Very Veggie Paneer Bhurji - sloppy spicy scramble

I saw these rolls at the local bakery, not dinner rolls, but something between a hot dog bun and a hoagie, and totally white. They looked soft and just waiting to be filled in with some delicious filling. I decided not to let their colour work against them, and to make up for it with loads and loads of vegetables. I had some Paneer that had to be used up soon and I pretty much cleaned up the vegetable drawer of what I had. Some very pungent celery gave this a kick and a strong flavour. The only other seasonings I used were paprika and black pepper, and some dried
basil. The flavour was unique and just as I love it - spicy with the pepper but not 'hot', minus the heat that you would get with a green or red chilli.

Carrots, peppers, onions, tomatoes, fresh corn, green peas, all went into the pot along with some tomato sauce. You can add anything of your choice really. Squash, zucchini, asparagus, and mushrooms will all taste equally good and add to the veg element.Adding the tomato sauce was a spur of the moment inspiration. The amount of cooked veggies was roughly 3 times that of the paneer. I simmered the mixture long enough to get a thick conconction, but if its left slightly semi-liquid, this will make a great sloppy joe( although without the traditional condiments), whether you use a long roll or a burger bun.In the end I added crumbled Paneer to the mixture. Needless to say, you can easily add tofu instead of the paneer. I will definitely make this with tofu next time. The Paneer being 'rich' in animal fats, made this quite filling and added a creamy texture. The rolls also turned out to have a buttery flavour which I had not expected. I served these simply, just ladling the mixture onto the roll, without any toppings. I did not find the need for any condiments, since the filling was spicy and strong flavoured enough, even when eaten with the bread. If you are a pickle lover, a nice cruncy dill pickle will taste great as an
accompaniement. Add some baked hips of choice, and a cool drink and this is a sure way to bliss.

The recipe is as follows -

Ingredients:
3 small onions

1 large carrot

1 large green bell pepper or capsicum

1-2 stalks celery

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 cup green or sweet peas

2-3 tomatoes1/2 cup tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes

1 Tbsp oil1 tsp paprika

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp chopped garlic

200g paneer or 1 packet tofu

fresh bread rolls or hoagies

Method:
1) Chop all the vegetables such as onions, carrots, celery, peppers and tomatoes in a small or medium dice. Chop or mince the garlic.

2) Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a pan or wok and start adding the vegetables one by one. Add the carrots first since they will take the longest to cook. Saute the carrots for 2 minutes and add celery. Gradually add onions and saute till they change colour. Add water or broth to avoid
sticking. Add the bell peppers and fry some more. Add the corn and the peas. If you are using frozen sweet peas, add them at the end so they dont shrivel. Mix in the corn and peas and add garlic and chopped tomatoes. Mix and let this simmer until most of the tomatoes are cooked
through.

3) Add seasonings and the tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes. Let the mixture come together and simmer. Add salt to taste, and a pinch of sugar.

4) Add crumbled paneer or tofu. Add half a cup water.

5) Mix this in. As this simmers, this will have a 'sloppy' consistency. You can let it thicken as much as you want, depending on how robust your bread is, or how much of a mess you want to make while eating.

6) Switch off the heat, and let this cool to room temperature.

7) For serving, split the roll in half and ladle enough filling to make this a hearty sandwich. Enjoy!8) This can also be used a filling for regular bread, or in a burrito or wrap with some crunchy fresh veggies.

( the photo does not do justice to the actual product, the colours are washed out due to a low battery)

Beat the Heat - Pudine ki Paneer Kadai ( Grilled onions, peppers and paneer cheese in a yogurt mint sauce)

Summer has come early to Pune and the heat is unbearable. We are always looking for natural ways to cool the body and what could be more refreshing than a bunch of fresh mint? Spending the least possible time in the kitchen is desirable. Even the not so fresh variety of paneer available with the small baniya (grocer) shop is much fresher than the 'refrigerated a zillion years' brands that we are forced to use in the US. I had come across a dish called pudina paneer tikka at a neighbourhood restaurant. I liked the concept but the dish itself had turned out to be over spiced and salty. A simple sautee of onions and peppers and paneer cubes in a mint and yogurt sauce seemed just perfect.

I wanted the mint to shine and use a bare minimum of other spices. Pudine ki paneer kadai was born out of laziness and the need to spend the minimum time near a hot tove. The recipe is as follows -
Ingredients
200 g fresh paneer cubed

2 small onions

1 large green bell pepper

1 small clove garlic

1/2 tsp fresh ginger

1/2 tsp cayenner pepper

1 tsp black pepper

3 tbsp sour yogurt

1 small bunch fresh mint

1 tbsp lemon juice optional

Method
1) Cube the paneer according to desired shape/size

2) Dice the onions and pepper similar to the paneer. The pieces should be somewhat large so that they retain shape and texture

3)Grind the mint leaves, garlic, ginger and lemon juice to a fine paste

4) Add the yogurt and stir to make a smooth batter or mixture

5) Add paneer cubes to the above mixture and toss lightly till all the pieces are coated evenly. This can be done in advance and refrigerated. A minimum of 30 mins of mariantion is required.

6)Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok or kadai. You can also use a cooking spray if you are using a good non stick vessel

7)AFter the oil heats, Add the onions and sautee them lightly on a high flame. The onions should be charred slightly if desired. Remove the onions while they are still
curnchy and have a slight bite to them.

8) Add the diced pepper or capsicum to the wok and repeat above process. Remove the peppers while still crunchy.

9)Now add the paneer/yogurt/mint mixture to the wok and stir lightly. The yogurt will evaporate soon. You can fry this until it is dry enough for your taste. I recommend a thick coating of the masala paste. At this point, the paneer will be infused with the tang of the yogurt, and the mint will be most flavorful.

10) Toss lightly to combine everything and remove from heat.Note - Do not over mix at this point as the onions/peppers will soften pretty soon

11) Your minty kadai paneer is ready to be served.
Serve hot with rotis or bread of choice.

Hara Bhara Kabab Masala ( Spinach cheese balls in a creamy tomato sauce) - Favourite appetizer goes mainstream

This recipe is an adaptation or enhancement of something that I learned years ago - the Hara Bhara Kabab, when it was not common to see this kind of a 'kabab' on restaurant menu cards. They served a version of it at our club. Very different from now, when almost every small joint that opens up in our Pune neighbourhood has things like Hariyali kabab, Hara Kabab etc. So one fine summer many moons ago, when we kids were being especially troublesome, some family elder heard about a cooking class and dispatched self and cousin there, hoping to keep us busy for at least a few hours. The 'class' turned out to be much better than expected, and I am pretty sure it lent a hand in developing some of my culinary instincts. Some things I learned there are even now coming into vogue, and I really admire the lady who taught us and wonder how she was sort of advanced for the time. There used to be 2-3 things made everyday and we could take some home, so by the time we got home, there used to be a bunch of rowdy kids - cousins and siblings - waiting on the doorstep, ready to sample the exotic fare we had 'cooked' that day.

We were taught this Hara Bhara ( Green) Kabab recipe in the 'Appetizers' section and it has been the star of several cocktail parties at our home. The basic ingredient is spinach, and to balance it there is potato and paneer and a bare min of spices. Since I did not have much else, and needed something for dinner, I decided to make a sort of kofta curry out of this and serve it with rice to make a complete meal. The initial part - the Kabas - can also be eaten by themselves with some dipping sauce - yogurt and mint will go well with this. I have made an additional Makhni type gravy or a tomato cream sauce to accompany these balls/croquettes/koftas.
I used the Appe Patra or Ableskiever pan to 'fry' the kababs, instead of shallow or deep frying them. This is one gadget which is certainly NOT overrated. My only peeve is that it did not reduce the smoke generated, as compared to using a frying pan.
The recipe is as follows -



For the Kabab -
1 cup frozen/blanched spinach tightly packed
1 cup boiled and mashed potato
1 cup Paneer shredded ( Can use tofu or farmers cheese or Queso Blanco)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste

For the Sauce -
1 cup crushed tomato
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup half and half or cream ( low fat or fat free)
1 tbsp crushed Kasoori methi
1 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp honey
salt to taste

Method:
1) Mix and knead all the ingredients of the Kabab given above. Make sure that all the water is drained off from the spinach. This should make a thick mixture.
2) Adjust pepper such that the mixture tastes strongly of pepper. Pepper is the dominant flavour here, like in a vegetable cutlet
3) Make small balls with it, roughly the size of a ping pong ball
4) Heat the Appe pan on the stove top and add one drop oil to each mould. Place one ball or kabab in each mould and keep turning with the skewer until all sides are uniformly crisp and brown. Drain these on a paper towel.
5) Now for the sauce - Puree the crushed tomatoes and cashews in a blender until smooth. Alternately you can add cashew paste to the crushed tomatoes.
6) Heat the tomato cashew mixture till it bubbles. Add all the spices like garam masala, salt and honey.
7) Add the half and half. I use low fat or fat free versions. This is optional and we are adding a little just to lighten the colour and get a 'creamy' look. The creamy taste is obtained from the cashews and they will lend a richness to the sauce. So although there is some fat content added through the nuts, it is of the healthy kind and not dairy fat.
8) Crush some kasuri methi and add it to the sauce. Simmer for five minutes and take off the stove.
9) While serving, place 2-3 kababs in an individual serving bowl and ladle some sauce on top. DO NOT add the kababs to the sauce in advance, as they will very likely dissolve or soften and crumble.
10) Serve with Hot Parathas/naan or steamed rice