exchanging a whole lotta details about the procedure, I decided to go ahead with it. It turned out extremely rich and tasty and even though it just doesn't look anything like what she's put up, I'm still kicked at the fact that Ro and myself loved it.

When i saw the recipe first, it looked long and tedious, but Miri convinced me it wasn't and she was right. I followed the recipe more or less the same way with the following alterations:

• I didn't have kasuri methi leaves, and so i used a 1/4 tsp Fenugreek powder.
• Before I added the jeera to the hot ghee/ oil, I also added 2 cardamom pods, 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves and half an inch of a cinnamon stick
• I also used canned tomato puree and since it was bit tart i added a few tsps of honey instead of sugar and solved the problem.
• I added a dash of cream which was optional :)

We paired it with Coriander Naan (store bought) and it was a hit. Thanks Miri, this recipe is definitely a keeper.

Masala Bhindi

I also tried out Tarla Dalal's Masala Bhindi and it looked nothing like the pic on the website. It tasted average, and I think it's got to do with the fact that i have no patience when it comes to deep frying. The ingredients and measurements can be found here and the procedure is simple. Marinate the slit bhindi with all the ingredients and fry till nice and crispy. I didn't want to deep fry it, so i sautéed it in about 2 tbsps of oil.

Mooru curry (Yoghurt curry with spices) and Bhindi fry (Okra fry)

I had this craving for some kanji (rice gruel), mooru curry (curd based) and spicy pickle yesterday and so decided to give it a go. I googled how to make kanji and since Ro wanted a veggie, i decided to make some spicy bhindi fry instead of the pickle. It was heavenly and i wished it was a bit cold outside or rain or something so it would create the perfect mood for some hot kanji. Unfortunately yesterday was the hottest with a high of 30C and is supposed to be that way till end of this week. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the meal to the fullest along with a glass of Peach Cider which was out of this world.

Mooru Curry

Curd- 1 cup

Small onions/ Shallots- 2, thinly sliced

Green chillies- 2, thinly sliced

Red chillies- 2

Turmeric pwd- a pinch to 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida- a pinch

Curry leaves- a sprig

Oil- 1 tbs

Salt- to taste

Beat the curd with a fork or egg beater and make it somewhat loose consistency. If the curd is still too thick, add a bit of water. Keep aside.

In a sauce pan, heat the oil and once hot splutter mustard seeds. Add the shallots, green chillies, red chillies and curry leaves and sautee for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the turmeric pwd, asafoetida and salt and mix well. To this, add the curd and keep stirring continuously. The curd becomes slightly thick and you can see the steam rising from the spoon. Don't wait for it to boil. Remove from fire and stir for a few more minutes. Serve hot.

Notes: Another technique is to not add the curd to the mix and keep stirring, but wait till the tadka has cooled and then pour it on top of the curd and mix well. If its for immediate use, then warm it on fire top for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring continuously. Otherwise, store in refrigerate for up to 3 days. This is my moms easy peacy version which i mostly follow, but this time i went a bit overboard and followed a more elaborate version by maria.

I sometimes don't use onions if I'm too lazy :)

Bhindi/ Okra fry

Okra- a cup, cut into coin size pieces

Shallots- 2 big, thinly sliced

Pepper pwd- 1 tsp

Chilli pwd- 1/2 tsp

Oil- 1 1/2 tbs

Salt- to taste

Heat oil in a frying pan and sautee the shallots till they become brown. Add the okra slices and sautee them till the sliminess disappears. Make sure it is covered with oil. Add the powders and salt and mix well. If you want it crisp, add a little more oil.

Okra Avial

I love avial (a South Indian dish), but have never attempted at making it because, for one i don't get all the veggies required and two, i just assumed its a difficult task, the second one taking more preference. However, this dish was not supposed to be avial like, but it somehow ended up so. I had just finished making it, and was setting the table for dinner when Ro walked in and said, 'oh are we having avial?' and I'm like, 'huh..avial..that looks like avial?' He then had to think twice before he answered because that sure was a trick question. It was like me asking, 'Du think I'm fat?' A lot of thought goes into answering such questions. Three years of marriage has taught him stuff like that, I'm glad!

Anyways, avial it was! or so i decided to call it. Since it was dominated by the Okra and since it had no other important veggies, i simply named it Okra avial. It had a nice tangy taste and i have no clue what gave out that flavour. Also, a special thanks to Sig for the outline of this recipe. Here goes:

Okra- 10 to 15 no's, slit lengthwise

Chilli pwd- as per taste

Coriander pwd- 1/4 tsp

Shallots- 1 big, cut into thin slices

Tomato- 1, cut into cubes (not too small)

Green chilli- 1 slit

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Oil- 2 tbs

Salt- to taste

To grind:

Grated Coconut- 1/2 cup

Shallots- 1 big

Chilli pwd- 1/2 tsp

Turmeric pwd- 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Garlic paste- 1/2 tsp

Grind all the items in the 'to grind' section to a smooth paste with a wee bit of water (if required) and keep aside.

In a non-stick frying pan, heat some oil, put in 1/4 tsp coriander pwd and a few pinches of chilli pwd and sautee till the raw smell goes. Fry the okra slices in it till they turn slightly brown. This is just to take off the sliminess. Remove from the pan and keep aside.

In the same frying pan, add the remaining oil and once hot, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, shallots and green chillies till they turn golden brown. Add the ground coconut mix, tomatoes and half a cup of water and bring to a simmer. Finally add the fried Okra pieces, leave on fire for about two to three minutes, give a final stir and take it off the fire. Serve warm with rice or chapatis.

Notes: I used frozen coconut and i also used coconut oil for that mallu flavour.

I used chilli and coriander pwd to fry the okra in, so it gives an added flavour. You dont have to do so. It can be fried just in oil, if you prefer that way.

The dish was not gravy-like, and I'm not sure its supposed to be..but mine was neither dry nor too runny and the coconut had absorbed all the water. I guess if you make this gravy-like, you can have it as a curry instead of avial.