Today before meeting everyone were discussing about the barbeque and since then i couldn't stop thinking of making tandoori something. With gobi in the fridge i decided to go for it. The dinner was yummy just because of it.


Ingredients
1 Cauliflower
1 Cup Curd
1.5 Spoon Chilli Powder
1 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder
1/4 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/2 Spoon Garam Masala
1/4 Spoon Tandoori Masala
1 Spoon Chaat Masala
2 Green Chillies
2 Spoon Ginger
10 Garlic Cloves
Oil
Salt to taste

Method

• Cut the cauliflower into medium sized florets and add it in water. Add salt and microwave for 7 minutes. Separate out from water and keep aside.
• In a mixer add in ginger, garlic, ginger and 2 spoon of curd. Make fine paste.
• In a bowl add the above made paste, remaining curd, chilli powder, jeera powder, corriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, tandoori masala and salt to taste. Mix well.
• Add in the cauliflower florets in it and mix well. Keep in fridge for atleast 2 hours
• Heat the pan and add in oil. Spread out cauliflower florets and cook on medium heat till one side is completely done. Flip and cook the other side. Cook from all sides possible and then take out.
• Garnish with chaat masala and serve with mint chutney, onions and lemon

Notes
I had cooked cauliflower for 5 minutes but i think 7 minutes would be perfect to make it nice and soft.
You can grill the cauliflower on barbeque, if doing use skewer to pierce through 3-4 cauliflowers.

Its been a while since Seattle saw sun barring couple of days last week so having barbeques in patio is long gone time. But this is my effort to feel like those beautiful sunny evenings.. I came up with recipe on my own as I started adding spices but the taste was so good that i cant wait to fry remaining prawns tomorrow night.


Ingredients
3/4 Kg Prawns
1 Spoon Tandoori Masala
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/2 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/4 Spoon Garam Masala
1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder
1/2 Spoon Ginger Paste
1/2 Cup Thick Curd
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Clean the prawns shells and marinate it with salt.
• Add in ginger paste, chilli powder, corriander powder, jeera powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and mix well. Keep aside for atleast half an hour.
• Add oil to a pan and heat it really well.
• In the earlier marinated prawns, add in tandoori masala and curd. Mix well. Add this mixture onto the heated pan.
• Let the prawns cook on medium heat without flipping or stirring them till the side is completely done. Then flip them and cook the otherside too. Take of the heat and serve.

Notes
Cooking on medium heat and not flipping the prawns serves as great trick to get that tandoori-charred-smoky flavour that any authentic tandoori dishes have.

One of the best starters we both love. In hyderabad I use to prepare this with Everest Chicken Tandoori Masala but this time I made it with my mix of masalas. It tasted awesome.


Ingredients
6 Chicken Leg Pieces
3/4 Cup Curd
2 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1 Spoon Garam Masala
2 Spoon Ginger Paste
2 Spoon Garlic Paste
4 Spoon Lemon Juice
1/2 Spoon Chaat Masala
2 Spoon Oil
1/2 Cup Butter
Salt to taste

Method

• Make horizontal cuts on the chicken pieces
• Apply 2 spoon lemon juice and 1 spoon red chilli powder to it and keep aside for 30 minutes
• In a bowl mix curd, garlic paste, ginger paste, 1 spoon red chilli powder, 2 spoon lemon juice, garam masala, oil and salt
• Apply the above marination to chicken and store in fridge for 4-5 hours
• Preheat oven to 395F(200C)
• Melt the butter and sprinkle some on the chicken and bake it for 15 minutes
• Turn the chicken to face other side and sprinkle more butter on both sides. Bake for another 15 minutes
• Again turn the chicken and sprinkle remaining butter and bake for another 10 minutes
• Sprinkle chaat masala and serve with onions rings and lemon wedges

Notes
Instead of leg pieces you can use 700g mixed pieces as well.
In restaurants, they use color to make it look reddish but I didnt have it neither did I intended to use it.
I baked it over this bakeware set. It helps in dropping off extra marination, butter in the tray.

This is another dish to make ajoy eat palak apart from palak puri. I make it frequently but never thought of posting the recipe. But this time since ajoy suggested of same, I am posting it here.


Ingredients
2 Spinach
200gm Paneer
2 Tomatoes
5 Spoon Cream
1/4 Spoon Corn Flour
1/2 Spoon Garlic Paste
1/4 Spoon Ginger Paste
1/4 Spoon Jeera
1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/2 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/4 Spoon Kasuri Methi
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Boil around 4-5 cups of water and keep spinach leaves in it for couple of minutes.
• Drain the water and grind the leaves in mixie and keep aside.
• Heat little oil in a pan and let jeera splutter in it.
• Add ginger and galic paste, turmeric powder followed by finely chopped tomatoes
• Saute for a while and add red chilli powder, corriander powder, jeera powder and kasuri methi
• Cook on low flame till tomatoes are completely done.
• Grind this tomatoe gravy along with palak paste prepared earlier adding enough water.
• Boil this mixture and add the paneer cubes in it. Cook till paneer is completely cooked.
• Add cream to this mixture.
• Mix corn flour with 4 spoon of water and add it to the boiling palak paneer and its ready to serve

Notes
Adding cream and corn flour gives the thickness to the gravy. I didnt add only cream because then there wont be palak taste left in the gravy and only corn flour because then it would turn gravy very bland. Adding both gives the right flavour and thickness to the gravy

This is one of my favourite in the restaurants, Standard recipy, less spicy and yet delicious.. I had tried this a month back and it turned out amazing, but had not been keeping enough enegry to take up pics and post recipies, so when yesterday when I prepared this, I thought of posting this here.


Ingredients
300gm Boneless Chicken
2 Tomatoes
1 Onion
1.5 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
2 Spoon Corriander Powder
1 Spoon Kasuri Methi
1 Spoon Jeera
1/2 Spoon Garlic Paste
1/2 Spoon Ginger Paste
A pinch of Orange Red Color
1/2 Spoon Sugar
1/4 Spoon Tomato Ketchup
1 Cup Cream
4 Spoon Butter
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Cut the chicken into rectangular pieces
• Marinate them with salt, 1 spoon red chilli powder, 1 spoon corriander powder, 1/4 spoon garlic paste and 1/4 spoon ginger paste
• Heat oil and fry the chicken pieces for 4-5 minutes. Keep them aside
• In same oil, add jeera and let it splutter.
• Add chopped onion, kasuri methi and remaining garlic paste, ginger paste, red chilli powder, corriander powder to this.
• Add water and let it boil.
• Add the finely chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are completely done
• Grind this to paste in the mixer and keep aside
• In a pan, heat butter and add this paste and salt to it
• Mix 1/2 cup of water and orange color and add it to the gravy.
• Add sugar, ketchup and fried chicken pieces and bring to boil
• Switch the flame to low and add cream and cook for 4-5 minutes

Notes
While adding the cream dont forget to switch the flame to low as otherwise it wont mix properly

I really love methi malai muttor. Since long time I was trying to get the exact taste which i like of this vegetable.. Then I talked to Shrinkhla and she gave her authentic punjabi recipe of methi malai muttor. And it worked out amazing for me. So here is the recipe :)


Ingredients
2 Bunches Methi leaves
1 Cup Fresh Cream
2 Cup Muttor
1/4 spoon Jeera
A pinch of Asafoetida
A pinch of Cardamom Powder
A pinch of Cinnamon Powder
A pinch of Cloves Powder
1 Onion
1/2 spoon Khus Khus (poppy seeds)
1.5 spoon Sugar
5-6 spoon Curd
15-20 Cashews
1 Green Chilli
1/4 spoon Ginger paste
Salt to taste
Ghee

Method

• Boil 4-5 cups of water with salt
• Add the finely chopped methi leaves in this hot water and keep for 5 minutes
• Remove the Methi from water and also remove the excess water and keep aside the methi.
• Boil the muttor and keep aside
• Grind the onion, khus khus, sugar, curd, cashews, green chillie and ginger paste together
• In a bowl beat the cream to smooth consistency
• Heat ghee in a pan, add jeera and let it sputter. Add asafoetida
• Add the grinded paste in this ghee and cook on low flame till the ghee separates out
• Add the beaten cream, methi, muttor and salt to taste
• Cook till gravy takes desired consistency

Notes
Squiz out the water from methi as much as possible, otherwise the gravy becomes little greenish(thats what happened to the one I cooked)
I think soaking cashes and khus khus for some time before grinding it would help in making fine paste. (thats how i do it for other recipies) I am going to try this one.
If the gravy is too thin, then mix 1/4 spoon of corn flour with water and add it to gravy to get the desired thickness. If the gravy is too thick you can add little milk to make it thinner.