Thai Raw Papaya Salad

"But everyone is posting those great cakes and cookies these days. Who will relish a salad when such tempting food is staring them in the face ?", hubby voiced his concerns.

"Huh ! I have always been a rebel. Love to buck the trend", pat came the reply with my mind on autopilot mode even as I  photo-shopped the clicks. Zap. My mind is jolted out it's state of inertia. Newton's first law is at play with my husband being the external force. "Did you just say 'Great' ? What is it with you guys ? Do they really have to use the word 'great' in every situation? Or did your entire clan execute a collective 'Shift + Delete' on words like awesome, gorgeous, divine, delirious, delectable, etc."

He gives me a blank look. I roll my eyes before letting off some steam .

"How was the movie ?" . "Great".

"How is the butter chicken ? I slaved the entire evening over it.". "Great".

"How is my new dress ? ". "Great"

" I think I have lost some weight. Can you make out any difference ? ". A cursory look followed by the inevitable. "Great".

Hubby shifts to damage control mode. Physics makes way for statistics as he talks about trending keywords, blog views and stuff like that. "Don't crib if your blog post fails to garner the desired hits !", is his final statement as he rests his case.

"Well then...maybe I have to give them something else to look at ! How about I pose in that size 8 dress that I bought last week ? Of course I will be holding the salad in one hand ! Maybe that can give them some goals ! Or resolutions for next year ", I reply quite cheekily. Now it's his turn to roll his eyes .

No guesses on who won the debate ! But at the end of the day, this salad is a sure shot winner. And not to forget, your ultimate weapon in the battle of the bulge. Full of fiber and free from any fattening dressings, it is easy to prepare and delicious enough to eat a whole bowlful just before heading out for a party. ( Don't forget to thank me if those luscious desserts and sinful meats start to look a whole lot less appealing !! )

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 cups raw papaya ( juliennes )
• 1 medium sized tomato ( thinly sliced )
• 2 tsp soy sauce ( or fish sauce if you are not vegetarian )
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp lime juice
• 2 garlic flakes 
• 2 tsp minced coriander roots 
• 1 red chili ( de-seeded and cut into thin strips )
• 1 small red onion ( or spring onion )
• a pinch of salt
• roasted and lightly crushed peanuts 

Preparation - Dunk the raw papaya and tomato slices in cold water and refrigerate for 30 mins.

Take the brown sugar, garlic, coriander roots, lime juice and soy sauce in a small cup. Muddle together.

Strain the vegetables and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the seasoning along with the chili, onion and peanuts. Add salt. Toss everything together.

Serve.

Schezwan Matar Chaat ( A Crazy Indo-Chinese Fusion experiment )

Stick to a desi palate ? Or try some Chinese 'chatka' for a change (does not matter even if it is for the 500th time). One of the perennial dilemmas that I face everytime I venture out for some street food is to make up my mind. Walking down one of those lanes is sheer torture for me with the tongue tickling panipuris, chaats, pav-bhajis and dahi vadas trying to lure me with their tantalizing appearance even as the sinful aromas drifting from a nearby Chinese stall has my mind in the throes of what can only be described as a 'culinary orgasm'. Often I end up ordering both. Only to regret wasting food. That is if I am lucky enough to escape the obligatory tummy-ache.

It was during yet another bout of such a dilemma on an idle winter afternoon that I thought of marrying two of my all time favorites so that I could enjoy both at the same time. "Only an idle brain can come up with something so insane ", retorted the husband as he promptly dismissed the idea. "Hah ! Wait till I execute my idea. You will be asking for seconds", replied back the incensed rebel (aka me). Though the first trial did not go as well as I had expected, a little bit of perseverance paid off. It was no longer a toss between the two. Instead I had the perfect amalgamation of two of my favorite street foods.

A simple ragda chaat is infused with the flavors of Schezwan egg noodles. Minus the noodles bit of course. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients - 

• 1 cup yellow peas (soaked overnight)
• 2 eggs
• 1 medium sized potato
• 1 large capsicum
• 1 small carrot 
• 1/2 cup finely sliced onions
• 1/2 cup finely sliced cabbage
• 5-6 finely chopped garlic cloves
• chopped green chillis 
• 3-4 tsp Schezwan sauce
• 3 tbsp tomato sauce
• 2 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 3 tsp oil
• 2 pinch garam masala
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
• cilantro for garnishing
• fried papad for garnishing 

Preparation - Wash and cook the yellow peas with 2 cups water, the potato, turmeric and salt to taste. Remove from flame after 2-3 whistles. The peas should be thoroughly cooked without turning mushy.

Drain the excess water. Peel the potato, roughly mash it up and add it to the cooked peas.

Cut the capsicum and carrot into long slices.

Cooking - Heat a wok. Add 2 tsp oil.

Add the finely chopped garlic and green chilis. Once the garlic is fragrant, add all the veggies and saute on high for 2-3 minutes so that they do not lose their crispiness. 

Add the sugar, schezwan sauce, soy sauce, tomato sauce and vinegar. Toss for 1 minute.

Add the boiled peas and potato along with a generous sprinkle of water. Adjust the salt.

Cook for 2-3 mins. Sprinkle garam masala and mix in. (If it looks too dry at this point, sprinkle some more water. The yellow peas tend to absorb a lot of water)

Around the same time, scramble the eggs in another skillet.

Transfer the schezwan chaat to the serving bowls/plates. Top with the scrambled eggs, sliced onions, more green chili (optional), crushed papad and cilantro.

Serve immediately.

Avocado Mayo and Sun-dried Tomatoes Dip

It is the 'Holiday season' and we all love having friends over for long chats. However when those conversations spill well beyond the meal hours and hunger pangs start to gnaw, we feel obliged to offer some fillers or finger foods. While frying a batch of french fries or cheesy nuggets may seem like the easier option, it sounds rather run-of-the-mill and not a very healthy choice too.

Time to switch to some gourmet snacking with real vegetable chips and a nice home made dip. These amazing vegetable chips from Terra are not just visually striking and much more healthier, they taste just out of this world when paired with a gourmet dip. I made this one in less that 5 minutes and let it sit in the fridge for half an hour for the flavors to come together. While the buttery texture of avocado is enough to give a nice texture to this dip, I added a dash of vegan mayo to enhance the creaminess. The tang of sun-dried tomatoes gets an added zing from a generous splash of apple cider vinegar. Garlic gives it the right note of pungency while the touch of heat from the Mexican Pasilla chile is enough to tickle the taste bud. The sweetness of honey rounds it off.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 5 mins ( plus 30 mins standby )

Ingredients -

• 1 avocado
• 2-3 sun dried tomatoes
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp vegan mayo
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/3 tsp Sprig Mexican Chile Pasilla 
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp chopped cilantro

Preparation - Halve the avocado and remove the stone. Scoop out the flesh into a small blender cup. Add all the remaining ingredients to the same jar. Buzz into a smooth mixture.

Let it chill for sometime in the refrigerator for the flavors to blend in.

Serve with vegetable chips or even better with crudites.

I totally recommend serving this dip with some Blue Terra Chips as it serves as the perfect foil to the starchy crispness of these exotic blue potatoes. 

Pumpkin, Black Rice and Sun Dried Tomatoes Salad ( Christmas Special Colab )

These days there is a slight nip in the air, a certain spring in my steps, a smile on my lips and a rather familiar melody keeps playing in my head at all times of the day. And all this is making me feel more generous than ever. Little wonder that they also call Christmas as the 'season of giving'. No prizes for guessing that it is none other than 'Jingle bells' that's been on my mind all this time.

And I suspect that everyone who has been brought up in the sleepy little town of Rourkela also feels the same way about this festival. Giving the thriving numbers of the Christian community in our place, most of us were blessed to have a very special christian friend. For me, Christmas was all about hogging on cakes and more desserts at my special friend's house. And walking through the rows of shops selling all those glitzy stars and baubles! Of course living near a church and studying in a convent meant that those carols too had become an integral part of those days. No wonder Christmas makes me feel so nostalgic !

Coming back to the food, while it is the cakes, breads and pot-roasts which occupy center-stage during the Christmas festivities, the sides are equally important in my opinion as they help in balancing out the entire meal. And with the sugary stuff tipping the calorific scales, a filling salad is all I can ask for. Keeping it vegan is a personal choice though. While I prefer rice or pasta, feel free to use ricotta or feta cheese as a substitute (though I would rather not call it so as the former is carbs while the latter is all protein). And with this being a collaboration post, there are more such savory recipe ideas to help you out with a Christmas lunch/brunch/dinner.

Read on for my rather simple and yet wholesome recipe that boasts of a melange of flavors ( imagine the earthy flavor of spinach, the nuttiness of the black rice, the sweetness of the caramelized pumpkin and the tartness of the sun-dried tomatoes ) that have just been brought together in a manner that invokes sheer delight. And I bet you would calling for the seconds instead of reaching out for that rather sinful cheesecake -

Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients - 

• 1 cup cubed pumpkin
• 1/3 cups black rice
• 1/2 cup spinach (blanched)
• 7-8 sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 tsp EVOO
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• freshly ground pepper
• salt to taste

Preparation - Toss the pumpkin cubes with some of the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Sprinkle salt and put in the oven. Roast at 180 C till it shows signs of browning / caramelization. 

Cook the black rice separately till it is cooked yet slightly firm to touch.

Mix the olive oil, honey, orange juice and remaining vinegar in a bowl.

Take the black rice, roasted pumpkin, blanched spinach, chopped sundried tomatoes in a bowl. Sprinkle the dressing all over it. Toss together.

Season with salt and ground pepper.

Serve warm. Or slightly chilled ( letting it sit in the fridge also allows the flavors to come together which makes it taste better ).

And there is more to be discovered as my amazing blogger friends share some of their delectable Christmas recipe !! Scroll down for more drool-worthy discoveries - 

Parinaaz's Mushrooms in Pepper Sauce with Herbed Rice & Roasted Potatoes

and

Saswati's Holiday salad with a honey apple cider vinaigrette

Happy gormandizing !!

Flaxseed and Curry Leaves Powder ( Podi )

"How do I include flax seeds in my own / husband's diet ?" .

This is probably one of the most frequent questions that I have encountered as a blogger. For those who are still unaware of the existence of these tiny dark brown seeds that boast of everything from better digestion to clear skin, lower cholesterol to weight loss and of course the much touted cancer fighting properties. In addition, they help in better regulation of the hormone levels in the fairer sex. No wonder all those who are aware of these benefits keep thinking of new ways to include them in the everyday diet.

While the simplest way to have them is to roast them, season as per taste and just chow down a spoonful, I have seen people coming up with interesting recipes just to include some flaxseed the diet. While some powder and add them to curries, others add them to pancakes and cookies. While all these methods are really good, I personally prefer being more quantitative in my approach. Most people are unaware that overdosing on flax seeds can cause gastrointestinal side effects like bloating, stomachache and even nausea.

This simple powder or podi (as they call it in Andhra) promises approximately 1 teaspoon of flaxseed goodness when two spoonfuls are consumed everyday. Have it as a dry chutney with dosa/upma/idli or even add to hot white rice along with some ghee.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins
Ingredients -

• 4 tbsp flax seeds
• 2 tbsp split black lentil
• 2 tbsp split Bengal gram
• 4 dry red Byadgi Chillis
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2/3 cup curry leaves
• salt to taste

Preparation - Heat a cast iron pan.

Add dry red chillis and cumin seeds. Keep flame on medium high.

Once the cumin starts to pop, add the lentils. Roast till the give off a fragrance and show some browning.

Next add the flax seeds. Once they start popping, let them pop for 1-2 mins.

Finally add the curry leaves and lower the flame. Lower the flame and roast till they wilt and turn crisp.

Remove pan from flame and let it cool down completely.

Transfer to a grinder jar, add salt and buzz for a minute. The texture will be somewhat grainy.

Store in an airtight container.

Come about two teaspoons of this powder everyday for including the health benefit of 1 teaspoon of flax seeds in your diet.

Sol Kadhi

Though I have not really explored Goan and Maharashtrian cuisine, there are some dishes which I come across quite frequently. And one of them happens to be the 'Sol Kadhi'. This is a very refreshing drink that is served with the meals that usually consist of rice and a non-vegetarian side. The sourness of the kokum and the sweetness of the coconut combine in this dish to lend it a very fresh flavor that is simply incomparable.

So, when I got some Kokum on my hands, this was the first recipe that I had to try. And it turned out to be delicious even though I have not followed the authentic recipe. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 8 Kokum pods
• 1/2 cup grated coconut
• 1 green chili
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 pinch cumin
• salt to taste
• a sprig of coriander for the garnishing

Preparation - Soak the Kokum in 2 cups of hot water for half an hour. Rub them and squeeze out the juice.

Similarly add some warm water to the grated coconut and give it a buzz in a blender jar. Strain to extract the coconut milk. Repeat 1-2 times.

Grind the cumin seeds, green chili and garlic cloves into a coarse paste. Add to a blender jar containing the coconut milk and kokum juice. Blend for 1 minute to bring the flavors together.

Strain and pour into glasses or small cups. Garnish with some chopped cilantro . Serve.

Note - The drink tends to settle down if left standing for a while. So, give it a stir/shake just before serving.

Ghora Pitha

Thanks to the promulgation of culinary shows, the ranks of home chefs are burgeoning in every state/city and Odisha is no exception to this phenomenon. While there are enough varieties of 'pithas' in Odisha to keep one's palate occupied, I keep coming across new ones on a regular basis. A small twist here or there, and maybe the addition of a brand new ingredient, and voila, a new one is born. And the numbers only seem to increase by the day.

On my recent visit, I was pleasantly surprised to come across one such innovation in my Mom's kitchen. Her enthusiasm to try out something new makes her create awesome dishes even though she is in her sixties. I guess the innovation genes are hardwired in the family DNA. Anyways getting back to the dish, it is a simplified form of the 'ghora manda' or 'ghura manda' that is usually prepared during the Manabasa Gurubar puja.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30-35 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup arwa rice
• 1/4 cup coconut (chopped into small bits)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• sugar as per taste
• 1 tsp ghee
• a pinch of camphor

Preparation - Wash and soak the rice for 2-3 hours. Drain excess water and grind into a fine paste. Adjust the consistency to a flowing liquid one ( just like Chittau Pitha batter or Neer Dosa batter ).

Cooking - Slowly drain the batter into a large wok taking care to leave behind any solids (residue) in the bottom of the grinder/mixie jar. (If this residue gets into the wok, it makes the pitha grainy and spoils the overall texture.)

Add salt and sugar to the wok. Switch on the flame taking care to keep it low. Keep stirring at regular intervals so that it does not catch at the bottom. Once the mixture thickens to that of a custard ( or somewhat thicker than Ragi malt ) consistency, stir in the coconut pieces, powdered camphor and the ghee. Switch off the flame.

Pour the hot mixture onto a greased steel plate with raised sides (about and inch and a half is good). Allow it to rest till it is completely cool.

Cut into pieces and serve. Tastes better on the next day so do pop in some of it into the fridge.

Mac and Cheese with TERRA Vegetable Chips

In the run-up to Diwali, my house was literally swathed with lights, paper lanterns and delicious aromas from the various kinds of 'mithai' being prepared in my kitchen. Desserts are usually considered the 'piece de resistance' of my cooking and I was literally gloating at the sheer variety I had managed to put on the table. After all, it does not make sense to throw a Diwali party if people are not going to be talking about it. Healthy snacking was the last thing on my mind during that time.

I was bang in the middle of one such preparation when I go a call from hubby. One of his clients was on a visit to India and he wanted to get a feel of the festivities minus the rich Indian food. It was almost time for lunch and I hardly had the time to drum up something that would appease his western taste buds. That is when I was reminded of an amazing box of real vegetable chips from TERRA lying unopened in my cupboard. I quickly opened one of the packs which promise some unmatched gourmet snacking, savored a few pieces and was assured of the superior quality of this amazing product. The exotic taste of these chips is quite unparalleled by itself and the striking visual appeal only serves to elevate it further by a few notches. The rich flavors of parsnip, sweet potato, taro, blue potato, yuca, beets and batata combine to create a burst of crunch and flavor that makes one fall in love with snacking once again.Providing the perfect balance of taste and health, it could be a worthy side for anything I served to my guest.

I quickly zeroed in on a trusted 'Mac and Cheese' recipe to act as the perfect foil to the crackling crispiness of these yummy chips. I added a sparkling mojito to the menu and I was all set to serve a decent working day lunch to the guests.

Read on for the recipe of 'Mac & Cheese' -

Preparation Time - 50 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 cups Macaroni pasta
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Mozarella cheese (optional but recommended)
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• coarsely ground pepper for seasoning
• dried herbs (rosemary, parsley, thyme)
• pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cream
• salt to taste
• 1 inch stick of butter

Preparation - Bring sufficient water to boil in a saucepan. Once it gets to bubbling stage, add salt and then put in the macaroni. Cook for 8-9 minutes.

At the same time, heat the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour followed by the milk and stir it to make a thick sauce. Season with herbs, pepper and salt. Finally stir in the cream and switch off the flame.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce along with the grated cheese.

Mix and pour the contents into a baking dish. Sprinkle more cheese on top if you want.

Cooking - Heat a oven to 170 degrees. Place the baking dish in the middle rack and bake for 30 mins.

Serve with these delicious vegetable chips .

Kakharu Patra Bara ( Tender Pumpkin leaf Fritters )

Pumpkin leaves or 'Kakharu patra' is one of the many greens consumed in Odisha. Though the leaves are rather coarse to touch and one might have initial misgivings about consuming them, they are quite delicious if prepared properly. While the 'Kakharu Dunka Raee' is the most popular recipe that makes use of the leaves, there are lesser known stir fries made with the tender ones.

But it was one of those days when I wanted something crispy to go with my rice and dal. And these leaves were the only thing I had in stock. Hence I ended up chopping them finely, mixing them with some garlic, onion and a binding agent to prepare some nice pan-fried fritters.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 9-10 tender pumpkin leaves
• 1-2 small garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 1/5 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp besan
• 1 tsp cornflour
• salt to taste
• 3-4 tsp for pan frying

Preparation - Wash and shake off the excess water from the pumpkin leaves. Chop into fine pieces.

Take into a mixing bowl along with the garlic, onions, besan, cornflour, red chili powder and salt. Mix everything using a few drops of water.

Cooking - Heat a frying pan. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil all over the surface.

Take spoonfuls of the mixture on the pan and flatten into small discs. Drizzle more oil around each one.

Cook till brown spots appear on the surface. Flip them over.

Drizzle little more oil around each one. Remove them once they are crisp and done on both sides.

Serve hot with rice and dal.

Ambeda Sakkara ( Indian Plums in a Coconut Tamarind gravy )

The Mondays of the holy 'Kartika' month in Odisha are never complete without a good quality 'khatta' or sweet and tangy gravy. The somewhat astringent taste of the Habisa dalma definitely needs to be delicately balanced by the presence of this tang/sweetness on the side. And after getting bored with 'Aau' and 'Ambeda' khatta, I wanted a 'Sakkara' with my next Monday meal. Unlike the 'khatta' that does not rely on a external souring agent and depends primarily on the natural tang of the vegetable being cooked, the tamarind is an integral part of the Sakkara.

With good quality ash gourd (pani kakharu) not being easy to find in the markets, I decided to go ahead and experiment with some Ambeda that I got from the HAL market . Since the ambeda is not very sour, adding a tiny bit of tamarind and some extra jaggery to balance it out seemed the obvious choice. Left out the boiled Bengal gram and added loads of freshly grated coconut instead. Turned out to be nice and tangy.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 250 gm Ambada/Ambeda/Indian Olives
• 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1-2 dry red chili
• 1/4 tsp pancha phutana
• a sprig of curry leaves
• 2 pinch asafoetida
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp oil
• 2-3 tbsp freshly grated coconut for garnishing

Preparation - If the ambada is tender, cut each one into 4 halves. Else just put 3-4 slits on the surface.

Dilute the tamarind paste in 1/5 cup of hot water.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the pancha phutana and broken red chilis. Let it splutter.

Add curry leaves and asfoetida. Fry for 30 seconds before throwing in the ambada.

The ambada need to be cooked/stir fried till it turns brown and the skin is almost ready to peel off.

Now add 2 1/2 cups water, salt and turmeric. Let it simmer for a while to let the juices seep into the gravy.

Then add sugar, tamarind juice and boil some more till it reaches the desired consistency. Sprinkle the grated coconut just before removing from the flame. 

[Mash them up a bit if you want a thicker curry. However, it will also increase the sour quotient of the gravy and hence you have end up putting more sugar to balance it out]

Serve with arwa bhata and dalma !

Note - This can be preserved in the fridge for a couple of days. 

Mushroom Paneer Masala ( And a box full of Nostalgia )

One of the most wretched things in life is perhaps being away from loved ones during the festive season. I was feeling completely heartbroken as this year work commitments kept us from visiting our hometown during the Dusshera celebrations.  The new clothes were there, the sweets were there and quite a number of bedecked pandals were strewn all over Bangalore. But the close ones with whom we would have loved to share all this were missing. I guess that is the thing about joy. It multiplies manifold when shared.

Hence, when a beautiful green colored box arrived one afternoon, it stirred memories of celebrations back home. As I opened the box, the delectable 'Tata Sampann' spice packets tumbled out unleashing a floodgate of nostalgia. 'Paneer Masala', 'Dal Takdka masala' and 'Punjabi Choley Masala' reminded me of the delicious vegetarian meals cooked by my 'mausi' and 'mamis'. With schools being closed for Dusshera vacation, all of us would gather at 'mama's' place for fun and food. With so many people in the house, the kitchen hardly got any respite. The younger lot of ladies would be in charge of whipping of the meals while my 'nani' took to keeping an eye over the kids. The terrace would be lined with the freshly dug turmeric and red chillis, which in turn attracted our curiosity. While in those days I clearly remember sulking over not being allowed to play with those spices, today I realize that their tantalizing culinary creations carried the magical touch of these home ground spices.
Each individual use sachet of TATA Sampann seals in the same freshness of the best quality spices that still retain their natural oils which are responsible for that unmistakable aroma of the home ground spices. These spices are further sourced from the best farms and are 100 percent sterilized to ensure complete safety for one's family. Plus the signature 'masalas' are developed under the expertise of Chef Sanjeev Kapoor who is a name to reckon with.

Given our hectic lifestyle and the obvious absence of a terrace to carry out such ventures, I could never imagine creating those magical concoctions in my own kitchen. But as I cut open the carefully sealed spice packets from 'Tata Sampann', the heady aroma and the striking hues made my head spin. 'Sampann' literally translates into rich and that it exactly what these spices felt like.

I prepared a simple meal consisting of a mushroom-paneer curry, dal tadka , steamed rice and salad for our 'Dashami' lunch. Tantalizing aromas enveloped the entire house even as I added finishing touches to the spread. Some of it even escaped to tease the neighbors, and in turn, prompting queries like 'what's special today ?'. And needless to say, my family had one of their best meals in the recent times.

Read on for the recipe for Mushroom Paneer Masala, a dish that never fails to invoke my childhood memories -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 200 gm paneer
• 200 gm button mushrooms
• 1/2 sachet of Tata Sampann Paneer Masala
• 2 tsp cream (optional)
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp Tata Sampann turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Tata Sampann red chili powder ( adjust as per taste )
• 2 pinch garam masala
• 3 tsp oil
• 1 tsp butter (optional)

For the gravy -

• 1 large onion ( cut into chunks )
• 10 garlic cloves (peeled)
• 1 inch ginger ( peeled and chopped into juliennes )
• 2 small tomatoes
• 2 pinch salt 
• 1 green cardamom
• 1/2 inch cinnamon
• 2-3 cloves
• 3-4 cashews 
• 1 tsp melon seeds (char-magaj)
• 1 tsp poppy seeds

Preparation - Soak cashews, poppy seeds and melon seeds in warm water for 30 mins.

Clean the mushrooms by rubbing them on a rough kitchen towel before then washing under running water. Slice them along the length.

Cut the paneer into cubes and immerse in salted water.

Cooking - Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok. Add the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Fry till fragrant.

Add onion, ginger and garlic cloves . Fry till raw smell goes off.

Add the chopped tomato and fry till they soften a bit. Finally toss in the soaked cashews and fry for 2 mins.

Remove from flame and keep aside till it cools down. Grind into a smooth paste and keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil and butter in the same wok. Add the masala paste and fry for 2-3 mins before adding the sliced mushrooms.

Turn up the heat and fry the mushrooms till they leave most of their water.

Sprinkle the red chili powder, turmeric powder and the Tata Sampann Paneer masala. Fry for 3-4 mins before adding about 1 1/2 cups of hot water. Adjust salt.

Bring to a boil before letting it simmer. Once the gravy is done, sprinkle garam masala and toss in the paneer cubes . Switch off the flame.

Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Thank you Tata Sampann for sending over this box full of nostalgia !