Chanar Payesh ( Bengali Style Cottage cheese Pudding)

Beginning of this year , I promised myself that I will try to explore East Indian cuisine more, because I was borned  and brought up in West, had very heavy influenced of South and North Indian Food. So East Indian delicacy just stop at Ras malai and Sandesh or say sweets only . Thanks to blogging other cuisines doors also open.

So I had some milk which gone bad so I made paneer out of it. And was thinking what to make out of this one cup of paneer, didn't wanted to make savory, and just finished my ricotta rasmalai and it taste was still on my tongue so I just searched the Google about this and find this dish. I saw two recipes and both were totally different, so I just use my gut feeling about this dish and basic idea and make this one. It taste just like rasmalai but crumble one , but boy, it was heavenly dessert. If you have not enough paneer to make ras malai , I suggest please make this one and you will love it.

Ingredients :

1 cup fresh Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese)
1/2 can condensed milk (start from half , add more as needed)
6 cups Whole milk
nuts as per your choice, I used almond and pistachio
pinch of cardamom powder


TO make paneer, take 1 gallon of milk, after one boil add vinegar / lime juice in it and mix it, separate the whey and cheese , strain the whey thru cheesecloth and hang the cheese so water get out. If you are making sweet dish out of paneer make sure you washed paneer so no sourness left inside. otherwise your sweet dish will ruin.

Method:

Heat a heavy bottom pan, add milk in it and boil it till it becomes thick. Stir it continuously so it doesn't stick at the bottom.
Add condensed milk and check the sweetness and add more if you need.
Add nuts and cardamom powder and mix it.
Add crumble paneer in it and cook it on low flame for only 3-4 minutes because you don't want your milk to curdle.
Take it out in container and when its completely cool, put it in freeze and serve chilled as it is or with ice cream.

Don't cook more after adding paneer because it might curdle your milk, so thicken the milk before you add paneer in it.

you can use any flavor in it, add saffron, rose water, kevra water, any nuts. Go nuts for the flavoring.

Make sure you wash the paneer before use it and drain it completely too.

It will thicken more once its cold, so don't thicken the milk too much , otherwise add more milk.

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Green Apple Pickle

Did you see my  Apple and Sprouted Chana Aachar, now this is just regular pickle masala but with granny smith apple to replace raw mango in pickle. I like fresh pickle a lot so instead of making a big batch of it and never touch it after few times, I make it in small batches and finish it up fast. Try this in any season and enjoy it as a side dish to your dinner, goes very well with rice.

Ingredients : 

1 Granny smith Apple - cut it in small cubes
2 tbsp. rai na kuria - split mustard seeds
2 tbsp. Methi na Kurai - Split fenugreek seeds
Salt as needed
Oil 2-3 tbsp.
Few pinches of red pepper flakes for some kick


Method

Cut apple and put it in salted water so it doesn't go black till you done with whole apple.

In a one bowl, mix all the spices along with oil and mix it nicely.

Take the apple out of water, drain it and put it in spices.

Mix very well. and put it glass jar and leave it as it is for one day /night  for 8 -10 hours.

After that enjoy and finish it asap so you can make it again.

Merry Tummy

Tandoori Tempeh Tikka

As you know my husband needs to eat fermented food, so I got two packets of tempeh, he finished one but didn't warned to eat second one.  So he told me that I can use it for my purpose. Ok I am all in. Didn't wanted to make same Chinese dish with it, wanted to try something new. So made tikka from it and added green and red capsicum along-with onion and pineapple pieces and my diner was done. Tempeh is nothing but fermented soya ,stacked in patty form , its good to make burgers, i made meatballs from it. It has very distinct taste so if you are up for challenge then you can have this.

Ingredients :

4 oz. tempeh, cut in cubes

1 each green and red capsicum cut in cubes

1 onion cut in cubes

1/2 cup fresh pineapple cut in cubes

2 cups yogurt

1 tbsp. ginger, garlic chili paste

3 tbsp. tandoori masala , i like spicy so I added 3, you can adjust as per your taste.

Salt as per taste

Method:

In a big bowl, add yogurt in it. add ginger, garlic, chili paste and tandoori masala , salt and mix it. 

Add cut vegetables and tempeh and let it marinade for 2-3 hours. I knew that I was going to make this so I keep it in marinade for 4 hours.

When its time to cook , you can grill it on grill, stove top , oven , its your choice.

I did it in my grill pan on stove top.

Cook it till you get charred vegetables and it cooks but still have some bite.

Take it out and enjoy with green chutney. 

You can make a wrap out of it too.

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop: October 4th week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Watermelon & Feta Salad

We get nice and big watermelon in summer, to consume as it is , its a big challenge, so I try to make something out of it. Sometimes just make a simple juice out of it, eat it as it is, or with chat masala , make watermelon sparkling water. But this time I wanted to eat melon but in different way, and happen to have feta in the fridge too so made this watermelon and feta salad with home grown mint on it. It's no cook , healthy, tangy salad and  ready in no time. 

Ingredients : 

3 cups chopped watermelon

2 tbsp. Feta cheese

1 tbsp. mint leaves coarsely chopped

Few strokes of black pepper

Method:

Put the watermelon slices on plate.

Add feta and mint leaves on it,

Sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper on it and enjoy some delicious watermelon salad.

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Vegetable Tortilla Pizza

We means kids and me were eating regular pizza but my husband can not eat tomato sauce pizza , he used to make it pumpkin sauce and then make pizza but that day I didn't had pumpkin so no sauce, so he made this kind of pizza. It doesn't have any sauce but full of vegetables and cheese and above all no flour , no kneading. Used readymade whole wheat tortilla , spread grilled vegetables and cheese and baked it till cheese melted and tortilla is crispy. Take it out, cut it and enjoy it. You can add your favorite vegetables but here I had red and green capscium, carrot, yam, carrot and zuchhini.

Ingredients :

1 each red and green capsicum - slice all vegetables in similar shape so its easy to cook
2 carrot
1 small Yam
1 Zucchini
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
3 Whole wheat tortilla

Method:

Grilled all the vegetables and cut in similar shapes and size if possible.
Preheat the oven at 350F.
Take the tortilla and spread vegetables and top it with cheese.
Baked it in the oven till cheese melted and tortilla become little crisp.
Take it out, cut it in 4 pieces and enjoy guilt free and healthy pizza.