HOMEMADE PANEER RECIPE–INDIAN COOKING BASICS

 

I would like to share some yummy paneer recipes in the upcoming weeks.Before that,i wanted to post this basic homemade paneer recipe.As u all know,making homemade paneer is very easy,healthy,hygenic,nutritious as well as low in cost when compared to store bought paneer.All u need is just a litre of milk,two lemons and a cheese cloth.Generally i use low fat milk to make paneer.It comes out super soft and stays good for a week when refrigerated in an air tight box.I have been following this method from Mrs.Mallika badrinath’s cook book for long time.I have tried with curd,vinegar and lemon juice too.Every time it comes out perfect.I am yet to try with citric acid.I have shared all the tips & tricks i learnt from my experience and observation. I hope it would be useful for beginners in cooking.I will try to upload a full video recipe soon.Lets see how to make paneer at home easily.

 

Homemade paneer recipe

Homemade paneer recipe using lemon juice

 

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Cooking basics

Serves: 15 cubes

Prep time: 15 Minutes

Cook time: 2Hours

Total time: 2H15Mins

 

INGREDIENTS

Low fat milk - 4 cups Lemon juice - 2 to 3 tbsp + equal quantity of water Salt - a pinch Cheese cloth or muslin cloth or any cotton cloth - 1 no Water - 1 cup or ice cubes – few Maida – 1/2 tbsp (optional)

METHOD

Squeeze lemon juice from 2 lemons and add equal quantity of water & set aside. Boil milk till it froths & rises to the top.As soon as it starts to boil,switch off the flame and leave it untouched for 30 seconds. Now add 1 tbsp of lemon juice and stir the milk.Milk will start to curdle.Again add another 1 tbsp of lemon juice and keep stirring the milk.Milk will completely curdle and u could see the greenish whey separating from the milk. To this,add 1 cup of plain water or few ice cubes and let it sit for few minutes.Whey will float on top and the chenna settles down. Take a colander and cover it with the cheese cloth or cotton cloth.I used my cotton dupatta.Pour the curdled mixture & strain it by keeping a bowl underneath the colander.Collect the whey water & set aside.U can use this whey for curdling the milk,making rotis etc. Now tie the cloth & squeeze it lightly.Be careful,it would be hot.Hang the cloth under the cupboard or in a closed tap for about 30 minutes.Now all the excess water would be removed. Remove the chenna & add 1/2 tbsp of maida.Knead it well for 2-3 minutes.Paneer will become very soft.Make a square share or round shape as u desire. Keep it in the cloth again & close it.Place the cloth on a plate and keep some weight( a bowl of water) over the cloth and set aside for one hour.When u remove after one hour,paneer would be well set.Remove the extras,cut into cubes and store in a box.Stays good for a week when refrigerated !

Note

U can use curd in place of lemon juice.In that case,use 1/4 cup of slightly diluted curd.Remaining procedure is the same. We should add equal quantity or even little more water to the lemon juice.By doing this way,the sourness of lemon would be reduced and the paneer wont taste sour.U don’t have to wash the paneer after straining.Its optional. U can follow the same procedure for vinegar too.But i guess u may have to wash the paneer after straining as the vinger smell is powerful than lemon. Do not boil the milk after u add lemon juice because paneer may become hard when u over boil the milk. And u must add some plain water at room temp or ice cubes after the milk is curdled completely.This will help the whey and chenna to separate.This is optional though. Do not use polyester cloth for straining paneer.Its better to use thin cotton cloth. Adding maida is optional while kneading.U can skip it if u don’t like. I usually make paneer using 2-3 days old boiled milk by refrigerating it.

 

 

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POORI MASALA RECIPE - HOTEL STYLE POTATO MASALA FOR PURI - POORI KIZHANGU

Poori masala with potato/ Aloo masala in Hindi / Urulaikizhangu masala in Tamil is the best side dish for poori. Last year I posted onion masala without potato which is my mom’s special recipe. But poori tastes the best only with potato masala or potato kurma as served in restaurants / Hotels. In Tamil we say this as “Poori Kizhangu” and in Hindi it is called as bhaji. In Tamilnadu, Saravana bhavan hotel poori masala is very popular. Iam yet to taste it. But the one I have shared here is also hotel style poori masala that is served in most of the restaurants in Tamilnadu. Yes, addition of besan flour is the secret for hotel style recipe. I made puri and this south Indian hotel style potato masala for our breakfast yesterday as my birthday special recipe. Some people use this potato masala for stuffing masala dosa too. But I make that masala slightly different. Soon I will post it here. You can do so many variations in this recipe by adding tomato, carrot, peas and making it without onion, besan flour etc. I have listed them in “Note” section.It tastes good in all the ways. Here is our method of making this yummy side dish for poori. Lets see how to make hotel style poori masala @ potato masala for poori with step by step photos.

Do check out my potato kurma recipe for poori , Karnataka style veg sagu , Saravana bhavan veg kurma

Poori masala recipe

Poori masala / Poori kizhangu masala - Tamil nadu hotel style recipe, Best side dish for poori using potato

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sidedish

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 15 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To Pressure cook Potato - 3 nos Big onion - 2 nos Green chillies - 3 nos Ginger – 1 inch piece Hing - 1/8 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Besan flour – 2 tsp Salt & water - as needed To temper Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Chana dal - 1 tbsp Curry leaves - few

METHOD

Wash and cut the potatoes into 3-4 pieces.Pressure cook them adding a pinch of turmeric powder for 4-5 whistles in high flame.Remove and peel the skin.Mash it roughly into big pieces.Dilute the besan flour adding 1/4 cup of water and set aside. Slice onions,chop ginger,Green chillies and curry leaves.Set aside. In a wide kadai,heat oil and do the seasoning part as given above.Then add onions,finely chopped green chillies ,ginger bits & curry leaves. Saute till onion turns transparent.Now add 1 cup of water,turmeric powder,salt and hing.Allow it to boil.Meanwhile add the roughly chopped potatoes and diluted besan flour.(I transferred everything to a small cooker and cooked for one whistle in high flame for quick cooking of onions.Its optional.U can do it in kadai too.) Boil well for few minutes till onion gets cooked well & masala reaches semi solid consistency.Switch off the flame.Add some coriander leaves if necessary. Potato masala is ready to serve with hot puffy puri ! NOTE For variations,u can add finely chopped carrots and a handful of peas while sauting onions.U can also add half of a finely chopped tomato. U can add besan flour or skip it if u don’t like tat flavour.But i add it to give the restaurant touch as well as to give a creamy texture. This masala thickens when it cools.So make it slightly watery before switching off the flame. Adjust the quantity of chillies as per ur taste.I don’t chop the chillies finely for my daughter’s sake.So i slit and add.But in hotels they do add them finely chopped. To make this as kurma,add some finely chopped garlic cloves and 1/2 tsp of garam masala powder.

Puffy poori with this potato masala tastes like heaven for morning breakfast.Do try & feel it !!

Don't forget to check out my puffy poori/Puri recipe with tips n tricks !

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VAZHAIPOO VADAI RECIPE/BANANA FLOWER VADA–BANANA FLOWER RECIPES

As I mentioned in my Vazhaipoo kuzhambu post, I made vazhipoo vadai for the first time with the tender banana flowers.It was so nice and crispy. Basically we love anything when deep fried. So when I made this Vazhaipoo vadai, Sendhil & Raksha were double happy to have a healthy deep fried snack for their tea time. It was a good change for me from the usual vazhaipoo usili or poriyal & I am happy that I’ve  got yet another yummy banana flower recipe in my list. I got this vazhaipoo vadai recipe from my MIL. I made few changes to make it in an easier way & prepared this vada. Ok, lets see how to make this vazhaipoo vadai easily.

Vazhaipoo vadai recipe

Vazhaipoo vadai - Healthy, yummy snack recipe using Banana flower. 

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Snacks

Serves: 8

Prep time: 3 Hours

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 3H 15M

INGREDIENTS

Banana flower/Vazhaipoo – Two handful (approx 40nos)  Chana dal – 1/2 cup Toor dal – 1 tbsp (optional) Red chillies – 3-4 nos Ginger – 1 inch piece Hing/Asafetida – 1/4 tsp Water – As needed Fennel seeds – 1/4 tsp Small onions/Big onion – 20 nos / 1 no Curry leaves - few Cooking oil – to deep fry

HOW TO MAKE VAZHAIPOO VADAI - METHOD

Wash and soak chana dal & toor dal for 3 hours. Wash and clean Vazhaipoo. Remove the stamen part in the flower and keep the flowers immersed in buttermilk till use. No need to chop them. First coarsely grind the banana flowers along with pinched red chillies, hing, ginger , fennel seeds and salt. Drain the water in the soaked chana dal and grind it without adding water. The water content in vazhaipoo itself is enough to grind. Take the vada batter in a wide bowl. Finely chop onions,curry leaves & add to the batter. Mix well. Take a lemon sized ball and pat it to make masala vada shape Heat oil to deep fry. Add a pinch of batter. If it rises immediately,oil is ready. Now drop the vada and deep fry both sides till the onions turn golden brown. Remove and serve with sauce or coconut chutney ! NOTE Do not add water while grinding.Soak chana dal for minimum two hours. Adjust the quantity of chillies based on your taste.U can also use green chillies in place of red chillies. Adding soambu/Fennel gives a nice flavor to the vada. U can also skip it if you don’t like. No need to chop the banana flowers as we are grinding it coarsely. The color of vada is generally black. Check out my detailed post on “How to clean Vazhaipoo” with stepwise pictures soon.

Enjoy this crispy vazhaipoo vadai with Ginger Tea or Coffee ! Tastes yum !

Also check out my other vadai recipes

• Masala vada/Paruppu vadai

• Mixed vegetable vadai

• Keerai vadai

• Urad dal vada

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MILLET LADDU RECIPE | MIXED MILLET LADOO - MILLETS RECIPES

I am happy to share my first post on millet recipes/Siruthaniya unavugal(in Tamil). As I wanted to start with a easy sweet recipe, I tried this mixed millets laddu adding jaggery (Siruthaniya ladoo in Tamil) / Multi millet laddu. It came out very well. Sendhil loved it a lot. I have seen millet laddu recipes using ragi or thinai /Foxtail millet. 

For a change, I used all the millets like thinai, kambu, kuthiravali, saamai, varagu, ragi and in addition I used yellow moong dal and barley to make it like sathumaavu urundai/Health mix powder balls to get all the health benefits of millets. I made this laddu keeping Diabetic patients in mind. So I skipped sugar & used jaggery as I din’t have karuppatti/Palm jaggery in hand. U can give this ladoo to your kids too if they like jaggery flavour. Else make it with powdered sugar. 

U can store this laddu for weeks and give your kids one laddu a day. I am sure they will get all the nutrients required for them. Try this power packed easy millet laddu recipe for your family and enjoy the health benefits of all the millets in one go !

Do check out my detailed post on Millets varieties, how to identify them and where to buy it etc.

Mixed Millets laddu recipe

Mixed Millets laddu recipe with jaggery – Healthy snacks recipes !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweets

Serves: Yields 15nos

Prep time: 15 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy
INGREDIENTS

Thinai /Foxtail millet– 3 tbsp Kambu /Pearl millet– 3 tbsp Ragi /Finger millet– 3 tbsp Kuthiravali /Barnyard millet– 3 tbsp Varagu / Kodo millet– 3 tbsp Saamai /Little millet– 3 tbsp Moong dal – 2 tbsp Barley – 1 tbsp Grated jaggery – 3/4 –1 cup Cardamom seeds– 4 nos Melted Ghee – 6 tbsp (adjust)

METHOD - HOW TO MAKE MILLET LADDU

In a wide kadai, take all the millets, moong dal, barley and cardamom seeds. Dry roast it in medium flame till you get a nice roasted aroma. Roasting takes 10 minutes based on the flame you keep. Make sure you don’t burn the millets while roasting. (If you want, you can roast the millets one by one). Allow it to cool. In the mean time, grate the jaggery and melt the ghee & roast the cashews. Now grind the roasted millets to a fine powder. Sieve if necessary. After its ground smooth, add the grated jaggery and again grind it to a fine powder. Check for sweetness. Add more jaggery if you need. Now take the ground mixture in a wide bowl. Make a dent in the center. Add the melted ghee and roasted cashews. Mix well with the ladle as the ghee is hot. Once the mixture is warm, mix well with your hands and make balls. Add more ghee if needed OR you can also add few drops of milk or water if you want to reduce the quantity of ghee. But the shelf life of laddu will be reduced if you add milk. So use it accordingly. Make all ladoos and store in an air tight box. Enjoy. It stays good for weeks.

Note

Adjust the quantity of grated jaggery as per your sweet buds. If you add less jaggery, you may need to add more ghee. Sieving the ground flour is completely optional. If you don’t sieve, you may get some crunchy taste while eating not very smooth. U can also add a handful of fried gram dal while roasting millets. It gives a nice flavour and an added benefit for kids. U can also replace jaggery with sugar if you want to make it for kids.

Make this easy and healthy millet laddu, enjoy eating and reap its health benefits !

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MIXED VEGETABLE CHUTNEY RECIPE | VEGETABLE CHUTNEY FOR IDLI DOSA

Basically I love to prepare varieties of chutney recipes for breakfast. So I keep searching and trying them. Vegetable chutney recipe was in my to-do list for long time. I referred Mrs.Mallika badrinath’s chutney varieties book for this recipe & I prepared this chutney using cabbage, cauliflower, chayote & carrot. U can also add few pieces of Zucchini, Capsicum & brinjal to make it more healthy. Myself and Sendhil had a satisfaction of eating a healthy side dish for idli, dosa. It tasted great. I am sure this chutney would be a healthy n yummy replacement for our usual coconut chutney & tomato chutney recipes .

Ok, Lets see how to make this mixed veg chutney for idli, dosa. Procedure & ingredients list may seem lengthy. But its really worthy to try!

Mixed vegetable chutney recipe

Mixed vegetable chutney recipe for idli, dosa!

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Chutney recipes

Serves: 2

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To saute & cook Carrot - 1 no Chayote/chow-chow –1/2  (small) Cauliflower – 1 big floret Cabbage – few leaves  Cooking oil – 1 tbsp Salt & water – as needed To roast & saute Oil – 1 tbsp Red chillies – 4 to 5 Chana dal – 2 tbsp Hing/Asafetida – 2 pinches Tomato – 2 nos Big onion – 1 no To temper Cooking oil – 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1/2tsp To grind raw Grated coconut – 2 tbsp Coriander leaves – 2 stalk Curry leaves – 8 nos Tamarind - a small pinch Salt - as needed

METHOD

Wash and chop the vegetables,onion & tomato. In a kadai heat oil and roast the ingredients given under “to roast n saute”. After roasting dal, chillies & hing , add the chopped tomatoes & onion pieces. Add little salt for quick sautéing. Remove and set aside. Again heat 1-2 tbsp of oil in the kadai and saute all the chopped vegetables. Saute for 5 minutes in medium flame till the vegetables change in color. Add some salt for quick cooking. Add 1/2 cup of water and cover cook the vegetables till it turns soft. Once the veggies are cooked, remove & set aside to cool. In the mean time,grind the dal,chillies,tomato & onion mixture without adding water. To this add the sauteed veggies, grated coconut, coriander leaves & curry leaves. Grind it to a thick paste adding little water. Check for salt and taste. Add a pinch of tamarind & grind again if you feel the chutney is too spicy. Temper the chutney with mustard seeds and urad dal. Serve with idli, dosa adding few tsp of gingely oil/Sesame oil. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of red chillies based on the spiciness of chillies. I used Byadgi chilli variety which is less spicy. U can use 4-5 nos if the chillies are spicy.  U can use any vegetables of your choice.

Enjoy this mixed vegetable chutney with idli,dosa. It tastes yum !

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AADI THENGAI SUDUM PANDIGAI RECIPE/FIRE ROASTED COCONUT - AADI PANDIGAI RECIPES – TRADITION OF SALEM

Today I celebrated Aadi pirappu/Aadi pandigai( Aadi festival) in my house by roasting coconut in direct fire. We stuff the coconut with sesame and jaggery pooranam. In Tamil we call this as “Thengai suduthal/thengai sudum pandigai”.  Some people also call this as vedi thengai. This kind of celebration may be new to some of you. Its a customary practice among the people in and around villages of Salem District, Namakkal and Dharmapuri district, Tamil nadu. My mom follows this every year.

 Usually my mom makes pooja in the evening around 6 pm by offering this roasted coconut for Vinayagar (Lord Ganesh) and Amman on Aadi 1st day. This year 2023, Aadi 1 falls on 17th of July. In Tamil nadu, special sticks (Alinjil kuchi and Vadha narayanan kuchi in Tamil) and readymade pooranam/stuffings are available in all the market. Being in Bangalore, I couldn’t find these things here. So I used a long kulfi stick for holding the coconut, asked my mom for the stuffing part and celebrated Aadi 1 festival for the first time in my house. 

By God’s grace, everything went very well and I was totally satisfied. As this practice is almost forgotten among our generation, I wanted to have a record of this festival and the recipe in my blog for my future reference and of course for the Salem people who look for this festival. Wish you all a very happy Aadi Pandigai / Aadi Pirappu !

Lets see the procedure for stuffing and roasting coconut in detail.

Do check out my another aadi pirappu recipe - Brahmin's style Aadi Thengai Paal Payasam recipe.

Aadi thengai pandigai recipe

Aadi thengai suduthal recipe for aadi pirappu/aadi pandigai !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Festival recipes

Serves: Serves 1-2

Prep time: 60 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 75 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Coconut - 1 no Turmeric powder – 2 tsp (to coat the coconut) Coconut water – as needed For stuffing/Pooranam Raw rice  – 2 tbsp (optional) Grated jaggery – 5-6 tbsp  Fried gram dal/Pottukadalai – 1 tbsp Moong dal – 2 tbsp Dry Roasted Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp (black or white) Thick Poha/Aval – 1 tbsp

METHOD

Take all the ingredients given under “ for stuffing” in a mixie jar.  Grind everything to a coarse powder or fine powder before stuffing. It helps to stuff easily. Alternatively you can dry roast all the ingredients, grind to coarse powder and stuff them.  My mom doesn't grind the stuffing ingredients. So I too followed the same. But grinding to a coarse powder makes the stuffing job easy.  Clean the coconut by removing the fibre part (thengai naar) and rub the coconut well on the hard, rough surface or grate using a carrot grater to remove its fibre completely & make it smooth. Now you can see three eyes on the bottom part of the coconut clearly. Pierce one eye with a sharp pointed tool ( I used screw driver) and make a big hole. Invert the coconut over the tumbler and collect all the water. Reserve the water aside. Inside the hole, stuff the pooranam mixture using your fingers. It would be slightly difficult and it takes more time too. Use the pointed tool whenever necessary to push the stuffing inside the coconut through the hole. Add the coconut water little by little say few tbsp in the middle of stuffing. Keep stuffing the mixture and pouring the coconut water & fill the coconut. At one stage the coconut water will come out. At this point, stop filling it. Now wash the coconut with drinking water and apply the turmeric powder all over it. Insert the strong stick or skewer. Seal the top with some turmeric powder paste. Decorate the coconut by keeping kumkum wherever needed. I kept 3 dots around the coconut and 4 dots on the top. Keep the coconut over the gas burner. Switch on the flame and roast the coconut on all the sides. I used a big screw driver to turn the coconut as my stick was very tender. Roasting takes nearly 10-15 minutes. Adjust the flame whenever necessary. While roasting, the water stuffed in the coconut may spill and drop over the burner. Don’t panic. U may get some strange sound too. Its the crackling sound of sesame seeds and the shell of coconut. Keep turning the coconut whenever needed. Coconut will turn black and it will get a big crack at one stage. Stop roasting the coconut at this stage and remove it. Keep aside to cool. Offer this roasted coconut to GOD. Pray for all your wishes to come true ! Then break the coconut, remove the shell and enjoy eating the coconut pieces along with the stuffing. It tastes great !!

Note

Adjust the quantity of jaggery based on your taste.  Stuffing the coconut takes more time and it really tests your patience too. Add coconut water in the middle of stuffing and keep filling. Use a pointed device to push the pooranam inside the coconut else it would be really difficult. Its better to powder the ingredients before stuffing. It makes the job easier. l Some people soak the rice for an hour before stuffing in the coconut. Its purely optional.

Enjoy this roasted coconut pieces with the stuffing. It tastes yummm..

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