Shru's Mushrooms

Ingredients

10-12 tiny button mushrooms
11/2 cups wiltted spinach
1tb sp finely chopped onions
1 small tomato chopped fine
1/2 tsp grated  ginger
4-5 cloves of garlic smashed
salt to taste
chilli powder to taste
3t sps  oil
2 t sps butter
2 tb sps of milk

• Wash and trim mushrooms
• Wash  and drain spinach leaves,put in a pan on the heat without adding any water and cover for a minute.Open the lid reduce the heat and let it wilt for a minute or two. Take it off the heat and keep aside.
• Heat the oil in a fry pan and  gently fry the onions to a light golden brown
• Add chopped tomatoes and fry a bit,
• Add ginger garlic and fry till tomatos are soft
• Add salt and chilli powder
• Roughly chop the wilted spinach and add to the masala, cook for two three minute till  most of the liquid has dried up.Add the milk  and cook till its well blended. Should not be too dry.Keep aside.
• Heat 2t sps of butter in a fry pan , add mushrooms and gently fry for three minutes.
• Add the mushrooms to the spinach mixture and cook  on low heat for a further two minutes.Remove from heat before the mushrooms shrink.
• Dig out a t spoon of the spinach, blow hard , close your eyes and taste........not good enough??Hmmmmm, add a blob of cream to the spinach.Taste the difference without adding  a single mm to your waist line.

KEEMA MATAR/ALOO OR SOYA GRANULES WITH MATAR/ALOO

Ingredients

1/2 kg mutton mince
2  medium sized onions
3t. sps. ginger garlic paste
2tb. sps tomato puree or 3 large tomaoes chopped or grated.
1/2 t sp haldi powder
1/2 t sp chilli powder
1tbsp heaped dhania (coriander) powder
salt to taste
2-3 sticks of cinnamon
5 green cardmoms
3 cloves
1 bay leaf      
1 small bowl of peas or 5 small potatoes peeled
2 tb sps veg. oil

• Heat oil in a pan or pressure cooker.
• Add onions and the whole masalas and fry till golden brown.
• Add washed keema and fry for atleast 15 minutes.
• Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
• Mix the powder masalas with a tb. sp of water and add to the keema and fry till well blended, taking care not to let it stick. Sprinkle a little water if it sticks and fry till well browned.
• Add tomato puree or chopped tomatoes and fry for a further 5 minutes or till the tomatoes are well cooked.
• Add the peas. If using potatoes, add and fry for 2-3 minutes till they are coated with the masala.
• Add one glass of water and pressure cook till high pressure. Lower the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Remove from heat and  do not open the cooker till its cool.
• Open the cooker ,check if the potatoes are done and dry out extra water.
• Garnish with chopped corriander leaves and serve with hot rotis or parathas.

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NOTE:  My veg. friends can use the same recipe by replacing mutton mince with soya granules and adjusting the cooking time accordingly.

Besan Chirla/ Panjabi Purra

Makes two

Ingredients

3tb. sps besan (channa dal flour)
1/4 t. sp. aniseed/ajwain
salt to taste
red chilli powder a pinch
1tb. sp. finely chopped onions
1-2 chopped green chillies
3-4 curry leaves chopped
oil to fry

• mix besan with 2 tb.sps of water till no lumps are left.
• add the dry and chopped ingredients .
• add enough water to make the batter easy to spread but not watery.
• Leave aside for at least 15 minutes for better results.
• heat 2 t sps of oil to smoking point  in a non stick fry pan and coat the pan well with the oil.
• drain the extra oil into a bowl.
• put two tb. sps of batter in the hot pan ,spread it around evenly and cover the pan for a few seconds till the chirla begins to set.
• flip the chirla, add a few drops of oil around it and fry till evenly brown.
• flip again and brown the other side
• serve hot with green chutney/tomato sauce/pickle.

Note:  Paste made with soaked(for 4-5 hours) and finely ground mung/ channa daal can can be used to replace besan.

Emily's Favourite Mutton Kalia

Ingredients
1 kg mutton
6-8 potatoes
4 tb. sps tomato puree
3 heaped t. sps garlic paste
3 heaped t. sps ginger paste
2 heaped tb. sps dhania powder
1 t. sp haldi powder
garam masala made with cinnamon, cloves and small cardamom
salt to taste
red chilli powder to taste
4 big onions finely sliced
3tb. cooking oil

• Heat oil in the pressure cooker.
• Add sliced onions and fry till golden brown.
• Add mutton and fry for 10- 15 minutes.
• Add ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell goes.
• Add the dry masalas mixed with 1/4 cup water and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add tomato puree and cook till reddish brown.
• Peel potatoes and prick with a fork and fry with the mutton for 5 minutes.
• Add 1/2 glasses  of water and pressure cook on high heat till pressure is teached.
• Reduce heat and let it cook for 7-10 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let the cooker cool down naturally.
• Open the cooker and check if the mutton is tender,cook without the lid for another 2-3 minutes.
• Transfer to a shallow dish, sprinkle garam masala, chopped coriander leaves and serve with hot rotis.

Note: Vegetarians can cook the same dish with soya chunks instead of mutton, reducing the  amount of water and cooking time as required.
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Ranee Paneer

Ingredients
200 gms paneer
2tb sps finely chopped onions
1/2 tb sps tomato puree or 2 medium sized tomatoes
1/2 t sp whole jeera
1/4 t sp red chilli powder
salt to taste
2 green chillies slit length wise
1/2 cup milk
2 tb sps cream
3 t sps veg. oil

• Heat oil in a kadai or fry pan
• add jeera and onions together and fry till light brown.
• blanch tomatoes in hot water for five minutes, remove skin and chop roughly
• add tomatoes or tomato puree  to the pan and cook till soft and well blended
• add green chillies, salt and chilli powder and fry a little
• add 2 tb sps of milk and cook for 2-3 minutes
• add paneer and gently mix together
• add rest of the milk and cook for two minutes till paneer is well coated with the masaala
• add cream and lightly blend together
• transfer to a dish and garnish with dhania/coriander and  ginger julliens
• serve with hot chapaties

PANEER GULBAHAR

Ingredients

100 gms paneer/tofu                               
1/2 red capsicum (bell pepper)       
1/2 yellow capsicum                    
1/2 tomato                                    
2-3 shallots                                     
5-6 florets broccoli                               
8 thick slices of zuccini                                     
 4 babycorns                                

Marinade
1/2 t.sp jeera/Cumin  seeds whole          
1/4 t. sp red chili powder                     
salt to taste
chaat masala
few drops of lime juice
2-3 t. sps olive/veg. oil                             

• Switch on the grill to 250C
• Cut paneer into small cubes
• Cut red and yellow peppers into 1/2" pieces
• Remove seeds from tomato and cut into 1" pieces
• Cut shallots into half
• Put paneer into an oven proof dish, sprinkle all the maslaas,oil and lemon juice and coat well
• Add all the vegetables and mix well
• Adjust seasoning if required
• Leave for 10 minutes or till the grill is hot
• Place under the hot grill for about 12 minutes,till the vegetables are just beginning to turn soft but are still crunchy
•  Can be served as a snack with cocktail sticks or as a main dish with rotis.

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Pindi Chole / Chana (Chickpeas)

This one is on a special request!
A delightfully simple and quick recipe with yummy results. 

Ingredients (Serves two):

1 1/2 cups of white chana soaked over night or 3-4 hours in hot water.
                                or
1 can of pre cooked chana drained and washed.
1 t sp. jeera roasted and powdered
2 cups of water
2 brown cardamoms
3 cloves
3 small sticks of cinnamon
2 tb. sps coriander powder
1 t sp. pepper powder
1 t sp garam masala powder
11/2 t sp mango powder
Salt to taste
3 green chilies slit 
1 tb sp ginger julliens (cut into long thin strips)
1 tb sp. veg. oil
3 t sps ghee
1 medium onion sliced thick
1 lemon cut into wedges

• Put raw chana in the pressure cooker with 2 cups of water, salt and the whole spices (cardamom, cloves, cinnamon), close the lid and bring to high pressure. 
• Lower heat and cook for 15-20 minutes. 
• Remove cooker from heat and allow to cool naturally. 
• Open the cooker and drain out the liquid and reserve.
• If using pre cooked chana, wash and drain and put in a kadai or frying pan.
• Add all the dry powdered masalas to the dry chanas and mix well till evenly coated with the spices. Sprinkle green chillies and ginger on top.
• In a pan heat oil till smoky and pour evenly over chanas. Add cooking liquid.(if using pre cooked chana, add 1 cup hot water).
• Place on medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, till liquid is almost dry and oil shows separately.
• Remove pan from heat and transfer chanas to a serving dish.
• In a small pan heat the ghee/butter till smoky and pour evenly over the chanas.
• Garnish with onions, coriander and lemon wedges.
• Serve with lightly buttered bread and warmed up bread of your choice.