Minty Mushroom Curry | Indian Curry Recipes

Mint Mushroom curry is the one I tried for the first time and tasted awesome. Mushroom is one of the super-foods. It is rich in fiber, protein and B vitamins. is cholesterol and fat free and low in calories, carbs and sodium. Mint is one of my favorite herbs and combining it with mushroom gave a flavorful curry.

Ingredients:
Serves -2-3
Mushroom - 8 oz ~ 1/4 kg
Pearl onions - 10 - halved
Oil - 2 tsp
To Marinate:
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsp
Yogurt - 1 tbsp
Salt
Fresh ground pepper - 1/2 tsp
Grind to a paste:
Mint leaves - Packed tightly - 1 cup
Green chilli - 1

Method:
Clean and quarter the mushrooms and marinate with the ingredients under 'To Marinate'. Set aside for a minimum of 1 hr. Heat oil in a skillet and saute the pearl onions until transparent and shrinks. Add the mushroom with the marinade and saute for 5 mins. Grind the mint and chilli with a little water. When the mushrooms are almost done, pour the mint paste and allow it to simmer it for 2 mins until the mint flavor infuses the mushroom and is fully done. Serve hot with roti, rice or bread.

I am sending this to the events, Food Palette Series - Green event by Akheela and Herbs and Flowers in my platter - Mint event by PJ.

Mushrooms

Happy Valentine's Day with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!!! I believe you all would be celebrating this day with high spirits. I made this yummy and delicious chocolate dipped strawberries. So divine, delectable and exquisite. Can't get enough of the romantic dish for the great day.

Ingredients:
Strawberries - 15-20
Semi-sweet chocolate chips - 1/4 cup
Fresh cream - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1/4 tsp (To give a glossy shine)
Milk - as needed to thin out the chocolate

Method:

Line a plate with parchment paper.
Clean the strawberries with a damp cloth and then keep in a paper towel to dry. Melt the chocolate chips in microwave for 1 min. Heat water in a sauce pan and place this chocolate chips bowl over it and add the cream, oil and mix it well. The chocolate should be of dripping consistency. If needed add some milk to thin it out. Dip the strawberries one by one in the chocolate and place on the parchment paper. Serve right-away or chill until you serve.

Celebrate the day with lots of chocolate!!!

Sending my Chocolate dipped Strawberries to the following events.
Veggie/Fruit of the Month - Strawberry event by Pari and Priya, 
Delicious Desserts, 
Best Western Dessert event and
Cooking with Fruits.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Paneer Butter Masala Pizza

I know, the name may sound little weird for some of us. It so did until I was introduced to CanAm Pizza by my friend Denny when I visited her last spring. I and Denny are best buddies since our college. She actually inspired me to start a food blog. If you have not checked out her OhTasteNSee yet, check it out. CanAm pizza is quite famous in the state of Washington for their wide variety of signature pizzas and our favourite is Butter Paneer Masala Pizza. I had never thought the favourite Paneer Butter Masala can actually go as a pizza topping. I absolutely loved it. This recipe here is semi-homemade, i.e. I put together store-bought items to make a quick one.

Ingredients:
Pizza base - 12" - 1
Paneer butter masala - about 2 cups - See recipe here
Pizza Sauce (any brand or home-made) - 1/2 cup - I used Tomato basil sauce
Bell pepper - julienned - about 1/2 cup - I used frozen bell pepper strips
Olive oil - 1 tsp
Grated Mozzarella cheese - as needed - I made it light since we already had a good amount of Paneer in it

Method:
Preheat your oven to 450 F (or as per the directions on your pizza base). Brush your pizza base with olive oil. Spread the tomato basil sauce and the Paneer butter masala. Top it with bell pepper strips and garnish with cheese as desired. Reduce oven temperature to 425 F and bake for 15-20 mins or as needed. Enjoy!

Paneer Butter Masala / Paneer Makhani | Indian Curry Recipes

Paneer Butter Masala alias Paneer Makhani is by far the most favourite vegetarian dishes in Indian eat-outs among restaurant goers. It is liked for its rich and creamy texture and the marvelous taste. Back home it was a pure restaurant specialty and was not tried at home. This recipe here is what I tried after some googling and some mix and match to keep it lower in calories. I have substituted milk for cream, and reduced the amount of butter but still was able to achieve the restaurant style taste we all love. We absolutely enjoyed this for a perfect Sunday lunch with Peas Pulao.

Ingredients:
Serves - 5 to 6 
Paneer - 300 g - cut into 1/2" cubes
Onion - 1 big about 2 cups 
Tomato - 2 medium 
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 1/2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 3/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (Increase to 3/4 tsp if using Kashmiri chilli powder)
Garam masala - 3/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi - 1 tbsp
Butter - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Orange food color - a small pinch (optional)
Milk - 3/4 cup - 160 - 180 ml. You may use cream or half and half if desired.
Salt - to taste
Oil 

Method:
Heat 1 tsp of oil in medium heat in a wide nonstick skillet and saute the paneer cubes in batches. Fry the cubes until they are light brown. Drain these in a paper towel to remove extra oil and put them in a bowl of cold water. Drain after 2 mins. This ensures that the paneer cubes are still soft, since they tend to harden after frying in oil.
In the same skillet add 1 tbsp of oil and saute the cubed onions in medium-high flame till they become translucent. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. When cool blend to a smooth paste. Blanch the tomatoes, peel and puree. 
Heat 2 tbsp of oil and add the onion paste and saute for 2 mins. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and fry until the raw smell disappears. Reduce the heat and add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala and 1/2 tbsp of crushed kasoori methi. Fry in medium heat until the spices cook about 3 to 4 mins. Add the tomato puree with salt and allow to cook until it cooks well and blends with the masala. Now add the orange food color and milk. Take care while adding milk, we would need to continuously stir briskly when pouring milk, to prevent it from curdling. Add the paneer and fold it into the masala. Now add required quantity of water based on the desired consistency. Allow it to boil in medium flame. The mixture would thicken at this stage. Now add the remaining 1/2 tbsp of kasoori methi and 1 tbsp of butter. Remove from the heat. Top up with the remaining butter when serving. Serve hot with rotis, naans or rice.

Peas Pulao | Indian Rice Recipes

Peas Pulao is something I make often and is a perfect dish for lazy Sunday afternoon lunch. This gets ready in less than 20 mins with very little preparation work. Serve with any easy curry for a simple lunch or any Paneer or Chicken curry for an exotic meal. 

Ingredients:
Serves - 2-3
Rice - 1 1/2 cups (Preferably Basmati or Sona masoori)
Frozen Peas - 1 cups
Onion - 1 medium sized - sliced fine lengthwise
Green Chillies - 3 - slit 
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Coconut milk - 1 1/2 cups
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - a small piece ~ 1/2"
Bay leaf - 1
Water - 1 1/2 cups
Oil - 3 tsp
Salt - to taste


Method:
Wash and soak rice for 5 mins. In a heavy bottomed vessel or pressure cooker, heat oil and add cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf. After the cloves pop, add the slit green chillies. Saute for 30 secs and add onion and fry until it is light brown. Put the ginger-garlic paste and fry until the raw smell disappears. Now add the thawed frozen peas and add the water and coconut milk. Add salt at this stage and check. Now add the rice, mix and cook until done. If using pressure cooker, cover and cook for 3 whistles. When done, fluff it with fork and mix. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any curry of your choice.

Sending this to Food Palette series - Green event by Akheela.

Green Peas