It was one of those days when I wanted to make something different with Paneer. I had decided to make Pizza but then we decided to go out. So I gave up on idea of paneer and instead decided to make burger.


Ingredients
8 Burger Buns
8 Cheese slices
400g Paneer
1 Cup Maida
2 Potatoes
1 Spoon Ginger
3-4 Garlic Cloves
3-4 Green Chillies
1 Spoon Black Pepper
Handful of Coriander leaves
1 Onion
1 Tomato
1 Cup Lettuce
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Make cubes of Paneer and shallow fry them till golden in color. Keep aside.
• Cook the potatoes in cooker till completely done.
• In mixer make fine paste of garlic, ginger and green chillies.
• Mix the ginger-garlic-chilli paste, smashed potatoes, black pepper, finely chopped coriander and salt to taste.
• Add in Paneer cubes and make the patties out of these mixture.
• Mix maida with water to form thin paste. Dip the Patti in the mixture and fry it in oil over medium heat till brown on both sides.
• On each burger bun, put onion, tomato and cheese slice. Stack up Patti and lettuce and close the bun and serve with ketchup.

Notes
I didn't use mayo or anything in the burger itself, instead served it on side to dip it in. The main goal of this was Indian-spicy taste and yet burgerish feel.

As you know with New Years and my jetlag my unofficial resolution of the year is to eat anything but simple bread butter or cornflakes in breakfast :) So when Ajoy got bread with groceries I came up with this :)


Ingredients
8 Bread Slices
2.5 Cup Curd
2 Green Chillies
4 Garlic Cloves
3 Spoon Sugar
1/4 Spoon Black Pepper
A Pinch of Red Chilli Powder
A Pinch of Chaat Masala
Handful of Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Soak Bread slices in water and immediately press them in your palms to remove the water.
• In a plate add this bread, finely chopped green chillies, garlic, ground pepper an salt to taste. Knead really well and make the lemon sized balls.
• Fry these balls in hot oil till brown.
• In a bowl mix curd, sugar, red chilli powder, chaat masala and salt to taste
• In plates serve the fried bread mixture balls, covered with curd and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves

Notes
If you are not going to eat all the wadas at a time, then keep the bread dough and fry it later, otherwise fried and stored wadas get little rubbery.

When we were in Bangalore, KFC was our favorite joint. We also have couple of stories that took place in the KFC :) So quite a lot of memories. But since we came here, we haven't been to KFC once, though MacD is regular joint instead. But the fried chicken is something that went missing from our meal since then. So today I knew what I wanted to cook. I was earlier thinking of frying boiled chicken but then decided against it after a second thought. Bing just confirmed my thoughts :)


Ingredients
5 Chicken Leg Pieces
1 Egg
3/4 Cup Maida
5 Spoon Bread Crumbs
1 Spoon Red Chili Powder
1/4 Spoon Oregano
1/4 Spoon Pepper Powder
1/4 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/4 Spoon Garlic Paste
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• With a sharp knife, give slits to the chicken pieces
• In a warm bowl of water, add 1/2 spoon red chili powder, oregano and pepper powder with salt.
• Add the chicken pieces and soak them in it for an hour.
• In a bowl, beat egg with garlic paste, remaining half spoon red chili powder, coriander powder and salt.
• In another plate mix maida with bread crumbs and salt.
• Take out the chicken pieces out of water and drain the water.
• Dip each leg piece in egg mixture to coat it completely and then in maida mixture to cover it with maida coating.
• Heat oil to medium high.
• Add each leg piece and fry till golden brown in color.

Notes
Soaking the chicken in water, tenderizes it a bit adding to the taste. I used mild spices to soak them in instead of dipping it in plain water.
I fried chicken on medium high heat instead of very high or very low. That helped me get the chicken that wasn't too dark in color and yet it was completely cooked.
I made extra bread crumbs while making Paneerbhara Kabab and stored them in air tight container. You can refer to it for how to make bread crumbs.

Today when I opened fridge, found that I have around 2 liters of milk and it is getting expired tomorrow. Gave a lot of thought on what I should be using it before I loose it. Last few times I had been making sweets but this time I wanted to make something spicy and that is when I came up this.


Ingredients
2 Liter Milk
5 Spoon Vinegar
1 Cup Corriander Leaves
2 Spoon Pudina Leaves
5-6 Green Chillies
2 Bread Slices
1/2 Spoon Chaat Masala
Salt
Oil

Method

• Boil Milk in a thick pan
• Mix a cup of water with vinegar and add it to the milk to separate whey from it.
• Strain it and wash it with cold water.
• Hang it in a dry cloth for around half an hour to remove as much as water as possible
• Preheat oven to 350F/180C
• Bake bread slices for 5 minutes at 350F/180C, Flip the sides and bake for another 5 minutes
• In a mixie, grind the bread to breadcrums. Save aside
• Grind corriander leaves, pudina leaves and green chillies to fine paste without using water.
• In a plate mix the paneer that was hanging, the above green paste and salt
• Make small lemon sized balls and roll them in bread crums
• Heat oil and fry the balls in it over medium-high heat.
• Sprinkle chaat masala and serve with ketchup

Notes
If you want you can make it with grated paneer instead, but it tasted awesome with this fresh made paneer and the softness inside the crispy covering was delicious.
For the corriander-pudina-green chillies paste I didnt use any water. The water that was on leaves after washing them was good enough.

Happy New Year to everyone :) Mine was quiet one as I was/am jetlaged a way lot to stay awake even till 9pm :) Guess this recipe would be special because I started working on this last year and the final dish was ready this year ;-) This was kind of impromptu one on demand of special breakfast by Ajoy


Ingredients
14-16 Bread Slices
400g Cleaned Prawns
1/2 Cup pickled cucumber
4 Spoon Curd
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/2 Spoon Black Pepper Powder
1/4 Spoon Chaat Masala
1/4 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/4 Spoon Garam Masala
1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder
1/2 Cup Butter
Salt to taste

Method

• Mix curd, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, corriander powder, black pepper powder, jeera powder, garam masala, chaat masala and salt
• Slice the prawns into smaller pieces and add them into above curd mixure, mix well and store them in fridge for 4-6 hours.
• Heat a flat pan and add 1/4 cup butter and marinated prawns
• Cook on high flame with constant stirring till the masala turns dark brown in color and dry out. Keep aside.
• Make sandwitches by spreading pickled cucumber and prawns cooked earlier between two slices of breads
• Grill them with remaining butter and serve hot

Notes
Chopping prawns into smaller pieces would help in avoiding it being pulled in a single bite :)

I was very inclined to prepare the burger at home but didnt want to try any meat burger. So thought of preparing paneer one. But then the indian grocerry store was little far from my place so thought to try it on tofu. The burger turned out quite well and the mildness of tofu vanished in the spcies and other things that I added.


Ingredients
4 Burger Buns
100g Tofu
2 Onions
1 Tomato
1 Fresh Red Chilli
4 Cheese Slices
1/2 Cup Lettuce
Ranch Dressing
Salt and Pepper
Oil

Method

• Cut the Tofu into cubes
• Heat oil and keep the flame on low.
• Add tofu pieces and cook till light brown in colour.
• Add onion slices, red chilli into it and cook till onions are slight brown in colour
• Add salt and pepper and stir well. Divide the mixture into 4 portions
• On each bun keep the cheese slice and add the portion of the cooked tofu mixture.
• Spread the lettuce, tomato Slice, couple of drops of tomato ketchup and one circle of the ranch dressing.
• Close with the upper portion of the bun and serve.

Notes
I cooked tofu on very light heat which helped me keep it soft. The Spicy Chilli, ranch dressing helped in supressing the mildness of Tofu.

This is something similar to earlier posted bread roll but little different in shape and mixture and hence thought of posting it.


Ingredients
8 Bread Slices
1 Potato
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/2 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/2 Spoon Aamchur Powder
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Grate the potato and soak it in the water
• Drain the water and mix add red chilli powder, jeera powder, corriander powder, aamchur powder and salt to it
• Remove edges of bread and keep aside
• Take a bread sice and just put the bread in water for a split of second.
• Press the bread with both hands and remove the water
• Fill in the potato mixture in this and close the edges giving it sandwitch shape
• Fry it in oil over medium flame till brown on both sides.
• Repeat for all remaining bread slices.

Notes
Do not over dip the bread slice in the water or you wont be able to retain the shape as bread will soak all water and it will become very soggy.

Today I got an opportunity to experiment on different people and in different location :) Different people being mom and dad and different location is Pune, their place. I have come here for few days and taken over cooking so today for breakfast i just tried this quick and yet tasty item.


Ingredients
12 Bread Slices
2 Cup Grated Paneer
4 Green Chillies
Handful of Corriander Leaves
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/2 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/4 Spoon Amchur Powder
Salt to taste
Butter

Method

• Mix paneer, finely chopped green chillies, red chilli powder, finely chopped corriander leaves, jeera powder, corriander powder, amchur powder and salt to taste
• Butter one bread slice and keep the buttered side facing plate
• Spread the paneer mixture on top of this bread slice
• Put the other bread slice on top of it and butter the slice again
• Grill the sandwitch and serve hot
• Prepare remaining sandwitches following the same method

Notes
Buttering the slice before putting the mixture helps in not spreading the mixture while transfering to griller

Ajoy had been asking me to prepare vada paav or batata wada since long time.. And I thought there is no better day to prepare this than his bday :) So here is what we had for our breakfast today morning.

Vada Paav


Ingredients
2 Potatoes
6 Paav
1/2 cup bason
1/2 Lemon
4 Green Chillies
1/4 spoon Garlic Paste
1/4 spoon Ginger Paste
A pinch of Eating Soda
1/4 spoon Mustard
1/2 spoon Turmeric Powder
1/2 spoon Red Chilli Powder
Salt
Oil

Method

• Boil the potatoes
• Grind the green chillies, garlic paste, ginger paste to form fine paste
• Cut the potatoes into small pieces.
• Add the ground paste, lemon juice to it and mix well
• Heat little oil, add the mustard, let them sputter and then add the half of the turnmeric powder
• Add this oil to the potato mixture and mix well.
• Prepare 6 round and little flat balls out of this mixture.
• In a small vessel, mix bason, red chilli powder, remaining turmeric powder, eating soda and prepare thin batter
• Heat oil in a pan, add 2 spoon of heated oil to the batter
• Dip the potato ball in the batter and fry it in oil
• Cut the pav in half, put the garlic chutney and wada in it and serve hot

Notes
The batter coating on the potato vada shouldn't be thick otherwise the wada won't taste good. Mix more water if its too thick.
We are adding heated oil to the bason because that will make vada less oily.. Making use of soda instead of oil will make it very very oily.
Potato Vada can be served separately with sauce as well. (Without paav)

Garlic Chutney


Ingredients
1/2 Dried Coconut
10-12 pieces of Garlic
4 spoon Red Chilli powder
1-2 pieces of Tamarind
1/2 spoon Sugar
Salt to taste

Method

• Grate the coconut
• Heat a pan and fry the grated coconut till golden brown in colour
• In a mixer, first grind garlic pieces, red chilli powder, sugar, salt
• Add the tamarind and grind again
• Now add the coconut and grind to fine powder

Notes
You can save this chutney for few days. It tastes nice with bhakari as well.

Bread roll is one of the simplest and yet tasties item one can have in snacks.. And yesterday when piyush visited us I thought this would be the best breakfast recipe i can serve with no preparation from my side at all... Here is how i prepared it...


Ingredients
2 Potatoes
6 slices of bread
1 spoon jeera powder
1 spoon red chilli powder
1 spoon corriander powder
2 spoon Amchur Powder(Dry Mango)
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method

• Cook potatoes in cooker or boil them till they are soft
• Mash the potatoes and add jeera powder, red chilli powder, corriander powder, amchur powder and salt and mix well
• Take slice of the bread and remove its thick edges using knife
• In a pot fill in drinking water and put the bread slice on top of the water for few moments
• Press the bread slice with both the palms and remove the water
• Put a cylindrical ball of the potato mixture prepared earlier in the middle of the slice and close the bread slice to cover the mixture fully
• Deep fry the rolls on medium heat and serve hot with tomato ketchup

Notes
You can try other fillings too.. I would be trying using lemon instead of amchur powder.

Today i wanted to cook something spicy and yet had to finish off carrot and beet that i had stocked in fridge for quite a few days.. So i decided to experiment and it turned out really nice and healthy recipe.


Ingredients
2 Beet Roots
6 Carrots
2 Bread Slices
1 onion finely chopped
1 spoon Red Chilli Powder
1 spoon Garam masala
1/2 spoon Jeera Powder
1/2 spoon Corriander powder
1 spoon garlic-ginger paste
Bread crums/Fine rava
Oil
Salt

Method

• Grate Beet roots and carrot
• Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped onion to it
• After a while add garlic-ginger paste, corriander powder, jeera powder, garam masala, red chilli powder
• After heating for a while add grated carrot and beet root
• Cook the mixture well with lid
• Once mixture is well cooked add crushed bread slices and salt to it and take off from the stove
• After mixture cools down prepare the patty of shape you like.
• Roll it in bread crums/fine rava
• Shallow fry the cutlets on the tawa with little oil

Notes
You can optionally add cooked potato/beans to the mixture

Whenever i use to go to restaurant this was the one recipe that i loved.. I always thought of trying this at home but was under impression that cooking kabab needs some special machinary or something like that.. Then i have problem making ajoy eat palak :) so i had to try this recipe on tawa :) it turned out really nice and ajoy mentioned that i should be cooking this instead of palak vegetable :) Here is the recipe...


Ingredients
3 medium sized potatoes
3 cup peas
2 palak gaddi
1 cup corriander leaves
1/2 gaddi pudina leaves
1 medium sized onion
4 green chillies
3 lemons
2 spoons corn flour
2 bread slices
3 spoon butter
Cashews
Salt to taste
oil

Method

• Boil 2-3 cups of water in a pot
• Add cleaned palak leaves in it and boil for a while and then drain the water and keep aside
• Grind the onion in the mixer to form the paste
• Heat the pan and add the butter to it
• Add onion paste and cook till it turns light brown
• Mean while grind the palak leaves in the mixer and then add to the onion paste that has turned light brown
• Cook for a while till mixture is well cooked and vert little watery
• Keep aside for cooling
• Steam potatoes and peas in a cooker
• Grind the corriander leaves, pudina leaves, chillies in a mixer to form the paste
• Mix this with the cooled down palak-onion mixture
• Grate the potatoes and add them to the mixture
• Half crush the peas and add them to mixture
• Add lemon juice, corn flour, small pieces of bread slices and salt to it
• Mix well to form the paste
• Form the lemon sized balls, flatten it a bit and stic the cashew piece to it
• Shallow fry on the tawa
• Serve with pudina chutney

Notes
You can sprinkle little chaat masala on the fried kababs, i haven't tried this as yet as i didn't have chaat masala at home but i guess it might taste good.