Paneer Biryani - Pulav Style!

Paneer Biryani - Pulav Style, simple and quick!

Today was rainy and dull, wanted something quick to boost my sleepy spirits! Here goes, Paneer Pulav, such a simple recipe and perfect every time. I had added a carrot and a handful of peas, which you can keep or skip when you make. You could adapt the same recipe with other vegetables, baby mushroom (you can add it whole - no chopping) or Chicken.

I used no tomatoes in this recipe. If you have a pack of fried onions, you could skip it as well. Kids loved the carrots and called it carrot coins :)

Here goes, do try and let me know!

Ingredients:

Paneer - 250gms (cubed to bite size)
Onion - 2 small chopped
Carrot - 1 sliced as rings
Peas - handful
Curd - 2 Tbsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Tandoori masala - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Chilli Powder - to taste
salt to taste
Oil - 2 Tbsp
whole spices (Bay leaf, cinnamon stick, sombhu, cardamom, cloves)
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups

Method:

1. Soak Basmati rice in water
2. In a bowl add curd, turmeric powder, tandoori masala, garam masala, chilli powder, salt and beat to mix
3. Mix in the paneer, the curd mix, the chopped carrots and peas
4. In a cooker/rice cooker/pan add the oil, add chopped onions and fry till brown.
5. Remove onions in a plate.  
6. Add the whole spices and let the spices release the fragrance in the same oil
7. Add the paneer/veg mix in the oil, let it cook for a minute. 
8. Add soaked rice, and water.
9. Adjust salt to taste and lemon juice
10. Finally add the fried onions and let it cook for 20 minutes in low flame. 

My notes!

If you are in short of time, you could do it in pressure cooker and cook to one whistle (Just add 3 and a half cups of water for 2 cups basmati rice)

If you have more time, cook till step 7, and layer it with cooked Basmati rice. I add 5 cups of water if I am cooking the rice separately and would drain excess water in a sieve. It might take about 10 minutes more than this recipe, considering the cooking time of rice. 

Green prawns fry

Green Prawn Fry - Prawns mixed in a green sauce and shallow fried.

Prawns are my favorite kind of seafood - No bones and easy cleaning. I learnt to clean prawn myself only after I really had to. Back in Chennai it is usually cleaned in the fish market. It was the same picking up the pre packed cleaned ones in supermarkets. In London, however, I sort of felt it was a bit off-taste in the prepacked ones. I sort of felt it lacked flavor. In Leeds market, the prawns come as cleaned or with shell and I think both taste yumm. 

Here is a slight tweak to the usual prawn recipes. 

Do try and let me know!

Ingredients:

Prawn - Cleaned, shell removed - 200 gms

Green Chillies - 3

Pudina - half a bunch

coriander leaves - half a bunch

corn flour - 1 tbsp

Sombu - 1 tsp

Curry leaves to taste

oil - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Make a paste of Mint leaves (pudina), green chillies, coriander leaves, few curry leaves
2. Add cleaned prawn, one tablespoon corn flour and mix well
3. Let it marinate for 10 minutes
4. In a kadai heat oil and sombu and curry leaves
5. Add marinated prawns and let them curl
6. Serve hot!

My notes:

You could also grill this prawn recipe. Sometimes, I add onions, capsicum as well along, marinate, and grill them in skewers.

Mutaikose thovaram

Muttaikose Thovaram - Mildly spiced Cabbage with coconut , a great accompaniment with rice.

As a child, I really hated cabbage. I did not like the bland taste of Cabbage.. But today I often cook cabbage. This recipe was adapted from my MIL, the usual way of cooking in my native, Nagercoil. It did surprise my city friends too, just like how it surprised me.. Its a try worthy recipe.

This goes well with Sambhar rice or any south Indian gravy with rice.

Ingredients:

Cabbage - 2 cups, cut into thin strips
Fresh Coconut - 3 or 4 tbs
Jeera - 1 tsp
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Moong Dhal - 1 Tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Salt to taste

Oil - to saute

Method:

To Grind:

In a small Mixer, grind together coconut, green chillies and Jeera. Do not add water while grinding and grind only until a coarse mixture is formed

To Proceed:

• Pressure cook the cabbage with 1/4 cups water for one whistle. (Instead, we can cook it on stove top also, but it will be more time consuming)
• In a kadai, saute moong dhal and mustard in oil until they splutter and add curry leaves, once it becomes crisp
• Now add the cooked cabbage from the cooker and cook until the water gets reduced. 
• Add the ground coconut mixture and fry a little until the raw smell goes.
• Serve hot.

Note:

Even after the food gets cold, its tasty, so its a perfect lunch box recipe.

You can Substitute cabbage with any vegetable like carrot, beans, broad beans etc..

Enjoy and do let me know how it worked for you!!!