Spinach and Mushroom delight!

Getting bored of the daily daal, chaawal, roti, sabzi, I decided to churn out something different! Racked my brains and collected some veggies from the refrigerator, and baked this wonderful dish. It would go supremely well with plain steamed rice, but we had it last night with a crazy combo of veg. dimsums :))
Nevertheless it tasted wonderful, give it a try. You can change some vegz. and add others, if you want.

Spinach and Mushroom delight-

Preparation Time: 15 minutes approx.     Cooking time: 20 minutes  Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Potato layer-
Boiled and mashed potatoes- 4 (medium)
Green chillies- 2 (chopped)
Lemon juice- 2 teaspoon
Salt- as per taste
Mix all the above ingredients thoroughly.

Spinach layer-

Chopped Spinach- 4 teacups
Tender corn- 100 grams
Chopped onion- 1 large
Green coriander chopped- 4 tablespoons
Green chillies (chopped into very thin slices)- 2
Chopped Tomato- 1 large
Tomato purée- 1/2 cup
Light butter or cooking oil- 1 tablespoon
Salt- as per taste

Top layer-
Button mushrooms- 2 cups (200 grams) - thinly sliced
Cottage cheese- 200 grams (grated)
Tomatoes- 2 ( thick rings)
Fresh Cream (optional) - 1 teaspoon

Method-

 Heat the light butter in a pan or kadhaai, fry the onions in it for a couple of minutes on medium heat. Now add the green chillies and coriander and cook this for another minute.
  Mix the chopped tomatoes, stir for a few minutes and then add the spinach, tender corn and tomato purée. Sprinkle some salt and allow this to cook for some minutes.
 Meanwhile,take a greased baking dish and spread the potato layer, evenly in it. Now pour the spinach- preparation on it. Sprinkle some sliced mushrooms on the spinach layer, and then spread the grated cottage cheese on it. Again, place the left-over mushroom slices on the cheese, along with the tomato rings.
 Pre-heat the oven at 230 degree Centigrade (450 degree F) and then place the greased dish in it for approx. 20 minutes ( switch off earlier, if you find that the cheese is turning browner than you like).

Serve piping hot with steamed rice or garlic bread sticks!

KADHAI PANEER LAZAWAB

KADHAI PANEER LAZAWAB RECIPE

 Serves: 3                                                                                                                                       

 Time: 25minutes

Cottage Cheese or Paneer, as it is known in North India, is a very versatile ingredient for vegetarian cooking. Any preparation of Paneer is a great hit with meals involving rice or Indian Breads. In fact, even as a snack or a starter- dish, paneer has won hands down in any vegetarian menu!

Here we will mention a very popular recipe- ‘Kadhai Paneer Lazawaab’. It is very simple and not very time- consuming to make.

Ingredients:

Cottage Cheese/ Paneer- 250 grams (cut into 1 cm broad strips, approximately 3 inches long)

Onions- 4 large sized

Capsicums- 3 (cut into 1 cm broad strips)

Tomatoes- 4 medium sized

Garlic cloves- 5

Green chillies- 2

Bay leaves- 2

Cloves- 4

Cinnamon stick-1 piece (an inch long)

Green Cardamom- 2

Ginger- 1 piece (an inch long)

Red chilli powder- ½ teaspoon

Refined cooking oil- 2 tablespoons

Edible orange colour- 1 drop/ a pinch (if in powder form)

Salt- as per taste or 1 teaspoon (level)

Method:

Sauté the capsicum and cottage cheese/ paneer strips for a few minutes in 1 tablespoon cooking oil and then keep them aside.

Grind the tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, red chilli powder, salt and green chillies. In this ground paste, add the orange colour and mix well.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan, and add the bay leaves to it. Immediately reduce the flame and add the ground paste to it. Cook this on a medium flame, until the oil starts separating.

Now, add the sautéed capsicum and cottage cheese strips. Cook on low flame for a few minutes, gently stirring in the mixture, so that it evenly coats the paneer and capsicum. After 3-4 minutes, remove from flame!!

Yeh lo!! Its ready to be served!!

Indian Chickpea soup/ Chaney ka shorba

Got this really fantastic recipe from a friend, Bhavesh Shah. Its unique in taste and interesting in composition. Give it a try!

Ingredients:

•   Chickpeas -  1/2 cup (soaked overnight or for 8hours)
•   Big onion - 1  (roughly chopped)
•   Medium sized tomatoes - 2 (roughly chopped)
•   Green chillies- 3
•   Chole/ Chana Masala- 1 teaspoon
•   Garam Masala- 1/2 teaspoon
•   1/4 cup cream or 1/2 cup milk
•   Salt as per taste
•   Ginger-Garlic Paste- 1 teaspoon
•   Light butter- 2 teaspoon
•   Water/vegetable stock- 2 cups
•   Freshly chopped coriander for garnishing- 1 tablespoon

 Method:

       • Pressure cook chickpeas, with a pinch of salt, until soft. Set aside.

       • In a heavy bottomed pan, heat butter. Splutter cumin seeds. Add 

          onions& tomatoes along with green chillies, ginger-garlic paste. 

          Sauté for a couple of minutes.

         Add Choley Masala & saute until the onions & tomatoes are soft &

         mushy. Set aside & allow it to cool.

      • Blend together chicikpeas & the onion tomato mixture until smooth.

      • Strain into a soup pot. Add 2 cups of water/vegetable stock & heat it

  

       gently. Add Garam Masala, Salt to taste & cream. Simmer for about 10

 

       minutes on low heat.

 
       • If using milk instead of cream, reduce the amount of water/

         vegetable stock.        

      • Garnish with fresh coriander & serve hot

Tofu, Black Beans and Mushrooms – Jugalbandi

Tofu, Black Beans and Mushrooms – Jugalbandi

Hot and balmy summer days, can be pretty stifling, especially when you are simply bored with your daily meals-menu. Oh! For the whiff of the moisture laden monsoon breeze…….

Well, nothing can be done about that….but I am sure this recipe will tickle your taste-buds, and it will surely be a chart-topper at your home, for quite some time!

Have this as an accompaniment with rice or rumali-rotis or noodles.

Ingredients:

Tofu (not soft or silken variety)- 200 grams and cut into cubes

Olive oil/ vegetable oil- 3 tablespoons

Garlic cloves (thinly sliced) - 3

Garlic stems/tender leaves (chopped) - 1 tablespoon

Spring onion bulbs (thinly sliced rings) – 2

Ginger paste- ¼ teaspoon

Fresh Spinach (chopped)- 2 cups

Rice vinegar/white vinegar- 1 tablespoon

Mushroom oyster sauce- ¼ cup

Dark Soy sauce- 1 tablespoon

Water- 1 cup

Dried Shiitake mushrooms- 2 cups

Fermented Black Beans- ¼ cup

Method:

In a large skillet, heat the cooking oil over slightly high heat. After a couple of minutes add the garlic stem- chopping, spring onions and garlic slices. Stir for about half a minute. In a cup mix the mushroom oyster sauce with half of the water. Now, gently add the black beans, tofu-cubes and the water- mushroom oyster sauce mix. Allow this to come to a boil and then cover and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove the cover and add the ginger paste, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, and the left-over water. Allow to cook for a minute and then stir in the dried shiitake mushrooms. Spread a layer of the chopped fresh spinach on the vegetables and tofu. Cover with a lid and allow cooking for 8-10 minutes, on a very low flame, until the vegetables and mushroom become tender.

 Serve hot with rice or noodles or rumali-rotis.