Shahi Paneer(Indian Cottage cheese). Announcing Weekend Wokking :Cheese

Shahi Paneer resonates the richness and royalty of the Mughalai Cuisine.Paneer is crowd pleasing delicacy of Indian Cuisine,especially for the lacto-vegetarians.It resembles Extra firm tofu in texture and can certainly be substituted with it for an healthier alternative.Store bought kind are almost always full-fat but Paneer can also be home made with reduced fat milk.

Roasted paneer

Recipe Shahi Paneer
Ingredients
2 cups Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) or Extra Firm Tofu,cut in cubes
1/2 cup tomato puree
1/2 a medium onion Onion,finely chopped
1/2 cup roasted cashews,finely ground
1 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste
1 teaspoon fresh garam masala(mix of ground cinnamon,cumin,cloves and cardamom) 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds(zeera)
2-3 small green chillies,chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Olive oil or vegetable oil

Method
Roasting the paneer in about tablespoon of oil is optional,just gives a nice firmer texture but could add to the fat calories.so skip it if desired.

In a saucepan saute onions with oil and cumin seeds over medium-high heat ,when lightly brown add the ginger and garlic paste,saute until nicely brown and aromatic about 2-3 minutes.Add the chillies and rest of the spices and the cashew powder.Keep stirring after a minute add the tomato puree with 1/2 cup of water.Bring to a slow boil,add the paneer cubes;simmer 8-10 minutes until the cheese soaks in the flavors.Serve warm with Flavorful rice or parathas.

This is my contribution to Weekend Wokking ,with ME as this month's happy host :D

Announcing Weekend Wokking :Cheese

I'm delighted to host Weekend Wokking for July.Weekend Wokking is a world-wide food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks to celebrate the multiple ways we can cook one ingredient.Check out Previous month's Cilantro round up.
The Secret Ingredient of July is CHEESE!.Its rich in calcium and protein,every cuisine has it own varieties.Show your passion for cheese,pick your favorite variety,chose the low-fat or vegan kind if on diet, whip cook bake or grill and share with Weekend wokking.

Here are the rules:


1. Entries for Weekend Wokking must be written specifically for the event, and the posts cannot be submitted to other food blog events. Exceptions include entries that are also submitted in photo contests.

2. Entries are encouraged to be original recipes created by the submitter, but if you made someone else's recipe, please include a link to that person's recipe. You are allowed to revisit your recipes, provided that the photos and post are new and created specifically for the event.

3. Submissions must include the words Weekend Wokking and a link back to this post. If the round-up is hosted by someone else, submissions must include a link to this post and a link to that round-up's host.Use of the logo is encouraged but not required.

4. Send me your entries by August 2 to my email YasmeenHealthnut(at)gmail(dot)com

Please put Weekend Wokking in the subject line of the email .Include the following details in the mail:

Your name or what name you would prefer to be called:
The name of your blog:
What part of the world you want identified as your residence:
The title of the recipe:
A permalink URL to the recipe:

Go Cheese!

Shahi Badami Khorma : A Majestic luscious dish

Khorma\Korma\Qoorma is a divinely rich recipe of Royal Mughalai cuisine. Prepared with a sauce of ground nuts (coconut,almonds,cashews ,sesame seeds and more),the variations of basic recipe are endless. Shahi Badami Khorma is made with either Lamb or chicken ,cooked until fork tender in creamy smooth spicy fragrant "Badami"(Almond)sauce
Traditionally(back in Mughalai period),the process of preparation was lengthy and laborious.The nuts where shelled by hand,toasted then ground on stone mortar and pestle.The meat had to be cooked for long hours(for lamb) until the meat fell off the bones,and bones were separated. Then simmered with sauce ,prepared with nicely brown onions cooked with spices,ground nuts and tangy yogurt,until all flavors are infused in the meat.
But thankfully in modern age we save lot of time with electric grinders ,pressure cookers and ready-to-use shelled roasted nuts and ground Spices.Mostly prepared on special occasions ,its a perfect dish to make for any celebration dinner ,serve with Naan,Layered Paratha ,Flaky Paratha or Biryani.

Ingredients
2 lbs Chicken or Lamb , white fat trimmed cut in medium pieces
1/2 cup roasted Almonds(or 3 tablespoon toasted Almond butter)
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 cup fat-free yogurt
3/4 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chilly powder
Few Whole spices like Cardamom,Cloves and cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon Garam Masala (Mixture of Ground cumin,coriander,cinnamon and cloves)
1/4 Mint and cilantro ,finely chopped.
2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive oil
Method
Marinate Meat
Clean the meat ,trim any excess white fat,run through cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Properly wash all the utensils ,knife and cutting board used for handling the meat to prevent cross-contamination.Mix cleaned meat with turmeric and let sit for an hour.
Prepare the sauce
In a medium saucepan heat oil on medium heat and add the thinly sliced onions. Saute until onions are nicely brown and lightly crisp,then grind to a smooth paste. In the same oil add the whole spices ,ginger garlic paste and saute until the paste in lightly brown about 2 minutes,then mix in the onion paste ,rest of the dry spices and the almond paste.
Cook the meat
Mix in the meat when after 2 minutes and stir well to coat all the spicy mixture. Let cook on medium high heat about 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Then stir in the yogurt and cover ,cook until meat is tender,about 30 minutes for chicken and 45 minutes for lamb(15 minutes in a pressure cooker). Finally mix in the finely chopped herbs and simmer for 5 more minutes and turn off the heat,serve warm.
This Shahi recipe is my entry for Meeta's Monthly Mingle:Sensational Sides, hosted this month by Ruth's Kitchen Experiments.

The Beauty of Fall

The vibrant autumn colors are beginning to bloom throughout the Northeast Ohio.The pockets of trees around the area produce spectacular drives.

Those pretty pumpkins in the warm sun of autumn, are from the local fall festival here in Cleveland.Hoping to make some tasty bakes this fall.

SheerKhorma, an Eid Delicacy.

The end of Ramadan is celebrated with the Eid-ul-Fitr,which means Feast of
the Fast-Breaking. Eid is a happy,relaxed time after a solemn month. But we don't forget all we thought and lessons we learned during Ramadan. We remember what is important to us : God,friends,family, and the needy. We say to all we meet,Eid Mubarak. Happy Eid! and blessing to all!
Sheerkhorma is a rich dessert prepared on Eid,made with roasted thin vermicelli in milk garnished with loads of dry fruits.I'm not worried about calories in this dessert, which I make just once a year.
See Recipe

Ingredients
1/2 a gallon of milk
1 1/2 cup Thin Vermicelli,broken to smaller pieces(Available in Asian and Middle Eastern Stores)
3/4 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk or 1 cup Sugar(Add more if needed)
2 whole cardamoms
1/4 cup each of Almonds,Cashews,dry dates,Pistachios and Raisins
1/3 cup Ghee(Clarified Butter)

Method
Blanch and fry the dry fruits
In pot of boiling water ,drop the dry fruits and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and peel the almonds and pistachios,remove the seeds from the dry dates. Slice the almonds,pistachios ,dry dates and halve the cashews.
Heat ghee in a kadai(deep pan) and fry all each of the dry fruits separately in batches until nice and brown. And set aside for garnish.
Roast the Vermicelli
In large pan add a tablespoon of ghee and roast vermicelli until nice and brown,set aside.
Boil Milk
Boil milk with cardamoms in a large pot on medium heat to prevent scalding. Mix in the condensed milk or sugar ,let simmer for few minutes while stirring occasionally. After about 5 minutes stir in the roasted vermicelli and cook for another 5 minutes before turning off the heat. Garnish with dry fruits and serve warm.

Special thanks to Lubna from Kitchen Flavours for the idea of Global Online Celebration of Ramadan and all the lovely ladies from the following blogs ,who shared their Ramadan favorite recipes and thoughts about Ramadan.
Kitchen Flavours, Zaiqa , Cheers to Easy cooking! , Arabic Bites ,Mammu's Kitchen,Ya Salaam cooking,Indian Spices,Food is Love,KedaiHamburg,TriedAndTrueEats,AappleMint,Mama fami,Organica,Homemades,Baking Haven,NYDelights,Ummel Banat,Rumah Manis,Giddy Gastronome,Happy Muslim Mama,Smell and Taste are my Memory,Yummy!,Salt and Turmeric




And thanks to all the nice viewers who left appreciative comments.


Here is a big Eid Hug for all:)

Tried and Tasted : Hot and Spicy Mirchi Ka Salan(Green Chilly Curry)

Mirchi ka salan from the authentic Hyderabadi cuisine was easily spotted by hyderabadi ME on Jungalbandi , to try for the Zlamuska's Tried and tasted event. I remember eating this salan in countless daawats in Hyderabad. Never dared to eat the peppers ,always tasted just the gravy. But when i saw Jugalbandits using the mild peppers i felt i can actually try and taste there recipe with milder hotness.I used medium hot jalapenos and totally deseeded it as a precaution for any upset stomachs or fire emergencies.Since it has been sooo long i last tasted this salan, it was relishing to devour its taste again. The salan tastes even better the next day after the tamarind flavor infuse in to the chilly pepper. Must try recipe for the Chilly fans.

Ingredients you'll need

2 cups mild to medium hot green chillies
4-6 cherry tomatoes
3/4 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
4-6 curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon chilly powder
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp dissolved in 2 cups of water and strain for any pulp.
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup roasted peanuts nicely ground to powder

To make the Salan
Get some heat out of Chillies
Deseed and get the pith out. USE GLOVES while deseeding that prevents any burning sensation later to your sensitive hands. And also any stomach indigestion.

Shallow fry in Olive oil for about 5-6 minutes until all sides are nicely crisp and fried.

Prepare the Gravy
In the same oil, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the seeds start to splutter add the ginger garlic paste and roast for a minute. Then add the chilly powder and turmeric along with powdered nuts. Stir frequently until oil separates .Now add the tamarind water and simmer for 2 minutes. Drop in the fried chillies and cherry tomatoes. Let simmer for another 8-10 minutes. Serve with any flavorful rice like Hyderabadi Biryani , Vegetable Biryani ,Fish biryani or Soy Biryani or Breads.

Chillies Health facts

* High in vitamin C, about twice that found in citrus fruits. when dried the vitamin strength can be as much as 100 times stronger.
* Chilly is midly antibacterial and can be gargled for sore throats.
* Is good for sinus relief it breaks down the mucous membranes in your nose)
* Its an anti-oxidant. It neutralizes nitrosamine, a carcinogen.
* They act as an anti inflammatory
* They cause a release of endorphines, giving you a general feeling of well being.

Splendid Spinach Lamb

Spinach matches no other green in its splendid list of nutrients.
Spinach is the richest known source of protein of all plant foods. The keys to the benefits of spinach for bone health comes in the form of Vitamin K, Vitamin A and magnesium.
It is vastly superior to carrots in terms of eye-beneficial nutrients such as beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. spinach contains a greater range of vitamins, minerals and other beneficial nutrients than you will find in most commercial multi-vitamin/mineral supplements. Spinach proves to be a powerful anti cancer agent.

If we all can start loving Spinach like Popeye ,amazingly it'll not only make us super strong but also protect us against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, arthritis, and other diseases at the same time.

When shopping for lamb, select "Halal" lean cuts and use low fat cooking methods such as roasting, broiling, grilling, braising, or stewing.. Lamb is a good source of Iron and protein. lamb and other red meats, when eaten in moderation, can be part of a healthy diet.

Ingredients you'll need are
1/2 lb of Spinach
1/2 lb of lean cut Lamb
1 small onion
1 small tomato
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chilly powder
2 cloves garlic
1/2 inch ginger root or 1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon Olive oil

To make the Curry
Clean meat by running it through cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and keep aside for few minutes.This helps kill any bacteria on meat.
Heat a skillet or pressure cooker on medium high flame. Add Olive oil ,chopped onions and cumin seeds. Saute for a minute and add the minced ginger and garlic . Now add the meat ,chopped tomato and chilly powder. Add half a cup of water and cover . let cook in pressure cooker for about 10 minutes or skillet about 40 minutes on medium flame. When the meat is tender add the chopped spinach. Cook for few minutes and serve this green delight with rice or bread.


Health nut Substitute
To get the serving of vegetable with meat , you can use zucchini ,cabbage ,green french beans ,squash or any vegetable of your choice.

This is my entry for Sangeeth's Eat Healthy :Calcium rich Event