Paneer Makhani meets Bhurji

Tonight I wanted to make Paneer Makhani. I realized I did not have milk or cream and I did not have time to step out to the store. Than I decided to make Paneer Bhurji since it does not need the cream/milk. Since I did not have tomatoes on hand, I used tomato sauce instead. I did not have peppers so I used frozen mixed vegetables. I decided to fuse the recipes and I made what I call "Paneer Makhani meets Bhurji". Its wetter than Bhurji but still not saucy like Makhani.

Serving: 5-6 servings

Bhurji...

Ingredients:
olive oil
400 grams of Paneer (crumble using a cheese shredder)
1 medium red onion
1 red chili
1 small green chili
1 tsp of fresh ginger
1 1/2 tbsp of fresh garlic
pinch of asofetida
salt to taste
approz. 2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables (substitute for peppers)
1-2 tsp of dhana-jeeru (coriander-cumin powder)
2-3 tsp of garam masala powder
1 tsp of turmeric


Now for the Makhani touch.....

1 can of tomato sauce/puree
2-3 tbsp of butter
pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
pinch of cardmom powder
pinch of sugar

and finally my extra touch ...
2-3 tsp of tandoori barbeque powder

Directions:
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Add the asofetida, onions, chillis, ginger, garlic, tumeric, dhana-jeeru, turmeric, salt to taste, tandoori barbeque masala and garam masala, . Cook until onions are tender. Add butter and paneer and stir fry for a few minutes so paneer cooks. Add tomato sauce, bay leaves, cardamom powder, pepper and pinch of sugar.Cook for about 5 minutes on med-low. Add vegetables and and cook on low for a couple mins. Eat with paratha's.

Gujarati Tindora - Ivy gourd

Tindora is eaten all over India. Growing up in a Gujarati household we ate tindora quite often. It is one of my favorite vegetables but its not always easy to find. I was craving a traditional Guju meal so I bought some the other day and decided to cook it. This is my mother's recipe, its a simple and easy dish to make which can be accompanied with dal, rice and possibly roti.

Another good thing to know is that it is has many nutrients and its great for diabetics due to its low glycemic index.

Servings: 2

Ingredients:
approx. 1 lb of Tindora
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp dhana-jeeru (mix of coriander and cumin powder, I like more masala you can put less)
red chili powder to taste
salt to taste
pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1 tbsp olive oil
coriander (optional as a garnish)

Cut tindora into halves or quarters. Heat oil on medium heat, add the hing. When the hing starts to sizzle add in the tindora. Add 1/4 cup of water, turmeric, dhana-jeeru, salt and red chili powder and allow tindora to simmer on low-medium heat with a cover. Periodically check to see if the tindora are tender if not add more water, cook until tender.

Frankie - Mumbai's snack wrap

This is my version of Mumbai's famous Frankie. It is great for a quick lunch or it could be a great vegetarian breakfast wrap.

Makes one wrap.

Ingredients:
1 Ore Ida Hash brown patty or boiled/mashed potatoes or home fries
1/4 onion chopped
2 small green chilli's chopped
cilantro for garnish
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp of paprika
2 tsp of chaat masala (availble in indo-pak store)
salt to taste
1/2 piece of lavash bread
Italian cheese blend (any cheese works)
1/2 tbsp olive oil
Cilantro chutney to taste

Saute the onions and chilis in a pan until the onions turn a lighter red color and are tender. Bake, fry or however you want to prepare your potato's. I used boiled potato's cut into cubes. Add the potato mixture into the onion/chili mixture. Put the mixture in the middle of a 1/2 piece of lavash bread. Add the cheese on the hot mixture and allow the cheese to melt. In the meantime, add lemon juice, paprika, salt to taste, cilantro and chaat masala. Roll the wrap and cut into half in an angle.

Gujarati Toor Dal

I am Gujarati, Gujarat is the western most state of India. Gujarati's love to add some sweetness to their savory food, it is our signature. Gujarati Toor Dal is known for its distinct sweetness which comes from jaggery(brown sugar). I loveToor Dal, it a part of a typical Gujarati meal.

Finally, I have come as close as I ever have to getting my Guju Dal to taste like my mother's. Thanks to my aunt, I was able to figure out the missing ingredient that gave the flavor some body (tamarind).

Plantain roll

Ingredients:

2 green plantains
pinch of cumin seeds
pinch of mustard seeds
1 tsp of asafoetida powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 dried chilli
1 1/2 tsp coriander/cumin powder mixture
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp indian chilli powder (add according to your spice level)
1/2-1 tsp of pure tamarind paste
salt to taste
2 large wheat rotis

Optional:
Amul cheese slices
Jain tomato sauce
Tomato soup

Boil the plantains until the peel starts turning a brown/black color but before it is entirely black. Check with a fork, it should not be too soft. Cut plantains into cubes. Saute dried chilli pepper, asafoetida powder, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, coriander/cumin powder mixture, turmeric powder until it sizzles. Add plantain cubes and saute till it starts browning. Add salt to taste and tamarind paste. Cook until it starts charring. Put plaintains in the roti and roll. I am going to try adding cheese to see how it tastes. I am going to serve this with Jain tomato sauce and a bowl of tomato soup since the roll may be dry.