Baby Red-potatoes and Pearl-onion Butter Masala

 

One of the items on my to-do list for this week's Fall break was to whip up a New recipe and write it up on the blog site (http://www.thesizzlingpan.com/). Mission accomplished! 😊 Made this super delicious creamy curry with 'Butter masala/Makhani sauce' and Red baby potatoes and tiny pearl onions. 

For quite sometime, I had wanted to make this curry with baby potatoes and pearl onions. I remember my mom making similar curry back in Pune when I was a kid, though she made it with different style of curry. This kind of creamy sauce works great for this curry and made an extra special lunch treat for everyone served along with Parathas and Ghee Jeera rice.

Recipe:

10-12 baby red potatoes, washed

1 cup pearl onions (I used frozen pearl onions)

Butter masala /Makhani sauce:

2 medium onions sliced

2 medium tomatoes chopped

3 cloves garlic

1tsp grated ginger

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tsp Ghee/ Butter

2 tsp MDH Shahi Paneer masala

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp sugar

Cumin, cinnamon stick, Big Elaichi, Kasoori Methi, salt, oil

1) Saute the sliced onion till golden with little oil, Add tomatoes and saute till cooked and slightly browned. When cooled, make into paste with little water, ginger and garlic.

2) Saute the above masala with cumin, cinnamon, elaichi, Shahi paneer masala, red chili powder for few mins till thick on some oil.  Add the milk and cream. Mix and cook further for few mins. Add salt, sugar and crushed kasoori methi. Finish by topping with ghee/ butter.

3) Pierce the baby potatoes on all sides with a knife. Put the baby potatoes in a microwave safe bowl with some water. Microwave for 3 mins to cook partially.

4) Saute the partially cooked potatoes with some oil/ butter. Add the pearl onions and saute gently (make sure they don't break)

5) Add the Butter masala/ Makhani sauce to these sauteed potatoes and pearl onions. Add little water/milk and boil for few mins till potatoes cook fully, but not mushy. Check with inserting a knife to check the 'done-ness' of the potatoes. Finish with more butter/ ghee and kasoori methi.

6) Serve hot along with Naan/ Chapati/Parathas and Ghee Jeera Rice. Enjoy! 😋

Mix Vegetable Kurma and Whole Wheat Tandoori Naan

Now that everyone is staying put indoors, there is no more going to the favorite restaurants and eating out. Kids love Naan and Punjabi style curries (They call is "Órange curry"😆, due to the distinct orangish hue of the tomato based sauces in Punjabi curries) and miss their favorite Indian restaurant. So yesterday, made this elaborate Punjabi affair for dinner. They were overjoyed to have their favorite meal 😋 and we enjoyed cooking together as a family :)

** The Naan's are made with whole wheat dough (No Yeast, No Baking Soda/ Powder) and baked in oven.
Naan Recipe :
http://my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2011/04/everyday-cooking-whole-wheat-tandoori.html

Mix Vegetable Kurma Recipe:

Vegetables: (Cut in Square chunks)
1.5 cups cauliflower chunks
0.5 cups Onion chunks
0.5 cups Carrot chunks
0.5 cups Red pepper chunks
0.5 cups Green peas

1 cups Paneer cut in squares

Cut everything and keep aside till ready to use.

Masala paste:
2 medium onions chopped
3 medium tomatoes chopped
1/3 cup cashews
2 tbsp Sesame seeds toasted
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp chopped ginger
8 Black pepper, 5 Cloves, Small piece of cinnamon
Saute onions,  tomatoes with some oil till golden brown, Add sesame seeds, cashews, ginger-garlic and other spices. Let it cool completely before making into smooth paste in a blender with only little water.

Dry Spices:
3 tsp Everest Shahi Paneer Masala
2 tsp Red chili powder (Add more for Spicier curry)
1 tsp Cumin/ Shah Jeera
1 tsp turmeric
1 Bay leaf

Oil, Salt
Cashews and Cilantro for garnish


1) Saute the onion chunks, cauliflower chunks and other vegetables with some oil, cumin, bay leaf, turmeric, red chili powder and Shahi paneer masala.
2) Add the tomato-onion-cashew masala paste and salt and mix. Sautés for few mins.
3) Add some water to adjust consistency. (Milk cream/ Coconut milk can be added for richer gravy)
4) Add the Paneer and cook for few mins will closed lid.
5) Garnish with cashews and cilantro. Enjoy hot along with Whole wheat Naan, Brown Rice and Salad for a delicious and healthy meal!

My favorite curries to go with the Homemade Naan's:

Chicken or Paneer Chettinad:
https://my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2011/03/everyday-cooking-chicken-chettinad.html?m=0


Zucchini Non-fried Kofta Curry:
https://my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2013/08/zucchini-non-fried-kofta-curry.html?m=0

Zucchini 'non fried' Kofta Curry

Since the time I got my new 'Appe' pan from India....all I can think is...what other than 'appe' can I make in this pan??? This, morning I had planned to make Zucchini Kofta Curry for lunch. Since we are skimping on oil, it suddenly clicked....I can make Koftas in the Appe pan!! Super Idea..isn't it?

They came out gorgeous....perfect round shape and were made in few minutes and I would say ..about 16 of them were done in 2-3 tsp oil! If I were to fry these..you can guess how much oil it would have taken!!

Ingredients
Zucchini Koftas:
1 Cup grated Zucchini, water squeezed out
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup Besan
3tsp Corn flour
1tsp ginger-garlic paste
1tsp sesame seeds
1tsp cumin seeds
1/2tsp Red chili powder
1/2tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp Baking soda
salt
some water
2-3 tsp oil

Curry:
2 Finely chopped onions
1/2 cup Crushed tomatoes
2tsp ginger garlic paste
2tsp Kitchen King masala
1tsp red chili powder
1/2tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp shah jeera
1/2tsp sugar
salt
2 tsp oil
few cloves, black pepper corns, bay leaf
water

 Method:
1) Heat 2tsp oil in a pan, add the cloves, black pepper, shah jeera, bay leaves. Add the onions and fry till translucent. Add the ginger -garlic paste, crushed tomatoes and fry for few minutes.Add the rest of the spices and water and bring to a boil.
2) Mix the ingredients for the koftas. Add little water to make batter, which is not too thin.
3) Add few drops of oil to each well in the Appe pan.Add spoonful of batter.Cover with lid.
4) Turn the appe once they are golden on one side. Cook for 1 min on other side.
5) Add the Koftas to the curry,bring to a boil, add chopped cilantro and serve hot along with Chapati/Roti or Rice

'Everyday cooking'-Butternut Squash curry and chutney

Butternut Squash

Went grocery shopping last evening with 'E'. 'M' stayed @home because he wasn't feeling very well( and well..he isn't a grocery shopping enthusiast either!) He has this theory,where scientists work on making a 'food capsule',which you take once every 6 months..and you don't need to go grocery shopping,cook, eat and do the dishes! How convenient..and ya..how lazy????
Anyways......

At the grocery store,there were these fresh pumpkins and all kinds of colorful squash.'E' loved to look at those and touch them. I usually buy the 'precut' butternut squash,as it makes my life easier and they do a pretty good job of cutting into neat squares.But yesterday I thought..oh well..'E' will love to take a whole one home.So I bought this whole butternut squash.

This morning 'E' woke up and sensed that we are getting him ready for his pre school(Which just started last week..and ohh boyy..there is a lotttt of crying and 'mumma' mumma' there.) He started crying and telling me he doesn't want to go to school.Just to distract him,I reminded about the pumpkins we saw at the grocery store yesterday...and that mumma is going to make 'pumpkin curry/bhaaji' for him today after he comes back from school. I got him ready..and started for school.Throughout the way he kept crying..and telling me 'I want to eat pumpkin bhaaji..I want to eat Pumpkin bhaaji'!!!!! My poor little one...he thought if I make the bhaaji now,he doesn't have to go to school! How innocent!

Squash Curry/Bhaaji

Ingredients:

2 cups Butternut Squash cut into cubes
1 green chilli

5-6 Curry leaves

1/4tsp methi seeds

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 cup ground peanut/cashews(I use cashews because 'E' is allergic to peanuts)

Turmeric,asfoetida,salt to taste

1tsp oil

1/2 cup Water
Method:

1) Heat 1tsp oil,add cumin,methi,mustard,turmeric,asfoetida,curry leaves.

2) Add the precut squash.

3) Saute,add water,salt,water and simmer for about 7-8 mins

4) Add peanut/cashew powder,mix

5) Garnish with coriander.
6) Serve with warm rotis/chapatis/rice

Squash Chutney

This year when we visited India,my mother in law mentioned that pumpkin is her favorite vegetable.She said,it not only tastes good,but you can use all the parts of the pumpkin and nothing goes waste.She makes curry/bhaaji out of the pulp(is that what you call it?) ,she makes chutney from the pumpkin peel/skins and dries the seeds to use as snack later! Wow! I decided to follow her foot steps and use the squash to the fullest!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Squash peels ground in a blender

1/4 cup peanut/cashew powder

1/4 tsp Cumin,mustard ,sesame seeds

1 green chilli ground along with squash peels

1 clove garlic ground along with squash peels

Turmeric,asafoetida,salt,sugar,chilli powder to taste

1tsp oil

Method:

1) Heat oil,add mustard,cumin,sesame seeds.Add the ground squash peels.

2) Saute on low flame for 6-7 mins

3) Add salt,peanut powder,chilli powder,sugar.

4) Saute again for 2-4 mins.

Feel good about using the squash to the fullest and stretching the dollar!