Recipe : Dahi Ke Kebab - Vegetarian

Rakhi special - Dahi ke kebab / Yoghurt kebabs.

Rakhi / rakshabandhan is an Indian festival that celebrates the sibling bond. This also includes cousins and friends who feel like family.

I'm trying to test our willpower on how much sweet & deep fried stuff we can avoid, now that the Indian festive season has kicked off. Given that we will not be able to visit anyone or have anyone over, I’m hoping it won’t be too hard this year.

So instead of making something sweet I tried something new for rakhi - these dahi & paneer kebabs.

I first tried them in a restaurant in Rajasthan and the meltingly soft, mildly flavoured kebabs were a revelation. The subsequent ones that I've had across Rajasthan & Punjab could never measure up to my initial experience, but this recipe came quite close

Excellent as a tea time snack or to turn into sandwiches or rolls.

Ingredients :

2 cups hung curd + paneer

For a true dahi kebab, you need to use 75% dahi and 25% paneer.

I’d made fresh paneer at home and when hanging it, I added some soured up yoghurt too, So it ended up a 50:50 paneer and dahi mix. Which meant the kebabs were marginally grainier than they should have been..

1.5 - 2 tbsp of besan / chickpea flour - roast till fragrant

1/2 medium onion finely chopped

2-5 green chillies finely chopped

1/2 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp jeera / cumin powder

salt to taste

1/2 - 1 cup breadcrumbs

Oil to fry

Method :

In a large bowl, mix the hung curd and paneer, this should be very dry.

If your paneer isn't the crumbly variety, then grate it before mixing with the dahi, so you get a smooth paste.

Mix all the other ingredients into the paste except the oil & breadcrumbs.

It should be dry enough to hold its shape and fry, if it isn't dry enough, add more roasted besan.

Form shapes of your choice - flat tikkis / cylindrical or soccer ball shaped croquettes.

Since I shallow fry, I prefer the flat tikki shape for even cooking.

You can either shallow or deep fry these kebabs.

Heat a pan and then heat some vegetable oil in it.

In a flat plate, take the breadcrumbs. Roll the kebabs in the breadcrumbs and then fry on medium heat for about a minute each side till done.

You only need to crisp up the outside, not cook the inside.

Serve hot with green chutney or ketchup.

So yum!

Kim's Tips :

I didn’t have a stock of breadcrumbs and I didn’t feel like making some after my last disaster (over dried the bread, the mixi cover flew off and I spent half the day cleaning the breadcrumbs that had flown all over the kitchen), so I rolled them in rava/ soji / semolina before pan frying them.

Dahi kebabs are normally mildly flavoured, so the flavour of the yoghurt can shine through.

You also want to use minimal spices to preserve the white colour of the mix.

But if you want a stronger flavoured kebab, go ahead and add spices as per your taste - garam masala / amchoor / kasoori methi / cardamom powder / fresh chopped coriander / nutmeg powder are all good variations.

Recipe : Bagdadi Restaurant's (Mumbai) Paneer Bhurji

Ever since I saw Chef Vikas Khanna's "Savour Mumbai - A Culinary Journey Through India's Melting Pot" at a bookshop, I've been itching to cook from it. My copy arrived on the 30th and since I had some Paneer in the fridge, the first recipe I decided to try was the Paneer Bhurji from Mumbai's Bagdadi Restaurant.

The recipe is extremely simple and quick to make. However, I used Goverdhans packaged paneer which turned out to be smooth and on the creamier side, but I think the taste and texture would be much better with fresh paneer or homemade paneer, especially on the day that you are upset that your paneer hasn't set well (tight).

This recipe reflects my higher heat, lower oil variation

Ingredients : 
300 gms fresh cottage cheese (paneer)
1 tsp oil (I used refined, 2 tbsp were recommended)
1/4 tsp cumin / jeera seeds
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 medium tomato finely chopped
6-8 green chillies finely chopped (original recommendation was 2)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp corriander powder
salt to taste
fresh coriander to garnish - finely chopped

Method :
Crumble the paneer roughly with your hands and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add jeera seeds.
When they crackle, add onions and saute till they soften.
Add chillies and tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are soft and pulpy.
Now, add turmeric, corriander powders and salt and cook for 2 minutes or so.
Add paneer, mix well and cook until the water dries up.
Take it off the heat, garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot with dhal-chawal, rotis, parathas or on toast.

Recipe: Paneer Makhani - Cottage Cheese

I made Paneer Makhani the other day at a dinner for friends. As usual when cooking for dinners, I keep forgetting to take pictures. Hubsnad took this picture after people had finished eating, so its not the best of pics, but it does give you an idea of consistency which is why I'm including it here.

Puree 1 kilo tomatoes.

In a pan give seasoning with 1-2 cardamom, 3-4 cloves, 2 slit green chillies, 1"inch ginger chopped fine. Add the tomato puree and keep sauteeing till cooked.

Powder 1 handful of cashewnuts and add it to the cooked tomatoes. Stir well.

Add 1/2 kilo of chopped paneer and give it a quick steam. (Don't overcook it, the paneer will turn rubbery)

Add 2 tsp cream (you can use more) and stir into the curry.

Sprinkle 2 pinches of Kasuri Methi on top (optional)

Serve hot with rotis.

Recipe : Paneer Hariyali Tikka - Cottage Cheese Kebabs

This is a great way to finish leftover green chutney before whipping up a fresh batch.

Its also very quick to fix for a snack.

Since this is a recipe for leftovers, there are no quantities mentioned, you need to trust your instincts and eyeball it.

Ingredients:

Paneer - Cut into desired shape
Green chutney
a little curd/ yoghurt to make up the balance volume for marinating the paneer (optional)
vegetables like peppers/capsicum/ tomatoes/ onions - cut into triangular shapes
Chaat powder to garnish & taste
Black salt - to taste

Method:
Mix the green chutney with the yoghurt.
(If you are using yoghurt, don't marinate the paneer for too long, it will turn too soft to handle.)
Add black salt to taste

Marinate the paneer in this mixture for 15 minutes to 1 hour (while you are chopping the vegetables)

You can now either grill it, BBQ it or pan fry it.

Skewer the paneer alternating with colorful peppers for a fancy look.

This time, I made it as a quick snack, so I just pan fried it without oil.

If you are using fresh paneer, a lot of water will get released.

Don't worry, it will all dry up and give the paneer the crisp finish.

After pan frying the paneer, I dipped the vegetables in the remaining marinade before frying them too (again without oil)

Sprinkle chaat powder and serve hot.

It can also be served with rotis for a meal.

Recipe: Fried Chicken Kebab / Chicken Pakoda (Fritters)

This is a quick and easy recipe if you suddenly have someone dropping in for an evening snack or you have just decided to treat yourself and your family.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo chicken
1 or 2 eggs (depending on size)
2 tsps ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp soya sauce
Cornflour to make the batter
chilli sauce to taste
salt to taste
1-2 tsps of rava (semolina) - if you want more of a crunch to the taste.
Vegetable oil to fry
Chopped corriander to garnish

Method:
Make a batter with the eggs, ginger garlic paste, sauces, salt, cornflour and the rava if you are using it. It needs to be a thick consistency where it will give a good coating to the pieces.

Wash the chicken and pat dry. You can use either bite sized bits of boneless chicken which will go well as an appetiser or with drinks or use smaller pieces of chicken with the bone in them.

Marinate chicken in the batter for at least 30 minutes.

In a deep pan, heat oil till very hot.
Deep fry chicken pieces, turning gently half way through.

Note:
Deep frying will give a nice crispy texture.
You can shallow fry it, but then make sure you use thinner pieces of chicken and use less batter on the pieces, else it will turn into a soggy mess.

Serve garnished with Corriander leaves.

Variations:

This recipe can also be used with large sized prawns or bite sized pieces of boneless fish for seafood versions or cauliflower or paneer for a vegetarian version.

Marinate prawns or fish for 15-20 mins in a light mixture of 1/4 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp turmeric powder + 1/2 tsp vinegar, then use this marinade and continue as above.

For cauliflower/paneer, follow the same recipe.

If you want to marinate it overnight, then don't add the eggs, until just before frying, else it will lose its crispiness.

Note : the egg will cause the oil to froth when you start to fry, leave enough depth between the oil and the top of the pan

Recipe : Mattar Paneer (Peas and Cottage Cheese)

A Respected Professor who has taught both of us was visiting last evening. I wanted to cook a meal at home as he had been on the road and eating out a lot. The only worrying thing, was that because of this move and the prolonged stay at the guest house, I hadn't cooked for almost 3 months. My kitchen is still a hotch potch of ingredients shoved into recesses by the 'un'packers and finding even something like salt is like embarking on a treasure hunt.

So I decided to cook an extremely simple meal that required minimum number of ingredients, with a focus on fresh ingredients that could be easily bought in the market.

This being winter season, fresh green peas are abundantly available and neither frozen nor dehydrated peas can compare in flavor. The sweetness and texture of fresh green peas is unmistakable in a dish. The recipe can be made with frozen peas. But fresh peas are highly recommended where possible.

Most "Mattar Paneer" dishes that you may have tried in a restaurant would be more of a gravy. But this is a dry dish (I will also give you directions on how to turn it into a curry). This version may not taste exactly like what you are looking for, but as I have mentioned before, most Indian dishes have as many variations as barbeque rubs and marinades if not more.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo paneer (cottage cheese, fresh is better than frozen)
1/2 kilo fresh green peas - before shelling (300 gms frozen/shelled peas)
1 medium onion
1 medium tomato
2 green chillies (you can ignore it completely, if you don't want it spicy, or increase the chillies, if you want more heat)
1/2" piece of ginger (1/2 tsp of ginger paste)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 tsp corriander powder (dhaniya)
pinch of cumin seeds (jeera)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp of oil
fresh corriander to garnish

Preparation: (10 minutes)
Fresh paneer has a much better texture than frozen paneer. But you can use frozen if fresh isnt available.
Chop paneer into cubes.
Rinse shelled/frozen peas
Thinly slice the onion and tomato.
Slit the chillies in half lengthwise. (Remove the seeds if you don't want the heat)
Roughly smash the ginger with a mortar-pestle or a heavy instrument (like a mallet)

Method: (15-20 minutes)
Put a pan on the fire. When hot, add the oil.
When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds. When the seeds sputter, add the ginger.
When the ginger starts to smell cooked (2 minutes), add the onion, chillies and tomato. Fry lightly for about 5 minutes. Then add the powders.
When the onions and tomato have turned soft, add the paneer and the peas. If you are using frozen paneer, cook it for 2 minutes before adding the peas.
Cover the dish and let it cook in its own liquid for 5-10 minutes. Check in between and add a little water at a time if it is turning too dry.
When cooked, garnish with fresh chopped corriander and serve hot with rotis and dhal or rice and dhal.

Variations:
To turn this into a curry:
You can double or triple the amount of onions and tomatoes and puree them together. Add this puree, after the ginger is cooked. Saute the paste till it is cooked, before adding the paneer and the peas.