Author: Shailaja Nair

Millet and Paneer Kofta

Millet and Paneer Kofta

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Increasingly we are being asked to introduce millets into our diet for health reasons. This is an easy way to do that.

Ingredients

For the dough:

Millet flour 1 cup

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp

Ajwain seeds 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Garam masala 1/2 tsp

Oil 2 tbsps

Water 1/2 cup, hot to touch

For the stuffing:

Paneer or cottage cheese 1/2 cup, crumbled

Green chillies 2, chopped fine

Salt to taste

For the gravy:

Oil 1 tbsp

Bay leaf 1

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Onions 2 large, finely chopped

Tomato 1 large, finely chopped

Cashew nuts 10

Chilli powder 1 tsp

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Garam masala 1/2 tsp

Kasoori methi 2 tbsps

Yoghurt 1/2 cup, whipped

Mint leaves for garnish

Method

Make a dough of the millet flour and all ingredients except for 1 tablespoon of oil. Knead into a soft dough. Add the remaining oil and work it in. Make small balls.

Add salt and green chillies to the crumbled paneer.

Flatten each dough ball and stuff with some the paneer. Bring the edges together and make into a sealed ball.

Heat 3 cups of water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the stuffed koftas and boil covered on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Keep checking and add water if needed.

Take the koftas out with a slotted spoon and keep them on a plate to cool.

For the gravy, add oil to a wok and add cumin seeds. Add the bay leaf.

Add the chopped onions and green chillies. Add the cashew nuts and fry on low heat till the onions are brown. Add the tomatoes. Add the spices and cook till the oil separates.

Take the wok off the heat and add the yoghurt. Stir well.

Return the wok to the heat and cook on medium heat till the gravy thickens.

Switch off the heat and cool the gravy. Grind it with a hand blender or in a mixer blender.

Return the gravy to the wok and add the kasoori methi. Add salt. Add 2 cups of water.

Bring to a boil and add the steamed koftas. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.

Garnish with mint leaves and serve with roti, naan or rice.

Chicken and Potato Bake

Chicken and Potato Bake

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Sometimes you crave comfort food in cold winter evenings and this one hits the spot. It has just two main ingredients and takes hardly any time to get it ready.

Ingredients

Chicken pepperoni 200 g

Potatoes 4 large

Italian seasoning 1 tsp

Red chilli flakes 1 tsp

Pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Butter 1 tbsp

Mozzarella cheese 1 cup

Salt to taste

Method

Peel and chop three potatoes into large chunks and boil till cooked. Drain and keep aside.

Mash well with the butter, salt and pepper powder.

Start assembling in a ceramic baking dish. Lay a layer of pepperoni and then the mashed potatoes.

Cover with the rest of the pepperoni.

Peel the remaining potato and slice thinly. Lay it on top of the pepperoni.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top with the cheese and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and red chilli flakes. Bake in a preheated 180 degrees Celsius oven for 30 minutes till the cheese turns brown. Serve hot.

Cheese Biscuits

Cheese Biscuits

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These biscuits are easy to make and a wonderful way to use up the extra cheese. I bake a whole batch in the course of a morning.

Ingredients

All purpose flour 2 cups

Salted butter 1/2 cup

Grated cheddar cheese 3 cups

Salt 1 tsp

Dried Oregano 2 tsps

Red chilli powder 1 tsp

Method

In a bowl mix the butter and cheese.

Add the flour, salt, oregano and red chilli powder.

Mix well to form a loose dough.

Form into small balls and flatten against the palm of your hand. Arrange on a buttered plate or tray. Press a fork against each biscuit to form the lines.

Bake in a 210 degree C oven for 15-20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes and taken out when the biscuits turn golden brown.

Cherry Cake

Cherry Cake

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When I used to read Enid Blyton’s books as a young girl, I loved the food that the children in the stories enjoyed. They seemed to be always having picnics with cake and lashings of ginger beer or midnight feasts or just enjoying scones and buttery toast in the cafe in the village. Her descriptions made my mouth water. So I decided to try to make the cherry cake that the Adventurous Four ate on top of the cliff.

Enid Blyton herself gave the recipe for cherry cake but she was living in a post-World War 2 world with rationing in place. I live in a time of plenty. So my cake is richer and tastier and healthier too as I use butter instead of margarine.

Ingredients

Butter 180 g

All-purpose flour 1 cup

Baking powder 1 tsp

Sugar 3/4 cup

Eggs 3

Milk 4 tbsp

Vanilla essence 1/2 tsp

Dried cherries 1 cup mixed with 1 tbsp flour

Method

Cream the butter and sugar together. Crack the eggs and add to the mixture.

Add the vanilla essence.

Mix the flour and baking powder and add little by little to the mixture.

Add the milk when the mixture appears too thick.

Grease a round cake pan and pour about a third of the cake batter. Add about half the floured cherries.

Mix the rest of the cherries with the batter and pour it into the baking pan.

Bake in a 170 degrees C preheated oven for 40 minutes. Keep checking after 30 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clear, take the cake out of the oven and let it cool on a rack. Slice and serve.

Instant Onion and Green Chilli Pickle

Instant Onion and Green Chilli Pickle

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I have always loved the pickle served at the gurudwara langar. That inspired me to come up with this pickle that has become a favourite with my family and friends.

Ingredients

Onion 1 large, sliced

Green chillies 6, slit and deseeded

Red chilli powder 1 tbsp

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Yellow mustard powder 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 tbsp

Onion seeds ( kalonji) 1 tbsp

Mustard oil 2 tbsp

Vinegar 2 tbsp

Method

Separate the sliced onions and add it to a bowl with the slit green chillies.

Add the salt, red chilli powder, mustard powder and turmeric.

Heat the mustard oil in a small saucepan.

Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

Add the onion seeds.

Pour over the onions and green chillies.

Add the vinegar and mix well. Serve warm or cold.

Pepper Cream Chicken

Pepper Cream Chicken

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I am not a big meat eater and I like curries that are mild and not very meaty tasting. This curry I developed according to my taste and it is creamy and smooth and quite mild. It has a great flavour thanks to the onions and cashew nuts.

Ingredients

Boneless chicken 500 g

Yoghurt 1 cup

Pepper 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Curry leaves a few sprigs

Cream 1 tbsp

Cashew nuts 10-15

Onions 2 large plus 1 small

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Green chillies 2, sliced plus 2

Ginger 1” piece plus a smaller piece

Garlic 5 cloves

Coconut oil 2 tbsps

Method

Marinate the chicken pieces in yoghurt with salt and pepper.

Add 1 tbsp of oil to a heavy-bottomed pan and fry two large onions, roughly chopped. When the onions turn translucent, add the smaller piece of ginger and cashew nuts.

Switch off the heat when the cashew nuts turn golden and wait for the mixture to cool. Grind to a fine paste.

Add 1 tbsp of oil to the pan and add the cumin seeds.

When the cumin seeds stop sputtering, add one small onion finely sliced.

Crush the ginger, garlic and two green chillies roughly.

Add it to the onions with curry leaves.

Add the marinated chicken and mix well.

Add a cup of water and mix well.

Add the ground paste and mix.

Reduce the heat and cover and cook till the chicken pieces are cooked. Add the cream and stir it in. Do not cook too long after addding the cream. This makes the gravy very smooth.

Serve hot, garnished with sliced green chillies. it can be had with rice or naan bread.

Coconut Cookies

Coconut Cookies

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Growing up in the capital, New Delhi, I got the opportunity to enjoy what was locally grown and locally produced. In today’s world of super brands, we end y eating the same cookies irrespective of whether we are in New York or Delhi. I miss the cookies that were made by the local bakers, each taking pride in some special dish or sweet or biscuit.

One that we loved were the coconut cookies baked fresh every day. They were crisp on the outside and deliciously soft inside with the baked coconut outside addding a wonderful nutty flavour.

These cookies come closest to that flavour I remember from my childhood.

Ingredients

Ghee or clarified butter 1/2 cup

Sugar 1/2 cup, fine or powdered in the mixie

Desiccated coconut 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup

All-purpose flour 1 cup

Vanilla essence 3 drops

Baking powder 1 tsp

Baking soda 1/2 tsp

Milk 1 tbsp and 1/4 cup

Method

Whisk the ghee and sugar till well blended and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup desiccated coconut and mix.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and vanilla essence. Mix to form a dough. Add a tablespoon of milk if the dough is too dry.

Refrigerate the dough for about an hour.

Make into small balls and flatten between your palms.

Pour the 1/4 cup of milk in a bowl and spread the 1/4 cup of desiccated coconut on a plate. Dip the cookie balls in the milk and roll in the desiccated coconut.

Lay out the cookies on a buttered tray and bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 170 degree C oven. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Soya and Mango Curry

Soya and Mango Curry

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It is good to incorporate more soyabean into our dishes as it is a healthy option. And tasty too. But I got bored with the usual way I cooked it and tried this one using raw mango. It came out delicious with a slightly tangy taste.

Ingredients

Soya chunks 1 cup

Onions 2 small, one sliced and one chopped

Sprig of curry leaves

Green chillies 2 medium, chopped

Ginger 1” piece, crushed

Raw mango 1, chopped with skin

Coconut milk 100 ml

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp

Turmeric 1 tsp

Red chilli powder 2 tbsps

Coriander powder 2 tsps

Coconut oil 3 tbsps

Salt to taste

Method

Soak the soya chunks in hot water for 30 minutes.

Squeeze out all the water and transfer to a bowl.

Add 2 tbsps of coconut oil, sliced onions, curry leaves and chopped green chillies to a wok. Add the crushed ginger and mix them well using your fingers.

Add the chopped mango and the spices and mix well.

Add two cups of water and 3 tbsps of coconut milk and put it to boil.

Add the soaked soya chunks and simmer till the mango pieces are completely cooked. It does not take long. If you want the soy chunks less chewy, add them only after the mango pieces are cooked.

Once the mango pieces are cooked, add the rest of the coconut milk. When it starts to boil, switch off the heat.

Heat the remaining coconut oil in a frying pan and add the mustard and fenugreek seeds. Add the chopped onions and fry till they turn brown.

Add the fried onions to the curry.

Serve hot with bread or rice.

Millet (Bajra) Dosa

Millet (Bajra) Dosa

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Cooking can sometimes feel like a chore at the end of a busy day. It’s often tempting to throw a ready meal in the oven or call for take out. And now with doctors and nutritionists asking us to incorporate healthy alternatives such as millets into our meals, it can seem even more daunting. But preparing a simple and healthy family meal doesn’t have to be hard or time-consuming. Here’s how to make millet dosa using bajra or pearl millets.

Ingredients

Bajra or pearl millet 1 1/2 cups

Mung dal whole 1/2 cup

Urad dal 1/2 cup

Idli rice 1 cup

Salt to taste

Oil to apply on griddle

Method

Soak the bajra or pearl millets for 8-10 hours. I usually soak this around 11 am and then soak the other ingredients at the end of the day around 10 pm.

The next morning, grind all the ingredients. Start with the bajra or pearl millets first.then add the dals. Lastly add the rice. Grind to a smooth batter, adding as much water as needed. Add salt according to taste.

Leave to ferment till the evening.

Heat an iron griddle and oil it. Make thin and round dosas.

Have it with coconut chutney.

Mango Chutney

Mango Chutney

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One of my favourites is the Gujarati mango chutney called chunda. Its delicious mix of sweet and spicy flavours makes it a great accompaniment with bread, paranthas and puris. This recipe is an adaptation I developed to make using the local Kerala mangoes. These mangoes are from my cousin’s garden and have a lovely tangy flavour. This chutney can be made from any variety of mangoes and unlike the traditional chunda, they don’t all have to be completely raw. I used mangoes that had started to turn yellow and the chutney still came out perfect.

Ingredients

Raw mangoes — 4-5

Turmeric — 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder — 1 tsp

Cumin powder — 1/2 tsp

Salt — 1 tsp or according to your taste

Sugar — 1 1/2 cups

Method

Wash and dry the mangoes. Peel and grate them.

Add the turmeric, chilli powder, cumin powder and salt.

Mix well.

Add the sugar and mix well. Transfer the contents to a wok and place it on the heat. Cook through, stirring all the while.

Cook for about 10-15 minutes till the sugar is of string consistency. Keep the heat high so that the mango has a crunch.

Cool and transfer to clean glass bottles. Store in the refrigerator.