Methi Matar Malai

Hello friends,

Happy Makar Sankranti, Lohri and Pongal to all my readers. Hope you all are enjoying winter chills and hot delicious home cooked food. Do so as the winter won't last for a long time.
Today I am making yet another winter special dish -  non spicy yet interesting dish with addictive flavours. Any guesses?

With greens available in abundance in this season,  I decided to stir up Methi Matar Malai. Methi Matar Malai is a north indian dish which is not so spicy unlike most north indian dishes.

The whitish green color, comes from cashew, milk and Methi leaves. The creamy texture and the subtle flavours makes it an enjoyable dish. I substituted cashews to make it more healthy and lessen the calories.
My Methi Matar Malai recipe is fairly simple to make and tasted some what like what you get in the restaurants. The sweet taste of milk, cream and peas and bitter spicy taste of Methi is a winning combination.

Ingredients

1 cups Green Peas
1 bunch of  chopped Fenugreek leaves (methi bhaji)
2 Green Cardamom (elaichi)
1-inch piece of Cinnamon ( Dalchini)
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 tsp ginger - garlic paste
1 Green Chilli
2  tbsp Fresh Cream
1/2 cup Milk

1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 cup Water
Salt to taste
1 tbsp cooking  Oil

Method 

1.Clean the methi leaves from their stem, wash it  thoroughly in running water. Squeeze and chop them roughly. Now set it aside. 

2. Boil the peas and then transfer then in cold water to retain green colour.  

3. Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil in a deep bottom pan.

4.  Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and wait till the seeds crackle.

5. Then add onions, green chilli, cardamom,  cinnamon, ginger/ garlic paste. Stir and let the rawness of onion go and saute for two minutes more. 

6. Let the pan cool down a bit. Then transfer the entire mixture into a mixer. Add a little water if need be and grind into a smooth paste. 

7. In the same pan, saute the mixture for few minutes. Now add the milk and give it a good mix. 

8. Once it comes to a little boil, add the chopped methi leaves and mix.

9. Add boiled peas after two minutes and keep stirring. 

10. Add garam masala, salt and cream and mix well.  Cover and let it simmer on medium-low flame for 4-5 minutes.

11. Once the methi leaves cook and gravy is slightly thickened, switch off the gas and let it cool. The dish will thicken further. 

12. Serve it with hot parathas/ rotis, salad and a dollop of homemade butter.

I made a batch of methi rotis along with Methi Matar Malai.  

Double dose of Methi, double the of flavoursome food.

Check out my previous Methi Matar Masala recipe 

Happy Cooking!!

Easy Peas Pulao in ten minutes

Hello friends,

Sweetannu is back with another easy peasy recipe - Peas Pulao. This I stirred up in no time, at the last moment in the afternoon. I was waiting by the window for Sujata to come but when she didn't turn up I gave up. I had no option to cook up something really quickly.

I just cooked up a peas pulao and had it  all by myself. You will love it especially if you are a rice lover like me. Just a papad, pickle or have it with, ketchup, curd or some left over gravy. All these would be great accompaniments with peas pulao. Note the ingredients and method. 

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice
½ cup peas 
1 medium sized onion
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
¼ Cup kasturi methi 
1 tbsp Oil
½ inch cinnamon stick
1 medium size tomato
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
Salt to taste


Method

1. First wash and soak rice for so that cooking is faster. Also if you are using frozen peas, soak it water too. 

2. Take a medium size kadai, heat oil,  add a cinnamon stick and thinly sliced onion and fry quickly on medium flame till onions  turn translucent. 

3. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till they lose the rawness.

4. Now add the chopped tomato and dry spices. 

5. Add the peas to this and gently give it a stir for 30 seconds. 

6. Now drain the water from  rice and add to this. Cook on a medium flame till the rice starts to cook and  gives out a nice aroma.

7. Add kasturi methi at this stage. 

8. Add one cup  water such as it covers the rice completely.

9. Cook till rice is done.

10. Cover and cook for best quick results. 

11. Serve it hot with accompaniment of your choice. 

Note - 
For the fastest results Pressure cook on high flame for 4 whistles with two cups water. 

You can use ghee instead of oil.

South Indian Style Prawn pulav

Hello foodie friends,
The heat is still on and I am still in no mood to toil in the kitchen over the stove making elaborate dishes. I know  that in the recent  past I have shared with you all, a recipe of Prawn Biryani. But the steps involve par boiling the rice and making it in two parts. Today I tried out a prawn pulav that went quicker and yet was equally delicious.

What I used were a few basic south indian spices and some sambhar masala. You can use Garam Masala too.

Ingredients

1 cup rice
1 cup prawns ( shelled & deviened )
1 tsp mustard seeds
Handful of curry leaves
2 big tomatoes (pureed)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp sambhar masala
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 potato - cubed
1 tbsp oil

For Garnish
Fried onions
Coriander leaves.

Method

1. Take a heavy bottom pan, preferably a pressure cooker. Add oil and make it hot.

2.  Add mustard seeds and curry leaves and sauté for a minute.

3. Now add ginger garlic paste and pureed tomatoes to the oil.

4. Sauté till tomatoes are cooked, now add all the dry spices and potatoes.

5.Add prawns and keep stirring for two minutes.

6. Add the washed rice and salt, mix well.

7. Now pour in 2 cups water and cover to cook till prawns and rice are completely done.

8. Garnish with fried onions and coriander leaves.

9. Serve piping hot.

Option

You can add coconut milk to the preparation along with the prawns for a more authentic taste.

Or even try this recipe with boneless chicken.

Tamatar Poha

Poha is a stable food in many households is a Maharashtra, even States like Gujarat and Madya Pradesh. The recipe differs slightly. Maharashtrians like it with peanuts and grated coconut while in Gujarat and MP I have savoured a sweeter type with chopped onions and sev. 

Poha is a perfect breakfast recipe,recommended by dieticians as it is the it is a  perfect balance of taste and nutrition. Children love poha too and eat with relish. 

Today I wish to share with you a different poha recipe stirred with tomatoes. Ingredients can be easily found in the kitchen.

Ingredients

 2 cups Poha 
A few curry leaves
2 onions chopped
1 tomato chopped 
Juice of one lime 
2 tbsp cooking oil  
1/2 cup of green peas
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/2 tsp each cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds.
Salt to taste
A pinch of sugar
Coriander to garnish

 

 

Method

1. Wash poha till clean. Strain and keep aside. 

2.To the washed poha, add salt, lime juice, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and mix well.

3. take 2 tsp oil in a kadai, when it is hot add  mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chillies. Stir for two minutes.

4.  Add onion and stir fry till pinkish in colour. 

5. Add tomatoes to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes.

6. Now mix in the poha. gently, keeping gas on low flame. 

7. Mix all the masala well with poha and cook for 5-7 minutes.

8. Add the lime juice and coriander leaves at the end.

9. Now serve serving dish and garnish with coriander.

10. Serve hot it up with finely chopped raw onions and sev at tea time or breakfast. 

 Suggestions

You can add potato  or carrot if you wish.