Orange Flavoured Paneer Stuffed in Parathas

My sons  loves paneer so this recipe was created at their request.  They asked me to flavour the paneer using their favourite juice - freshly squeezed orange juice and spices.  Surprisingly - the orange flavour was a hit and now it's a dish I make regularly for them. 

Ingredients for 8 Parathas: 

2 cups or 250 grams of home made paneer (if you are using ready made paneer - get a softer version so that it can soak up the juice and spices. Plus - it's easier to stuff into parathas)

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice ( if using ready made - use a good make)

1 tsp salt

½ cumin seeds

½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp ginger, garlic and green chillies mixture (all blended into a paste)

1-2 cups cooking oil ( for the frying and adding to the dough).

For the dough: 

2 cups of chappati flour
pinch of salt

Method:

1. Chop the paneer into small pieces and soak them in the orange juice for an hour.

2.  Take a tablespoon of oil and add some cumin to the oil.  Once the cumin browns add the paneer, the salt, and turmeric and cook it and mash it as you mix.  The idea is to try and make it a dry mixture.

3.  Add the ginger, garlic and green chilli paste.

4.  Keep stirring until its all dry to enable you to stuff inside the paratha.

For binding the dough please see this recipe for potato stuffed paratha. 

5.   Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt and two tablespoons of oil to the flour.  Bind the dough  by adding some warm water to the flour.  Keep adding small amounts of water until it comes together as a soft dough almost like play dough.  Knead it well and let it rest for half an hour.

6.  Divide the dough into 8-9 small balls smaller than golf balls.   Also divide the paneer into 8-9 small balls.  Roll out the dough into a small circle, dab a bit of oil in the centre of the rolled out paratha  and keep the paneer on top.

7.   Fold the paratha over the paneer - like a square parcel.

8. Dust this with some flour and roll out a squarish or roundish paratha.

9.   Roast the paratha on a hot griddle/tawa or frying fan.  Once roasted - just brush some oil on both sides and let it cook.

10.  Finish making all the parathas and serve them hot with your favourite curry.

For ideas on making different parathas - check out this recipe for pizza paratha.

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Cluster bean (guvar) curry and hot chapatis

Saturday is usually a very busy day for me when I catch up with my cleaning, washing and shopping.

Today's dinner was a quick and simple dish of cluster bean curry (also called guvar nu shak) with chapatis  accompanied by pickle, kachumber and lassi.  For afters we had gulab Jamuns which I had made yesterday.  Now, I hope to enjoy a hot cup of coffee and catch up with friends and family.

All the recipes are in my blog and I have left links to the dishes if you wish to make them.

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Mung beans, Plain rice and Triangle parathas

Today has been a busy day with lots of housework plus cooking the Indian snacks - chora fari and farsi puri.  So dinner today was whole mung bean curry, rice and triangle parathas with garlic.  (I realise that I have never posted a recipe for plain rice!).

This is one meal the whole family enjoys and I don't have to worry about making something different for a fussy member of the family. We had it with lots of yoghurt and for afters - we had good old fashioned vanilla ice cream.  Now time to relax and catch up with friends.

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Chora Fari and Farsi Puri (Crispy Indian Snacks)

I try and make a variety of snacks during the holidays.   It makes life a bit easier if you ae travelling during the day and dinner isn't ready on time.  This Easter I made chora fari which is quite quick to make and tastes great when you spinkle some spices such as chilly powder or even Chaat masala on it.

I still follow my recipe for chora fari which was posted by me two years ago.

I also made some farsi puris .  I know that my recipe for farsi puri is very popular judging by the number of times other bloggers have used pictures of my puris on their blog.  It's plagiarism but I am taking it as a compliment.  I hope they enjoyed making the puris as much as I did.

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Corn and wheat flour chapatis (Indian bread)

Chapatis or chappattis are usually made from wheat flour and eaten with most Indian curries.   Different Regions of India have their own unique style of making chapatis.  In Kenya, the locals make them big and quite thick and often fry them but call them roti. I like to make small and thinly rolled out chapatis.  And no Indian meal is complete without either the chapati or paratha of some kind.  I have recently started to mix other flours to my chapati flour and am really enjoying the taste.  This recipe is made up of mixing 2 cups of strong white flour with one cup of corn flour.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Strong White flour - preferrably chapati flour

1 cup corn flour

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

pinch of salt

half cup flour - to use when rolling out the chapatis

2 teaspoons of olive oil (you can use any oil)

butter or ghee to spread on the chapati (optional) 

1 cup of warm water

Method:

1.  Sieve  the two flours.

2.  Add the salt, oregano and oil.

3.  Using warm water, mix the flour well.  Make sure that you pour the water in small amounts so that the dough doesn't get too soft.  Spread some oil in your palms and knead  until the dough feels pliable - almost like "play dough".  Leave the dough on a floured surface for 5 minutes. 

4.    Now mix your dough folding it in as you mix. Cover the dough and let it rest for at least half an hour.  If you have time,  leave it in the fridge for as long as you can.  Leaving it in the fridge overnight and then making these chapatis produces the best results.   When you are ready to make the chapatis, take out the dough and warm it in the microwave for 20 seconds.  Knead it well and if the flour still  feels cold, you can warm it again for 10 or 20 seconds.  The dough should become slightly warm,  smooth and pliable.

5.  Divide the flour into 15 small balls as shown below:

6.   Dust each ball using the dry flour and roll out the chapati.  You can use any rolling pin and a work top if you do not have a pastry stand.  Making perfect round chapatis does take a bit of practice. The trick to a perfect chapati is to ensure that it rolled out evenly. Grip the rolling pin gently placing the palms of your hands on the at the edges of the rolling pin.  Dust some dry flour on the worktop let the chapati almost roll itself.  Try and resist pressing too hard in the centre of the chapati.  The same pressure should be on the whole chapati.   Please don't be put off if the shape of the chapati looks like the map of Africa or USA....the proof of the pudding is in the taste!!  Practice makes perfect 

7.  Cook it on medium heat using a griddle or dry frying pan. As soon as you can see little bubbles appear on its surface turn it over onto the o ther side. Press the chappatti gently; with dry kitchen paper. The air in the chapati will start to rise when you press the chapati with the kitchen paper. Keep turning the chapati until it rises or you get little dark spots.  Be careful when it rises as the hot air can scald your hands.

8.  Remove  the chapati and keep it on a plate.  Make sure that the plate is covered with a kitchen paper . The hot chapati causes condensation and the kitchen paper keeps the chapati dry.  If you like you can spread some butter or ghee on the chapati and continue making the rest, stacking them like pancakes. If you decide not to spread butter or ghee on the chapatis, my advice would be to keep the chapatis covered with a clean cloth.  This will keep them soft.  These chapatis taste just as nice as the ones made with just strong wheat flour ones. 

9.  Serve it with rice and any curry.  I made mung dall with my chapatis.

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Cheese and Oregano Parathas

I love experimenting with herbs and spices to making all the Indian breads a bit more exciting.  I tried making these parathas by adding cheese and oregano and the results were amazing. 

Ingredients for 8 -10 porathas:

2 cups of plain chappati flour (or strong wheat flour)

1 tsp salt

2 heaped spoonfuls butter

pinch of turmeric

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 tbsp dried oregano

I cup grated cheddar cheese

1 cup sunflower oil  for layering the poratha and frying them

Method:

1. Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl.

2. Add the salt, turmeric, garlic, butter, 1 tablespoon oil and organo to the flour.

3. Gently pour warm water to the mixture to form a nice pliable dough.

4. Cover the dough for 30 minutes.

5. Divide the dough into small balls - slightly bigger than golf ball size.

6. Sprinkle some flour on a worktop and roll out one poratha as shown below:

7.  Sprinkle cheese on the rolled out paratha and fold the poratha in half as shown below:

 8. And again in quarter as shown below:

9. Sprinkle some flour into this triangle and roll it out again.

10. Fry this poratha gently in a frying pan using a minimum amount of oil. Making the poratha this way, makes it crispy and fluffy when lightly fried. 

11.  Sprinkle some more cheese on the parathas and serve with any curry or pickle.

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Gujarati Rotlas ( Millet Flat Bread ) Made easy ...

Last July, I posted a recipe for making Rotlas and got several comments telling me how healthy millet was but  lots of people aren't eating it now.  I also got comments telling me that it was quite difficult to make them.  Most Gujarati girls are used to making these regularly.  I am not an expert on making these but have got better as I make them often.  Now, I have found an easier way of making them.  I hope my step by step  pictures will encourage more of you to try out this recipe.   Please follow my recipe here for making the dough.

Once you have made the dough, keep it covered with a dish cloth as the dough tends to dry quickly.

1.  Take a thick plastic bag like a Zip lock bag and cut its sides.

2.  Place the plastic bag on your work top.

3.  Place a small ball of millet dough and place it between the bag.  The dough has to be between two sheets of plastic.

4.  Using a rounded bowl, gently press the dough into a circle.

5.  Make  your perfect circle as below:

6.  Lift up the plastic.

7.  Pick up the rotla

8.  Gently place it on a hot tava or frying pan or griddle.  Make sure you don't trap any air when placing it to cook on the tava.  The tava should be on medium heat.  Only turn it on the second side once it comes off the tava.  If it doesn't come off the tava, it's not ready.

9.   Once cooked, spread some ghee or butter on them before serving them with any curry.  Traditionally they are served with Aubergine Bharta (recipe at:  

http://www.givemesomespice.com/2010/01/blog-post.html)   and Khichedi (recipe at:  http://www.givemesomespice.com/2010/04/rice-lentils-and-mixed-vegetabl.html)  the traditional food of kathiawadi farmers.

10.  I made several small bite size ones as they were a lot easier to cook, plus it gave more of my guests a chance to try them out. 

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