the kachodi which reminds me of train journey

yesterday i had to go for poetry reading so the dinner for family had to be special matar paneer was on my mind i paired it with ajwain kachodi and kheer.
today morning i had the same kachodi with chai and i was reminded of those summer days when we would travel with the same kachodi in mithai box wrapped in foil and smeared with home made pickle few days back my sister shared the memory of going for movie and carrying allo paratha with us which i don't remember

kachodi 

sometimes i feel i only remember those things which my brain wants to remember.
recipe of matar paneer blogged here
recipe of ajawian kachodi blogged here
recipe of kheer blogged here

Festive Thali for Karwa Chauth

Last week was preety hectic as i was alone with Advay for few days,with a sprained leg i somehow managed to cook a decent meal for KarwaChauth vrat

i prepared Ajwain kachodi, Matar paneer,Jeera Aloo,Bharwa Mirchi,Bari hutney,Thekua,Fara,
Dahi wada and Sooji Halwa.

With the advent of moon i broke my fast with this meal.
For a Pooja at my friends place i had to prepare kheer for 40 people ,now this was something new for me as i had never prepared for more then 10 people,and for kheer i never follow any measurement so i asked her to help me with the approx quantity ,this is how i prepared
Recipe name Kheer
Recipe source my friend
preparation time 20 mins
cooking time one hour
Ingredient
rice four cup
sugar eight cup
milk 16 cups
saffron strands pinch
ghee one tsp
crushed cardamom seven
chopped nuts almond,cashew and pistachio one cup

Preparation
run rice through blender once ,soak and keep aside
heat ghee in non stick wok,lower the flame and crushed  cardamom
stir for a minute and add drained rice
add milk and let the milk boil for ten minutes
add sugar,saffron strands,chopped nuts and mix everything together
keep stirring and cook on low flame till rice is cooked and milk thickens
serve warm or chilled garnished with chopped nuts.

other kheer recipes blogged at asankhana
gharwali kheer
badami kheer
for rangoli and heena  for karwa chauth check this post
Linking this post to
The Weekly Story 23 hosted by Colours Dekor.
In the Spotlight - Of spooks and sparkles hosted by Colours Dekor.
September Carnival - A bit of India in Every home hosted by The Key Bunch

Holi thali - Bidari paratha with Aloo gobhi tamatar sabzi and matar paneer

Wish all the Readers of Asan Khana Happy Holi 2011

prepared simple meal of Aloo Gobhi,Matar Paneer and Bidari Paratha for dinner.
recipe of Bidari Paratha blogged here
recipe of Matar Paneer blogged here ,
have followed the second recipe of the post,with few changes -
added kasturi methi once the masala paste was fried
paneer cubes were not shallow fried
recipe of Aloo Gobhi Tamatar Sabzi
recipe source my mom
Preparation time 15 mins
Cooking time 30 mins
Ingredient
Cauliflower one chopped
potato three peeled and chopped
onion two chopped
tomato one chopped
green chili two chopped
garlic clove two chopped
ginger half inch chopped
cumin seeds one tsp
salt as per taste
bay leaves four
green cardamom two crushed
red chili powder half tsp
turmeric powder half tsp
coriander powder one tsp
garam masala one tsp
coriander leaves to garnish
Preparation
keep the chopped cauliflower florets in warm water for 10 mins,drain and keep aside
heat one tsp oil in non stick wok ,add bay leaves and cardamom seeds and lower the flame
add cauliflower florets and potato and fry for 5 to 10 mins
remove from flame and keep aside.
Procedure
In the same wok add one tsp of oil
add cumin seeds and let it splutter
lower the flame and add chopped ginger,garlic and green chili
followed by onion ,keep stirring till the onions turn mushy
add chopped tomato and salt,red chili,turmeric and coriander
once oil is seen along the sides add the fried cauliflower and potato
mix everything together and cover and cook
before serving sprinkle garam masala powder and chopped coriander leaves
let it simmer for five minutes,serve warm.

Holi sweet Ghujia recipe is blogged here

                                       Thats all friends,take care and wish you all Happy Week Ahead,..-)

Winter memories and Matar Paneer Curry,....

Winters remind me of  Posta Halwa prepared by my mom
Spicy Chicken Curry prepared at our home every weekend
Warm Bowl of Gazar Halwa slowly cooked on Angeethi
and fresh green pea straight from our farm
Because there was a time when green pea was available only during winter,i remember Dadi used to stock green peas and tomatoes ,those were the days.Sharing with you all simple and flavourful curry ,my all time favourite :)

Recipe name Matar Paneer
Recipe source kitchen experiment
Preparation time one hour
Cooking time 30 mins
Ingredient
One cup cottage cheese
paste of two onion ,two garlic and one green chili
pearl onion five
paste of one tomato
green pea one tbsp
salt as per taste
oil to cook
red chili powder half tsp
turmeric powder pinch
cumin seeds half tsp
coriander seed one fourth tsp
black pepper four
clove three
kabab chini four
Preparation
Shallow fry cottage cheese and keep aside
shallow fry pearl onion and keep aside
Procedure
Heat oil in non stick wok,once hot lower the flame
add the whole seeds which are underlined above
let them splutter ,add onion ,garlic and green chili paste
keep stirring till onions start changing their colour
add tomato paste ,red chili and turmeric powder
followed by salt.
keep stirring till oil is seen along the sides.
add pearl onion and let it simmer for few minutes
add requiered amount of water for the gravy
once the gravy thickens add pea and cottage cheese
let it simmer for five minutes
serve warm garnished with coriander leaves.

another version blogged here
linking this post to Winter warmers event on at The Veggie Hut.
do check out Ganesha on Canvas,.:-)
thats all friends,cee you all soon
wish you all happy weekend

300th post with ...:-)

When i write today i feel as if its just yesterday i started this small space of mine,but this isnt true  its been almost two years and some 4 months since i started writing :-) now thats a pretty long time i knw ,
with my blog i have grown up too,met some beautiful people,made some lifelong friends and with each post i learned something thats the best part of blogging  so thanks a ton guys for inspiring me ,motivating me to keep this on ,without your support this wouldnt have been possible.
Prepared vision board today

,wrote my dinner plan for today evening which had three options tomato rasam/tomato rice or dal ,rice and fried okra..within few minutes my neighbour calls me up to tell me she has prepared tomato rasam for me,now waht do u call this mere coincidence or law of attraction ;-)

Enough of musing i guess for todays post ,had craving to eat Matar Paneer yesterday night ,didnt had cottage cheese at home so i prepared paneer at home

,have already blogged recipe of Matar Paneer here ,this one is slightly modified version of the same
,i omitted the use of garlic and green chili,
didnt fry cottage cheese before adding to the gravy
didnt add much water as wanted the gravy to semi dried,

Thats all frens,its been a long day today ,wish you all happy weekend ,cee you all soon...

Dhaba wala matar paneer sirke wale pyaz ke saath or sath mai masala dahi bandh gobhi salad ke sath,...enjoy the meal,...:-)

What happens when Advay sleeps for 3 hrs continuously and i get time to cook in kitchen peacefully read on,....:-)
I like to cook when there is no one in the kitchen ,...i guess that's how everyone likes it,..but these days i don get this opportunity ,i have to shut the kitchen door or ask some one to latch from outside,,,,reason being Advay,...he will just come and open kitchen tap,throw utensils,play with burner or do so many other things which will disturb me to the core,...:-(,..i have to keep telling hubby to keep him out specially during evening,..cause that's when he is most notorious.
One afternoon Advay took afternoon nap for three hrs continuously this may sound normal for everyone but for me this was blessing in disguise reason i got enough opportunity to experiment in kitchen ,..that too without any distractions :-),..had no menu in mind,...first thing first ,..saw fresh cottage cheese,green peas in refrigerator...and thus without any doubt thought of preparing matar paneer ,saw curd too and chopped cabbage,capsicum,and carrot without wasting time i started with the preparation,...
ingredient required for Matar Paneer
chopped cottage cheese one cup
tomato two chopped
onion three chopped
garlic five to six cloves chopped
green chili three chopped
ginger one inch chopped
salt to taste
half tsp each turmeric powder,red chili powder and coriander powder( mix in few drops of water,make paste and keep aside)
cumin seeds one tsp
dry red chili three crushed
bay leaf two crushed
pepper seeds half tsp
black cardamom two
oil to cook one tbsp
fresh green peas half cup

procedure
heat half tsp of oil in non stick wok or kadai ,once the oil is hot add chopped cottage cheese and shallow fry till the edges start turning brown.
once done keep the fried cottage cheese on kitchen towel to drain excess oil.
add remaining oil in the same wok and once it is hot add cumin seeds,followed by crushed red chillies,bay leaves,black pepper seeds and black cardamom
once spices start turning brown add chopped ginger ,garlic and green chili followed by chopped onions,keep frying till onions start changing their colour,now add chopped tomato
once tomatoes are done add salt followed by masala mixture,..and keep stirring till oil is seen along the sides.
now add desired amount of water for the gravy ,followed by peas,
lower the flame and simmer for 10 to 15 Min's,once done add fried cottage cheese ,simmer again for five minutes.
remove from flame ,add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or roti.

another version of matar paneer which can be tried is instead of chopped onion,ginger and garlic  and green chili their paste can be used for the gravy and to give more subtle flavour black cardamom,pepper and red chili can be omitted,i experimented with chopped onions because i wanted to prepare matar paneer the same way its prepared in road side dhabas ,i don't know how far i succeeded in preparing dhaba version of matar paneer :-) goes well with rice and chapati...
for salad i mixed red wine vinegar in chopped cabbage,carrot and capsicum along with salt and pepper,...

for masala curd just beat curd and give tadka of dried red chillies ,fewmustard seeds,add pinch of salt and red chili powder,..

For onion in vinegar just add finely chopped onions in vinegar and a pinch of salt mix well.

finally khana taiyar hai,

..ya that's what i tell hubby when food is ready...;-) had matar paneer curry with chapatis,salad,masala curd and sirke wala pyaz,..:-)

This whole feast goes to Blogger Aid Because We Can Help Event

 

hosted by Equal Opportunity Kitchen , as this thali is apt for hungry guests visiting us during holidays :-)

Ramki of One page cookbooks is hosting

event Recipes for the rest of us salad and masala curd goes to Ramkis event.

Whole thali again goes to Trupti of Recipe Center for her

Winter treat event as this thali is perfect for winters

Lore of Culinarty is on in her blog with Original Recipe -winter holidays

hot matar paneer curry is off for her event,..

Adlak of Adlaks kitchen has passed Best blogger friend award,

...thanks a lot,..Adlak for passing this beautiful award to me,..:-)....

thats all frens,...;-) i will be back soon,..with the recipe of pic below,

...till then happy blogging and cooking,...;-)