Paneer Methi Malai

                 Believe it or not, I was very bad at making any gravy with Paneer, be it Kadai Paneer, Paneer Makkhanwala, Shahi Paneer, Matar Paneer or Palak Paneer; the taste was never what I dreamed of having and I never knew why. I always used to trouble all ' Paneer Recipe Maestros' for their recipes, their exact way of cooking, and what not, but I think God never wanted me to cook it, rather I was privileged to gulp the whole plate cooked by someone else. At times it was fine not to cook and just eat (Well, who doesn't want that! :P) but the other times I used to be so nervous of being a bad cook. This is not the story before my marriage because then I knew no cooking at all, so all recipes were alike and all all failures in cooking were alike, too. But after marriage, when the spirit of cooking was dancing on my head, I wanted to make everything, and that too with interest. I would not lie here, I became good at dessert handling quite soon but vegetables had always been my brittle line. I still struggle with some which are traditional and unique but the love and zeal to try till I go perfect keeps it all alive.

Since all Hindi movies must have a happy ending, so has to be with me. My story on Paneer had to find a happy end and see, I'm sharing this recipe with you guys so delightfully and with a 'cheese' ( don't think about cheddar or cottage cheese here, it's just about my smiling lips that say 'cheese' ). 

PANEER METHI MALAI:

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Health Meter:

Cottage cheese is a mild-tasting, high-protein cheese curd product. Made by curdling milk and draining most of the whey, or liquid, from the solid product, cottage cheese is essentially unprocessed or raw cheese.

 Since cottage cheese is low in fat and high in protein, it's the perfect food for anyone who is watching their weight. A little known fact about cottage cheese is that it's a favorite food for athletes and bodybuilders who aren't trying to lose weight. Cottage cheese is low in carbohydrates and full of healthy vitamins and minerals. A half cup serving contains about 120 calories, 5 grams of fat, 3 grams of carbohydrates, and 14 grams of protein.

Are You A Turophile?
A turophile (pronounced toor-uh-file) is one who loves cheese.

Fun Facts:

- Cottage cheese should not be left outside of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours.

- It takes 100 lbs of milk to make 15 pounds of cottage cheese.

- Cottage cheese is also known as pot cheese, farm cheese or farmer's cheese.

Ingredients:

1. Fresh Paneer (Cottage Cheese): 200 gms

2. Tomatoes : 3 (medium sized and ripe)

3. Onions: 2 (medium sized)

4. Garlic: 3-4 cloves or Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbs

5. Capsicum: 1 (small, finely chopped)

6. Fresh Cream/ Malai: 1/4 cup

7. Kasoori Methi: 2 tbs

8. Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp

9. Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp

10. Coriander Powder: 2 tsp

11. Cumin Powder: 1 tsp

12. Cumin seeds/ Jeera: 1/2 tsp

13. Garam masala: 1 and a 1/2 tsp ( I use MTR)

14. Kitchen King Masala: 3/4 tsp ( I use MDH)

15. Water

16. Oil: 3 tbs

17. Salt: As per taste

Method:

1. Wash the paneer/ cottage cheese well and cube it. Keep the size small and not too big. 
2. Take the onions and grind them into a paste.
3. Separately, puree the tomatoes and keep them aside. If you are using garlic cloves instead of paste, you could add them while pureeing tomatoes.
4. Take a wok/pan and heat oil in it. Splutter the cumin seeds followed by the addition of ground onion paste. Saute this well till the onion paste becomes golden brown and the onions are completely cooked, which means they have left the oil. ( Undercooked onions leave a sweet taste and a raw flavor)
5. Add chopped capsicum to it  and saute for 3 minutes.
6. Now add all the spices (just add 1 tsp garam masla and leave 1/2 tsp for the finishing flavor) and cook.
7. Throw in the tomato puree and cook till the oil separates. You'll feel the aroma lingering in the whole kitchen by now.
8. Sprinkle salt and kasoori methi into the gravy. Adjust the texture by addition of water.
9. Now add the soft paneer cubes to the gravy. ( I do not shallow fry the paneer cubes as that would make them slightly sticky). Cook covered for 3-5 minutes on sim/low flame. This will infuse the flavor into the cubes. Do not stir too often else the paneer cubes will break.
10. Shower the remaining garam masala and add the fresh cream at last. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
11. Serve the aromatic paneer with Tandoori Roti/ Naan/ Lacchha Paratha.

Suggestions:

1. The quality of paneer/cottage cheese holds the maximum importance for incorporating the real taste. If the paneer is not fresh/ old/ sour, it will spoil the entire gravy. Make sure you get fresh, non-sour-smelling paneer from the market. You could check the freshness by its smell and best by tasting it. 
2. If the tomatoes are very sour, reduce their quantity.
3. In place of Kasoori Methi, you could also add fresh fenugreek/ methi leaves. 
4. Never leave the onions undercooked in haste because they can win or lose you the entire game.

The recipe goes to:

My event: Cooking Made Easy With Cheese/Paneer

Mava Makkhan Lassi

Dusshera, the festival of lights, the victory of good over the evil, and in my language, a day meant for celebration just after the freaking and crazy dandia nights. Oh, you can make out from this that how much am I in love with dancing and dandia, but more than that it is the soul satisfaction that you get after Mata ki Aarti and the loud Jagrans in Navratri.

Well, this Dusshera we were out on an Art and Craft Exhibition with family, and believe me this was no less than what we call 'Mela' in desi language; earrings n bangles ki chhoti chhoti stalls,pickles/achaar ki dukaan, bachho ke khilone, khane ki thadi, dry flowers ke bunch, kurta payzama on display, aaah....what not...n ya, not forgetting the porcelain pottery corner from where I instantly grabbed a small cup set. Since something new was on the cart, it was meant to be used, soon, sooner, no, actually soonest!

So here I was with this cup set in hand, beautiful brown shades tempting me to ramp in the kitchen and do some justice with them. I didn't make anything great or big, but it was something that the whole family adores, and was equally easy too. This recipe also gets piled up in my 'Just 10 Minutes' Menu List.

MAVA MAKKHAN LASSI
 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: Nil

Serves: 2

Health Meter:

Yogurt/Curd contains helpful “good bacteria” that your digestive tract needs to run properly. Without enough good bacteria in your system, food does not digest properly or go completely through your digestive tract. When this happens, such problems as boating, gas, and in severe cases, stomach cancer can occur. Eating just one cup of yogurt/curd that contains “active cultures” each day can help to keep your digest system working properly. Seventy percent of your immune system lies within your small intestine. If you keep the levels of good bacteria high in your intestines then you are more likely to maintain a healthy immune system.
Eating yogurt is a good way to get your calcium, vitamins and good bacteria to keep your body working properly.

Ingredients:

1. Yogurt/ Fresh Thick Curd: 2 bowls

2. Mava (Khoya)/ Milk Powder prepared Mava: 1/2 a bowl

3. Kesar/ Saffron Strands

4. Sugar: 3 tbsp or as per taste

5. Cardamom/ Elaichi Powder: a pinch

6. Sliced Pistachios, Almonds and Cashews

Method:

1. Beat the fresh curd to make it smooth and soft. Remember, if there is any water in it, please strain it out first.
2. Add sugar, cardamom, dry fruits and saffron to it. Mix well.
3. Now take mava, crumble it well, and add to the curd with a stir.
4. Finally deck it up with beautifully sliced dry fruits and spoon it out.

Suggestions:

1. The curd should be fresh, and not sour.
2. If you do not mava/khoya with you, you could even add Mava/Khoya burfi to the lassi, provided it is fresh. 
3. Remove the excess water from the curd if any. 
4. If the curd is slightly sour, add in some milk, though it will make the lassi a little flowy. 
5. Serve in Porcelain/Earthen Cups. 
6. Refrigerate for a few minutes to get the chill. 
7. Since the lassi is thick, it can be easily spooned. 

Submitting this recipe to:
My event: Cooking Made Easy With Yogurt,
 Cakes, Cookies and Desserts

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