Shahi Paneer Recipe

 It is a delicious North Indian curry made with paneer (cottage cheese) and tomato based spicy gravy laced with spices. This is a traditional recipe that has been followed from generations and has been mainstay preparation in Indian cuisine since the time of Moguls. This shahi paneer recipe uses cashew nut based tomato gravy to bring in the rich texture and flavor.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients:

250 gms Paneer(Cottage Cheese), cubed into 1-inch pieces

1 medium Tomato, crushed

2 medium Onions

5-6 Cashew Nuts

1 teaspoon Coriander Seeds, roasted

1-2 Cloves (lavang)

1/2 piece of Bay Leaf

A small piece of Cinnamon Stick

2 Green Cardamoms

1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder

1/2 teaspoon Coriander Powder

1 drop of Red Food Color, optional

1/3 cup Curd (not sour), beaten

1/3 cup Warm Water

1/2 teaspoon Sugar, optional

2 tablespoons Fresh Cream

1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder

2-3 strands of Saffron, dissolved in 1 teaspoon water, optional

3 tablespoons Cooking Oil or Ghee (clarified butter)

Salt to taste

1-2 teaspoons Kasuri Methi , for garnishing

 

Directions:

1. Grind cashew nuts with roasted coriander seeds into smooth powder and keep aside until required.
2. 

   Blanch the onions by following the recipe and crush the blanched onion to medium coarse paste in a grinder. Heat oil in a kadai (or pan) over medium flame. Add cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon and green cardamom. When they begin to crackle, add crushed onion.
3. 

   Stir-fry until it becomes light brown for approx. 3-4 minutes.
4. 

   Add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, a drop of red food color, cashew nut powder (prepared in step-1) and stir-fry for a minute.
5. 

   Add crushed tomato puree and salt.
6. 

   Stir-fry for approx. 2-minutes.
7. 

   Add curd, sugar and 1/3 cup warm water.
8. 

   Mix them and let mixture boil until oil starts to separate.
9. 

   Takeaway kadai from flame and let the mixture cool for 5 minutes. Discard whole spices (cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon and green cardamom), transfer mixture to a blender jar and blend it to smooth puree in blender or food processor. Again, transfer it to same kadai and place on the stove.
10. 

    Add fresh cream, garam masala powder and dissolved saffron.
11. 

    Mix well and cook for a minute.
12. 

    Add paneer cubes and mix properly to coat them with gravy.
13. 

    Cook for 3-4 minutes and turn off flame.
14. 

    Garnish it with kasuri methi and serve hot with Punjabi butter naan or tandoori roti in lunch.

How To Select And Brew The Best Coffee

 

It is an American tradition to start your day with a hot cup of coffee. No matter if you brew coffee at home or hit the cafe each day, you must like a bit of coffee. If you're interested in getting more from your coffee, check out these incredible pointers.


Buy whole coffee beans and grind the coffee yourself

Coffee that is freshly ground is much more flavorful and aromatic than pre-ground coffee. Each day, only grind the amount of coffee that you need for that day. If you have any extra, place the leftover grinds in an airtight container in the fridge.

For those individuals

Who do not want to consume caffeinated drinks, but love the flavor of coffee, they can enjoy decaffeinated coffee. Some people do not have a problem with a little caffeine, and half-caffeine coffee is a good choice for them. There is no appreciable difference in the flavor between full and half-caffeine coffee.

Good water is just as important

As quality coffee when it comes to brewing a great cup. If the water you are using is not very tasty, you cannot expect to end up with a quality cup of Joes. The best coffee is made with spring water or tap water that has been run through a filter.

To keep your coffee beans fresh

Put them in the freezer. While many people refrigerate their coffee, doing so allows the beans to absorb odors from foods inside your fridge. A better solution is to freeze the beans. One easy approach is to divide the beans into several smaller packages so you can simply remove a package as needed.

When brewing your coffee

Use bottled or filtered water. Doing so, you will obtain maximum flavor for your brew. However, you do not want to use water that is too soft. The flavor will not be extracted as well. Look for a nice balance. Compare the flavor of your coffee with different brands or types of water.

Pay attention to the soil

The coffee beans were grown in. If you grind your own coffee, beans are important. The soil used to grow the beans you are using can make a huge difference in taste. Do a bit of research if you have particular tastes when it comes to coffee.


Buy new coffee beans every two weeks

 Once you open coffee beans, they usually don't have a set expiration date. You can seal them in airtight containers to keep them fresh longer. You will, however, likely find that the quality of the taste starts to fade a bit after two weeks.

Try a new variety or blend of coffee every week

This can be a great idea for a lot of reasons. You can try new tastes of course, and that helps you avoid getting bored with one flavor, but there is also an opportunity for you to buy a new favorite.

Be careful to drink coffee in moderation

Drinking an excessive amount of coffee can lead to dehydration. For every cup of coffee that you have, you should have two glasses of water. Multiple cups of coffee are very likely to cause dehydration, so take care when it comes to consumption levels.

Talk to your family

And friends about coffee. It takes a lot of time to taste test, so ask others so that you can find your favorite coffee more quickly. Find out what they like to drink. Ask to try new flavors when visiting friends and they offer you a cup of coffee.

Purchase a coffee maker

That can multitask. You can use this to do more than just make coffee. They can start up while you are sleeping. A machine like this handles several functions. Also, you can enjoy your coffee better and be in a much more favorable position to take on your day.

 

Now that you are finished reading, you should be able to make an awesome cup of coffee. Not only can this article help you save money when buying coffee, you might learn a few tricks about making it at home.

Need Advice? This Is The Wine Article For You!

What would you like to know about wine? Perhaps you're a beginning collector, or maybe you've run into a situation where you want to cook with wine. No matter what the case may be, it's time to learn more. Keep reading to find out more about wine and its uses.

Avoid buying trendy wines

You may hear a lot of buzz about a new wine; however, this does not make it right for you. Just because a celebrity is seen drinking a wine, this does not make it noteworthy. The real truth is in researching the wine itself and knowing if it suits your palate.

Wine has many beneficial properties 

Enjoy a small glass of wine each night to enjoy the benefits. Most doctors recommend opting for a red wine to get the most benefits. When pouring your wine after dinner, allow the wine time to breathe before enjoying your glass of wine.Always try one bottle of wine before buying more. Because your wine options are endless, you may fall in love with any number of them. Once you find a wine that you love, you can invest in purchasing a case.

If you are a wine newbie

 And you are looking for a wine to try, why not go to a wine tasting? At these events, you can taste many different wines until you find one the best suits your taste. Also, if you find one you like, you can usually purchase a bottle at the same time.

Don't base your opinion solely

On that of an expert. Every person tastes wine differently, so let your taste buds be the judge whenever you can get your hands on a specific bottle. You may experience something very differently than the experts. You would have never known that without taking the leap.

If you have a wine cellar

And you need a bottle for a party of special occasion, do not bring it upstairs until the day of the event. Wine needs to be brought up the day of the event in order to reach room temperature. But, bringing it up to soon could ruin the wine.

Do not limit yourself to countries that are known for exporting wines such as Spain or France. In fact, some of the best wines on the market are from Argentina or from New Zealand. You should not form your opinion of a country after tasting only a couple different wines.

If you are planning to cook with wine

Examine your recipe closely. If it calls for dry white wine, this means that the recipe will not work well with a wine that is sweet. Look for a wine that states that it is dry, and you will avoid ruining a potentially fantastic dish.

The real flavor of wine comes from the smell

Smell makes up about 90% of the overall taste of wine. The key to bringing this out in the wine is oxygen. When you pour a glass of wine, swirl it in the glass. This allows the wine to mix more readily with the oxygen around it, thus enhancing the flavor fully.

If you are out on a date 

Or with someone you want to impress, do not order a wine that you have not had before. Try to order wine that you are familiar with, or know that you like. Be adventurous in your own time, when you are not out in public.

You now have a better idea about wine and how to make the most of it. You can cook some great dishes with wine, and you can also use it to accentuate some rather delicious meals. Remember all the advice you've learned so that you can put it to good use.

Pasta in White Sauce Pasta Recipe (Vegetarian)

Step - 1  - Cooking the pasta
Step - 2  - Cooking the vegetables
Step - 3  - Preparing the white sauce
Step - 4 -  Mixing all the above.

Step 1- Cooking pasta

Ingredients needed

Penne Pasta - 125 grams
Oil - 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

Method

In a wide pan, bring plenty of water to boil, add salt and oil. Then slowly add the pasta and cook till the pasta is al dente.( it should be soft but firm) Stir in between to prevent the pasta from sticking together. After it is cooked, drain it in a colander and pour cold water on it. This is done to prevent it from getting cooked further. Mix another 1/2 tsp oil to it and keep it aside. (Reserve 1/4 cup of the water in which pasta was cooked as we might need it later)

Step - 2 Cooking the vegetables

Though I have used colored capsicum, sweet corn and cauliflower in this recipe, you can use mushrooms, carrots and broccoli too.Since I could not get broccoli that day, I have used cauliflower,but I recommend broccoli for best results. Do not omit sweet corn as it tastes great in this dish.

Ingredients needed

Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Garlic finely chopped - 1 tbsp
Red and yellow capsicum - half each (you can use green also)
Cauliflower or broccoli florets- 1 cup ( blanched- put it in hot water with a little salt)
Sweet corn - 1/3 cup
Pepper powder to taste
Salt as required
Oregano -3/4 tsp or to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan, saute garlic for a few seconds, then add capsicum, corn and cauliflower.Cook uncovered till done. Do not overcook the vegetables. The vegetables should retain its crunchiness.

Add oregano, salt and pepper powder to taste. Keep it aside.

Step - 3  Preparing the white sauce

You need

Butter - 1 1/2 tbsp- 2 tbsp
Cornflour - 2 tbsp ( if you do not have cornflour, use maida/ all purpose flour)
Milk - 1 1/2 cup (boiled and cooled)
Cheese - 3-4 tbsp (use mozzarella or parmesan or even amul cheese cubes)
Salt and pepper powder to taste
Mixed Italian herbs (or) Oregano and dried basil

Method

In a pan/ kadai, melt butter, simmer and add cornflour stirring continuously. Saute till it changes color slightly.

At this stage, add 1/2 cup of cold milk and stir continuously with a whisk to prevent formation of lumps.

When it starts thickening, add the remaining milk gradually stirring continuously with the whisk.

Bring it to boil, reduce the flame, add cheese, salt, pepper powder and herbs to taste.

Cook for another few minutes, till it thickens slightly and remove from flame. (If it is too thick, you can add the water reserved while cooking pasta and heat again).This sauce will thicken as it cools, so mix it in between or a layer will form on the top.

Step - 4  Mixing all the three

You need

Grated cheese for garnishing.

Mix all the three together. Transfer to a baking pan, top it with grated cheese and bake in a preheated (180 degree C) for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has slightly browned. If you do not have an oven, mix all the three in a pan, heat it, top it with grated cheese and serve hot.

Note - You get oregano, mixed Italian herbs, cheese in all big departmental stores.I got it from Nilgiris.