Paneer tikka masala

Preparation time: 40 minutes     Cooking time: 20 minutes        Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients:

Butter/Vegetable oil (5 tbsp total)
Paneer cubes (500 gms)
Onion (1 big)
Capsicum (1)
Tomato (4)
Curd (6 tbsp)
Lemon juice (1 tbsp)
Ginger and Garlic paste (4-5 tbsp)

Spices:
- Cardamon pods (3-4)
- Cinnamon (a 2 inch long rolled stick)
- Cloves (6-7)
- Black pepper corns (6-7)
- Methi (Fenugreek) seeds (10-15 seeds)
- Jeera (Cumin) seeds (Half a tsp)

Powders/Seasonings:
- Garam masala powder (3/4 tsp)
- Corriander powder (1 tbsp)
- Chilli powder (3/4 tbsp)
- Turmeric powder (1/2 tsp)
- Salt to taste

Cut into cubes:
- Onion (Half of a big onion)
- Capsicum (1)
- Tomato (2)

Chop:
Onion (other half)
Tomato (2)

Marination step:
Mix curd, chilli powder, salt and lemon juice to make a marinate paste. Marinate paneer cubes, capsicum, tomato and onion cubes for about half an hour.

Frying Paneer step:
After half an hour of marination, take a flat wide open frying pan. Add butter or oil. Fry the marinated paneer and vegetables till they are brown and smell done. Keep excess curd water for addition to gravy later. Once fried, keep aside.

Gravy preparation step:
- In another frying pan, add 3-5 tbsp of oil.
- When oil is hot, put in Jeera, opened cardamons, cinnamon, cloves, fenugreek seeds and pepper corns and stir till they are cooked to the right amount.
- Add ginger garlic paste and fry till it is cooked.
- Add chopped onions, salt and turmeric.
- Saute the mixture till onions are almost about to dissolve.
- Add garam masala and coriander powder and continue sauteing till oil oozes out. Cover with lid if required.
- Once done, add chopped tomatos and saute it till mixture is well done.
- Optional step: Let the above mixture cool down before using a blender to make a thick paste.
- Once done, add curd water that was kept aside earlier to make the paste thinner.
- Bring above gravy to boil.
- Add the paneer and vegetable fry that was kept aside, to the gravy prepared above.
- Boil for 5-7 minutes after which let it cool down for some time so that paneer marinates in the gravy.

Can be eaten with rotis, bread or rice.

Tomato Dal Curry

Preparation time: 10 minutes    Cooking time: 5 minutes     Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Sambhar dal 

2 Tomatoes

100 gms finely chopped onion

3 Chillies

4-5 Curry leaves

1 tbsp Coriander leaves

1 tbsp tamarind

Salt to taste

1 tsp Mirch powder

0.5 tsp Mustard seeds

0.5 tsp Urad dal

0.5 tsp Jeera

0.5 tsp heing

2-3 Garlic cloves

Oil

Grind tomato paste:
Tomato

Method:

•  Wash Sambhar dal thoroughly and boil it in a cooker along with turmeric, curry leaves, heing, garlic. Also add 1-2 drops of oil.
• Once done i.e. 4-5 whistles are heard, remove the water from the cooker and mash the boiled Sambhar dal nicely.
• In a kadhai, put oil. When oil is hot, put mustard seeds, urad dal, jeera and heing
• Fry onion and chillies .
• Put tomato puree and fry till the tomato boils and smells cooked.
• Put a little bit of mirch powder (only whn eaten with rice).
• Add dal into the kadhai
• After putting some salt to taste, put tamarind pulp into the mixture.
• To compensate the soar taste, add a very little bit sugar.
• Stir for sometime and serve hot.

Best served with Ghee Dosa or Idli. Yes GHEE!!

Chicken Chettinad Curry

Preparation time: 20 minutes    Cooking time: 10 minutes     Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
1kg Chicken (washed thoroughly and marinated with lemon for 15 min)
24mm (1.5 inch) Ginger
10 cloves Garlic
5 Cloves
1 tsp Saunf
1 tsp Khus khus
2 Dalchini
1 medium sized puréed Tomato
1 medium sized finely sliced Onion (if small onions then better - 6)
Half shell Coconut (4tbsp coconut paste)
2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
10 Curry leaves
10 Pudina leaves (optional)
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1.5 tbsp Mirch powder
0.5 tsp Turmeric powder
1tsp Black pepper powder
Salt to taste
2tbsp Oil
Basmati rice

Grind ginger-garlic-masala paste (fine paste):
Ginger
Garlic
3 Cloves
2 Dalchini
Saunf
Khus khus

Grind coconut paste (fine paste):
Coconut

Method:

• Put oil in cooker and keep it on the stove with medium flames.
• As it gets hot enough, put 2 cloves and half an inch dalchini into it and wait for it to get slightly roasted (Take in the aroma at this stage and feel what you are cooking).
• Put in the finely sliced onion and, as always, stir till it gets slightly golden brown.
• Once you have realized that you have played around enough with the onions (hopefully it’s not too late), put in the ginger-garlic-masala paste and fry it till the raw smell of ginger and garlic turn into a beautiful mouth-watering aroma (Take in the aroma at this stage and feel what you are cooking).
• Then, put in the tomatoes puree and play the stirring game again (Take in the aroma at this stage and feel what you are cooking).
• Put in 1tbsp of coriander leaves and 1 tbsp pudina (Take in the aroma at this stage and feel what you are cooking...Smile… may be laugh a little bit… but don’t do the brouhaha laughter…. because seriously…. the dish is not over yet).
• Now that the base of the recipe is created, put well-washed chicken pieces which were marinated with lemon, into the cooker .
• Add mirch powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder and turmeric powder and stir the content till the chicken is evenly covered with the semi-dry gravy. Also add salt to taste and be very accurate at this if you don’t want curses flying around in the house.
• Add the coconut paste at this point and do the stirring thing again (Laugh a bit at this point… but don’t… just don’t do the brouhaha laughter yet…. not yet….. no).
• Pour in some water to aid the boiling process (a cup of water just in level with the chicken pieces should be enough).
• Close the cooker lid and keep it on high flame.
• Engage in any recreational activity of your choice and wait till you get 3 whistles and a beautiful aroma spread through the apartment. When your roommates come to the kitchen don’t let them have a quick bite. Shoo them off saying you have not done the brouhaha laughter yet.
• Once you hear the 3 whistles, remove the steam and add the rest of the coriander leaves.

Woalaa! You have delicious chicken gravy with you.
(You can do the brouhaha laughter now or do it later on after you finish the chicken fry)
For Chicken fry:

• To do this, all you need to do is to put some chicken pieces and gravy prepared above into a fry pan and fry it till it become dry…duh!

(You can do the brouhaha laughter now)
Best served with basmati rice. 
Have curd rice if you have a sensitive stomach.