Hariyali Paneer and Peas

My son has a penchant for paneer in spite of being lactose intolerant. I make some. He swallows a tablet and relishes it. 

I try something different. I have a bushel of mint leaves in my garden. A bunch of these leaves, a handful of cilantro, some fresh fenugreek leaves, green chiles and ginger garlic paste makes a zesty base for my subji. The end result is a verdant green accompaniment for dinner. 

HARIYALI PANEER AND PEAS

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups Paneer cubes

15-20 Mint leaves

1/2 cup Cilantro leaves

3 tablespoons fresh Fenugreek leaves OR 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi

2 Green Chiles

1 teaspoon Ginger Paste

1 teaspoon Garlic Paste

3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1/2 teaspoon Coriander Powder

1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala

1 cup Peas

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Blend mint, cilantro, fenugreek, ginger and garlic paste with water till you have a smooth sauce. The sauce can be runny.

Heat oil in a saucepan.

When it shimmers, add cumin seeds, turmeric, coriander and garam masala to oil. Saute for 30 seconds. 

Pour the green sauce into the saucepan. Stir and cook sauce for a minute. 

Drop paneer cubes and peas into sauce.

Season with salt. 

Add a little water to the saucepan.

Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes. 

If you are going to make the paneer earlier, add a little water to the saucepan as you reheat the subji. This lets the paneer soften up.

Enjoy it hot with rice or roti.

Bulgogi Beef Fry

 

Korean style grilled beef is delicious. When the urge hits and you are far from your favorite restaurant, it is time to come up with an alternative.

Beef filet makes a good stir fry. I slice them thinly and marinate them for a short bit. The marinade is a blend of spring onions, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds. A cast iron pan gives the meat a good sear. Steamed rice goes well with the charred meat. All in all, this recipe is a delicious substitute for the original. 

BULGOGI BEEF FRY

Serves 3-4

2  8oz Beef Tenderloins 

4 Spring Onions 

6 Garlic cloves

2 teaspoons light Soy Sauce

2 teaspoon Sugar

2 tablespoons Water

1 teaspoon Sriracha

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

2 teaspoons toasted Sesame seeds

2 tablespoons Canola Oil

Cilantro Leaves

Slice the tenderloins thinly and place them in a nonreactive bowl. 

Blend spring onions, garlic, soy sauce, sugar water, Sriracha, sesame oil and seeds to a fairly smooth paste. 

Pour paste over beef and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

Heat a cast iron pan till screaming hot.

Pour oil into the pan and add the meat. Let meat sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. It will splatter and splutter. 

Stir fry meat till all the liquid has evaporated and the meat starts turning brown. 

Spoon meat onto a plate and garnish with cilantro leaves. 

Serve with hot steamed rice.

Lemon Blueberry Loaf

Gifting food is hard. But when you have a friend who will eat anything I give her, it is easy. Rosa appreciates and loves all kinds of food. So, when her birthday comes around, I don't have to go far...just to my kitchen!

My sis encourages me to bake a favorite lemon cake she makes. I turn it into a loaf. The yogurt-based loaf has an intense lemon flavor with both zest and lemon juice. I add fresh blueberries to her recipe. 

My gift is baked with love!

LEMON BLUEBERRY LOAF

Serves 3-4

1/2 cup Yogurt

1 scant cup sugar

3 Eggs

2 Lemons

1 1/2 cups AP Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

1/2 cup fresh Blueberries

3/4 cup Confectioner's Sugar

Heat oven to 350F/175C.

Mix yogurt, sugar and eggs in a wide bowl.

Zest the lemons into the bowl. Keep lemons aside for syrup.

Add flour, baking powder and salt to bowl. Fold flour into the mix using a spatula.

Add oil to bowl. The oil will get incorporated into the batter as you lift and fold.

Add blueberries into batter, mixing them in gently.

Scrape batter into a buttered or oil sprayed loaf pan.

Thump the loaf pan a few times and bake for 55-65 minutes. Poke the center of the cake with a skewer. It should come out clean.

Invert loaf onto a wire rack. Cool for a few minutes.

Put confectioner's sugar into a bowl.

Juice the lemons into the sugar. Mix well. 

Spoon all the syrup onto warm loaf.

Let the loaf cool for a few minutes before you cut into it.

Enjoy!