Paneer tikka

There is always a debate about the origin of paneer and there are stories around it. Of late, i am following two terrific shows on channel "EPIC" on television. One is "Raja, rasoi aur anya kahaniya" (The king, the kitchen and various stories) and another one being "Lost recipes". Both shows give a lot of information about the history of food and how some ingredients were adapted in Indian cuisine and recipes were evolved.

In one such episode, i learnt that Paneer actually came from Persia. In India, paneer existed in the form of "Chenna" but the word Paneer (also known as Panir) came from Persia. It is so said, that Paneer was accidentally invented when a merchant was carrying milk in a pouch made of raw-Hyde for his days of travel. The heat of the dessert and the rennet in the leather turned milk into Paneer. It started gaining popularity in Indian cuisine during the Mogul ruling period, it's said.

As of today, it's a household dish. Not majorly used in everyday cuisines in west or south of India, but mostly in North India. To a lot of friends of mine from different countries, "Saag paneer", or "Palak paneer" or infact Indian vegetarian cuisine relates to "Paneer". The best or worst part about Paneer is, it doesn't have a taste of it's own, but blends itself so well in whatever spice/curry it is cooked in. So, today i am going to write about Paneer tikka. This is a dry version and not the famous "Paneer tikka masala" with the gravy. This paneer tikka can be served as a starter or a side dish, and mind you, it does make you full with just a few pops in the mouth! Tastes delicious, juicy and just the right amount of spice !!!

Recipe adapted from : Vegrecipesofindia

Ingredients:

Paneer - 100 gms

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Red capsicum (bell pepper) - Half 

Yellow capsicum (bell pepper) - Half

If you don't have both, use any one variety. If not, use green capsicum and/or onions.

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Corriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala - 1/4 tsp

Besan or cornflour - 1.5 tbsp

Lemon juice - to sprinkle on top

Oil - for shallow frying 

Recipe:

Cut the paneer and bell peppers in equal size squares.

Take them in the mixing bowl and add everything else except oil.

Mix it all well and let it stand marinated for about 15 minutes.

Now heat oil in a pan.

Attach the paneer and bell pepper alternatively on a toothpick. (Normally 3 fit well in a toothpick and lets it fry well).

Shallow fry these until golden brown. If you fry for a longer time, the paneer will become chewy.

You can sprinkle some chaat masala and lemon juice on top.

Serve along with tomato ketchup.

Easy mouth watering tikkas are ready :))

Happy Cooking :)

Anniversary special - Part 2 (Soulitude by the Riverside)

Continued from Part 1..


After about one and half hour of trek, we decided to walk downhill crossing some local homes and smiling women doing their daily chores. The guarding dogs always greeted us with their barks, as compared to the cows/buffaloes who didn't seem bothered. The homes, as we saw, were always painted bright in colours of blue, green, pink. There is a lot of use of Batan-Una (Pata-varvanta as we call in Marathi! It is a flat stone and a grinding stone used to process different kinds of foods), mud vessels, metal utensils and food cooked on wood burning village stove. A typical Village stove is made of mud and stones and the fire is lit with the charcoal and/or wood. 

The locals do a lot of farming (mainly Terrace farming), eating their own grown veggies and supplying the abundance to a local towns nearby - Bhowali, Haldwani, Bhimtal etc. Arbi and potatoes are staple diet and some also catch fish from the river and eat. Buffalo milk is preferred as compared to cows', who are mostly used for farming/agricultural purpose. 

Few kids go to town for school, but a lot of them help their parents in the farm. Little girls help their mothers in the kitchen and we saw some washing clothes along the river. As compared to other tourist destinations, they never bother the visitors/tourists but are busy in their own sweet world. Guess the place has made them serene and humble.

We reached a 100-odd year old bridge named "Jhoola-pul" which was built by the British. The bridge offers some breathtaking views on both sides. A 30-40 minute trek crossing the river from the bridge to the resort is a photographer's walk. 

Once back, we were welcomed to an elaborate Kumaoni special lunch. The delicacies still have a taste on my buds. Khada masala chicken, Arbi fry, Bhatt ki daal (also known as Chudkani as told to me by one of our facebook page followers), ragi ki roti, sitaphal sabzi, bhaang ki chutney, homemade pickles, gulab jamun and freshly picked baby carrots from the garden as salad. Can it get better? 

Again over-eating our diet, we went for a small trek with Dinesh, crossing river and jumping on the rocks to the "Paradise on earth"- Pari-tal. This place has crystal clear water made into a natural pool flowing down the mountains like a waterfall. Surrounded by mountains and rocks from all sides, i never wanted to leave that place. So, Dinesh told us a story behind that lake which i would love to share with you all. It is said, that a merchant used to flow down woods from the top to the towns/villages below and on one such occasion, the woods never reached the destination. On finding out the reason, it was seen the woods were absorbed in this lake. The merchant gave a sacrifice of 5 lambs at a nearby temple, and the woods automatically came up and reached the town. It is said so, the merchant left doing this business after that and since then the pool of water is known as "Pari-tal" (Pari meaning angels). 

The place looks as mystical as the story and there are a lot of positive vibes in that place. Back to the resort, we saw the staff at work cutting weeds and planting potatoes for the season. Its so good to see there are so many activities to do in life, than going to malls, shopping or watching movies. 

Evening saw us with some cold winds and we sat by the river having our tea-coffee. And then came surprises one after another!!! To make our anniversary special, we were greeted to a bonfire, some juice, some Elton-john songs and a cake placed in a small decorated shack. A table surrounded with plants, flower petals shaped in hearts and candles. The staff members won our hearts by making us feel so special. 

This was followed by lip-smacking dinner of Matar ke paudhon ki sabzi (Stir fried matar leaves), gobhi mix vegetable, gehad ki daal, mutton curry, roti, cucumber raita, and Shahi tukda. We felt like a king and queen with this royal treatment. 

Now comes the most lovely surprise! We didn't know when these guys came in the room and switched on the heater, the bed-warmer and placed this beautiful flower decoration on our bed!!! Our smiles became wider and wider with each passing moment. So, there we slept under the open sky looking at the moon and stars on a warm bed decorated with flowers in a dim-lit warm room!!! The perfect pampering for our celebration!

I also want to mention about the Bedmi Poori with aloo sabzi. Terrific combination and so tastefully made, that hubby almost had 5-6 of them! 

This place truly brings out a different part of you alive and we would surely want to visit them again! A soulful holiday at Soulitude :)

100th post : Anniversary special- Soulitude by the Riverside

There are some experiences in life which cannot be described in words. I am sure each one of us has gone through this. A moment which could only be felt but expressed, a dish which could only be tasted than reviewed, a scenic beauty which could only be seen through the eyes than captured in a camera or the love that touched your soul than just showed. Well, last few days i have gone through all this! I couldn't find the right words (still can't) to pen it down for all of you. But I will try my best to bring out the soul of my experiences, so you can walk down the memoirs with me!

Well, there are a few vacations from where you don't want to come back home. Just as our last experience at Kasauli ( Part 1 , Part 2 , and Part 3 ) was one memorable holiday, our recent outing to Soulitude by the Riverside was one enriching too! Over initial discussion whether to go to their other property Soulitude in the Himalayas or the riverside one, people who know us well, would have guessed why we went to the latter. For those who don't, my hubby is a fish hobbyist and manages almost 12-odd fish tanks at home for almost over 7-8 years. So, whenever and wherever we see a water body, he wants to cross mountains to get a look at it to study the aquatic life. Here's a look of our Fish room :

After reading tons of positive reviews online and getting a recommendation from a friend who had been to their property before, we knew where we are going for our Anniversary! It had to be a special place for the occasion, and also since we were looking forward to this break since a long time. I have had a busy three months of my pet-sitting bookings due to holiday season and wanted to take some days off. Me and hubby both prefer rustic to luxury, and this place just seemed so for us. But when we reached, we were surprised to see "Rustic marrying luxury".

As mentioned before, we love train journeys, and hence so we took the early morning Shatabdi from Anand Vihar station to Kathgodam Railway station. Until yet, we didn't even know there existed a railway station by the name of Anand Vihar in Delhi. The train went past some nice open fields giving a treat to our eyes of greens, morning sunrise and fresh air. The 5-6 hour journey went past in a jiffy with all the snacks and drinks that Shatabdi offers. I want to mention here about the name of "Nimbu pani" (Lemon-water) that we were served - Dadu!! Dadu means 'Grandpa" and mostly Punjabi's use this term for elder men. 

The pick up car waited for us and the drive was all about twists and turns. We drove uphills through the ghats and the views of the mountains and valleys just seemed to get more and more enthralling. As mentioned in their website, the car drop is only till a particular point after which you need to trek for about 30-40 minutes to reach the place. Hence, it is clearly mentioned to book the place if one is keen on walking/trekking and is not suitable for old people/kids. Since there had been a landslide on the regular route, we went through the other route wherein we trekked downhill for about 30 minutes. Walking on the small path of stones/mud and surrounded by tall pine trees, the walk seemed an enjoyable one!

Once we reached the place, we were greeted with a welcome drink (Cucumber chaas) and guided to our colourful room. 

They have 2 cottages and one Village home consisting of 3 rooms. We had booked the room "Shaant" in the village home, as we were fascinated by the idea of sky-view from the room. The room had opened windows (also in the bathroom), so you actually sleep and bathe under the stars!!! Isn't that pretty cool?

Another most important aspect why we chose to stay here was there are no televisions in the room. There is a common living area in the village home where there is a small TV for those who can't do without it, but we were more inclined towards the book-shelf with some really interesting reads. The place filled us with energy, and though we had done an early morning journey and a small trek, we were keen on exploring around. A small walk with the most helpful and humble Dinesh showing the property around just seemed the right thing to do.

We got our hands dirty picking vegetables from the farm which they grow organically. You name a vegetable/fruit, and they have planted it there! We learnt a lot about seasonal plantings/sowing/plant care etc. from him and also shared some ideas with him about re-cycling kitchen waste which we didn't see them doing. 

For those keen on doing yoga, there is a yoga-hut at the edge of the resort overlooking a small waterfall gushing out of the rocks where one can sit for hours listening to the music of the flowing water. 

The place is surrounded by huge mountains from all sides, which just make you think how small "I" can be (or is). Its places like these, which make you realise the importance of nature, the beauty of it and how much we need to respect it than spoil it. We skipped lunch, and had some snacks. The warm pakoras (bhajiyas) were absolutely crispy and tasty. The sandwich was just okay with cheese, tomato and cucumber filling. The coffee was a little light to my taste, hence was requested to be made strong. A little chat with the Chef Kamal, who is a 22 year old boy (looks even younger), explaining our personal tastes was welcomed by him. As he was open to suggestions, we never had a chance to complain after that and the food just seemed getting better, making us lick our fingers (and plates) clean!!! :)

Dinner was served in the dining room which is decorated like a village room with Clay-pots, metal plates and dinnerware, khaat-like seating (made comfortable with cushions and hand restings), artifacts placed neat-fully around and the special mention to the embroidered frames on the wall made in the shape of a kite. Who wouldn't want to dine in such a colourful place and to top it all, they made it special for us by decorating our table with roses, flowers and candles. Romance sizzled in the air (with songs from the movie 'love aaj kal') with hot trays of sizzlers being placed on our table. 

The momos, the tikkis, the perfectly cooked noodles, steamed and stir fried veggies, french fries - Every item on the plate was just so perfectly done that we over-ate our diet! Oh, and i forgot to mention about the smooth and warm cabbage-cucumber soup that was served to us before! Served in a cup and saucer, the soup was absolutely hearty. The sizzler was followed by a rich, thick, creamy chocolate mousse which was relished by hubby too, who is not much of a chocolate-fan.

Since we were the only guest around during that time, we thoroughly enjoyed the "alone-ness". One very good thing about the staff is they "Never" bother you. The right meaning of the word "freedom" is what you can feel here. It makes it even more special. They are always there to help, to assist or guide when asked, but would never be a hindrance in whatever you want to do. It's good to be by yourself in a place like this- and they totally understand that!

The other rooms are beautifully done too, one of which has a huge rock (with water flowing down it) in the bathroom. One very important thing i observed here is a lot of time and effort has been given to detailing. Each artifact is carefully placed in the right space and hence stands out. The owner Manish Chandra, as told to us, loves collecting stuff and his wife has a huge interest in art and craft. One who would visit the place, would surely know and understand that.

As they say, "Eat breakfast like a king", we were pampered the next day with an artistically decorated breakfast table with juices, cereals, fruits, jams, made-to-order eggs and parathas served with homemade pickles. We loved the stuffed parathas of gobhi and aloo that we had along with fresh curd and chilli and potato pickle. The aloo pickle was to-die-for! I have taken the recipe and someday i will make and post it. After having some nice strong coffee, we left to trek in the forest along with Dinesh. 

This place is a heaven for trekkers. There is no end to how far you can go in the forest. But yes, it is very important to respect Mother Nature or else she bounces back on you. The views along the walk were breathtaking and some beautiful birds were singing music to us, to keep us entertained.

Dinesh gladly was explaining us about the tropical flora and fauna and gave us a lot of information about the local life. I will put pictures and write about some in a separate post. Hubby was keen on exploring waterlife, studying the local plants growing inside it and searching for the local fishes that are found there. And he was not disappointed. We came home with a box full of goodies for our fish-room!!! :)

Our journey continues in Part 2.....

Matar Bhaat

A few days back i had posted the recipe of Tomato soup and had talked about the combination of the soup and Matar Bhaat that my hubby likes. Since it's winters and good quality fresh matar are in the market (and at affordable price too!!! Yes, i remember having bought matar few months back at almost 120 rs kg!!! ), I thought it's best to post this recipe now. I normally like to eat fresh vegetables than frozen, but at times, i do make this recipe with frozen peas too.

Matar bhaat is a typical dish from west India, mainly Gujarat and Maharashtra. There is a different variety of rice-dish too called Masale Bhaat. Masala bhaat is a little spicy variant and normally, brinjal is added along with vegetables of choice. Matar bhaat, as the name says, has only green peas and rice. Some do add potatoes or onions for change of taste, but the simplest, easiest and tastiest variety is to just add peas. The taste comes from the 'goda masala' that is added. I avoid adding any other masala to this, just so the flavour of goda masala comes out well. If you have time at hand, you can boil peas earlier and then add it to the semi cooked rice or you can mix everything together and cook. When mixing together, there is a chance of the rice becoming more like a khichdi (It tastes the same and doesn't affect the flavour, but you won't get a fluffy rice).

This tastes best along with soup (especially tomato soup) or you can serve it along with dahi (curd) or raita. It makes one wholesome meal.

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Matar - 1/2 cup

Oil or ghee - 2 tbsp

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Bay leaf - 1

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Water - as needed

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida (hing) - a pinch

Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1/2 tsp

Goda masala - 2 tsp (Add garam masala if you don't have goda masala)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (optional). You can even add 2 green chillies instead.

Corriander leaves - to garnish

Salt - to taste

Recipe:

Wash the rice well and soak in water for about 10 minutes. Now drain and keep it aside for about 20-25 minutes.

Heat ghee/oil in a big vessel/pressure cooker (Take a thick bottom vessel in which you can cook the rice).

Add bay leaf. 

Now add mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add hing and cumin seeds.

Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for about 30 seconds.

Next add the drained rice and saute till dry. Keep on stirring, so rice doesn't burn or stick to bottom.

Add the green peas and mix well. 

Mix in turmeric powder, red chilli powder, goda masala, salt, and sugar. Mix everything well.

Now add about 2 cups water,mix and close the lid and let it cook.

Do stir once in between, to check if rice is cooked. If not, add in more water. Cook till the water dries up. Also keep checking in between to see if rice has stuck to the bottom of the vessel.

Fluff the rice when done and garnish/mix in corriander leaves.

Matar bhaat is ready. 

Happy Cooking!!! :)