Paneer Pakora Recipe 

Paneer pakora is a deep fried popular north Indian snack with a crispy outer layer of gram flour and soft and moist paneer from the inside. Paneer slices (or cubes) are coated with the batter of gram flour(besan) and then deep fried until crispy. These pakoras can be made in two different ways- 1).simple (without stuffing), and 2). with the stuffing of green chutney (or tomato ketchup or chaat masala powder). For simple pakoras, paneer cubes are directly dipped into the gram flour batter and then deep fried. In this recipe, we have made the pakoras with the stuffing of green chutney. You can make the pakoras either simple or with the stuffing as per your preference. Both ways they taste delicious with the green chutney.

Ingredients:
125 grams(4 oz) Paneer
2 tablespoons Green Chutney + more for serving
1/4 teaspoon Chaat Masala Powder
3/4 cup Gram Flour (besan/ chickpea flour)
A pinch of Baking Soda, optional
1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder, optional
1/4 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
Salt to taste
Oil, for deep frying


Directions:

(1)Make thick green chutney by following this recipe. Add less water while making to make thick chutney. You can also use garlic chutney or chaat masala powder or any other chutney instead of green chutney.

(2)Cut paneer into 1½-inch wide and 1/3-inch thick(or 1/2-inch) 8-9 slices or small rectangles or squares.

(3)Take a slice of paneer and cut it from the middle keeping the other side intact using a knife. Cut all the slices in a similar way.

(4)Take one paneer slice and stuff it with the green chutney.

(5)Repeat the same process for remaining ones. Sprinkle chaat masala over it.

(6)Heat oil in a deep frying pan or a kadai over medium flame. Meanwhile, let’s make the batter. Take 3/4 cup gram flour, a pinch of baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder, 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder and salt in a medium bowl.

(7)Mix all ingredients using a spoon. Add water little by little (used approx. 1/3 cup, add more or less as needed) and mix well to make smooth and thick batter having pouring consistency. Make sure that there are no lumps in the batter.

(8)When the oil is medium hot, dip a stuffed paneer slice in the prepared batter and coat it evenly.

(9)Place it gently into the hot oil. Add 3-4 slices at a time depending on the size of the pan. When the top surface turns light golden brown, flip them using a slotted spoon.

(10)Deep fry them until crispy and light golden brown from both the sides. Take them out using a slotted spoon.

(11)Drain excess oil and place them over the paper napkin in a plate. Hot paneer pakoras are ready to serve with green chutney or tomato ketchup.


Taste:  Crispy from outside and soft from inside
Serving Ideas: Serve pakodas with tomato ketchup, green coriander chutney and tea/coffee as an evening snack or side dish or starter in the party.
Author: Foram

Shahi Paneer Recipe

Curries, North Indian, Paneer Curries Snacks and Starters

It is a delicious North Indian curry made with paneer (cottage cheese) and tomato based spicy gravy laced with spices. This is a traditional recipe that has been followed from generations and has been mainstay preparation in Indian cuisine since the time of Moguls. This shahi paneer recipe uses cashew nut based tomato gravy to bring in the rich texture and flavor.

Ingredients:
250 gms Paneer (cottage cheese), cubed into 1-inch pieces
1 medium Tomato, crushed
2 medium Onions
5-6 Cashew Nuts
1 teaspoon Coriander Seeds, roasted
1-2 Cloves (lavang)
1/2 piece of Bay Leaf
A small piece of Cinnamon Stick
2 Green Cardamoms
1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Coriander Powder
1 drop of Red Food Color, optional
1/3 cup Curd (not sour), beaten
1/3 cup Warm Water
1/2 teaspoon Sugar, optional
2 tablespoons Fresh Cream
1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
2-3 strands of Saffron, dissolved in 1 teaspoon water, optional
3 tablespoons Cooking Oil or Ghee (clarified butter)
Salt to taste
1-2 teaspoons Kasuri Methi , for garnishing


Directions:

(1)Grind cashew nuts with roasted coriander seeds into smooth powder and keep aside until required.

(2)Blanch the onions by following the directions given in the “How to Blanch Onion” recipe and crush the blanched onion to medium coarse paste in a grinder. Heat oil in a kadai (or pan) over medium flame. Add cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon and green cardamom. When they begin to crackle, add crushed onion.

(3)Stir-fry until it becomes light brown for approx. 3-4 minutes.

(4)Add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, a drop of red food color, cashew nut powder (prepared in step-1) and stir-fry for a minute.

(5)Add crushed tomato puree and salt.

(6)Stir-fry for approx. 2-minutes.

(7)Add curd, sugar and 1/3 cup warm water.

(8)Mix them and let mixture boil until oil starts to separate.

(9)Takeaway kadai from flame and let the mixture cool for 5 minutes. Discard whole spices (cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon and green cardamom), transfer mixture to a blender jar and blend it to smooth puree in blender or food processor. Again, transfer it to same kadai and place on the stove.

(10)Add fresh cream, garam masala powder and dissolved saffron.

(11)Mix well and cook for a minute.

(12)Add paneer cubes and mix properly to coat them with gravy.

(13)Cook for 3-4 minutes and turn off flame.

(14)Garnish it with kasuri methi and serve hot with Punjabi butter naan or tandoori roti in lunch.


Taste: Spicy
Serving Ideas: Shahi paneer can be served with butter naan, tandoori roti, paratha, kulcha, etc. for lunch or dinner. It also tastes better when served with steamed rice or peas pulao.

Vegetable Khichdi Recipe 

Pulao, Rice


Vegetable Khichdi is a tempting and nutritious comfort food from Indian cuisine. This recipe requires sautéing basmati rice, dal and mix veggies in ghee with spices followed by boiling in deep pan to make one of the best veg khichdi. Unlike other khichdi recipes, this recipe uses a deep pan with the lid to get a sparse, uncompressed texture. However, you can use pressure cooker to make it in a traditional way too (see tips given below).

Ingredients:
2/3 cup Basmati Rice
1/3 cup Moong Dal (split green gram)
1 medium size Onion, finely chopped
1 cup Mix Vegetables, chopped
3¼ cups Water
2 tablespoons Ghee
4 Cloves
5 Black Peppercorns
5-6 Curry Leaves
1 Cinnamon stick, broken into 2-pieces
2 small pieces of Bay Leaf
1/4 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
2 tablespoons Coriander Leaves (chopped)
Salt

Directions: 
(1)Wash and soak rice and moong dal in water for 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside. Finely chop mix vegetables.

(2)Heat ghee in a deep pan over medium flame. When ghee is hot enough to sauté, add cumin seeds, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, black peppercorn and curry leaves. Sauté for 30-40 seconds.

(3)Add chopped onion and sauté until it turns light brown or for approx. 1-2 minutes.

(4)Add mixed vegetables (cabbage, green peas, potato, carrot, french beans) and sauté for 2 minutes.

(5)Add soaked rice, moong dal, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

(6)Add 3¼ cups water and bring it to a boil. When it starts boiling, cover it with a lid and cook for 10-15 minutes over low flame. Stir occasionally in between to prevent sticking.

(7)Open/remove the lid and let it cook until rice grain is tender and almost all water is absorbed; approx. 2-3 minutes.

(8)Turn off the flame and garnish it with coriander leaves.

Taste: Salty and spicy
Serving Ideas: Serve it on its own or with cucumber raita and mango pickle as a light and healthy dinner. Veg khichdi and Punjabi kadhi is a traditional combination menu for scrumptious dinner.

 Chilli Paneer Recipe 

 Snacks, Starters

Hot and spicy chilli paneer prepared with this step by step photos recipe is delicious delight anytime. Whether served as starter or served as side dish with Chinese fried rice or schezwan fried rice, it’s definitely going to leave your taste buds wanting for more. This recipe is for preparing dry Chinese paneer chilly. It uses and recommends deep-frying of marinated paneer cubes for best taste but you can follow tips mentioned below to use shallow fry technique and make it a healthy dish.


Ingredients:
250 gms Paneer (cottage cheese)
4 Green Chillies, slit
5-6 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced Ginger
1 large Green Capsicum, chopped
1 large Onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Maida (all purpose flour)
2 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon Cornflour (corn starch)
2 teaspoons Soya Sauce
1 teaspoon Green Chilli Sauce
1½ teaspoons Tomato Sauce
6 tablespoons + 3 tablespoons Water
2 tablespoons + for deep frying, Cooking Oil
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper Powder
Salt to taste


Directions:

(1)Cut paneer into 1-inch cubes. Make paste (required to coat the paneer cubes) by mixing maida, 2 tablespoons cornflour, black pepper powder and salt with 6 tablespoons water. (use as needed, start with adding 4 tablespoon water and keep adding another tablespoon water until medium thick paste is ready).

(2)Coat paneer cubes with the paste and set aside for 10-15 minutes to marinate.

(3)Heat cooking oil in a kadai over medium flame. Deep fry coated paneer cubes in oil until light brown.

(4)Strain them and then put on an absorbent paper (to soak all unnecessary oil) and keep aside until needed.

(5)Dissolve 1 tablespoon cornflour in 3 tablespoons water and keep aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan. Add minced ginger and minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds over medium flame. Add chopped onion and sauté until it turns light brown. Add chopped capsicum and green chillies and cook for 2 minutes. Keep stirring in between.

(6)Add chilli sauce, soya sauce, tomato sauce and salt. Mix well and cook over medium flame for 1 minute.

(7)Add fried paneer cubes and dissolved cornflour (prepared in step-5). Stir and cook over medium flame for around 2-3 minutes or until gravy turns thick.

(8)Turn off flame and transfer prepared Chinese veg paneer chilli dry to serving dish. Garnish it with spring onion and serve hot with soup or fried rice.


Taste: Hot and spicy
Serving Ideas: Serve chilli paneer dry with soup in winter evenings to quickly warm up the body or serve it with Chinese fried rice or schezwan rice as a side accompaniment.

Vada Pav Recipe 

Chaat and Tikki, Fast Food, Maharashtrian, Snacks

Generally served with deep fried green chilli, tomato ketch up and dry garlic chutney, Vada Pav, which is popularly known as Indian burger among youngsters, is a hard to miss street food cum fast food of Mumbai and often a quickest way to satisfy your hunger on the go is equally popular among all ages of people. In its simplest preparation, bread pav or bun is horizontally cut from center, given a generous touch of green and dry garlic chutney and then stuffed with deep fried crispy and spicy potato fritter (batata vada) – Pav Vada prepared with this style is more popular in Maharashtra. However, in Gujarat and typically in Ahmedabad, bread pav or bun is roasted or shallow fried in dry garlic chutney laced butter to give it a richer spicier flavor. This step by step photo recipe of vada pav explains both the variations in detail.


Ingredients:
4 Batata Vada
4 Pav Bun
1/4 cup Green Chutney
1/4 cup Dry Garlic Chutney
2 tablespoons Butter, optional
Green Chutney and Tomato Ketchup, for serving


Directions:

(1)Make batata vada by following this recipe.

(2)Make dry garlic chutney by following this recipe link.

(3)Make green chutney by following this recipe.

(4)Take pav and slit it horizontally into two equal halves and keep one-side connected. Spread 1-tablespoon green chutney on both inner sides of pav bun.

(5)Spread 1/2 tablespoon dry garlic chutney over it.

(6)Place one fried batata vada between them. Vada Pav is ready. Serve it with fried green chilli, green chutney and tomato ketch up.
For Ahmedabad Style Vada Pav (roasted pav):
In Ahmedabad style, pav is roasted with butter and garlic chutney before putting the vada inside it. This is an optional process but highly recommended.

(7)Heat 1/2 tablespoon butter on a tawa over medium flame. Add 1/2 tablespoon dry garlic chutney over it.

(8)Roast pav’s inner side by placing it on tawa. Press it a little and shallow fry until light brown – approx 20-30 second on medium flame.

(9)Flip the pav and shallow fry outer sides as well until light brown.
Spread green chutney on inner side and place the vada inside pav. Serve hot with tomato ketch up and green chutney.



Taste:  Spicy
Serving Ideas:  Serve vada pav as an afternoon snack or as an evening snack. It can also be served as a party snack in kid’s birthday party or any other functions.

Matar Paneer Recipe 

Curries, Dinner, North Indian, Paneer Curries Snacks and Starters, Punjabi


Matar Paneer (Mutter Paneer), a delicious combination of soft paneer and healthy green peas in a mild spicy tomato based gravy, is a treat to taste buds at anytime. This simple matar paneer recipe makes irresistibly tasty curry by making some changes to its preparation; the shallow fried paneer cubes brings in subtle taste and texture while cashew nut paste makes it rich and creamy. Follow our step by step photo recipe to make this simple yet yummy curry at home to serve with paratha in dinner.

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh or frozen Green Peas (matar)
3/4 cup (1/2-inch cubed) Paneer (cottage cheese)
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
1 Green Chilli, chopped
2-3 cloves of Garlic
1/2 inch piece of Ginger, chopped
2 medium Tomatoes, roughly chopped
5-6 Cashew Nuts, soaked in hot water for 20-30 minutes
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
For shallow frying + 2 tablespoons Oil or Ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Water
Salt to taste


Directions:

(1)Grind onion, green chilli, ginger and garlic together in the small chutney jar of a grinder to make medium coarse paste. Grind the tomatoes to make tomato puree. Grind cashew nuts with 2 tablespoons water until smooth paste.

(2)Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the same pan/kadai over medium flame. Add crushed onion paste (prepared in step-1) and salt (only for onion paste, it helps to cook onion faster). Sauté it until oil starts to separate or it turns translucent. It will take around 5-7 minutes.

(3)Add tomato puree (prepared in step-1) and cook on medium flame until oil starts to separate, for approx. 5-6 minutes.

(4)Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and salt.

(5)Stir and cook for a minute. Add cashew nut paste (prepared in step-1).

(6)Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.

(7)Add boiled peas and 1/2 cup water; mix properly and cook for 2-3 minutes.

(8)Add paneer cubes and cook for 2-3 minutes. We have added plain paneer cubes but you can add shallow fried paneer to enhance the flavor (see tips).

(9)Turn off flame and transfer prepared curry to a serving bowl. Matar paneer is ready. Serve it with butter kulcha, cucumber tomato onion salad and gajar halwa for a complete meal.

Taste: Mild spicy with thick tomato based gravy.
Serving Ideas: It is one of the classic Indian recipes which can be paired with almost any Indian flat-breads like phulka roti, tandoori roti, paneer kulcha, butter naan, etc. for simple meal. However, make it a more scrumptious meal by adding tomato basil salad and gulab jamun in the menu.
Author: Foram

Papdi Chaat Recipe

India is a land of tongue tickling sweet, sour and spicy chaats and there are many many varieties of it. However, out of all chaats, crispy flat puris (papdis) topped with potato, chickpeas, moong beans, onion, flavored with green chutney, sweet chutney, curd and crispy sev otherwise known as papdi chhat is best. It has a perfect combination of crunch and mouth-watering flavor of chutneys complimented by goodness of boiled potatoes, chickpeas and sprouted moongs, making it a perfect party snack. Prepare all raw materials in advance and allow your guests to assemble it themselves to their liking and spare yourself of all serving troubles of other recipes. Don’t forget to read tips and variations given below in this step by step photo recipe of dahi papri chaat to customize it to your liking.


Ingredients:
14 Papadis (flat puri/chaat puri)
2/3 cup(1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) boiled Chickpeas
2/3 cup (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) boiled and chopped Potato (approx. 1 large)
1/2 cup boiled Moong Beans, optional
1/2 cup chopped Onion (approx. 1 medium)
1/2 cup Curd, lightly beaten
5 tablespoons (1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon)  Date Tamarind Chutney (khajur imli ki chutney)
5 tablespoons (1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon) Green Coriander Chutney
1/2 cup Sev


Directions:

(1)Prepare all the ingredients and arrange them before starting the assembling process. Take two deep serving plates and arrange 7-papadis in each of them. You can either keep papdis whole or lightly break them into small pieces.

(2)Mix 2-tablespoons green chutney with chickpeas.

(3)Top each plate with 1/3 cup potatoes and 1/4 cup onion.

(4)Top each plate with 1/3 cup chickpeas.

(5)Top each plate with 1/4 cup moong beans.

(6)Drizzle 1/4 cup curd over each plate.

(7)Drizzle 2½ tablespoons date tamarind chutney over each plate.

(8)Lightly sprinkle 1/4 cup sev over each plate.

(9)Top each plate with 1½ tablespoons green chutney. Papri Chaat is ready for serving. Enjoy it immediately.


Taste:  Mild sweet, sour and spicy taste with nice crunch.
Serving Ideas:  Savor this chaat as an evening snack.

Palak Paneer Recipe 

Curries, Paneer Curries Snacks and Starters, Punjabi, Spinach,


Palak Paneer is a popular North Indian curry made of blanched spinach and soft paneer. This restaurant style spicy Punjabi palak paneer recipe prepares a yummy curry by cooking shallow fried paneer cubes in a healthy spinach gravy, which is sautéed with finely balanced curry spices in aromatic ghee. Additionally, this recipe uses milk cream to bring in rich creamy texture. Serve this spinach paneer curry with equally delicious garlic naan for a scrumptious meal.


Ingredients:
1 large bunch or 4 cups chopped Spinach (Palak)
3/4 cup (approx. 150 gm) Paneer (cubed into 1/2-inch pieces)
1-2 Green Chillies, seeded and chopped (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds, optional
1 large Onion, finely chopped (approx. 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste (or crushed)
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Kasuri Methi (dry fenugreek leaves), optional
2 tablespoons Fresh Cream
1/3 cup Water
2 tablespoons Oil + 1 tablespoon Butter
Salt to taste

Directions:

(1)Clean and wash spinach in water to remove any soil or impurities. To blanch the spinach, boil it in salted water for 2 minutes.

(2)Drain it using a big perforated spoon or a strainer.

(3)Immediately transfer drained spinach into cold water and keep for a minute.

(4)Drain excess water and transfer blanched spinach to the medium size jar of a mixer grinder. Add green chillies and grind until smooth puree. If required, add few tablespoons of water while grinding.

(5)Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan or kadai over medium flame. Add paneer cubes and shallow fry them until the sides turn light brown. Transfer them to a plate and keep aside. You can remove excess ghee or oil from it by placing them on absorbent kitchen paper napkin.

(6)Heat remaining 1-tablespoon oil and 1-tablespoon butter together in the same pan over medium flame. Add cumin seeds and saute them for 30 seconds. (If you don’t like cumin seeds, you can avoid it.) Add finely chopped onion and stir fry until it turns translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste and stir fry for 30 seconds.

(7)Add spinach puree and salt. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.

(8)Add 1/3 cup water. Mix well and bring it to a boil. Stir occasionally in between.

(9)When gravy starts to boil, add shallow fried paneer cubes and cook for 3-4 minutes.

(10)Add lemon juice, kasuri methi and mix well. Turn off the flame and mix milk cream.

(11)Transfer it to a serving bowl and serve with tandoori roti, kulcha or butter naan.



Taste: Creamy and spicy
Serving Ideas: Apart from serving tasty Punjabi palak paneer gravy with various Indian breads like plain paratha, butter naan and lachha paratha, it can also be enjoyed with steamed rice or jeera rice and boondi raita.

Paneer Manchurian Recipe 

Chinese, Manchurian Recipes, Paneer Curries Snacks and Starters, Snacks, Starters, Top 10 Snacks

Dry and spicy Paneer Manchurian is one of the best Indo Chinese recipes. This recipe is similar to gobi manchurian but uses soft paneer cubes instead of cauliflower florets. It is one of the easy paneer dishes of Indo Chinese cuisine and an ideal party food as well.


Ingredients:
250 gms (1/2 lbs) Paneer (cottage cheese)
2 tablespoons Maida (all purpose flour)
4 tablespoons Cornflour (corn starch)
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Paste
1/2 teaspoon Ginger Paste
Cooking Oil
Salt
1/4 cup Water
For Sauté
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Paste
1/2 teaspoon Ginger Paste
1/4 cup finely chopped Capsicum
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 Green Chilli, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped Spring Onion
2 tablespoons Cooking Oil
1 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/2 tablespoon Chilli Sauce
2 tablespoons Tomato Ketchup
Salt


Directions for Manchurian:

(1)Cut paneer (cottage cheese) into small cubes. Mix maida flour, cornflour, salt, ginger paste and garlic paste with 1/4 cup water in a bowl and make a thick batter. Add paneer cubes in prepared batter, mix and let them marinate for 20 minutes.


(2)Heat oil in kadai (pan). Deep fry marinated, batter coated paneer cubes over medium flame until they turn golden brown.

(3)Drain and transfer them to plate having absorbent kitchen paper spread on it (to remove excess oil).
Directions for Sauté:

(4)Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wide, thin-bottomed pan on medium flame. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and sauté for 30 seconds on medium flame.

(5)Add chopped green chilli, diced capsicum and diced onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.

(6)Add soy sauce, tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and salt. Add fried paneer pieces and spring onion; mix well. Toss everything multiple times and cook for 1-2 minutes on high flame.

(7)Paneer manchurian dry is ready. Garnish with chopped spring onion and serve.


Taste: Soft and spicy with nice complex flavor of soya sauce, ginger and garlic.
Serving Ideas: Serve it as a starter or as an evening snack with tomato ketch up and chilli sauce.

Onion Pakoda Recipe 

North Indian, Snacks, Starters


Whether you want to entertain guests or just enjoy the pleasant rainy evening or cold wintery days, crispy and spicy onion pakoda can never go out of fashion. Its even better when accompanied by masala tea or your favorite chutney. With this step by step photo recipe, making it at home is now easier than ever and you can’t go wrong with it even if you are novice. In this simple preparation, onions are mixed with gram flour, rice flour and basic Indian spices and then deep fried until crispy.


Ingredients:
3 medium size Onions, finely sliced
1/2 cup Gram Flour (Besan Flour)
1/4 cup Rice Flour
1 teaspoon grated Ginger
5-7 Curry Leaves, chopped, optional
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
A pinch of Baking Soda (soda-bi-carbonate)
2 tablespoons finely chopped Coriander Leaves
Oil, for deep frying
Salt to taste


Directions:

(1)Take sliced onion in a large bowl.

(2)Add gram flour, rice flour, ginger, curry leaves, red chilli powder, baking soda, coriander leaves and salt.

(3)Mix well using spoon and keep aside for 10 minutes.

(4)Add water little by little (approx. 1/4 cup) and mix all the ingredients such that sliced onion is coated well with flour batter. Do not add more water unless required – if batter becomes too watery or thin then pakodas will not turn crispy.

(5)Heat oil in a deep pan over medium flame. Check whether oil is sufficiently hot or not by dropping a pinch of mixture in hot oil – if it comes upward immediately, then oil is sufficiently hot for deep frying. Take small portion of mixture in the hand and gently drop 3-4 small fritters into the oil and deep-fry until they turn golden brown in color – keep stirring occasionally in between so that they cook evenly and keep heat/flame to medium.

(6)Take them out using slotted spoon and drain excess oil. Place them on paper towel in a plate to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process for remaining batter and deep-fry in batches. Do not over crowd the oil with onion fritters, this will help them cook evenly.


Taste: Crunchy and spicy
Serving Ideas: Serve them hot as delectable snack with chutney or with a cup of tea or coffee in the evening.

Punjabi Kadhi Pakora Recipe 

Daal - Kadhi, Lunch, Punjabi

This is a tantalizingly sour dahi kadhi prepared with besan, curd and delicious besan pakora. Compared with other kadhi recipes, kadhi prepared with this recipe has simply irresistible texture that lives up to its expectation of truly punjabi taste because of mildly spiced, deep fried pakora submerged in thick gravy. Enjoy Punjabi kadhi pakora’s unparalleled taste with chawal (steamed rice) or vegetable khichdi and experience the truly blissful feel of classic Indian comfort food.



Ingredients:

For Besan Pakora
1/2 cup Besan (gram flour)
1/2 cup finely chopped (or 1 medium) Onion
1 Green Chilli, seeded and finely chopped
A small pinch of Baking Soda
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon Water
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
For Kadhi
1 cup sour Curd (yogurt)
1/4 cup Besan (gram flour)
1½ cups Water
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste
For Tempering
2 tablespoons Oil
1/4 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
1/4 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1/4 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1/2 teaspoon grated Ginger
2 Dry Red Kashmiri Chillies
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1 tablespoon Coriander Leaves, finely chopped


Directions for Making Besan Pakora:

(1)Mix 1/2 cup gram flour, chopped onion, chopped green chilli, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

(2)Add water (approx. 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon) in small quantities and make very thick batter (like idli batter).

(3)Heat oil in a small frying pan on medium flame. Take spoonful of batter in between your fingers or in a spoon and carefully drop it in oil. Drop 5-6 pakoras in single batch. Deep fry them until medium brown and crispy. Drain and transfer on plate having kitchen paper napkin on it and keep aside. Follow the same process for remaining batter.

Directions for Making Dahi Kadhi:

(4)Beat curd and 1/4 cup gram flour in a bowl with hand beater or blender.

(5)Add 1½ cups water, turmeric powder and salt. Blend all ingredients using hand blender until smooth batter. Ensure that there are no lumps.

(6)Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium size deep pan over medium flame. Add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. When they begin to crackle add cumin seeds and grated ginger; sauté for 20-30 seconds.

(7)Add prepared curd-flour batter and mix well.

(8)Cook on medium flame until raw smell of gram flour goes away or for approx. 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally in between to prevent sticking. If mixture becomes very thick, add 1/2 cup more water and cook more for 3-4 minutes. It should have pouring consistency.

(9)Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small tempering pan on low flame. When oil is medium hot enough, remove tempering pan from flame and add dry red chilli and red chilli powder. Immediately pour it over prepared kadhi.

(10)Add deep fried pakoras, mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the flame and garnish it with coriander leaves.



Taste: Sour and mild spicy.
Serving Ideas: Punjabi kadhi pakora and chawal (steamed rice) is a delicious wholesome meal when served with vegetable salad, papad and glass of sweet lassi. It can be also served with tandoori roti, choice of vegetable curry and lassi for stomach filling dinner.

Dum Aloo Punjabi Recipe 

The delicious Punjabi dum aloo is one of the most coveted potato curry recipes of Indian cooking. This curry is a life saver when guests come suddenly around lunch time and you don’t have any green vegetables at home to make curry, because this curry is easy to make and it requires two main ingredients, potatoes and curd which are always available in most of the Indian kitchens. Follow this recipe and learn how to make mouth watering truly punjabi style dum aloo with curd based kasuri methi flavored gravy at home in just few easy steps.



Ingredients:

15 small Potatoes, boiled in salted water
1 large Onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup thick Curd (yogurt)
1 Bay Leaf
1 pinch Asafoetida
1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1 pod Green Cardamom
1 small piece of Cinnamon
4 Cloves
8-10 Cashew Nuts
1/2 tablespoon Kasuri Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves)
1 teaspoon Sugar (optional)
5 tablespoons Cooking Oil
2 tablespoons Coriander Leaves, chopped
Salt


Directions:

(1)Peel boiled potatoes and prick them with a fork.

(2)Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add boiled potatoes and shallow fry them over medium flame until they turn light brown. Drain and transfer to a plate.

(3)Grind coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom pod, cinnamon, cloves and cashew nuts into a dry mix powder. Keep aside until called for use.

(4)Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in the same kadai over medium flame. Add a pinch of asafoetida, bay leaves and finely chopped onion. Sauté until onion turns light brown or for approx. 1-2 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 30 seconds.

(5)Add dry mix powder (prepared in step 3) and sauté for a minute.

(6)Beat the curd, slowly add it to kadai and mix well.

(7)Add turmeric powder and red chilli powder and mix again. Stir continuously until oil starts to separate, for around 2-3 minutes.

(8)Add shallow fried potatoes, kasuri methi, sugar and salt, cook on low flame for 2 minutes.

(9)Add 3/4 cup water and bring it to boil over medium flame.

(10)When it starts to boil, cook covered on low flame until you get the desired consistency of gravy, it will take around 3-4 minutes. Turn off the flame and transfer it to a serving bowl.

(11)Garnish punjabi dum aloo with coriander leaves and serve hot.



Taste: Nice aroma of spices with a touch of kasuri methi and curd based gravy.
Serving Ideas: Most of the Punjabi curries are main course food items and this curry is no exception. Serve it with any of Amritsari kulcha, butter naan, tanduri roti, plain paratha rice for lunch or dinner. You can also serve it with fulka roti, gujarati dal and steamed rice in lunch.

Bread Pakora Recipe

Snacks

Bread Pakora, a popular street food and teatime snack from Indian cuisine, is a perfect snack to serve with a cup of tea in cool relaxing winter evening or rainy afternoon. Similar to bhajji, it is essentially a deep fried snack having crisp outer coating of besan (chickpea flour). There are two different ways to prepare bread pakodas; 1) with mashed potato stuffing, and 2) without potato stuffing. This recipe explains the first option of preparing Bread Pakoda with Stuffed Potato Masala with detailed directions and accompanying photo for each step. Here is the high level overview of the process; bread slices are stuffed with the potato masala and cut into triangle shaped pieces, these are then dipped in the gram flour batter and deep fried until crispy. If you want to make bread pakoras without stuffing then just ignore the stuffing process and dip each bread slices in the gram flour batter and follow the same process.


Ingredients:
6 Bread Slices
Oil, for deep frying
For Stuffing:
2 medium potatoes (approx. 200 gm), boiled
1 Green Chilli, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped Coriander Leaves
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1 teaspoon Cumin-Coriander Powder, optional
1/4 teaspoon Dry Mango Powder
A pinch of Garam Masala Powder
Salt to taste
For Outer Coating:
1 cup Gram Flour (besan/chickpea flour)
1 tablespoon Rice Flour (or gram flour), optional
A pinch of Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
Water (1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons) or as needed
Salt to taste


Directions for Stuffing:

(1)Peel boiled potatoes.

(2)Mash or grate them and transfer to a bowl. Add 1 finely chopped green chilli, 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves, 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon cumin-coriander powder, 1/4 teaspoon dry mango powder, a pinch of garam masala powder and salt.

(3)Mix well. Taste for the seasonings and add more if required. Stuffing masala is ready.
Directions for Outer Coating:

(4)Take 1 cup gram flour, 1 tablespoon rice flour, a pinch of baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder and salt in a wide mouthed bowl.


(5)Add water as needed (approx. 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons) and mix well to make the batter.

(6)Batter should not be too thick or too thin. It should have consistency like bajii/pakora batter.
Directions for Pakora:

(7)Take one bread slice and spread stuffing mixture evenly over it. Don’t over stuff the mixture.

(8)Cover it with another bread slice and gently press it. Cut it diagonally into two triangle shaped pieces as shown in the photo.

(9)Prepare all bread slices (raw pakoras) in same way.

(10)Heat oil for deep frying bread pakoras over medium flame. Check if oil is hot enough for deep frying by adding a small drop of batter in it. If it comes on the surface gradually without changing the color, it is medium hot and ready for frying. If it doesn’t come on the surface it means oil is not hot enough. If it comes on the surface immediately and turns brown it means oil is too hot. Dip each triangle shaped piece in batter.

(11)Coat it evenly on all sides with the batter.

(12)Gently lift it with your hand and slide it in the medium hot oil.

(13)Deep fry until bottom surface turns light golden brown. It will take approx. 1-2 minutes.

(14)Flip it and deep fry another side until bottom surface turns light golden and crispy. Fry both sides until it turns crispy and light golden brown on all sides.

(15)Remove it from the oil using a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper napkin. Deep fry remaining bread pakodas in same way and serve hot or warm.



Taste:  Mild spicy with crispy outer layer.
Serving Ideas:  Serve bread pakora with tomato ketch up and tea as the afternoon snack. It can be also served in the kids party with green chilli chutney and tomato ketchup.
Author: Foram