Pav Bhaji

Hello Everyone.  I am back after a long hiatus.  Well. I have busy with tending to my little son and now that he is 3 months old, I decided to come back here and catch up with everyone.

I have Pav Bhaji (Mumbai style) on my mind for sometime now. Never made it myself however. Yet. But am planning to do so very soon. Will share all my experiences then.

I came across a Pav Bhaji video by Sanjeev Kapoor on Youtube and decided to share with all of you.
So happy cooking and do share your Pav Bhaji anecdotes with me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI5pCJ0__N8&feature=fvwrel

Rava (Semolina/Sooji) Kuzhi Paniyaram

I haven't been very active recently on my blog due to some medical constraints but this snack is so delicious and was something new, atleast for me ; therefore I had to share it with all of you. 

Kuzhi Paniyaram is a popular Chettinad tiffin item, where fermented rice and lentil batter (idli / dosa batter)  is mixed with seasoning and steamed in special pans which comes with little golf ball size holes (kuzhi in Tamil). These paniyarams can be made either sweet or savoury.


My kind neighbour taught me this. Its quick and easy and convenient to satisfy the hunger pangs of little children and (tongue - in - cheek) hungry adults !!! It takes about 15 - 20 minutes from start to finish.

She told me that when one doesn't have idli /dosa batter at home, one can use rava / sooji which is easily available and rustle up this quick snack. What a wonderful idea !!

So here it is. I couldn't post a photograph because it was walloped up in a few minutes. Hungry adults you see !!! But the next time, I make a batch, I will surely post a picture.

I found an image of the Paniyaram on the internet from this site. So I have posted the image below to get an idea of what this recipe will turn out into. I hope they don't mind. 

The recipe is posted below the image. The video for Unni Appam (towards the end of the post) shows how much oil to put into the paniyaram pan for frying.

The paniyarams are soft and spongy.  Quite tasty.

Rava Paniyaram

Ingredients 1

Rava / semolina/ sooji / suji - 2 medium size cups full

Curd / dahi - 3 tablespoons

Method 1

Mix this with enough water.

Ingredients 2

Tomato - 1 medium size (grated)

Ajwain /carom seeds for digestion and taste - (read all about Ajwain / Carom seeds) - 1 teaspoon (I don't like ajwain so I wouldn't add this)

Eno salt sachet - 1 sachet (for digestion)

Green chillies (optional) - chopped

Salt - to taste

Everest Chaat masala - sprinkle to taste

Coriander leaves - a handful chopped

Method

1) Mix ingredients 2 with the rava and curd mixture and keep adding water to make a thick paste.

2) Heat the Paniyaram pan on the stove

3) Add a little cooking oil (about 1/4 tsp) into each slot / individual holder / kuzhi. Lower the flame to medium.

4) Fill each holder with the prepared paste. Cover with a flat lid.

5) Check after 2 minutes. If golden brown, use a butter knife or fork or similar to turn onto the other side. Fry well till golden brown on the other side.

This can be enjoyed with mint or coriander leaves chutney or tomato ketchup.

And do let me know how it went. :)

Note : Do take the largest size for bigger Paniyarams. I bought the smallest size by mistake.

Also -
A.  Masala kuzhi Paniyaram - to use the kuzhi paniyaram pan for another recipe using dosa /idli batter, do visit the lovely blog "Edible Garden" by my friend from Singapore, Nags (www.cookingandme.com) who has posted this recipe for Masala kuzhi paniyaram using dosa / idli batter. I love the colour of those golden brown paniyarams.

B. Unni Appam - use the small holders / kuzhi to make Unni appam is a small round sweet rice cake made from rice, Jaggery, plantain, Ghee etc. It is a popular snack in Kerala and is a main offering to Lord Ganapathi.  In Malayalam, 'Unni' means small and 'Appam' means rice cake. It is a Kerala version of aebleskiver.
Paniyaram is a Tamilian word.

You can try out this sweet Unni Appam recipe in your Paniyaram pan (which has smaller individual holders).
Watch the video and recipe - how to make Unni Appam.  The Appams must be dark brown.

C. Egg Paniyaram - click for the recipe.

Paneer Rustle with Capsicum and Onion

Parampara ready - to - cook spices are available at any supermarket in any Mall in Mumbai (Bombay).

I had about 500 gm of fresh paneer sitting in my fridge waiting to be prepared for a meal. When I came across this packet stating that Paneer could be prepared with capsicum and onion, I decided to give it a try.

The packet has instructions on the reverse but i will mention the ingredients here.

INGREDIENTS - It involves : -
Paneer - 500 gms (cubed)
Curd (yoghurt) - 100 gms.
Capsicum - 3 medium (slices)
Onions - 3 large (slices)

METHOD  -

1) Mix the curd with the entire pack of spice paste in a bowl and then add this to the cubed paneer and set aside while chopping up the capsicum and onions.

2) Add a little cooking oil to a non - stick frying pan and saute the marinated paneer well. Serve out onto a plate.

3) Then saute the chopped capsicum and onions . Add salt to taste.

4) After this, add the sauteed paneer and give a good stir. Add a little water to cook if you feel the paneer is not cooked completely.

5) The base (gravy) is thick and delicious. When completely dry, it makes a good Starter as mentioned on the packet. Otherwise, can be served with chapatis/rotis (Indian flat bread), naan, salad or steamed rice and yellow dal and papad. Yummy !!!

I am eagerly awaiting your comments after this post !!!! :)

Matar Paneer (Cottage Cheese and Peas)

MATAR PANEER / Cottage Cheese and Peas

Ingredients :-

Paneer (cottage cheese) - 500 g (firm)

Peas - a handful

Onion - 1 (large, chopped)

Tomato - 1 (medium, chopped)

Garam masala (all spice) - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric (haldi) - 1/4 tsp

Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Coriander (dhania) powder - 1/2 tsp

Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Cooking oil

Method :-

1) Chop the paneer block into small bite size pieces. Pour some cooking oil in a wok/non-stick pan and fry paneer pieces till golden brown. Take out and strain the oil on a kitchen napkin.

2) Toss in the chopped onion and fry well. When the onion turns slightly brown, add the ginger-garlic paste and fry well.

3) Add chopped tomato and keep frying till it melts and softens. Then, add the spices (masalas) , and keep frying till the oil separates from the masalas. Add salt to taste.

4) Now add the peas and let it cook.

5) When done, add the paneer and let it all mix.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot parathas.

Bhindi Fry

Another everyday dish . Bhindi/Ladyfingers/Okra ... call it any name.... I love the vegetable. This goes into the Simple Everyday cooking..

I have mastered the art of cooking bhindi after a lot of trial and error.

BHINDI FRY

Ingredients :

Okra/bhendi/bhindi - 500 gms (chopped into bite size)

Onions - 1 large (chopped fine)

Tomatoes - 2 (chopped fine)

Turmeric / haldi - 1 tsp

Red Chilli powder (non-spicy) - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - a pinch

Method :

Take a frying pan and add a little oil for frying. Add the okra, lower the flame and fry well.

When almost done, add the chopped onions and keep frying till the onions turn soft. Then add the chopped tomatoes and haldi, red chilli powder and salt.

Keep frying so that all the spices and ingredients merge into each other.

when done , this can be eaten with chapati or roti.]

Note: Okra must be washed and dried well before chopping. Keep frying till the sliminess goes.