Paneer Cutlets

Made some cutlets with the leftover paneer which i had bought for the special weekend biryani. These cute and easy to make cutlets turned out to be quite tasty and are low on calories too. Use a cookie cutter to make them into interesting shapes and even the kids will ask for more.

One can coat them with flour paste and breadcrumbs before frying for a crispier version but these ones are quite yummy by themselves. The fried ones would work well for parties and picnics.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup paneer cubes
• 1 cup boiled potato cubes
• 1 large sized onion ( finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp grated/crushed garlic
• 1/2 - 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 2 pinches of curry powder (optional)
• a pinch of turmeric
• 4-5 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• finely chopped coriander leaves

Preparation -  Lightly crumble the paneer with your fingers.

Mash the potatoes. Break any lumps but do not make it too smooth.


Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the onions and fry till translucent.

Add the ginger and garlic and fry for 2-3 mins or till raw smell goes away.

Sprinkle all the powders except garam masala. Fry for 30 seconds.

Add the crumbled paneer and mashed potatoes. Mix and fry for 4-5 minutes on medium flame.

Sprinkle garam masala and coriander leaves.. Mix and switch off flame.

Allow to cool down to a tolerable temperature. Then pinch small balls out of the mix and fashion into heart shaped cutlets.

Heat a flat tawa/frying pan. Drizzle lightly with some oil. Put the cutlets on tawa and cook on both sides for few minutes each ( till you see a light browning ).

Remove and serve hot as snacks/starters or sides.

Note - One can also use chenna instead of paneer to make these cutlets. I usually make some chenna quickly when i want to make these for my fussy son.

Tomato Chutney (Andhra Recipe)

The South Indian version of tomato chutney is a far cry from the sweet and syrupy one favored by the folks of Odisha and West Bengal. While the former is a tart scorcher ( thanks to the overload of green chillis ), the latter is doused with jaggery/raisins and copious amounts of sugar. Both are as different from each other as chalk and cheese.  The south Indian one is usually served as a accompaniment with breakfast/snack items while the eastern version goes well with rice and dal/dalma.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 8-10 mins

Ingredients -

• 4 small ripe tomatoes
• 6-7 shallots (peeled)
• 3-4 garlic flakes
• 2 green chilies
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 pinches mustard seeds
• 1 dry byadgi chili (optional)
• 1 pinch asafoetida
• 3 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the shallots and green chillis. Follow with the tomatoes after 1 minute. Fry everything on a medium high flame for 2 minutes.

Add garlic and coriander leaves. Give a stir and switch off the flame.

Transfer everything into a blender along with some salt and buzz a little to get a somewhat coarse paste. Transfer back to a mixing/serving bowl.

Heat the remaining oil in the wok. Add mustard seeds with broken red chili followed by the asafoetida and curry leaves. Fry for 10 seconds. Pour over the tomato paste and mix in.

Serve with dosa/idli/uttapam or even plain rice.

Note - I usually prefer to have it with white rice and some papad.

Methi Sagaa Kharada (Stir fried Fenugreek leaves)

Methi or Fenugreek leaves are great for diabetics and people suffering from high cholesterol levels. Additionally, regular consumption of methi leaves also benefits skin and hair. These bitter but fragrant leaves can be a little overwhelming when consumed on its own. But they lend their aroma and taste when cooked in combination with other vegetables or even made into delicious methi parathas/rotis.

While the North Indian style preparations of methi call for use of garam masalas and tomatoes, people in Odisha prefer to savour its original taste. Usually only a little amount of a vegetable like aubergine or ridge gourd is combined with it and made into a stir fry. But I have added some potatoes as well to reduce the bitterness and make it palatable for my kid. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -


2 cups fenugreek/methi leaves (cleaned and chopped into small pieces)
1 cup aubergine (chopped into medium sized cubes)
1 medium sized potato (boiled, peeled and cubed)
1 medium sized onion (chopped into thin long pieces)
1-2 dry red chillis
1/2 tsp panch phoran/pancha phutana
2-3 garlic cloves (crushed)
2-3 tsp oil
salt to taste
a pinch of turmeric


Cooking - Heat oil in the wok. Add broken red chillis and pancha phutana. When the seeds start spluttering, add the onions and garlic. Fry till translucent.

Add the methi leaves and fry on medium to high for 2-3 minutes.

Add the potato and aubergine cubes along with salt and turmeric. Cook covered while stirring at regular intervals.

Remove from the flame after 6-7 minutes or once the methi leaves and aubergine are cooked through.

Serve hot with rotis or rice.

Maseladar Baingan (Spicy Eggplant Curry)

Eggplant is perhaps the most used vegetable in our house. So I try to make various combinations and permutations so that we do not get bored of it. That is why when i saw this recipe in the Sunday edition of TOI, I added it to my To-Do list.

It turned out to be very nice and spicy. Goes great with rotis!!! Read on for the very easy recipe:

Preparation Time - 20-25 mins

Ingredients -

• Sliced brinjal/eggplant ( 4 cups )
• Finely chopped onion ( 2 medium )
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/3 tsp
• Chili powder - 1/3 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Amchur - 1/4 tsp ( But I used 1/2 tsp anardana powder instead )
• Yogurt - 1/2 cup
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Oil - 4 tbsp
• salt to taste

For the paste -

• Peanuts - 2 tbsp
• Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/3 tsp
• Green chillis - 2-3 nos
• Coriander leaves - 1/3 cup

Preparation - Make a fine paste out of the ingredients listed under 'For the paste'.

Cooking - Add 1 tbsp oil to a wok. Add and fry the eggplant slices for 4-5 minutes. Remove and keep aside.

Add the remaining oil to the wok. Add cumin seeds and allow to crackle.

Add chopped onions and allow to turn translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook till raw smell goes away.

Add all the powdered spices. Fry for 1 min.

Add the masala paste along with salt and fry for 3-4 mins.

Add the beaten curd along with the eggplant slices. Fry for 2-3 mins on medium flame.

Add 1 1/2 cup water slowly. Cover with lid and allow to cook for 6-7 mins.

Remove from wok. Add lemon juice and coriander leaves. Mix well.

Serve hot with rotis.

Note - The original recipe made use of the raw eggplant pieces but I choose to stir fry them as it tastes different ( I like it better this way).