Palak Paneer

Ingredients:
Chopped Palak - 2-3 cups
Paneer cubes
Onion - 1
Tomato - 2
Ginger - Small piece
Garlic - Small piece
Green chilli - 3
Salt
Butter - 4 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli - 2
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Cashews - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Pressure cook tomato,onion,green chilli,ginger and garlic, once it gets cooled grind it to fine paste.
2. In a vessel add little water and chopped palak, cook for 10 min
3. Grind the palak to fine paste.(Drain out excess water before grinding)
4. Grind coconut,red chilli and cashews with very little water and make fine paste.
5. Take a heavy pan,add butter, once butter melts add paste from step 1 and fry for 2 min
6. Now add palak paste and salt, cook for 2 min
7. Add paste from step 4 and continue cooking for 5 min
8. Now add garam masala and cardamom, cook for 1 min and switch off stove
9. Add paneer cubes just before serving (Paneer can be shallow fried with little oil)

Serves: for 3

Rasmalai

Ingredients:

For Rabri (Thickened sweet milk)

Milk - 1/2 ltr

Sugar - 100 gms

Crushed Cardamom - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder

For Sugar Syrup

Sugar - 2 cups

Water - 5 cups

For Paneer (Cheese)

Milk - 3/4 ltr

Lime juice - 4-5 tsp

Method: 

For making rabri

• Add milk, sugar and pinch of turmeric in a heavy bottomed pan, start boiling milk on medium low heat.
• Keep stirring and once milk starts leaving thick cream at the edges, stir continuously
• Add Cardamom and continue boiling till the milk gets condensed. Once done turn off heat and allow it to cool

For making Paneer

• Start boiling milk on medium low heat and while milk about to reach boiling level, add lime juice little by little and keep stirring on very low heat for about 2 min
• Once it starts curdling, switch off stove and filter the mixture using a  muslin cloth ( or thin white cloth) and squeeze out the water.
• Make sugar syrup simultaneously by mixing water and sugar in a heavy big vessel and boil it on medium high heat.
• Place the cheese (paneer) on a board and while still hot, knead it till no granules are left, make small balls from the mixture and flatten it
• Once sugar syrup comes to complete boil, add these flattened paneer to sugar syrup and close the lid and continue boiling for 10 min (till paneer absorbs syrup)
• Take out paneer, squeeze it lightly and put it in rabri
• Sprinkle nuts over it and refrigerate for 4 hrs
• Serve chill

Jeera rice

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice - 2 cups
• Cumin seeds - 3 tsp
• Ghee - 5 tsp
• Hing
• Mint leaves - 4-5 leaves
• Salt
• Cashews
• Water
• Kasuri methi - 1 tsp

Method:

• Soak basmati rice in water for about 30 min, drain out water and set aside
• In a heavy pan heat ghee and add jeera, pinch of hing
• Once cumin seeds/jeera splutters add 2 cups of water and boil on medium high heat
• While water getting boiled add mint leaves and salt
• Once water gets boiled thoroughly add rice and continue boiling by stirring in between
• When the water evoporates, cover lid and set heat to low
• Cook on very low heat for about 5 min and switch off stove
• Crush kasuri methi and sprinkle on Jeera rice
• Garnish with cashews and serve hot.

Soutekai Kayi Gojju (Cucumber with Coconut gravy)

Ingredients:

• Cucumber - 1 medium size
• Shredded coconut - 1 cup
• Red chillies - 5
• Salt
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Jaggery - small piece
• Channadal - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Water - 1 cup
• Tamarind extract - 1/4 cup
• For seasoning - oil - 5 tsp, curry leaves, hing, mustard seeds

Method:

• Dry roast channa dal, uradal, red chillies till light brown color,add coconut and saute for a minute
• Grind the above ingredients to fine paste and set aside
• In a pan add oil, mustard seeds and once it splutters add hing, curry leaves
• Peel the cucumber skin and chop to small pieces
• Add cucumber to the pan and saute for 2 min
• Add water,salt,jaggery,tamarind extract,turmeric powder and boil till cucumber turns soft
• Now add grounded masala paste and continue boiling till raw smell of masala goes-off
• Serve with chapati,rotis,rice

Note: Same recipe holds good for Capsicum (Just replace cucumber with capsicum in the recipe)

Servings - for 4

Bendekai Palya (Okra subzi)

Ingredients:

• Okra / Bendekai - 1/4 kg
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Jaggery - small piece
• Tamarind extract - 1/4 cup
• Salt
• Mustard seeds powder (Saasive pudi) - 1/4 tsp
• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
• For seasoning - Oil - 6 tsp , Mustard seeds , hing
• Turmeric powder
• Water - 1/4 cup 

Method:

• In a bowl mix grated coconut,chilli powder,mustard seeds powder and set aside
• Cut okra length wise to small pieces
• In a fry pan, make seasoning by adding oil  , mustard seeds,hing
• Once it splutters add chopped okra and fry till it becomes little soft
• Add tamaring extract, pinch of turmeric,salt ,jaggery, water and boil for 5-6 mins
• Once okra is cooked and when all the water gets evaporated, add cocunut mixture and mix well.
• Cook for 2-3 mins and switch off stove.
• This subzi tastes good with chapati,rotis,rasam rice

Servings - 2

Badam Milk

Ingredients:
Badam/Almond - 10 nos
Cashews - 5-6 nos
Milk - 2 and 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Cardamom - 2 nos
Pinch of turmeric powder -
Method:
Saok almond/badam and cashews in a 1/2 cupmilk for about 30 min
Heat remaining 2 cups of milk by adding turmeric in heavy pan, keep it in medium low flame
Now grind the soaked badam and cashews along with  milk to coarse paste
Add this paste to the boiling milk and keep stirring in between
Once milk starts leaving thick cream at the edges of pan, stir continuously
Add sugar,cardamom and continue boiling for 5 minutes
This can be served hot or cold

Spicy Cucumber Juice

Ingredients:

• Grated Cucumber – 1 cup
• Green chilli – 1
• Ginger – ½ inch size
• Jeera – 1 tsp
• Buttermilk – 1 cup
• Water – 1 cup
• Salt
• For seasoning – Ghee – ½ tsp, hing, mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Method:

• Peel and grate cucumber
• Blend cucumber, water, buttermilk, ginger, jeera, salt, green chilli
• Filter the blended liquid and add seasoning to the juice
• Serve with ice cubes

Serves for 2