Rich’s paneer korma

It was difficult to get our daughter to eat at daycare.  She was raised on Indian food, and when we transitioned from home to daycare after the pandemic, she didn’t want to eat the foods she didn’t recognize.  We thought about what we could send, and we decided on one of her favorites, Paneer Butter Masala.  However, most of the packets, frozen meals, or what you get at restaurants contain nuts, which is prohibited at daycare.  So, my husband experimented and came up with this dish which is rich, buttery, creamy, and delicious.  Plus, it is 100% nut free.  

Ingredients:

5 Large Roma Tomatoes – pureed

2.5 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste 

1Tbs Cumin Power 

1Tbs Coriander Powder 

1 Tbs Kashmiri Chilli Powder 

2 tsp garam masala 

2 Tbs butter  

1 Tbs ghee 

1 medium onion- 1 finely chopped 

1 Tbsp Oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp Dried Methi (Fenugreek Leaves)

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro 

1 14 ounce package of Paneer (Cubed) 

1 Pint of heavy whipping cream  

This recipe was made for a child.  If you wish to add some spice, you can include 1 – 2 green chilli’s ( sauté it ) 

1. Begin by washing the tomatoes, quartering them, and pureeing them in a blender.  Set aside.

2. Chop the paneer into small to medium size cubes and set aside.  

3.Heat a large pot on medium heat and add oil and butter.  Once the butter melts, add the onion.  

4. Cook the onion until it starts to turn transparent.  Add all the spices and sauté well.  Cook for about one minute.  Spices always need to be sautéed to prevent a raw tasting / bitter curry. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for another minute.

5. Add pureed tomatoes.  Cook until the raw smell goes away.  The tomatoes will go from a pinkish color to a deep red color. Add salt. 

6. Add heavy whipping cream and stir. Turn heat to low, add ghee and paneer.  Cover and cook for about five minutes.  

7. Add dried Methi leaves and cook for a few more minutes. 

8. Add Cilantro and serve on rice or with Naan or Chapati

Tortilla casserole

Recently I visited my sister and she had made a tortilla casserole for dinner . I used that a few recipes on the internet for inspiration and made my own tortilla casserole. 

Ingredients

Carb balance Tortilla - 4

Olive oil - 3 tbsp 

Frozen corn- cooked per instruction- 1 10 oz bag

Green bell pepper - 1 

Orange bell pepper - 1 

Garlic paste - 2 tbsp 

Spices :

Onion salt ( Trader Joe’s ) - 1 tbsp 

Cumin powder - 1 tbsp

Taco seasoning - 2 tbsp 

Salt - to taste 

Pepper - 1 tsp

Hatch Chile powder - 1/4 tsp

Salsa ( mild ) - 1/4 cup

Water - 1 cup

Refried beans can ( sauté on the pan with 2

Tbsp of taco seasoning) - 1.5 cups 

Low fat Shredded taco cheese - 1.5 cups

Instructions 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 F

2.  Cut the peppers into small cubes 

3. Place a deep pot on the stove . Heat up 3 tbsp of olive oil 

4. Sauté the peppers

5. When the peppers are soft add in the garlic paste , and the spices and sauté well until the raw smell is gone.

6. Now add in the corn and mix in 

7. Add the salsa and the water and mix in 

8. Let the water boil off until the mixture is thick 

9. Turn off the stove and let the corn pepper mixture to cool

10. Take a 9” round pan and coat with olive oil

11. Place a tortilla. Add 1/3 of the refried beans and spread it evenly 

12. Then add the corn mixture and spread evenly 

13. Then add the shredded cheese 

14. Then cover with a tortilla 

15. Repeat steps 11-13 again twice 

16. Cover the top with the fourth tortilla 

17. Coat  the tortilla with olive oil

18. Place the pan in the pre heated over uncovered for 15 minutes 

19. At 15 minutes pull the pan out carefully and cover with shredded cheese and cover it and cook for 5 minutes 

20. Let it cool and then cut into 6 pieces 

21. Serve with sour cream ( can have salsa, guacamole , lettuce, tomatoes etc as well on the side) 

Cauliflower and cheese soup in instant pot

Since the weather is cold we’ve been craving soups. My husband made this soup in the instant pot and it was quite tasty .

Ingredients:

1 Head of Cauliflower – cleaned and chopped 

2 Tbs butter 

1 large Bay leaf 

1 medium onion – chopped 

4 cloves of garlic – minced 

2 cups of vegetable broth 

1 cup of shredded cheese (Vegan cheese if you want to keep it vegan) 

¾’s can of Coconut Milk 

¼ teaspoon of Pepper 

Salt to taste

Directions:

1)      Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and sauté the onions, bay leaf, and garlic in the butter.

2)     Add pepper and a pinch of salt when the onions are transparent.  

3)     Add the vegetable broth, and cauliflower.

4)     Place the lid on the Instant Pot and close the pressure valve.  Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.  When timer goes off allow the pressure to release naturally (About 20 minutes).

5)     Place the contents of the Instant Pot in a blender or use a hand blender to blend the pot of vegetables until smooth and creamy.  Add coconut milk and cheese and mix until smooth.  

6)     Add salt and pepper to taste.    

Vegetable cutlet

Vegetable cutlet is the first dish me and my sister made ( after our mom said if you don’t want to eat what I made , make your own food )  and we followed the recipe from the classic tamil cookbook ‘ Samaithu par ( cook and see)’. Since then I have simplified the recipe so it doesn’t take much time to make 

Ingredients;

Cutlet:

3 potatoes - cooked and peeled- mashed 

Mixed vegetables with peas/ carrots/ corn -1.5 cup steamed ( I took out the beans/ Lima beans but you can leave in you like)- mashed in a separate bowl

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp ( if you don’t have the paste just grate equal parts fresh ginger and fresh garlic and put in 2 tbsp worth)

Homemade masala powder - 2 tbsp ( recipe below- store extra )

Fennel - 1 part ( I used about 1/8cup) 

White poppy seeds- 1 part ( 1/8 cup)

Cloves - 3 

Grind well into a fine powder and store in an airtight container 

Kashmiri chili powder ( or just chili powder)- 1/4 tsp

Garam masala ( store bought) - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste 

Panko bread crumbs ( for gluten allergic people use crushed rice cereal or corn cereal / corn meal) - 1/2 cup 

————

Batter : mix together until batter consistency ( like pancake batter- can adjust water to get to correct consistency ) 

Corn flour - 3 tbsp 

Water - 1/4 cup 

Salt and pepper to taste 

————

Panko bread crumbs- 1 cup ( for dipping- see substitution above for gluten allergic people )

Instructions:

1. Mix the potato and the mixed vegetable mash together in a large mixing bowl 

2. Add the spices including ginger garlic paste, homemade masala , garam masala , chili powder, salt to the mash and mix in well. Taste and adjust salt.

3. Add the breadcrumbs to the mixture and mix in well

4. Now set up a dipping station.Put the mashed potato mixture bowl first , then the batter , then the bread crumbs in a bowl 

5. Take a golf ball sized mixture and pat it flat. Dip in the corn batter to coat it and then in the bread crumbs and set on a plate ready to fry.

6. In a fry pan pour 1/2 cup of vegetable/ canola oil and heat up to 375 ( frying temp - can use a thermometer ). If there is no thermometer - heat up the oil in the pan on moderate / high heat (around 8). Once it gets hot enough test it by putting a small pinch of the potato mixture in and see if fries and rises to the top quickly ( this is the appropriate temp).

You can turn down the temp to moderate heat at this point to prevent burning of the cutlet.

7. Fry the cutlet about 30 sec on both sides until golden brown . Use a slotted spoon since this drains the oil . Set the cutlet aside on a paper towel lined bowl to drain the oil 

Cutlet is ready to serve with ketchup/ tamarind sauce / mint chutney 

Apple, beet salad with breaded goat cheese topping

I first had this apple, beet, goat cheese salad at a restaurant in Budapest and then when we got home we had to re create it since it was so tasty. Since then this has been a salad we eat pretty regularly. It is a way to eat beets that is tasty :)

Ingredients 

Canned beets - 1 can - cut into thin strips ( julienned)

Apple-2 large - cut into thin strips ( julienned) 

Clementine/ mandarin orange slices from 2 fruits - optional 

Butter lettuce - cut and washed 

Candied walnuts / pecans - 2 tbsp ( optional )

Breaded goat cheese rounds:

Goat cheese - 8 oz log

Egg- 1 beaten 

Panko bread crumbs- 1 cup 

Dried spices (mix in with bread crumbs) 

Thyme- 1/4 tsp , parsley - 1/4 tsp , basil-1/4 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp, black pepper - 1/4 tsp

Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup for shallow frying 

Dressing :

Oranges ( clementines/ halos/ mandarin orange)- 3 juiced

Olive oil - 2 tbsp 

Rice wine vinegar - 2 tbsp

Mustard- 1/2 tsp

Maple syrup - 1 tbsp

Honey/ brown sugar- 1 tbsp 

Salt- to taste

Pepper - to taste 

Instructions :

1. First in a bowl add julienned apple, beets and                (optional) orange slices.

2. Combine all the ingredients for the salad dressing in a bowl beat well until combined. Taste it and add ingredients to taste ( ie if sour add some sweet, if sweet add some sour etc) and set aside.

3.Freeze the goat cheese for about 20 min before you cut it so it’s firm

4.Cut the goat cheese into 1/2 inch slices 

5.Dip the goat cheese into the egg and then dip it into the seasoned bread crumbs 

6. In a sauce pan add the oil until it is about 1/4 inch deep

7. Heat the oil up to about 350 ( if you don’t have a thermometer just heat up the oil enough and test it by dropping a small amount of the breaded goat cheese, if it sizzles and rises to the top right away then it is at the correct temperature)

8. Now gently place the breaded goat cheese round into the oil and let it dry form about 30 seconds and then turn it over with a slotted spoon 

9. Repeat the same with the other side - you take it out when it is golden brown

10. Drain the excesses oil by placing in a paper towel lined bowl. 

11. Add the dressing from step 2 to the bowl of apples and beets from step 1 and combine well

12. On a plate place the butter lettuce and the place the apple beet mixture on top and the sprinkle with candied nuts and then place the breaded goat cheese rounds on top and now the salad is ready to serve !!

Ven pongal ( savory pongal)

Pongal is the harvest festival in Tamil Nadu where I’m from . It is also the name of the food that is made on that day from the newly harvested rice ! The type of savory pongal made on the day is a little different that this dish. On pongal we just boil rice with salt and milk in a pot and use it as a base to eat with other accompaniments. We make a sweet pongal and a few other dishes on that day as well

Growing up we looked forward to pongal since we went to our grandparents house and hung out with all our cousins. My grandparents were farmers ( rice, coconut) so it was a particularly festive occasion! 

Ingredients 

Rice - 1 cup 

Moong dal ( dehusked split green gram )- 1/2 cup

Ginger - small piece peeled and cut into pieces 

Black peppercorn - 1.5 tsp

Cumin seed - 1.5 tsp

Salt- to taste

Ghee ( clarified butter, you can use regular butter too) 3-5 tbsp 

Cashews- 10

Curry leaf - 5

Instructions 

1. Wash the rice with water until the water is clear. Drain and set aside.

2. Dry roast the moong dal for 1-2 minutes until raw smell is gone . Don’t let it burn 

3. You can cook the rice and dal on a pot on the stove, in a pressure cooker or the easiest would be to cook it in an instant pot

4. Place the rice and dal in the instant pot container. Add 5 cups of water and pressure cook it in the instant pot for 30 minutes 

5. Once the rice and dal are cooked, use a spoon to mix it together.

6. Now take a large heavy bottomed pot and place on medium heat on the stove 

7. Add a tablespoon of ghee and roast the cashews until golden brown and set aside.

8.Add 2 more tablespoons of ghee and sauté the ginger, peppercorns, cumin , and curry leaves. ( I typically grind the peppercorns and cumin into a coarse powder and then use that mixture instead of whole spices)

9. Now add the dal and rice mixture to the pot and mix in well with the spices

10. Add salt to taste and add the roasted cashews. 

11. Add a few more tablespoons of ghee ( optional)

12. Pongal is now ready to serve 

13. You can serve it with  coconut Chutney and as an added bonus with  Madhu vada

Tik tok pasta with baked goat and boursin cheese, asparagus, tomatoes and olives

I only recently learned about this tiktok pasta craze ! It was made popular by a Finnish blogger in 2019 and called uunifetapasta .  I am quite late to the game :) My sister told me she had made variations of it with Boursin cheese and Trader Joe’s spinach artichoke dip as a base for the sauce. 

I decided to give it a try since I had recently bought some goat cheese and new type of pasta I wanted to try. It was called Ronzoni and was made with rice/corn/quinoa. 

Ingredients:

Ronzoni rotini - cooked according to the directions on the box ( cooked for 14-15 min) - al dente - 2 cups 

A block of plain goat cheese - 8 oz

Herbed Boursin cheese - 1/2 package 

Asparagus - 15 spears - cut into three pieces ( discard the bottom third and use the top 2 pieces )

Tomato- 1 box cherry tomatoes- since I didn’t have these I used half a large tomato and cut it into cubes 

Olives - small 1.2 oz cup sliced into halves 

Olive oil- 1/4-1/3 cup 

Garlic cloves - 2 chopped into small pieces 

Fresh basil (or dried italian seasoning)- a bunch 

Salt

Pepper 

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box. Drain it and save 1 cup of the pasta water ( to use later) 

2. Preheat oven to 400 F

3. Take a large oven safe dish and drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil.Place the asparagus, olives, tomatoes, garlic cloves in the periphery of the dish and drizzle olive oil on top and heat it in the oven for 15 min.

4. Place the cheese in the middle of the dish. 

5. Cook the cheese and the vegetables in the oven for 20 more minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

6. Take the dish out of the oven. Add the pasta little by little into the dish and mix the vegetables, cheese and pasta together. Add a little pasta water to make the pasta creamy. 

7. Add salt, pepper and herbs. 

8. Pasta is ready to serve !!