Methi Matar Malai

A Very easy to make Methi Matar Malai, a Punjabi Sabji with creamy flavor. Fresh Methi (Fenugreek) leaves and Green Matar (Peas) is mixed with blend of spice and cream for gravy. Many recipes calls for sugar in the Ingredeints to cut Methi's bitterness. But here i made it without sugar as i like a little bitter taste of Methi in this...(though i have mentioned sugar measures in my ingredients list but its optional and is totally up to you).

Methi Matar Malai

Ingredients:

3-4 cups Fresh Chopped methi leaves (Fenugreek Leaves)
1 medium onion sliced
1/3 cup green matar (peas)
1/3 cup Cream

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tbsp olive oil or any other oil
10 cashews soaked in water for 15-20 minutes & finely paste
2 tsp green chilly paste
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp mustard seeds
Pinch of asafoetida powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powderl
Salt to taste
1 -2 tsp sugar (optional - i don't add sugar as i like little bitter taste of methi in sabji)

Recipe:

• In a wok or kadai, heat Ghee (Clarified butter) and oil. Add Mustard seeds, as soon as it splutters add pinch of asafoetida powder and sliced onion with pinch of salt. Saute onions until soft.

• Now add Fresh and chopped Methi leaves and Green Matar (Green Peas) to it. 

• Pour about 1/4 cup of water, cover the lid and let Methi and Matar cook on low flame for about 10 minutes or until methi and matar both is cooked.

• Open the lid, add cashew paste, ginger paste, garlic paste, green chilly paste, Red chilly powder, turmeric powder, Cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and salt to taste. (If using sugar than add at this time). Cook further for few minutes.

• Now add Cold beaten cream. 
• Stir & mix well.(Add water if required, a little)

• Cook for few more minutes and turn the flame off...
• Garnish it with Cream and serve hot with Naan or Plain Paratha.

Basbousa/Harissa - Semolina And Coconut Eggless Cake

Basbousa or Harissa is an Arabic word for a sweet cake which is made up with the mix of both roasted semolina and coconut, later soaked in rose flavor sugar syrup or orange flavor sugar syrup..It has a very little hint of flour or can also be said as no flour cake. Few months back i saw a popular chef cooked this cake....Yes cook is a right word,, as he made this without oven or microwave. He simply made on gas stove and allowed it to cool and sliced than after, so here my version is baking..Yesssss. and its a Baked Basbousa/Harissa (A semolina and a coconut cake).

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup Semolina (Sooji) or Rawa dry roasted until light brown
1 1/2 cup dried coconut
2 tbsp corn starch
5 tbsp Maida
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ( & 3 tbsp more) milk at room temperature
3 tbsp golden Raisins
10-15 cashew nuts (cut into small pieces)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt

Garnish Toppings:
6-7 golden raisins
6 almond sliced in between (total of 12 slices) or (can use almond flakes)
4 cashew nuts (cut in to small pieces)

For Syrup:
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tsp rose water


Recipe:

• Pre Heat Oven at 180 degree Celsius.
• Dry Roast Semolina (Sooji or Rawa) in a non stick pan until light brown in color, let it cool and keep it aside.
• In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients- Cooled and roasted semolina, dried coconut, corn starch, maida, golden raisins, cashew nuts cut in to small pieces, baking powder and salt.
• In a small bowl mix all wet ingredients-melted butter, water, milk and vanilla essence.
• Fold all mixture of wet ingredients into all dry mixture and mix all well.
• Pour the mixture into greased cake tin. 
• Spread all over evenly.

• Garnish the cake top with golden raisins, almond slices or flakes and cashew nuts cut in to pieces.
• Bake the same in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in it comes out clean.
• In a mean time make syrup to pour over on cake as soon as it comes out fresh and still hot from oven.
• In a small fry pan pour water, add sugar and rose water. Cook the mixture on a medium low flame until sugar dissolves. 
• Once sugar dissolves in it completely turn the flame to low and cook furthur for 2 minutes.
• Here the syrup does not need to be too much thick. It should only be very little thick but still runny.
• And yes its done and turn of the flame.
• Now as the cake is done and still warm, pour the syrup on top of the cake. Let it cool completely and all syrup get absorbed in cake.
• Cut into slices and serve with a hot cup of Tea or coffee. It goes really well with coffee (as served traditionally), as am not much fond of coffee, so i prefer having it with a cup of tea.

I really look forward for your lovely response...
Thank you :)

Creamy Masala Baigan/brinjal

In this recipe i used all that spices which are mainly used in most of the Punjabi sabjis. Its full of different flavors and spices which gives punjabi achhar like gravy to it. It do has a pickle like touch although no pickle used in it. So here is its recipe

Inspired by: Tarla Dalal's Punjabi khana

Serves: 2-3 

Time: 25-30 minutes

Creamy Masala Baigan/brinjal

Ingredients

For Marination:

11/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1/4 tsp of Red chilly powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp of olive oil

Salt to taste

For Gravy:

2 Cups sliced baigan (Small Baigan/Brinjal)

and Sufficient oil for frying it

2 tsp fennel powder (saunf)

1 tsp Fenugreek powder (methi)

2 tsp dry mango powder (aamchur)

1 tsp cumin powder (jeera)

1 tsp coriander powder (dhaniya)

1tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp red chilly powder

1 tsp ginger- garlic paste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

3/4 cup curd (dahi)

1/2 cup fresh low fat cream

Pinch of asfoiteda (hing)

Chopped Coriander leaves for garnishing

Recipe:

In a small bowl mix all the ingredients properly that is mentioned above for marination. Marinate sliced baingan with it and keep it aside  for about 15-20 minutes.

In Frying pan pour sufficient oil for frying this marinated sliced baigan. And fry it till light golden brown. keep this aside. Use the same frying pan for its gravy by removing extra oil. Add mustard seed and once it starts spluttering add asfoiteda powder, fennel powder, fenugreek powder, dry mango powder, cumin and coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric-red chilly powder and ginger- garlic paste. Stir it for 5 minutes and keep lading continuously. Now add curd to this gravy and again stir for 2-3 minutes. Add little amount of water about 1/2 cup. Now add fried baigan in this gravy. Simmer the flame at this time. Mix well in gravy. Stir well and let it stand on low flame for about a minute. Turn off the flame and than add fresh cream to this gravy. Make sure to add low fat cream only once you put off the flame,  or else you will see ghee starts running in sides of the pan. 

Garnish the same with chopped corriander leaves.

Serve this with naan or simple home made tawa roti.