Gajar Matar Aloo Sabzi

Ingredients:-

Carrot- 1 kg

Cumin seeds(jeera)- 1 teaspoon

Kalonji- 1/4 tsp (optional)

Potatoes-2

Matar (Sweet Peas)-1 cup

Onions-1-2

Tomotoes-1-2

Green chilly- 1(optional)

Tumeric powder-1/4 teaspoon

Red chilly powder-1/2 tsp(optional)

Salt-1/2 teaspoon

Oil- 1 cooking spoon

Water-1 tablespoon(optional)

Coriander leaves

Recipe:-

1. Wash the carrots and peel it nicely and then cutting it into cube shapes.

2. Heat oil in a cooker and add jeera to it and then kalonji

3. Add onions to it and add green chilly .

4. Add potatoes pieces to it and fry it nicely and add tumeric powder, red chilly powder and salt.Cook potatoes for some time so its done.

5. Add carrots and mix it nicely and then cover it with a small plate so that it let out water. Also add tomotoes at this time

6. Once it leaves water add if less water add1 tbsp water or else not and then close lid of cooker.

7. Allow it to cook till it leaves 2-3 whistles and then close it.

8. Once steam is let out of cooker, cook it nicely to strain all remaining water. Also add mattar this time and cook and Also mash the carrots during this time.

9. Check for salt and add if needed.

10. Decorate with coriander leaves.

Mattar Paneer( My Version)

Ingredients:

• 300 gms Paneer (Cottage cheese)
• 1 bowl Green Peas
• 2 Onions
• 2 Tomato
• 1 tsp Coriander Powder
• 1 tbsp Poppy Seeds
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder
• 1 tsp Ginger-garlic Paste
• 2 Green Chilli
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 Bay Leaf (Tej Patta)
• 2-3 Cloves
• 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
• 1 cooking spoon Vegetable oil
• 3/4 Salt to taste
• Green Coriander Leaves (chopped)

Recipe

• Heat vegetable oil in a pan.

• Cut the paneer into small sized cubes.

• Fry them on medium flame until they turn light brown. Occasionally turn the cubes while frying. Take them out. (optional)

• One can boil paneer in a cup of water if one doesn't want fried paneer. Retain the water for future use. Boiling of paneer takes about 2 minutes and it boils just a minute after water gets boiled. Check to see it.

• Boil peas in a closed pan with a bowl of water for 30 minutes for it to soften. Otherwise one can also boil it in cooker for 2-3 whistles. Alternatively one can boil peas with masala by adding water by closing pan and cooking for same time period.

• Chop the tomato, onions, and green chilli.

• Make a paste by grinding it in a grinder.

• Heat Oil and saute cumin seeds in it and then add the prepared mixture to it.

• Add Ginger garlic paste, cloves, bay leaf, poppy seeds, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, black pepper powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix them well. And then cook masala for 8-10 minutes till oil separates from the mixture and its done.

• Now add green peas and fry for about 2 to 3 minutes.

• Add sufficient water to make thick gravy. Heat the gravy till it boils. Check the salt and add more if less doing this time.

• Add paneer cubes. Stir the mixture properly and cook on a medium heat for about 5 minutes.

• Garnish the dish with chopped coriander leaves.

• Close the lid till serving.

Mattar paneer is ready.

How to make Paneer at home

Ingredients (For 150 gms of paneer)

1 liter whole milk
1/2 lemon or lime- juiced, or 1-3 tsp vinegar
muslin cloth (or anything that's a bit thin)

If you are using 1 Gallon of milk, use juice from one whole lemon

Method

Bring the milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning or sticking.

When it comes to a boil, stir in the acid and cook another 2-3 minutes; in a few minutes, you see small curds floating on top. Wait till they get bigger to form small stone-like granules, about five minutes. The solids will clump together (known as channa or curd) and the remaining liquid will become a thin watery white (known as whey).

Now turn off heat and allow to sit for a few minutes to cool.

Strain through the muslin cloth or one can even strain with a strainer . If one wants to make paneer bhurjia one can let paneer rest in strainer for about 30 minutes and use it. For paneer cubes proceed.

Then fold it in a muslin cloth and let it strain for whole day. When the liquid is mostly drained out, lift the cloth by the corners and twist to squeeze out remaining liquid. You can put the cloth with the paneer in it to sit on a colander over the sink for an hour or so till all excess water drips away. What you get at this stage is cottage cheese.

To make paneer, press the cloth-covered cheese under a 5kg (or anything heavy enough) weight for up to two hours or mash it with heavy pestle to make it thick and shape it and then put it away overnight with this object over it.

This makes the paneer firm and hard. Now you can store it in an airtight box and refrigerate till ready to use. You can even cut it into cubes and store them.

Note: This isn't my mom's recipe but a recipe I got from the internet with alterations by me. I would post mom's recipe of paneer a while later.

Mutter Pulao with Pudina chutney!

Pulao

Ingredients

Basmati Rice-3 cups

Oil-3 cooking spoon

Water-5 -6 cups (5 if 1 cup milk is being added)

Kevda -1 teaspoon(optional)

Masala

Raisins(kishmish)-6-8(optional)

Cumin Seeds(jeera)-1 teaspoon

Black pepper seeds-1 teaspoon

Fennel or aniseed(Sauf)-1/2 teaspoon

Cloves(Laung)-2

Big Cardamon- 1 (Mouth open but seeds not taken out)

Cinnamon(Dalchini)-1

Peas(Mutter)-500 grams

Green chilly-1-2

Ginger garlic paste-1 teaspoon(optional)

Onion-1 (Thinly sliced)

Milk-1/2-1 cup(optional)

Malai-1-2 teaspoon(optional)

Garlic-1 small piece(cut)

Mint(Pudina) leaves-8-10

Salt-2 teaspoon

Water-2-3 teaspoon

Recipe

1. Wash rice and keep aside

2. Put oil in a big pan for cooking and let it heat.

3. Put onions and fry till golden brown and then remove and keep in a plate.

4. Add raisins and let it swell and then add jeera and rest of the masala to it along with peas. Add 2 teaspoon water for peas and fry nicely.

5. Onces peas are nicely fried and masala done add water for rice to it and let it boil.

6. Add rice once water is boiled and mix nicely and then let it soak some water. Once it soaks water, add milk and malai along with cut pudina leaves and mix fried onions with kevda and put in it.

7. Close the lid and let it cook till done and all water it soaked. It will take 3-5 minutes.

8. Open after dum, mix it nicely and serve.

Variation- Bhagarey or Jeera rice

1. One can make bhagarey (tadka) rice instead of pulao for parties too.

2. Take a spoon of oil and add kishmish and 1 teaspoon zeera to it and let it saute.

3. Add water to it let it boil and then add salt (according to rice), laung to it along with rice and cook like normal rice.

Note: One can always add some ghee instead of oil in rice recipe to make it more tasteful!