Mutter paneer & Aloo Capsicum subzi

Mutter Paneer
To a heated non stick pan,add 1 grated onion.Roast till it becomes pink and slightly thick.Once the water dries,add1 tspn ghee/oil,a split green chilli,1/2 tspn ginger garlic paste.Mix and roast nicely.To this add tomato puree made with 4 small tomatoes.Add ½ tspn red chilli powder,1/2 tspn haldi.Saute the mix till the tomatoes become darker and they leave oil.Transfer the whole mix to a pressure cooker.Add 2 cups of soaked peas(soaked for about ½ hr) and cook on low flame for 5 mins.Add ½ tspn dhania powder,salt to taste and 11/2 glasses of water.Pressure cook it to one whistle.Once the steam settles down open the cooker to check whether the peas are done.If not,give another whistle.Once done,add rectangular pieces of paneer(Home made from 1 L low fat milk) to this mix.Let it cook for another 5 mins.Add a pinch of garam masala just before serving.Garnish with coriander.
- Level of difficulty: Medium
- Serves 4
- Self Appraisal –8/10
- Our Suggestion: Be careful with the salt.In order to make it richer in taste,can deep fry the paneer.

Aloo Capsicum.
In a slightly warm non stick pan,add 1 onion chopped lengthwise.Saute till it leaves water and turns pink.Add 1 potato ,nicley washed,peeled and also chopped lengthwise.Mix nicely.Add 3 capsicum , washed and chopped similarly.Mix well.For the masala,add ½ tspn haldi,1/2 tspn red chilli powder and salt to taste.Cover it with a lid and let it cook on low flame.Once the potato starts to become soft.add 1 finely chpped tomato.Cover again witha lid.Cook on slow flame till well done.Serve with coriander.
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- Serves 3-4.
- Self Appraisal – 8/10

This subzi is a safe bet.

Moong sabut daal,Karela Subzi

Moong sabut Daal:
Wash 1 ½ cups of moong sabut daal(whole green gram). Wash nicely. Pressure cook it with split green chilli and salt to taste.
For tadka, take little ghee in a vessel. Add sabut jeera(1tspn).Add 2 chopped onions. Mix nicely on low flame till roasted. Add 2 chopped tomatoes. Mix well. Add 1tspn dhania powder, 1 tspn red chilli powder, 1 tspn garam masala. Roast the mix for a good 3-4 mins, transfer to hot daal. Garnish with chopped coriander.
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- Serves 3
- Self Appraisal –9/10
This daal has the highest proteins. Great as a lunch daal. Even If there is a bit extra, can be used for a later meal as daal patty sandwich or daal paranthas.

Karelas:
Take about 4 karelas. Scrape off the skin with a peeler. Marinate the karelas with a lot of salt .Leave it aside for 4 hrs. Wash the salt off under running water and squeeze each individual karela to remove the bitterness. Slit the karelas without splitting it into two.Either deep fry the slit karelas red brown for quicker results or shallow fry them on a low flame for a healthier option. While this is on the flame, get the masala ready.

Masala Mixture: 1 tspn,salt,3/4 tspnRed chilli pedr,1/2 tspn haldi powder,1 tspn dhania powder,3/4 tspn garam masala,3/4 tspn amchur.Mix it well.
Fill the fried karelas with the masala mixture.

In a non stick pan,add little oil,sprinkle some masala from the masala mixture. Add 2 onions that have been chopped lengthwise.Roast them brown. To this add the stuffed karelas. Mix Nicely.....Roast evenly on all sides ,on low flame for about 10 mins.
- Level of difficulty: Medium
- Serves 1
- Self Appraisal – 8/10

One subzi that is quite unpopular .Our serious suggestion.....Try this recipe and you will be proven wrong:-).

Moong dhuli daal, Gaajar Mutter

Moong Dhuli Daal:
Wash 1 ½ cups of moong dhuli daal(split green gram) nicely. Pressure cook it with split green chilli and salt to taste.
For tadka,take little ghee in a vessel. When hot ,add sabut jeera(1 tspn),1tspn dhania powder,1 tspn red chilli powder,1 tspn garam masala.Mix nicely,transfer to hot daal.Garnish with chopped coriander.
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- Serves 3
- Self Appraisal –9/10
This is the lightest of all daals. Best for a dinner daal.

Gajar mutter
Wash 6-7 carrots thoroughly. Remove the skin, slit in between, and cut small round pieces. Wash and thaw Safal green peas. In a non stick pan, add little oil, 1 tspn sabut jeera. Let it heat. Add the cut gajar and the mutter. Add 1 tspn salt,1 tspn red chilli powder,1 tspn haldi. Mix nicely. Cover with a lid. Keep on a slow flame. Keep stirring once in a while. Its ready when the gajar becomes soft. Serve hot.
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- Serves 3
- Self Appraisal – 8/10

It’s pretty simple with little that can go wrong. The fresher the gajar and mutter, the tastier it is.

Rajma, Masala bhindi, Aam panna

Rajma:
Wash 1 ½ rajma. Wash nicely and soak overnight. Pressure cook it with split green chilli and salt to taste.
In a non stick pan, add 2 finely chopped onions, a split green chilli and ginger garlic paste Dry roast this mix nicely-for a good 8-10 mins.. Add 4 grated tomatoes.(so as to remove the skin).Mix nicely .Add salt to taste, 1/2 tsp dhania pwdr,1/2 tsp red chilli pwdr,1/2 tsphaldi, little amchur ,little chaat masala.. Cook the mixture for another 5-10 mins. Transfer the rajma to this pan and bring the whole mix to a boil.let it cook on low flame for another 20 mins after that. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with coriander.
- Level of difficulty: Difficult
- Serves 3
- Self Appraisal –5/10

This is not the first time I have struggled to make our all time favourite delicacy. Tried my moms tip of grating the tomatoes to remove the skin but still could taste mota mota tamatar in the gravy. Maybe her other suggestion of soaking the tomatoes in warm water, removing the skin and then grating them is a better idea. So our suggestion: Don’t take the easy sounding way outJ Stick to what is first recommended.


Bhindi Masala
Wash about 300 grams of lady finger thoroughly ,then wipe it dry. Remove the ends, cut it in half if too long, then slice it lengthwise without splitting it. Make a masala mixture in a bowl by adding 1 tspn salt,1/2 tspn haldi.1/2 tspn dhania,1/2 tspn red chilli pwdr,1/2 tspn amchur.mix this nicely ,and fill all the slits in the bhindis with this mixture.
Take some oil in a non stick pan. When hot ,add all the stuffed bhindis, mix nicely once, let it cook on a low flame. Don’t turn or mix too frequently for the fear of turning them lacy. It’ll take about 15 mins for the bhindi to cook.
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- Serves 3
- Self Appraisal – 7/10

There is something amiss....need some expert to go through the recipe and help us get it right.

Aam Panna
Aa haa...Our all time favourite thirst quencher in the sweltering heat.
Wash about ¾ kgs ambis-about 7 ambis. Pressure cook the washed ambis, wait for them to cool. Separate the skin, scoop out all the pulp and transfer to a blender with the water in the cooker. Blend the whole mixture with about 3 Tbspn of sugar, salt to taste,3tspn bhuna jeera powder,1tspn black salt. Once done, transfer to a large steel container, and add mashed pudina leave(1 Tbspn). Mix nicely .Refrigerate to serve chilled.
While serving...if the consistency is too thick, add water ,salt and sugar to taste. Garnish with mint.
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- Serves 15 glasses
- Self Appraisal –9/10
It came out fantastic.....reminded me of school days....it lasted us for about 4 days. we had to dilute the concentrate and modify it with a pinch of salt, black salt and little sugar everytime.

Mixed Dal, Baingan ka Bharta, Rotis

Baingan ka Bharta:
Wash 2 medium sized brinjals and poke with a knife all over to leave visible wounds on its surface. Then roast the brinjal over the flame directly and separate the skin once it is done. To know if it is roasted, try poking the knife into the brinjal. Once roasted, the knife enters effortlessly, and the brinjal would have become pulpy. Keep the brinjals aside.

In a non stick pan, take 4 medium sized finely chopped onions, half a green chilli, also finely chopped, crushed ginger – approx. 1” in size and dry roast all together till the onions turn brown. Add 4 medium sized finely cut tomatoes, 1 ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp bhoona jeera powder (bhoona jeera powder is made by dry roasting the jeera till it turns deep brown and then ground to a powder), ½ tsp coriander powder and sauté for around 5 mts. Then add 1 cup green peas and the mashed brinjal. Mix everything nicely and cook on low flame for the next ten minutes.
- Level of difficulty: Medium
- Serves 4
- Self Appraisal – 8/10

The mixed dal is the fortunate result of an accidental mixing of the pulses when they were being transported to our place. Like a proprietary recipe, we now have no clue of the ratios in which they have been mixed. The dal though quite faithfully, turns out deliciously well every time it has been made. The mixture of pulses is soaked overnight and then cooked in a manner similar to the moong dhuli dal.

Capsicum Paneer, Moong Dhuli Dal, Rotis, Jeera Rice

Capsicum Paneer:
Make the paneer from ½ ltr milk. To make the paneer, boil ½ ltr milk, lower the flame after it comes to a boil, squeeze the juice of ½ a lemon, and keep stirring until the paneer separates. Then sieve this mixture, so that the paneer stays in the sieve. Compress the paneer, so that it hardens and make cubes in the sieve itself.
Take 3 capsicums and chop them finely. Also finely chop 2 small sized onions. Add the onions to a non stick frying pan and dry roast them. Add a little olive oil so that the onions do not stick to the pan. Add half a split green chilli, the onions need not turn brown. Sauté, then add capsicum and mix for another 2 – 3 mts. Add salt to taste, a little pepper and keep the mixture covered on low flame. Keep stirring in between.
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- Serves 3
- Self Appraisal – 9/10
- A little more paneer in case you are fond of them.

Moong Dhuli Dal:
Take 1 ½ cups of moong dhuli dal, wash nicely and transfer to a pressure cooker. Add some water. The water can be approx. ¾” above the level of dal in the cooker. Add a little salt (approx. 1 tsp), ½ tsp turmeric powder, one split green chilli and let the mixture pressure cook.
For the tadka, take a little ghee in a frying pan, add some jeera and let it splutter, add ½ tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp red chilli powder, and ½ tsp garam masala. Add this mixture to the dal in the cooker and mix nicely. Add water if necessary. Add alt to taste or compensate.
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- Serves 3
- Self Appraisal – 9/10

Aaloo Beans Subzi, Dahi kadi Boondiwala & Jeera Rice

Aaloo Beans:
Take 3 medium sized potatoes and cut into small pieces, finely chop around 250 gms of beans and wash it well. Put some oil in the non stick frying pan, add jeera, wait for it to splutter, and then add the potatoes. Mix nicely, then add the beans, mix and add salt, ½ tsp red chilli powder, and a pinch of turmeric powder for the yellow colour. Shut the pan and let it cook on low flame for 15 – 20 mts.
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- Serves 3
- Self Appraisal – 8/10

Dahi kadi:
Take 2 table spoons of besan and mix it in half a litre of curd. Add 1 cup of water to this mixture and mix nicely. Take 1 tsp oil in a pan and add some mustard seeds after the oil is hot. Once the mustard splutters, add two dried red chillies, some curry leaves, 2 medium sized onions which have been diced, salt to taste, 1 tsp turmeric powder, pepper, aamchur id the curd is not that tangy, and sauté this mixture till the onions turn brown. Add the besan/curd mix and the mixture should be brought to a boil. Add water if the mixture turns too thick. The mixture should be left boiling on a low flame for about 10 – 15 mts. Check the taste, once it is done, the dahi kadi should not retain astrong taste of the curd.
- Level of difficulty: Medium
- Serves 3
- Self Appraisal – 5/10
- Might be a little more of curd, maybe we should have stuck to ¼ - ½ ltr., or have added a little more water.

Jeera rice:
Take some ghee in a pan, add a lot of jeera and let it splutter, add this mixture to the vessel in which the rice is going to be prepared, add some salt, 3 cups of water & 1.5 cups of rice which has been washed well. Let it cook on medium flame and check regularly if it is done.
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- Serves 2
- Self Appraisal – 8/10
- Of course more ghee, or basmati rice would make it much nicer

Yellow Arhar Dal, Cabbage Subzi, Roti & Salad

Arhar Dal:
Take 1½ cups of arhar dal (this is the dal used to make sambar), wash nicely and once it is cleaned, put the dal directly in the cooker, add water so that the level is approx. ¾” above the level of dal. Add a pinch of salt, little turmeric powder (½ tsp) and a slpit green chilli and then pressure cook the same – On a futura cooker: one long whistle, and then shifted to low flame for 5 mts before switching off.
Take a frying pan, add a little ghee (½ tsp), some jeera and once it splutters, add finely chopped onions ( big size onion – 1 no.) and sauté till the onions turn brown. Add 2 medium sized tomatoes, salt to taste, ½ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp garam masala and sauté this paste till the raw smell disappears and then add the cooked dal along with the water to this mixture. Keep the gas on medium flame throughout. Add water if necessary & salt to taste or compensate. Switch off when the whole mixture reaches a boil. Garnish with coriander leaves.
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- Serves 3
- Self Appraisal – 8/10

Cabbage Subzi:
This recipe is originally made with green peas, but as we were too lazy to go buy some, we tried out our own modified version.
Take a small sized cabbage, and chop it finely. After washing it really well, place it in the strainer to drain the water. Take a little oil in a non stick frying pan – approx. 1 tsp, add jeera and let it splutter, then add salt to taste, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp pepper and a pinch of amchur powder for that tangy taste. The entire process is on low flame. Then add the cabbage and mix nicely. Shut the pan and let it cook on low flame for about 10-15 mts.
- Level of difficulty: Easy
- Serves 2
- Self Appraisal – 7/10
- Suggestions for improvement: Buy those green peas.

Total Preparation time: 2 hours
Clearing up time: ½ an hour