Paneer Butter Masala

Now here is one of my personal favorite dishes Paneer Butter Masala :)

Ingredients

Tomatoes - 3 medium
Onion - 1 big
Green chillies - 2 medium
Butter - 2 tbsp
Cashews - 1 Rice Cooker cup
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Cooked Peas - 1/2 cup
Shajeera - less than 1/4th spoon
Jeera - less than 1/4th spoon
Elachi -1
Cinnamon Stick - 1 small
Sour Cream - 1/4 cup

1) Boil Diced Onions and Cashews until the raw smell disappears
2) Add 1 tbsp Butter + Oil in a pan and fry paneer cubes
3) Remove paneer cubes and in the same pan, add all the spices and fry them for a while
4) Add Green Chillies and Diced Tomatoes to the pan. Fry until everything comes together.
5) Grind 1 + 4
6) Add 1 tbsp butter + oil to the pan and add Ginger Garlic Paste. After the raw smell disappears, add 5 along with cooked peas to the pan.
7) After the gravy comes together, add paneer cubes and sour cream. Continue to cook for 10 more minutes on low heat.
8) Add Chilli Powder according to the spice level at the end.

Paneer butter masala can be best served with Pulav, Paratha or naan.

Bon appetite
~ CG

Menthi Koora Pappu

Ingredients

Methi Leaves - Half bunch

Toor Dal / Kandi Pappu - 1 cup

Green Chillies - 3

Tomato - 1 medium

Tamarind - Smal lemon ball size

Onion - 1 medium diced

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp

Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Garlic Cloves - 2

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig

1) Wash toor dal in a container. Add 3 cups of water and start boiling the dal.

2) After dal is 3/4th cooked, add methi meaves,tomato, turmeric, diced onions and green chillies. Mix everything once and let it cook until dal is almost done. Mean while, soak tamarind in water.

3) Add tamarind extract and red chilli powder to the dal. Let the dal cook for 5 more minutes.

For tempering/popu/tadka

1) Heat 3 tsps of oil in a small pan.

2) Add mustard seeds, urad dal and jeera to the pan. After mustard seeds start to splutter, add chopped garlic and curry leaves to the same.

3) Add the tempering to dal and mix everything once.

Methi Dal and Tomato Rasam with Rice is a very appetizing combination.

Fiber Rich Food

This is some information I have collected about fiber rich food and thought I would share with you. Fiber rich food should be a very important part of everyone's diet. American Dietetic Association recommends intake of 20-35 grams of dietary fiber every day.

There are 2 types of fiber.

1. Soluble fiber slows down the digestion process. It helps our body in absorbing the key nutrients from our diet. It helps in reducing the cholesterol level in blood.

Food such as fresh fruit, dried fruit, vegetables, lentils, peas, oats, potatoes, soy products etc. are rich in Soluble fiber

2. Insoluble fiber helps food to pass more quickly through the stomach and intestines. It prevents constipation.

Insoluble fiber can be found in food such as nuts, seeds, whole grain, brown rice, cracked wheat etc.

Following is a list of Fiber rich food

• Beans (chickpeas, lentils etc.), stews and curries, Oats, Barley, Oatmeal, Soy products, Lentils.
• Vegetables such as asparagus, green beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, squash, potato with skin on and canned tomatoes also have about 2 grams of fibre per 1/2-cup serving. Aim for 3 servings of these fiber-rich vegetables per day.
• Whole-grain or multi grain breads, wheat bran or oat bran muffins or those with added wheat germ contain 2 grams of fiber per slice.
• Fruits that are eaten with the peel (such as apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, etc.) or containing edible seeds (berries) such as blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries etc. have about 2 grams of fiber per whole fruit or half cup of berries. Among all the fruits, raspberries have highest fiber content.
• Dried fruits such as dates, prunes, figs, apricots and raisins are great source of fiber.
• Most important point is, make sure you drink atleast 8 to 10 glasses of water daily. It helps the digestive system to adjust to all that fiber.

How much does one serving weigh?
One serving would be roughly equal to the amount of fruit/veggies that you can pick up with a loose fist.

Veggie Pizza

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 1/2 cup

Active Dry Yeast - 1/2 tbsp

Honey - 3/4 tbsp

Olive oil -3 tbsp

Water - 1/2 cup

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Mozarella cheese - 1 1/2 cups

Tomato ketchup - 3 tsps

Green chilli sauce - 1 tsp

Onion - 1 medium

Tomato - 1 small

Bellpeper - 1 meduim

Jalapeno - as required

Pineapple chunks - 1 small can

Process for making the dough

1) Take warm water in a small container and add yeast to it. Mix it once and leave the solution aside to rise (for about 5 mins).

2) Take a wide container and add flour, honey and salt. Mix everything once and start making the dough with yeast water and olive oil. Press the dough as hard as you can.

3) The consistency of the dough should neither be too soft nor too hard. Add more water or dough as necessary.

4) Dampen a paper towel and place it on the container.

5) Allow the dough to rise in a warm area (preferably oven).

6) After 45mins, you can notice that the dough has risen around double its size. Punch the thouroughly until it comes to its normal size. Do the same punching two more times in 1 hour intervals. Now, the dough is ready to be used.

This recipe makes a 10 inch pizza.

Process for making the pizza

1) Pre-heat the oven at 400 deg.

2) Take a big pan. Brush it with olive oil.

3) Take the pizza base and place it on the pan. Punch the dough slowly using your knuckles.

4) Spread tomato ketchup and chilli sauce on the pizza dough leaving about 1 inch towards the side.

5) Spread all the cut veggies on the pizza base. At the end top it with cheese.

6) Bake the pizza for about 20 - 25 mins.

Pizza is ready to savour. Bon appetite.

~CG