Paneer Tikka with Mango Sauce

Tandoori Paneer Tikka - the name itself makes my mouth water!! Succulent cubes of paneer marinated and grilled or baked in a "tandoori oven", then served with grilled vegetables, is enough to tempt anyone on earth. But this time around, inspired by combining the Indian and Asian tastes in one dish, I have tried a variation which still uses a spicy yogurt marinade, but the final Paneer Tikka is then served hot, drizzled with a home-made sweet and tangy mango dressing, and serves to be a perfect side-dish to an Indian meal. Sounds inviting, right? Just wait till you've actually tasted it, maybe you wouldn't like leaving any for your guests!

I'm sending this to WYF-Side Dish event over at Simple Indian Food.

Ingredients
Fresh Paneer - cut into thick cubes
1 large bell-pepper - diced into squares
1 large red onion - diced into thick slices
Cooking Oil

Tandoori Marinade
1/4 cup yoghurt
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder or paprika
1 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tsp pickle(achaar) - optional
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp orange food color(optional, I did not use it)
1 tbsp tandoori tikka masala (or garam masala)

Mango Dressing
1/4 cup mango puree
4-5 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice (or white wine vinegar)
2 tsp honey or sugar - if required
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method
Take the paneer cubes and add them to 1/4 cup of water along with 1/2 tsp turemric powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Soak them for at least 10 mins.

Now take the yoghurt and pass it through a muslin cloth, removing all water content and leaving only the firm yoghurt part. Add all the Marinade ingredients to it; mix well, adjust spices according to taste and set aside.

Now add the marinade to a zip-lock bag, then add all the paneer cubes(remove from salt water) into it, shake it arund so all pices are coated with the marinade, then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours (or maximum overnight).

Baking
Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Now grease a cookie sheet with ample amount of coking oil, then place the marinated paneer pieces on the tray; remove the yogurt sticking on the pieces as it would stick on the sheet while baking.

Apply some light oil on each piece with a brush, sprinkle some more tandoori masala on top, then bake for 10-12 mins. Then flip them over, apply oil on the other side and bake again for another 10 mins (depending on yoor oven, it may take longer) Check after 15 mins to see if the pieces are cooked through evenly.

Turn oven setting to BROIL and allow it to broil for another 2 mins.

Meanwhile, take a pan, add 2 tsp oil to it, and add the cubes of onions and bell-peppers. Saute them on medium-flame till they are semi-cooked and turn glossy. Add some salt and lemon juice according to taste.

Turn off the oven and gently lift the pieces, arrange them on a serving plate. Add the sauteed bell-peppers and onions to the plate, and garnish with some Mango Dressing and chopped coriander.

Grilling or Shallow-Fry
You can cook the paneer and veggies by arranging them on a skewer and grilling it on a hot barbecue grill. Use the same procedure as above, just use grill instead of a conventional oven. Shallow-frying the paneer pieces, just like the veggies is another quick option, but you may not get the smoky, grilled look with this method. But you can choose any method depending on your convenience.

Sweet and Tangy Mango Dressing
Mix the mango puree with all the other ingredients for the dressing and blend well to form a smooth liquid sauce. If its too thick, add some more orange juice; it should be thinner than normal mango puree, but thicker than water.

Arrange the grilled paneer and vegetable on a platter. Top with some Mango Dressing and cilantro. Serve hot as an appetizer or a side dish!

We always order Tandoori Paneer Tikka in restaurants, but now that I have mastered the art of making it at home, we often enjoy it as dinner, just by itself! The addition of Mango Dressing was a winning brainwave, and the basic recipe for the sauce as well as the Tandoori Marinade can be used for any other tikka recipe.

Related Recipes:
Achari Paneer Tikka Wraps
Spicy Chilli Paneer
Savoury Paneer & Sun-dried Tomato Muffins
Restaurant-Style Paneer Butter Masala

Pineapple Muffins

One of the best ways to enjoy fresh pineapples is to bake cute little Pineapple Muffins out of them! Next to Blueberry Muffins, these have got to be my favorite snack. I love Pina-Colada, os I decided to combine the great flavor combo of Pineapples and Coconut to bake these baby cakes, that are delicious and filling, and don't take much preparation. You can zest them up by adding orange, lime, or even spices, but I love them as they are, with a hint of coconut essence, fresh pineapple cubes, and nice chredded coconut!

Ingredients
Makes 12-15 medium-sized muffins

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sweetened pineapples - diced or crushed
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1 egg
*** substitute 1/4 cup vanilla or plain yogurt for an eggless version
1 cup castor sugar
1 tsp coconut essence
1/2 tsp orange extract (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk (or sour cream)
1/3 cup butter - at room temperature
1 tsp baking powder

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare muffins pans by greasing with non-stick spray, or line them with paper-liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Combine egg, milk, and melted butter in another bowl. Beat a little to combine everything together and make it frothy. Now add this to the dry mixture just until combined. Do not over-beat. Fold in the pineapples and the shredded coconut and gently stir to combine.

Spoon the mixture into the moulds (upto 2/3 full) and bake for 20 minutes, until the tops rise and become golden.

Let the muffins cool in the rack for 10 mins. Then gently remove then from the moulds and transfer to a wire rack to further cool for another 5-7 mins. (If you don't let them cool enough, the tops may sag, like mine did:))

Serve the Pineapple muffins, or baby cakes, as I like to call them, with some fresh Indian Chai. You can even layer it with some orange marmalade, or deck it up with whipped cream! Enjoy the taste of Pina Colada, albeit in a Muffin form!

This is my entry for the BBD#18 - Quick Breads that is currently running on this blog. You still have until April 1st to send in your entries. So bake something quick, and send it over!

Related Recipes:
Mango Streusel Cake
Low-Fat Blueberry Muffins
Eggless Cranberry Walnut Scones

Choosing and Pairing the Best Wine with your Food

Whether its a festive holiday, or a simple dinner with friends, when you are hosting an event, it is always special. Entertaining can be really fun and satisfying when you know what you are serving, and that you have done your best to make great food and serve the best drinks! Holidays are a time to be a bit more extravagant and indulge yourself in a few luxuries. So naturally, there is bound to be some Wine and Champagne at the table. A meal will always be more enjoyable if paired with a great tasting wine. You can go and pick out a good-looking affordable wine for your guests, but unless you are a vintner, how do you choose what wine will go best with the food that you are serving? And what should be the criteria for choosing your wines, besides the price, of course?? Luckily for all of us, here are some simple points to consider that would make your food and wine pairing process, a bit less intimidating.

Wines are characterized by different wine grades, and come in three basic forms: red, white and sparkling. Sparkling white wine that comes from a particular region of France is called Champagne. Generally, Red wine is considered appropriate with red meat and hearty pasta dishes, while White wine is preferred with fish and many chicken dishes. Red wines are benefited by aging, while white ones can served immediately after they are produced, with the exception of some sweet wines and champagne. Without getting too technical, the general idea is to serve lighter wine with lighter food and hearty wine with richer food. Here are some excellent tips that I could gather from here and here to help you in the wine-selection process.

A few obvious questions to ask yourself are these:

1. How much do I want to spend? Keep a budget in mind so you don't get distracted.
2. Do any of my guests prefer red or white wine?
3. Are there some favorite brands you'd like to stick to?
4. What kind of food am I going to be serving it with?

With answers to these questions ready in your head, you can relate to the guidelines given below which show how food and wine can be paired together. These two when combined together, have the ability to alter each others flavors. And usually, the spices, seasonings, sauces, herbs or the style in which the dish is prepared will determine the best-suited wine.

Salty/Spicy or Grilled Foods go best with lightly-sweet or mild fruity red wines. Chardonnay harmonizes with poultry and cheese. There are many variations of this white wine that can run from sweet and fruity to sour. It can even be paired with seafood quite well. Chenin Blanc is also a white sparkling wine and goes well with fish and chicken. A general rule is that wines that blend well with fish and other white meat contain high acidic flavor. The sharp, crisp hint of acid enhances the flavor of fish like a drop of tangerine juice would.

Meat and Seafood are difficult to pair with, especially as it depends on the type of cuisine and the spices. Most oriental food and white meat dishes won't go wrong when matched with a Riesling. Spicy Mexican foods on the other hand are best eaten with Shiraz, which is a versatile wine; it complements many popular meat dishes such as chicken, pork, beef and duck. A medium bodied wine such as Red Zinfandel will always taste better with red meat while White Zinfandel which is a newly-developed wine in the market goes in tune with pasta with light sauce, fish and most light dishes.

Acidic or Bitter Foods have a highly pronounced taste, so these are best paired with light reds or whites with medium-to-high acidic levels. Recommended choices are Merlot or Pinot Grigio.

Rich and Creamy Foods, like meat gravies and cheese sauces should definitely be served with full-bodies high-tannin wines so they can balance the greasiness in cheese or meat. Good choices would be Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Sirah and Bordeaux.

Sweet Foods definitely have to go with mildly-sweet or highly-sweet wines to grasp the flavor. Desserts are best paired with Rieslings, Port wines, or Madeira.

There, a nice and short summary of what I have learned till now. You can also find several wine reviews around the web.With a little bit of preparation, you can surely entertain yourself and your guests in a much better way! There's nothing like the "best" or "perfect" wine; the key is to find the one that will highlight the taste of your meal best. As you try more wines and learn more, your confidence will grow, and you'll develop the knack to mix and match.

Hope this article proves to be a starting point in your "spirit-ual" journey. It's time for celebration, and there's nothing more fun than entertaining with style!!

Announcing BBD#18- Quick Breads

After a long hiatus, its time to stir things up a bit on Fun and Food, so I'm proud to host this month's edition of Bread Baking Day! BBD#18 will be fun and challenging, as always, but just to cut you some slack, we choose to have a theme which can accommodate more participants, be they established bread-bakers, or novices trying out their baking skills! so this month, the theme is Quick Breads, which means plenty of sweet and savory options to choose for breakfast, appetizers or sides. But NO, quick breads does NOT MEAN cakes & brownies. So take a moment to check out the rules below:

BBD is a popular food-blog event that was started by Zorra of Kochtopf, and has traveled through many hosts and themes. The last edition hosted by Lien featured Breads with Potatoes. This time, we choose Quick Breads, something that is less fussy, and more fun!

"Quick Breads", as the name suggests, entails the use of chemical leavening agents like baking powder, baking soda or cream-of-tartar instead of Yeast, so that there is no time wasted on fermentation and kneading like traditional breads, and hence can be made "quickly". So keep in mind these rules before sending in your entries.

Rules for Participation:

1. You can make any sweet or savory bread, be it with fruits, grains, cheese, herbs, nuts or just plain, and you can use any kind of base flour that you like.

2. You can use pre-made bread flour, or other simple leavening agents like baking powder/soda/cream-of-tartar instead of yeast; you can even use ready-made bread/loaf mixes that can be used in bread machines, or bake it traditionally in your ovens.

3. Please DO NOT send in cakes or brownies as entries. These will not be accepted for this category. However, any of the recipes described below are allowed.

4. Quick Breads include Muffins, Fruit/Nut Breads, Biscuits, Scones, Popovers, Coffee-cakes, Crepes, Pancakes, Waffles and other similar breads and loaves.

5. As this is a vegetarian blog, please restrict to vegetarian recipes, which means NO MEAT or SEAFOOD; eggs and cheese are allowed.

6. Send your entries to funandfood@gmail.com with subject line BBD#18, and please include a link back to this announcement or homepage. Please send your entries in English only, or with a link to the page which has English translation on your blog. Re-size your pictures to 200x200px. The deadline for sending in your entries is April 1st 2009.

7. Archived posts are allowed, but only if they are republished during the event period. Also, maximum 2 entries are allowed per blog.

Many people think Quick Breads have to be sweet; that is not the case - cheese, herbs, vegetables, grains, nuts, beer bread are all examples of savory quick breads. Use your imagination and flavor to bake something unique, be it sweet, savory or spicy!

For more ideas and recipes, check out these cool links:
Savory Quick Breads
Quick Bread Recipes - Joy of Baking
Exotic Quick Bread Recipes

So what are you waiting for? This one should be simple, and outright fun, for home-cooks and chiseled cooks alike! Get your hands dirty with some flour and turn on your ovens, for its time to bake some delicious Quick Breads! I look forward to all your wonderful entries!

Pasta with Cilantro Pesto Sauce

Weeknight pasta dinners can get a tad boring if you use the same sauce recipes. So to stir things up a little, I decided to experiment with some flavors, which brought up the idea of using cilantro as a base for my pesto-cream sauce instead of basil. Garlic and Cilantro make a great flavor combination, and though I was a little hesitant in how they would blend with the creamy white sauce, I am happy I tried this unique combination, because it sure turned out great! Touched with a hint of oregano, basil flakes, mixed italian herbs and parmesan cheese, this Pasta with creamy Cilantro Pesto Sauce is indeed a must try!

Ingredients
1 regular-sized package pasta noodles
2 tbsp onions - sliced finely (optional)
2 tbsp bell peppers - sliced finely (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil

Cilantro Cream Sauce
1/4 cup packed cilantro - chopped
1/2 green chilli - chopped
2 garlic cloves - minced
2 tbsp butter
4 tbsp parmesan cheese
2 tsp basil flakes (or fresh basil recommended)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 cup whipping cream (or heavy milk)
2 tbsp refined flour (maida)
salt & pepper - to taste
1 tsp olive oil

Method
Boil the pasta as directed on the package. Once cooked, drain the water in a colander, set the pasta under cold running water, then add 1 tbsp oil to them to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Making the Sauce
Take the chopped cilantro, green chillies, garlic cloves and salt/pepper and blend them to make a smooth paste(pesto). Add 1 tsp oil to make it smooth, but do NOT add water.

In a deep pan, melt the butter, then add the refined flour to this and roast for 30-40 sec on a low flame. As soon as the flour starts clumping, add the cream or milk, and stir well to form a smooth paste. Cook on low-to-medium flame; add the parmesan cheese, basil and oregano flakes, and keep stirring continuously till the sauce becomes thick and creamy.

Slowly add the cilantro pesto paste to the sauce mixture. Lower the flame, then stir the sauce till everything becomes mixed and smooth. You can add 2 tbsp more milk if you want a thinner consistency. Check for taste and add more seasoning if needed. Let it boil for 2 more mins, then switch off the flame and set it aside.

Take a wok, add 1 tbsp olive oil, and lightly saute the sliced onions and bell-peppers till they become slightly soft. Now add the boiled noodles to this and mix.

Before serving, add a spoonful of the creamy cilantro sauce over the noodles. Garnish with some freshly chopped basil or herbs if you like, and enjoy with a serving of my classic homemade Caprese-style Garlic Bread!

Related Recipes
Spinach Pasta with Roasted Garlic & Sun-dried Tomato Sauce
Cheese Ravioli with Tomato-Basil & Cream Sauce
Fettucini with Almond Pesto

Shahi Dum Aloo Recipe

Dum Aloo, also known as Aloo Dum Pukht, is a favored Indian Curry recipe that you often get to see on many restaurant menus, and this home-made Shahi variation is nothing less! Who doesn't like potatoes? especially when they are baby potatoes simmered in creamy & aromatic gravy made with almonds and cashews and flavored with traditional Indian spices! What makes this recipe different and special is the choice of onions, yogurt, tamarind, almonds and cashews as a base for the gravy. With aromatic spices like cardamom, fennel, ginger, and addition of some milk and cream to add a richness to the recipe, the resulting Shahi Dum Aloo was a wonderful treat for our family. B actually liked it better than the Malai Koftas, which means I actually scored a victory with this make-as-you-go recipe venture!

Ingredients
8-10 baby potatoes
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 mid-size onion
4 tbsp yogurt (plain, not sour)
2 tsp tamarind paste
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
3 tbsps almond-cashewnut paste
** soak the nuts in water, then remove skin and blend to a paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp dhania powder (dry coriander powder)
1/2 tsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
2 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 tsp fennel powder (saunf)
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp dry ginger powder
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
salt and lemon juice - to taste
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp fresh cream
fresh coriander - chopped for garnish

Method
Skin the onions and blanch them in hot water for 3 mins, then puree them to form a paste. Make a paste from the blanched almonds and cashews and keep aside.

Take 2 tbsp yogurt, add the tamarind paste, fennel powder, red-chilli powder, ginger powder, cardamom powder and sugar to it, and beat it well to form a smooth blend. Keep aside.

Boil the potatoes in a microwave or a pressure-cooker, taking care not to over-cook them. Just microwave till tender, but not mashable. Take a toothpick, and poke some holes into the baby potatoes, then keep aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan, add the bay leaf and the cloves, then add the onion paste and saute till light-brown. Add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 3 minutes. Add all the dry spices (masalas) and roast for anther 2 mins. Finally add the almond-cashew paste and roast for another 5 mins.

Add the tomato puree, the yogurt-tamaring blend, crushed kasuri methi, and salt. Stir and let it simmer for some time. Then cover with a lid, and let it cook on medium flame for another 10 mins, till the curry becomes think and everything blends well to form a smooth texture.

Add the baby potatoes, lower the flame, and and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp milk or whipping cream, and allow the potatoes to be cooked entirely. They will also suck up some of the flavor from the curry and spices, thanks to the holes you poked them with!

Garnish with coriander leaves and fresh cream if you like. Throw some more chopped nuts and raisins on the top. Serve the delicious Shahi Dum Aloo with any bread of your choice, pulao or simply jeera rice.

Related Recipes:
Paneer Butter Masala
Lauki Koftas in Almond Gravy
Bhindi Masala with Peanuts & Coconut

Related Tags
indian-gravies, potatoes, parathas, nuts

Adadiyapak - Healthy Gujarati Sweet

Anyone who has spent at least a couple winters in Gujarat, would be familiar with the traditional Gujarati sweet called "Adadiyapak". Made with Adad(Udad) Flour, and filled with naturally healthy ingredients, its one sweet that is really good for you and your body! It's especially made in winter, due to availability of ingredients, but nowadays, you can find these at any grocery store around the year. They are filled with the goodness of health and richness of taste, but when they come packaged in a "stainless-steel dabba" all the way from India, marked with the stamp of being labeled as Mom's homemade Adadiya, its extra-special, healthy and extremely delicious. So here's sharing with you my granny's recipe for Adadiyapak, executed perfectly by none other than Mom!

Ingredients
500gm black gram flour (adad no lot)
50gm besan (chickpea flour - optional)
450gm ground sugar
400gm + 200gm ghee (clarified butter)
1 cup milk

Spices
few pieces of edible gum (gaund)
50 gm ginger powder
50 gm ganthoda powder (optional)
25 gm vasanu (optional, skip it if you can't find it)
100gm cashew nuts + almonds - (crushed coarsely into powder)

Method
Mix 100gm ghee, milk, black gram flour and besan and keep it aside for 3 hours. Once it cools down a little, pass this flour mixture through a filter (sieve), to form granular flour mixture (looks like Sooji or Semmolina), and keep it aside.

Take another 100gm ghee and fry the edible gum in a pan on high flame; then let it cool for a couple mins, and grind it in a blender to form coarse granules.

Take 400gm ghee in a pan and add black gram flour in it. Stir it continuously on low flame till flour becomes golden brown. Add ginger powder, vasanu and ganthoda powder to this, and mix well.

When it turns golden brown, and the flour looks properly roasted, and starts giving out a nice smell, about 10 mins or so, remove it from the flame. Let it cool a little (about 2 mins), then add the edible gum powder into it. Stir it well and mix properly. Then allow the entire thing to cool for about 20 mins.

Finally, add the sugar and cashew-almond powder into it and mix it well.

Take a deep steel thali (or non-stick flat pan), grease it with a little ghee, and spread the mixture into the thali evenly, levelling the surface.

Garnish it with slivered almonds or pistachios, if you like, then let it set completely for about 10 minutes. Now cut it into squares and keep them out, uncovered for about an hour.

Once cooled enough, you can store the Adadiya squares in an air-tight container, and keep it refrigerated for about 20-30 days. Just let it come to room temperature before eating; one small piece a day is a great way to keep yourself healthy, as long as the supplies last!:)

Related Recipes
Gajar Halwa (Carrot Pudding)
Pineapple Rava Kesari (Microwave recipe)
Churma na Ladoo (Wheatflour Laddus)
Homemade Kaju Katri (Burfi)