Hyderabadi Mirchi ka Salan

Mirchi ka Saalan is a name known to many in Hyderabad, and perhaps other parts of India too. It is a spicy curry made with green chillies, or bell-peppers, for those who can't take the heat. But the beauty of the recipe lies in the freshly roasted and ground Masala paste, which gives it that aromatic and authentic taste that is cherished by Hyderabadis! Along with the spice kick, this curry has the unique flavor of ingredients like tamarind, coconut, peanuts, sesame seeds, and coriander. It looks like a lot of work, especially as you have to roast and grind the Masalas for the authentic fresh flavor, but let me tell you, its totally worth it! When you serve it with Parathas or simple plain rice, this is a taste that will surely linger in your memories!

Ingredients
8-10 large green chillies or capsicum slices
2 tbsp boiled onion paste (recipe here)
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
3 whole cloves
6-8 fresh curry leaves
2 tsp tamarind paste
oil for cooking
1 tsp jaggery solution or sugar (optional)
salt - to taste

Ground Masala Paste
2 tbsp Coconut
2 tbsp Peanuts
1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tbsp Sesame seeds
a pinch of Cumin seeds
2-3 dry red Chillies

Method
Slit and deep fry the green chillies/capsisum in hot oil. Remove and keep aside to drain on a piece of paper.

Roast and grind together the ingredients for the Masala paste and keep ready.

Add the sugar or jaggery water to the tamarind paste, mix well, and set aside.

Now Heat oil and add the mustard seeds, when crackling add the cloves and the curry leaves. Mix the boiled onion paste and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground Masala paste and continue stirring. Add the tamarind water paste, and mix well. Let the gravy simmer on medium-low lame, partially covered. Add some more water as needed to get desired consistency, and keep stirring once in a while to prevent the masala from sticking to the pan.

Finally, add the salt and the fried green chillies to the hot gravy. Adjust seasoning for taste, then let it boil on high for about a minute. Remove and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve the hot and spicy Mirchi ka Salan with some homemade Rotis or Parathas, and enjoy a kicking meal!

Related Recipes
Hyderabadi Bagahre Baingan
Spicy Bhindi Masala (Okra Curry)
Bharwaan Shimla Mirch (Bell Peppers)

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Chewy M&M Cookies

If there are any cookies I like after chocolate-flavored ones, it has to be the classic fat and thick M&M Cookies. They taste lovely, and yet cater to the child within you because of the colorful use of M&M's! I first saw these cookies on Delish, which are adapted from the recipe in the beautiful cookbook called The Cookie Bible, with M&M's and ground pecans, but I'm sure you could easily use chocolate-chips or other nuts. Its a great way to bake goodies with kids or have some fun family time together. With hardly any special ingredients needed, these fat and chewy M&M Cookies will surely leave you mentally and gastronomically happy!

Ingredients
Yields about 3 dozen cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup M&M’s, divided
1 cup chopped pecans - coarsely grounded in mixer

Method
Heat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and keep ready.

Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well.

Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in 3/4 cup M&Ms and all the chopped nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet, leaving enough space in between to let them expand. Press 5-6 of remaining M&Ms on each cookie before baking.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly, then remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool completely on the wire rack. Eat a few immediately, storing others in air-tight containers for later:) This is a great alternative to brownies, as a picnic dessert too!

Related Recipes
Chocolate-Dipped Madeleines
Thumbprint Cookies - Vegan
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

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Is your Kitchen Ready for Entertaining?

Any holiday celebration is incomplete without Cooking & Baking, I'm sure all of you have started gathering and bookmarking favorite recipes for your family dinners! But, after entertaining guests for the last two weekends, and cleaning up my precious Enclume Pot Rack, I suddenly realized that though I have the recipe list ready, I don't think I have all the kitchen tools and utensils needed for the immense amount of holiday cooking that I have planned! Funny, as most of us don't think about the cooking tools right until we actually start executing a recipe! Most of the times makeshift-tools will work, but what about those large family-size pots and pans? or the holiday Bundt-cake pans? Is your Kitchen ready for some serious Holiday Cooking and Baking? [img source - Williams Sonoma]

Baking Tools
As baking would undoubtedly be a primary contender to holiday preparations, its imperative to make sure you have all the tools and kitchen bake-ware to make your baking as stress-free as possible. I for one, need to get a new Bundt-Cake Pan, and also a simple baking Thermometer. In fact, a simple search online will get you several deals on professional cookware including cookie sheets, cake pans, measuring spoons, muffins cups, cutters, scrapers, chafers, enclume pot racks and more! Make sure you have different cookie-cutters for all your fancy Christmas cookies, and also some fancy serving trays & tableware to serve those in!

Cookware and Tableware
My biggest concern when I have to prepare a dinner for a large group is what to cook it in! Dividing the same curry into two non-stick pans will mostly never work, so make sure you have cookware large enough to cook your entire dish. Ensure that you have all your kitchen equipment in order - from casseroles to mashed potatoes, and soups and stews to serving bowls and roasting pans, everything needs to be co-ordinated, so you don't go scrambling at the last minute! And if you are going to use your ancient china, wash and clean them a few days ahead so it sparkles. Buy table linens and matching napkins as well as serving ware, as holidays are special, and a little pre-planning will keep you more relaxed on the main day. I have added a new food-processor, and perhaps a Chocolate Fondue set to my Go-Get-it list already! And perhaps some new Fall dinner set won't be bad either:)

Dinnerware & China
When it comes to a party, your dinnerware is as important as your food, and White is mostly the preferred choice at holiday dinners, mostly because they bring out the color of the food. But these days, there are a lot of designer options available. Choose a theme, and find a matching Dinner set that goes with your linen and china. Autumn themes, leaf-shapes and fall-colors are greatly flavored at such occasions, so choose what pleases you the most, as there are tonnes of options to select from! And again, artistic enclume potracks will be a perfect fit too!

Wines & Glassware
No festive dinner is complete without a fancy wine, a fitting festive Cappucino or a Fruit Cocktail! This is the time to splurge on the expensive wine labels, and choose nice and fruity champagnes. If you love making cocktails, you'd know its important to serve them in a fancy way too! Make sure your buffet table has enough of glassware, depending on what you plan to serve. I have 2 sets of wine goblets, and it really doesn't look impressive when you use two incomplete sets to serve different guests at the same party. So I'm adding some new wine glasses and some cute coffee mugs to my shopping list!

Holidays are all about family gatherings, a few times in the year when everyone gets together and spends some quality time, enjoying great food and chatting and reliving pleasant memories over a cup of coffee. As food is one of the biggest contributors to a successful Holiday gathering, one should start planning ahead, not just about what you are going to cook, but also how, when and where! Take some time see if your Kitchen is ready for the holiday season, and make sure you have all you need to impress your guests on the big day. Remember, the plate that you cook and serve the food in, is as important as how your food tastes!

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Kadhai Paneer

If you are craving for a simple yet tasty Paneer recipe that won't take hours of preparation, and which you can savor with Rotis/Parathas/Naans or Rice, look no further. Kadhai Paneer is a healthy, nutritious, protein-rich and almost fat-free Indian curry that will leave you satisfied at the end of your meal. Flavored with kasuri-methi, ginger-garlic and a blend of mild Indian spices, it can be ready in a jiffy and can be a perfect accompaniment to bread or rice for a fulfilling weeknight dinner! Sending this over to Srivalli for Monthly Mingle, featuring Kid's Lunches this month!

Ingredients
500 gms paneer, cut into cubes
1 & 1/2 cups tomato puree
1 medium onion - chopped
1 medium green bell-pepper - deseeded & chopped
1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp kasuri methi
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp aamchur (dry mango) powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt & sugar - to taste
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves - chopped
3 tbsp ghee or cooking oil

Method
Heat ghee in a pan, add the chopped onions and the chopped bell-peppers and saute until light brown and soft, but not mushy.

Add the ginger-garlic paste and all the masala powders, except kasuri methi, and roast for 2 mins.

Then add the tomato puree, salt, sugar, kasuri methi and the paneer cubes and let it cook, partially uncovered, for about 8-10 mins on medium heat.

Check for taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and serve hot with Parathas or Vegetable Pulao.

Related Recipes
Shahi Dum Aloo
Vegetable Korma
Akbari Paneer

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BBD#18 - Quick Breads Roundup

If you think you are a pro at baking quick breads, think again! With the plethora of recipes that you'll see below, it is enough to challenge any baker, whether novice or pro, to try a hand at some of these tantalizing quick breads, some that you'd never imagined before! With more than 70 recipes to choose from, this round of BBD-Quick Breads has indeed been a fun to host for me, and this post is definitely being bookmarked. Thanks once again to Zorra, for giving me this opportunity, and to all you wonderful cooks out there, for making this event such a huge success.The next round of BBD will be hosted by Cinzia of Cindystar. So hop on to check out the current theme, and start baking again! And now, here's for the roundup!

Sweet Stuff
Laura's Birdseed Muffins - Cafe Bacarro
Siri's Sweet Olive Oil & Pine Nut Bread - Transplanted Baker
Andrea's Kiwi & Coconut Muffins - Delta Kitchen
Christie's Pumpkin Muffins - Edible Antics
Priya's Chocolate & Oatmeal Bread - Easy & Tasty Recipes
Laura's Chocolate & Butterscotch Scones - The Spiced Life
Michelle's Prune Muffins with Caramel & Orange Sugar - Big Black Dogs
Anne's Caribbean Coconut Loaf - The Dough Nut
Acane's Spicy Tea Bread - Basil & Cinnamon
Sara's Lemon-Poppyseed Muffins - I am a Food Blog
Illona's Banana & Fruit Yogurt Muffins - Bread & Wine
Bharti's Honey-Oatmeal Quickbread - Veggie Foodist
Nancy's Boston Brown Bread Muffins - The Dogs eat the Crumbs
Andrea's Lemon Sour Cream Muffins - Nummy's Kitchen
Harini's Healthy Banana Bread & Cake - Tongue Ticklers
Temperance's Ricotta Pancakes - High on the Hog
Pavani's Whole Wheat Pancakes - Cook's Hideout
Soma's Vegan Banana-Orange-Nut Loaf - eCurry
Poornima's Date & Walnut TeaBread - Poornima's Tasty Treats
Jamie's Sweet Oatmeal Raisin Bread - Confessions of a Gourmand
Priya's Eggless Oatmeal-ChocoChip Scones - Easy & Tasty Recipes
Mansi's Cranberry Pistachio Biscottis - Fun & Food Cafe
Lien's Blueberry Pecan Bread -Notite Van Lien
Glenda's Pineapple-Coconut Bread - Family Baker
Natashya's Peach Mango Bread - Living in the Kitchen
Sweatha's Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Bread - Tasty Curry Leaf
Natalia's Quick chocolate Bread - Gatti Fili e Farina
Emiglia's Elvis Presley Banana Bread - TomatoKomato
Aparna's Honey & Oatmeal Raisin Bread - My Diverse Kitchen
Jude's Semolina Corn Bread - Apple Pie Patis & Pate
Stefanie's Stripe Cat Quick Bread - Eating Real Food
Stefanie's Chocolate Custard Muffins - Hefe & Mehr
Marjoke's Blueberry Lemon Quickbread - Company in my Kitchen
Cham's Lemon Bread - The Spice Club
Idania's Magdalenas's Quick Muffins - EL Aroma De Idania
Zorra's Ultimate Scones - Kochtopf
Pat's Apricot Almond SweetBread - Bread Baker's Dog
Jacqueline's Wholewheat Bluberry Coconut Scones - Toxobread
Pavani's Banana Walnut Bread - Cook's Hideout
Shelly's Banana-Pecan-Flaxseed Bread -Adventures with the Woods
Gopi's Prune & Walnut Bread - Health n Taste
Mansi's Pineapple Muffins - Fun and Food Blog

Savory Stuff
A&N's Biscuits w vegetable Gravy - Reluctant Chefs
Judy's Beer Bread - Judy's Gross Eats
Jaysree's Whole Wheat Quick Bread - Kaila's Kitchen
Jacqueline's Basil Buttermilk Bread - Toxo Bread
Lisa's Cheddar-Dill-Beer Biscuits - Food & Spice
Sus' Australian Bush Bread - CorumBlog
Zaira's Pan Sausage Bread - La Cocina de Zaira
Zabeena's Mediterranean Waffles with Olive & Herbs - A Lot on my Plate
Alisa's Irish Soda Bread - Jane of Many Trades
Siri's Savory French Muffins - Siri's Corner
Cindy's Panini Veloci de Marie-Pierre - Cindystar
Mary's Savory French Bread - One Perfect Bite
Archana's Spicy Pumpkin-Walnut Bread - The Yum Factor
The Queen's Nutty Yogurt Bread - ChaosQueen's Kitchen
Chuck's Three-Cheese Beer Bread - The Knead for Bread
Divya's Savoury Cookies - Divya's Dil Se
Asha's Turmeric & Paprika Luchis - Foodie's Hope
Tartasacher's Almond & Cheese Quick Bread - Milpostres
Sunita's Malthouse & Brie Quickbread - Sunita's World
Dhivya's Corn Muffins - Culinary Bazaar
Jude's Irish Soda Bread - Apple Pie Patis & Pate
Stefanie's Indian Chapati - Hefe & Mehr
Arundathi's Parmesan & Pepper Scones - My Food Blog
Divya's Irish Soda Bread - Divya's Cookbook
Maya's Olive-Cumin & Herb Quick Bread - Konkan World
Susan's Pain de Epices - Wild Yeast blog

I hope you all enjoyed this delicious roundup of Quick Bread Recipes as much as I did. Whether you yearn for a sweet one or savory, you are sure to find one here that suits your tastebuds perfectly fine!

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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

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