Muttar Paneer - The Dry Version

While most recipes for Muttar Paneer are gravy based, we, at home, prefer the dry version. We pair this with various dals and rotis/chapatis. 

Bottom line: Basic everyday meals, done right. 😊

Ingredients:

200 grams Paneer, cut into 1-inch pieces

200 grams Green Peas

2 large onions, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

¾ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 – 1½ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder (dhania-jeera powder)

3 tablespoons tomato ketchup

Salt to taste

Tiny pinch cooking soda (soda-bi-carb)

4 tablespoon oil or as needed`

A few sprigs coriander, chopped

Method:

1.    Boil the peas with a bit of salt and a pinch of cooking soda.

2.    When the peas are cooked to 80% doneness, drain them in a colander and keep aside.

3.    Heat oil in a wok. Add jeera and allow to splutter.

4.    Add onions and sauté until they begin to turn light brown.

5.    Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté until the raw smell is replaced by a fragrant aroma.

6.    Add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander-cumin powder, salt and sauté for a few seconds.

7.    Add tomato ketchup and give it a good mix.

8.    Add paneer pieces and give it a gentle mix but ensure the masala coats the paneer well.

9.    Add the green peas and give it yet another gentle mix.

10. Simmer for 30 seconds on low heat.

11. Add 50 mils water, stir, cover the vessel and simmer on low flame until the water evaporates. At this time the oil separates and the paneer-peas mixture comes together in a dry form. The peas should be completely cooked at this time.

12. Check seasoning. Adjust, if needed.

13. Garnish with coriander (I did not as mum hates coriander).

Chef Notes: 

1. The soda-bi-carb is optional and is merely added to ensure the peas retain their bright green colour. The peas will darken a bit once added to the spiced onion mix. 
2. Do add the tomato ketchup as it definitely enhances the flavour of this dish and lends this dry version body/substance. 
3. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.

Gosht / Murghi na Parsi Curry Chawal (Mutton / Chicken Curry Rice Parsi-Style)

When I got married and moved to Grumpy's (you all know Grumpy by now - evil grin) house, I had already been cooking for 4 to 5 years. One Sunday, it was decided I cook Parsi Curry Chawal (rice). Even at the time, I made/make a mean Mangalorean Prawn Curry, but I was clueless about Parsi Curry. That’s when mum-in-law, Perin, came to my rescue. She taught me how to make this. I, in turn, have taught this to so many others and I now share this beautiful recipe with you.

The flavour of this curry is spicy and nutty. The tangy component added to this curry is a direct squeeze of lime onto the curry chawal when It’s on your plate. Enjoy! 😊

My stock of curry paste. The square box is the one i used to make this curry.

Ingredients: 

½ kilo mutton or chicken, cut into pieces

3 large potatoes, quartered

Half coconut, grated roughly or chopped into pieces

20 grams peanuts (singdana), roasted

20 grams sesame seeds, roasted

10 grams poppy seeds, roasted

20 grams cashew nuts, roasted

20 grams gram (chana/daalia), roasted

6 - 8 black peppercorns, roasted

½ inch cinnamon, roasted

1 clove, roasted

2 sprigs curry leaves

½ kilo tomatoes, pureed

20-22 whole dry Kashmiri chilies, soaked in hot water till soft, then drained

1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt to taste

7 tablespoons oil or as needed

My trusty old pan; I refuse to get rid of it. Works beautifully when i need to roast such items.

Method:

1. Grind the coconut, peanuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, cashews, gram, red Kashmiri chilies, black peppercorns, cinnamon, and cloves to a thick paste.
   
   
   
   
2. Heat oil in a cooker. Splutter the curry leaves and add the turmeric powder and ginger-garlic paste and fry well. Add the ground paste and fry well till oil separates.
   
   
   
   
3. Add the pureed tomatoes and cook till the raw taste and smell of the tomatoes is no longer evident and oil separates.
   
   
   
   
4. Add the mutton/chicken pieces, potato pieces and sauté well for 2-4 minutes.
5. Season with salt.
   
   
   
   
6. Add adequate water and pressure cook. (I usually pressure cook for two whistles, lower heat and continue simmer for 10-15 minutes for mutton and simmer 5 to 7 minutes for chicken). Shut off stove, allow the pressure to release by itself and then open the cooker.
   
   
   
   
7. Serve with Onion Rice, kachumber and a squeeze of lime. I also know people who dip crusty Brun bread in this curry so feel free to have it in a way if you so desire.
   
   

Kachumber: An Indian Salad

A salad mix of chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped green chilies, and chopped coriander leaves. Season with salt, black pepper powder and a few splashes of vinegar. (I use natural cane vinegar by Kolah’s)

Old photograph. Taken some time in 2014

Chef Notes for Curry:

1. We Bawas love our potatoes just as much as we love eggs hence if you’re not much of a ‘potato person’ feel free to omit them from the recipe.
2. This recipe can also be made into an egg (boiled egg) curry or a fish/prawn curry, but of course, when making egg / fish / prawn curry, please omit the potatoes.
3. The ingredients ground in ‘Point No. 1’, can be ground a day prior and stored in the fridge. In fact, I always make a large batch of the curry-paste and store it in containers in the freezer. Makes work easy for a jhatpat (quick) curry when the craving hits. The ground curry-paste easily keeps for a month or two, in the freezer.
4. Feel free to reduce or increase the quantity of red Kashmiri chilies. This quantity will give you a medium spicy curry.
5. Please note, the ground masala works like a thickening agent because of the added peanuts, etc., so ensure you add adequate water to into the pressure cooker. You don’t want thick masala sticking, burning, and getting wasted at the bottom of the pressure cooker.
6. The crockery differs in a few photographs as I am posting a few old photographs too.
7. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism. 

Some more photographs: 

Onion Rice

A rice that pairs beautifully with certain Parsi dishes like Parsi Curry Chawal and Doodhi Ni Buryani (no, it is not biryani, it is buryani). Of course, you can pair this rice with dals and rassas (gravies) too, but Parsi households usually pair this with the two dishes I’ve mentioned.

Also, these days, lots of people who rarely entered the kitchen have taken up the knife and ladle. I am publishing easy  ‘Back to the Basics’ recipes (such as this one) to ensure they don’t falter or lose heart in the kitchen over such simple everyday recipes. Go on, cook, that’s how you’ll perfect the art. 😊

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice

1 large onion, roughly diced small

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Salt, to taste

2 tablespoons oil or as desired

Method:  

1. Wash rice until the water runs clear. Set aside.
   
   
   
   
2. In a relatively large vessel heat oil and splutter cumin seeds.
   
   
   
   
3. Add onions and fry till onions are translucent and edging towards brown.
   
   
   
   
4. Turn off the heat and allow the vessel to cool for 5 minutes. - This is so, because if you add rice to piping hot oil, you will have oil splatters to clean up in your kitchen. If you don’t mind the splatters you need not wait 5 minutes.
   
   
   
   
5. Add the washed rice, salt and 2 cups water.
6. Put the vessel on high heat. Allow it to come to a boil. Do NOT cover the vessel.
7. When it comes to a rapid boil and the water in the vessel reduces to the level of the rice, lower heat, eat a few grains of rice to check for salt. At this point add more if needed. Stir gently with a fork.
   
   
   
   
8. Once you check the seasoning (salt), COVER THE VESSEL and continue the simmer process.
9. Check the rice for doneness every 3-4 minutes but do not use a spoon. Lightly fluff with a fork to check.
10. Once rice is done, shut off stove and keep the rice COVERED with a lid for 20 to 25 minutes.
11. Serve with Parsi Curry Chawal (Parsi Curry Rice) or Doodhi ni Buryani (Bottle Gourd Gravy).
    
    

Chef Notes:

1. You may soak the rice in water for 20 minutes if you so desire; I usually do not, I’m lazy. *cheeky grin* The water content and method will not change regardless of whether you soak the rice or not.
2. We allow the onion edges to brown a bit so that it lends a wee, wee, wee bit of colour to the rice.
3. When stirring the rice, always use a fork and always be a tad gentle with the rice. Handle the rice as little as possible even with a fork. Once the rice is cooked gently fluff up the rice (just once). I cannot stress this enough, do not keep opening the vessel and fluffing it often or you’ll be left with broken messy grains of cooked rice. Consider this a lesson of cultivating patience.*evil grin*
4. Keeping the rice covered for 20 – 25 minutes after it is cooked is because the rice grains sort themselves out and each grain of rice when served will be beautifully separate. Also, If a bit of rice is stuck to the bottom, this process of keeping the vessel covered ensures the stuck rice loosens up resulting in a clean vessel that need not be scrapped out when you empty the rice into a serving bowl.
   
   

   

   This is how clean the vessel will turn out if you keep the rice covered for 20 minutes after it is cooked. No wastage!

   
   
5. Follow the instructions given with regard to the water content, the point at which the gas flame should be lowered and vessel covered, the use of a fork and leaving the rice covered after it is cooked and rest assured you will have perfect rice every single time.
6. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
   
   Here's a video of the fluff-up after the rice is fully cooked. The rice grains will separate way better after you keep the vessels covered for 20 minutes.
   
   

Bread Pudding

Traditional Bread Butter Pudding is fine, but every once in a while, I like to take a recipe a tad further and put my own twist on it. Also, this one has absolutely no butter, but it's so decadent you're not going the miss the butter at all. This is my way of making Bread Pudding. It is not the traditional dry style of bread pudding; the one served with a custard sauce. I like my Bread Pudding soft from within and, crisp and chewy from the top. The texture of this is such, one does not need any custard sauce to go with it. This version is neither dry and nor is it totally mushy. I promise you, though, you’ll love the final outcome. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1-liter full fat milk

24 heaped teaspoons granulated sugar

5 slices of stale white bread,

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8^th teaspoon nutmeg powder

1/8^th teaspoon cardamom powder

Half a handful of mixed nuts (pistachios, almonds, cashew nuts) – optional

Method: 

1.    If you are using mixed nuts for garnish, chop into slivers and keep aside.

2.    Cut the crusts off the bread slices and cut the slices into pieces. Keep aside.

3.    Heat milk in a large vessel.

4.    Add sugar to sweeten.

5.    When the sugar melts, remove from the vessel from the stove and allow the milk to cool to room temperature.

6.    Break eggs into a bowl, add vanilla extract and the cardamom and nutmeg powders.

7.    Beat eggs well but not too frothy. I merely use a hand rotor to whisk.

8.    Add the beaten eggs to the cool, sweetened milk and give it a good whisk to ensure the milk and eggs are well incorporated.

9.    Add approximately three chopped slices of bread to the milk and whisk. The break should soak and break down in the milk.

10. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C for about ten minutes.

11. Empty the milk-egg-bread mixture into a baking tray.

12. Scatter the remaining bread pieces onto the top of the milk and allow them to ‘float and soak’ for 10-15 minutes. Do not squash these into the milk.

13. Put the baking tray into the middle slot of the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

14. At the 30-minute mark, slide out the tray and sprinkle the slivers nuts, if using. If you aren’t using the nuts for garnish, ignore point number 14.

15. Continue baking for 30 more minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

16. If you prefer a nice, slightly crisp, chewy top, switch off the main oven and switch on the broiler mode (top grill that lends heat from above) and continue baking until the bread pudding achieves the colour you desire.

17. Remove tray from the oven and allow to cool. This can be served at room temperature and you can also keep it in the fridge for 4 to 5 hours and serve it cold.

Chef Notes:

1.    I used normal, stale sliced white bread but if you have baguettes or croissants, please feel free to use them. Mostly any kinda bread works... No, no not sourdough or rye, please. Thodi apni bhi akkal lagao. 🤦‍♀️ Please note, stale bread works beautifully for this dish so if you have leftover stale bread, just go with that.

2.    The reason I whisk up a few slices into the milk is because it lends a lovely creamy texture to the pudding. The dry kinda bread pudding is so not my thing.

3.    Also, the reason I add remaining pieces of bread to ‘float and soak’ is because they turn beautifully crisp and chewy because of the limited soaking and the sugar content. This way the bread pudding is neither dry nor is it totally mushy. The soft texture within and the crusty-chewy texture on top is a sheer pleasure to the palate.

4.    The sugar content is mentioned exactly as used by me. Feel free to adjust it to suit your palate but, ALWAYS keep the milk on the sweeter side coz you will be adding eggs and bread to it. Do consider the added eggs and bread when you sweeten the milk, or you’ll be left holding a bland pudding.

5.    Always add vanilla extract to the eggs when whisking them for desserts. It helps eliminate the egg-y odour in the dessert.   

6.    You can avoid the slivered nuts and merely opt for the chewy bread texture if you so desire. I did add them coz I’m a Bawi; we love eggs, bacon, cheese and nuts and not necessarily in that order. 😊 I did make a second batch without garnishing it with nuts to show you the crisp, chewy texture.

7.    Just to clarify, the black specks you see in the milk (process photos on the blog) is not dirt. It’s the cardamom-nutmeg powder. *cheeky grin*

8.    When baking bread pudding, do not fill the baking tray right till the top. Ensure the bread pudding mix is filled to three-fourth tray level only. This is because bread pudding tends to rise when baked and you do not want an overflowing or dripping tray in your oven.

9. When in lazy mode, I sometimes cover the baking tray (from outside) with tall aluminum foil on all four sides of the baking tray so as to prevent oven wall splatters. Saves me an enormous amount of time from having to scrub the oven clean after the bake. Once the milk is in semi-set mode, I snip off the tall foil and proceed with sprinkling the slivered almonds. Easy-peasy! 😉
10. I have mentioned the oven timings according to my oven. Oven settings differ, hence, once a knife comes out clean, proceed to turn on the broiler and brown the bread pudding from top. This will ensure the pudding you make does not burn.
11. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.

Some More Photographs: