Mushroom Paneer Masala

What is Paneer?
If firm tofu and cheese made love, this would make paneer cheese. Its light, keeps its shape hot, not such a strong flavour (close taste to cottage cheese), but great heartiness in any indian curry dish. You would be surprised how good it is!

Ingredients
2 TBSP cooking oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large red onion finely chopped
            -
2 TSBP butter
            -
3 plum tomatoes finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp tumeric
pinch chili powder
1 tsp king masala spice mix
1 tsp garam masala spice mix
1 tsp garlic ginger paste
            -
1 green pepper large dice (optional, usually not inside this dish, but we added it)
2 cups fresh mushrooms sliced (canned works also)
1 cup/8 oz cubed paneer cheese
     NOTE: if you cannot find paneer cheese, google how to make it (easy), OR replace with firm tofu
          
1. Heat oil, add and toast cumin seeds (25 seconds). Add onions and cook till browned.
2. Add butter and stirr till brown and roasted smells come out (5 mins around)
3. add tomatoes and stir / mash it
4. and salt and spices, and green pepper. stir for 5 minutes
5. add paneer, or if using tofu, add it with the peppers.

Garnish: drizzle of cream and fresh chopped coriander.

Best Mushroom Paneer Masala we had in India: 

High Tide restaurant

Palolem Beach, Goa. 

We went back again!

Butter Chicken. The healthier way!

We never requested a healthier version, but our teacher prefers alternatives to heavy cream!

dairy free: replace butter with margarine or coconut cream

Ingredients

1 large red onion, very thin sliced

1/4cup water

3 plum tomatoes

1/2 cup both water and skinned watermelon seeds (or cashew nuts)

              -

2 TBSP cooking oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 pieces of whole dry black cardamom 

2 pieces of cinnamon bark

1.5 TBSP garlic ginger paste AND Butter

1 tsp tumeric powder

1/4tsp chili powder

              -

1tsp salt

1 tsp king masala spice mix

1 tsp garam masala spice mix

              -

2 small chicken breasts, cubed, or any part of the chicken

STEPS

1. boil onions in water for 10 minutes in pressure cooker, or 30 minutes on stove. Blend SEPARATELY onion mix, tomatoes and seeds + water

2. In a pot, heat oil, add cumin seeds, cardamom, cinnamon bark. Cook for a minute till fragrant.
3. add gingergarlic paste, butter, tumeric and chili powder and cook till browned.
4. Add tomato puree and cook 5 minutes
5. add salt, seed puree, masala spices, onion mix and 0.5cups water, cook 5 more minutes.
6. add chicken and cook 20 minutes.

For presentation: drizzle some cream and freshly chopped coriander.

We ate this with Roti and basmatti rice

Great roti recipe at a ladies website called Manjula. She has many youtube videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Manjulaskitchen


Breads
Roti: the very thin bread thats just flour and water
Nan: the fluffy amazing bread that everyone loves.

Tip: brush bread with ghee (clarified butter) or butter when out of the oven. Or go a step further and stuff it with garlic butter goodness!

In this video: Roti, chana masala, butter chicken and paneer mushroom masala... And Elana !

Channa Masala Recipe

This will convert anyone to liking chickpeas!


Ingredients
200g dry chick peas, soaked overnight
3 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
  OR 
1 large can of chickpeas rinsed, and drained, with 0.5 cups water with 1/2 tsp salt and tumeric
                    -  
2 plum tomatoes (very fine chop)
1 large red onion (very fine chop)
** fine chop to help speed up cooking/easier to mash
                   -

2 TBSP any cooking oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
**1 tsp garlic ginger paste
                    -
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1/4 tsp chili powder (or any form of chili you've got)
1 tsp kitchen king spice mix
                      -
1tsp chana masala spice mix

STEPS

1. If using dry chickpeas, drain them, then place in pressure cooker with water, tumeric and salt for 20 minutes, or use stove top till cooked with a bite, not mush! (maybe 1 hour).
2. heat oil, then add cumin seeds, and stir till toasty/browned (25 seconds), then add onions and cook till browned. 
3. add tomatoes, then add garlic/ginger paste, and all the spices, salt (except chana masala). Cook and mash/stir everything for around 10 minutes. (Your going more for a paste look)
4. Add chick peas from pressure cooker with left over water, or canned ones with water,salt,tumeric. Also add chana masala. Cook for 5 more minutes, then done!
Serve with basmatti rice, or any indian bread. 
        ** You can grind up your own garlic ginger paste of equal parts, keep it in oil in the fridge which will last at least 3 weeks. Otherwise check out the asian section in your grocery store. 
My comments: I like 1 more tomato and feel free to replace chick peas with any small chopped veggies (add in order of their cooking time). I recommend the combo of cauliflower and potato (makes Aloo gobi), but precook them. Maybe even add a hint of sugar if you desire some sweetness. 

What is a Lassi?

Basically if yogurt and cottage cheese made love, they would produce 'curd' which is the main ingredient in lassi drinks, or it can come alongside spicy food to help tame the spice.

Lassi is a blend of curd and whichever fruit you ask for. Its the best version of a yogurt fruit shake!
And by far the best is always Banana Lassi.
This particular one is pineapple, and it was served in a beautiful little clay up. Fannnntastic!
This was in narrow alleyway streets of Varanassi, the place of the ganges/pilgrimage.

Falafel in India

Hummus, deep fried eggplant, falafel, veg, tahini sauce and lots of TLC on a wok.

Falafel Man

Fiona and I enjoying.. Mmmm

Street sweets

This is taken in pushkar, India. Shopping heaven.
On the way from our fantastic rooftop restaurant hotel, we passed this teeny alleyway of street stalls, mostly deep fried fritters in various shaped soaked in syrups. Great when fresh... but oh so heavy.

Auragabad Caves