Mix Veggie Paratha

A heavy breakfast or full-meal or a tiffin-box!!! Healthy and yummy parathas always work... Too many of them you might have tried - Aloo Paratha, Gobhi Paratha, Radish Paratha etc. etc.

Here is a combo of all ;) "Mix Veggie Paratha" - Pick your own favorite veggies and try it out...

Preparation Time: 30 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Makes: 8 nos. 

INGREDIENTS:

For Dough --

2 cup Wheat flour

2 tsp Oil

Salt, to taste

Water, as required

For Stuffing --

1 Boiled Potato medium-size

1/2 cup Shredded Cabbage

1/4 cup Finely chopped Capsicum

1/2 cup Boiled mix of Corn, Green Peas and Carrots

2-3 tsp Finely chopped Onion

1 tbsp Chopped Coriander

1/4 tsp Garam Masala

1/4 tsp Red Chilly Powder

1/4 tsp Coriander Powder

1/4 tsp Amchur

METHOD:

- Take wheat flour, salt in a mixing bowl. Make a soft dough by gradually adding water in it. 

- Once the dough is formed, add oil and knead it for around a min. Cover it with lid or cling wrap and keep it aside for 15 mins.

- Take all veggies of stuffing in a big bowl and mash them well. 

- Add spices and salt and mix it again. Divide the mixture into 8 balls and keep it aside.

- Make 8 balls out of dough as well and again divide each of them in 2 smaller balls.

- Take 2 at time and roll both of them separately to 3" in diameter and put a ball of mixture onto one.

- Arrange another over it and press it gently on sides to remove air bubbles and seal the sides.

- Roll it again to make chapati size. Make sure mixture is not popping out from sides.

- Drizzle a little oil and place a paratha on hot flat-pan.

- Cook it equally on both the sides for total of 2-3 mins. You will be able to see brown spots on the surface. Follow the same process for rest of all parathas.

- Grab one straight from the pan and enjoy :)

SJ's NOTE:

- Mango pickle or Tomato chutney goes very well with it.

Varieties of "Stuffed Parathas" will be posted very soon... :)

Chilly Paneer

Just a few days back, I realized I make repeated recipes with Paneer, so thought to make something different for a change this time... Starter or a side-dish!!! And I came up with a very popular Indo-Chinese variety, "Chilly Paneer"... I love the taste of fresh paneer and hot chillies coated with thick and a little sticky gravy, but I have to have hot chilly sauce replaced by sweet chilly sauce. 

A quick cooking on high-flame makes you try it again n again... :)

Preparation Time: 10 mins 
Cooking Time: 4-5 mins
Makes: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS:

150 gm Paneer
1/2 Capsicum (medium)
1/2 Onion (medium)
2-3 Green chillies (cut into long strips)
1/2 cup Spring onion (greens)
1 tbsp Spring onion (whites)
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
2 tsp Soya sauce
1 tsp Red chilly sauce
2 tsp Cornflour + 1 tbsp Water
1/4 tsp Black pepper powder
1/4 tsp Chinese 5-spice (optional)
2 tsp Oil
Salt, to taste

METHOD:

- Cut the paneer, onion, capsicum into cubes and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a deep pan and add ginger-garlic paste. Saute it for a while.
- Add Spring onion whites (chopped) along with green chillies, capsicum and onion cubes into it and mix well. Cook it for around a min or two, but make sure it remains crunchy.
- Add paneer cubes as well as all the condiments and spices.
- Make a slurry of cornflour and water in a separate bowl and add it into pan.
- Mix everything well, add salt only if required!
- Turn off the heat and sprinkle spring onion greens over it. Mix well.
- Transfer it to some bowl and it's ready to eat :)

SJ's NOTE:

- As I said previously, I avoid using Aji-no-moto in any of the chinese dishes. You can use a pinch of it to enhance the flavors.
- Soya sauce itself is salty, so be careful when you are adding salt into it.
- I prefer sweet chilly sauce over the hot version of it, just 'coz I can't have much of spices in food!

Kumbhi/Khumbi Pulao

Kumbh means Mushrooms... A variety of rice with marinated mushrooms - "Kumbhi Pulao". You might have heard this name if you're following 'Turban Tadka' show, but this is totally SJ version... 

If you love mushrooms, you can't resist yourself adding this 'Tandoori' dish in your North-Indian menu... :)

Makes: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Basmati Rice

1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

1/2 cup Green peas

8 Button Mushrooms (trimmed & washed)

1 Onion (medium)

2 tbsp Tandoori marinade

2 tsp Chopped capsicums

2 tbsp Ghee (Clarified butter)

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

A pinch of Hing

Salt, to taste

METHOD:

- Take tandoori marinade in a bowl and add 7 mushrooms (each cut into 4 pieces) into it. 

- Coat them well, cover with a lid and keep in freeze for half hour.

- Soak basmati rice in water for around an hour and boil them along with green peas (85%) in salted water. Drain and rinse with cold water and keep aside. 

- Heat ghee in heavy-bottomed pan and add cumin seeds, hing. 

- Once it crackles, add ginger-garlic paste and saute it well. Then, add marinated mushrooms along with capsicum and saute them for a min. 

- Add cooked basmati rice, salt and mix well. Cover with a lid and cook it for around 3-4 mins.

- Turn off the heat and transfer it to a serving plate.

- In the same pan, add remaining 1 mushroom (sliced) in it and cook it for a few seconds.

- Garnish the plate with sliced mushrooms on top and sprinkle caramelized onions* on the plate.

- Serve hot!!!

SJ's NOTE: 

* Caramelized Onions: Cut onions in thin strips. Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in pan and add onions. Sprinkle a little salt over it to make it crispy. Roast it till dark brown in color. Transfer it to some bowl and keep aside.

- I have had this variety before cooked in a "Kumbh" - a kind of pot, so I call it Kumbhi :P

- Mushrooms will release its juice which will liquidize marinade a little. But add left-over thinner marinade along with mushrooms to make this "Kumbhi Pulao" more flavorful. 

Tandoori Skewers

"Tandoori Kebab" is one of the most popular "North-Indian Appetizer". A spicy and smoky vegetarian kebabs can make anyone drool just by a glimpse of it...

I love making any food that is tagged as "Tandoori" :) An easy and must-try thing for sure... And believe me, that smoky aroma will not go out of your kitchen that easily, n every time you enter - it will tempt you to plan grilling soon :P

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Potato cubes
1/2 cup Purple yam cubes
1/2 cup Capsicum (dice-cut)
1/2 cup Dice-cut tomato (make sure to remove pulp)
1/2 cup Dice-cut Onions (layers separated)
1 cup Tandoori Marinade

2 tsp Lemon Juice
Chat masala

METHOD:

- Take all the ingredients together in a bowl and coat them well with marinade.
- Cover with a lid and keep it in freeze for at least 2-3 hours.
- Place them on skewers on your choice of sequence or uneven!!! :P
- Arrange them on grill rack and grill them on high for around 20 mins. Make sure it makes tiny black (burnt) spots on veggies for the best smoky look!!!
- Keep turning sides of it in between 2-3 times to grill them evenly.
- Drizzle lemon juice and sprinkle some chat masala over it!!! And It's ready... :)

SJ's NOTE:

- It's better to marinate all the veggies before skewering them, in order to get more flavors absorbed.
- Those who doesn't have tandoor or griller, can use grill pan or flat-tava for the same purpose.

Sending it to: Akila's Kitchen Event, Indian Delights and Samachuruchikalam - Gayathri's Cook Spot: