Paneer In Urad Daal

Paneer and black gram split lentils, I was yet to combine in a dish, so yesterday was the day. I was extremely pleased with the result as I managed to get a mushy daal with bags of flavour. It tasted very similar to a daal makhani, as the paneer provided the wonderful creamy feel and flavour

Ummm…I was in heaven! I’m sure you all will love it too, guaranteed!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup cubed paneer
1 cup split urad, white split gram lentils
½ tsp soda bicarbonate
¼ tsp turmeric
Boiling water
1 tbsp sunflower oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 onion diced finely
1 tomato chopped
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp dried cumin & coriander powder
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste
½ cup tomato passata/crushed tomato
Fresh coriander optional

METHOD

Boil the urad daal with the bicarbonate of soda and turmeric until soft and mushy. Once cooked leave aside

In a large non stick saucepan, heat the oil and mustard seeds on a medium heat.  Fry off the onion and fresh tomato

Add all the spices and stir fry for a couple of minutes

Pour in this tomato passata, along with the cooked daal and its water.  Gently place in the cubed paneer into the saucepan

Simmer through on a low heat for 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with freshly made hot chapatis

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Instant Loaded Egg Paratha

My husband is always watching Indian street food videos on YouTube.  This is one particular dish that he was checking and that I was extremely intrigued by.
I think you all know me by now, in that I love to cook really, really simple food and am not embarrassed in taking short cuts to get to the final yummy result!

This is one of those easy than easier recipes, yet so satisfying and filling.  The protein hit from the egg and cheese really reaches the spot!  Make sure that you have some ready made parathas or frozen parathas like I used in this recipe and you are ready to go my friends!

Enjoy, see you soon! Much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

Frozen paratha/ready made paratha
Large eggs
Grated mature cheddar cheese
Spring onion sliced
Chopped fresh coriander
Chilli flakes
Butter
Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Place the frozen paratha in a frying pan and cook through on both sides to a medium golden brown.  Spread a little butter on one side

Crack one egg onto the buttered paratha and break the yolk gently.  Load on all other ingredients and seasoning

Cover with a large lid on a low heat for 5 or so minutes or until egg is firm

Fold the paratha and serve with a hot chilli sauce

The Indian Onion Soup

Forget the french onion soup! For a second.  Take it to the next level, spice it up, masalafy it and transform it into the Indian curried onion soup.  You are bound to have these ingredients in your pantry , so no extra shopping!   A quick fix with some fresh crusty buttered bread or even some khichdi (rice and split mung bean dish)

I had a large sweet white onion and in contrast a red onion to use for this soup.  However I will never really understand why a red onion is a RED onion ? It is very much purple/magenta in colour?…any how…I love onions, I eat them raw in salads, find them delicious paired with a mature cheddar cheese sandwich!  I just love them!  Most of my cooking will involve onions in some way or another but today we are focusing solely on the onion.

This soup can be cooked in under 20 to 25 minutes.  Is very tasty, slightly sweet because the onions are caramelized in the spices and then you get a hint of heat on your palette at the very end from the red dried chilli flakes.

I know all onion lovers will adore this and it may even convert non onion lovers to loving them.  Hope you have a wonderful day…I’ll see you soon! Much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 large white onion sliced
1 large red onion sliced
1 tsp sunflower oil
Pinch of cumin seeds
Pinch of asafoetida
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp cumin/coriander powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1-2 tsp garam masala
1 tin finely chopped tomato
Salt to taste
1 cup water

METHOD

In a large saucepan, heat up the oil on a medium heat with the cumin seeds. Once the oil starts to sizzle are the onions and mix well

Add all the seasoning and spices making sure all the onion is coated. Cover, reduce to a low heat and cook for 5 minutes

Pour in the tin of chopped tomatoes with the cup of water, stir well, bring to a boil and gently simmer for 15 minutes

Serve up with a dollop of natural yoghurt and fresh bread

Quorn Protein & Peas Curry

If you want something healthy, tasty and low fat, don’t go anywhere! I have created my non guilty version of the classic Indian matar paneer dish without the guilt! And the paneer?!
Fully packed with protein, which will keep you going for longer and stop you from snacking, especially if you have this curry for lunch. But don’t worry I know this maybe to healthy for some of you so my apple crumble recipe is coming up soon…

Enjoy, hope you’re all well…I am sooo excited as I have a lot more creative vegetarian dishes on the way!..until then, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

300g Quorn chicken style pieces or soya chunks
2 cups frozen peas
1 medium onion diced
2 cloves garlic crushed
½ tsp minced ginger
250g crushed tomato passata
Pinch of mustard seeds
Pinch of cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala
¼ tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp ground cumin & coriander
Salt to taste
½ tbsp sunflower oil
Water for sauce

METHOD

In a large nonstick saucepan,  heat the oil on a medium heat with the mustard and cumin seeds.  Once they start to sizzle,  add the onion, ginger and garlic into the pan.  Sauté until translucent

Sprinkle in the garam masala, cook through for a minute or so. Stir in the tomato passata along with all the seasoning.  Let the sauce bubble then place the chunks of quorn into the saucepan.  Mix well, you may need a little water to help the tomato coat the quorn

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer the curry for 10 minutes.  Add the peas, stir and simmer for a further 7 to 10 minutes

Serve up with some rice or chapati

Butter Bean Quesadilla

I make cheese and tomato quesadillas a lot but I’m trying to up my fibre intake and I thought beans were the way to go. I didn’t want to cook the beans twice over, so prepped a quick filling within minutes. This way the beans remain nutritious and I’ll have a happy healthy me!

They were really yummy that I ended up eating more than I should have. I really have to start controlling my portion control!…Today we are having chilli and mushroom penne. I’m already thinking about our next meal! I am terribly addicted to food! Lol!

See you all soon with the pasta recipe, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 tin butter beans, drained & rinsed
1 onion chopped crescent shaped
2 plum tomatoes sliced thinly
2-3 handfuls of grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp cumin & coriander powder
Sprinkling of chilli flakes and garlic powder
Salt to taste
Olive oil to pan fry

Ready made tortillas

METHOD

Take all the ingredients apart from the oil and mix well, until all is combined and nicely coated/seasoned

Heat a non stick frying pan on a medium heat with a little olive oil. Place the tortilla in the pan, add a few tablespoons of the butter bean mix on one half and fold over

Cook on both sides until the cheese has melted and the beans have warmed through

Creamy Chestnut Mushrooms With Spring Onion

I had not cooked with chestnut mushrooms before, assuming they were too strong in taste, but I was extremely happy with this jacket potato filler I conjured up. Meaty and solid in texture, stays together in comparison to closed cup mushrooms when cooked. Went really well with the light refreshing taste of the cream cheese and even more so with the garlic that added an extra buzz to the cheese sauce.

A real winner in our home and one to go on our list for quick winter warmer meals. I adore baked potatoes, always have! but this just made the fluffy hot potato that bit more special. I am about to go make some dinner for today…involving halloumi cheese and aubergine…Recipe coming up soon.
Have a wonderful weekend friends! Much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 punnet chestnut mushrooms sliced
3-4 tbsp soft cream cheese
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 spring onions sliced finely
2 cloves garlic minced
Salt to taste
Cheddar cheese grated

Baked Jacket potatoes to accompany

METHOD

Heat up the oil and butter in a deep saucepans on low.  Throw in the minced garlic sauté for a minute or so

Add the mushrooms, making sure they are coated in the garlic butter/oil

Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until soft.  Stir in half the spring onions and the cream chesse until the cheese turns into a thick creamy sauce

Keep on a low heat for a further 5 minutes and then you are ready to serve up your soft fluffy buttered jacket potato.  Top off with some grated cheddar and the rest of the spring onions

Low Calorie Onion Soup

I was checking my pantry for which vegetables I had to make a soup today especially as it’s very chilly here in the UK and everyone seems to have a cold and sore throat.  My husband being one of them, however he is very lucky! because I happened to find two bags of onions sitting there untouched.

All I could picture was a soothing hot onion soup with lingering notes of garlic dancing through the sweetness of the caramelized onions.  I looked up a few recipes and noticed that mostly all used a lot of butter and beef stock.  So I decided to create a vegetarian onion soup and low in calories!  Win, win for me…ultimate flavour and a healthier option!  It’s cooking on the stove right now and I can’t wait to tuck into a big bowl with a little mature cheddar and bread…
Oops less of the cheddar! Forgot…meant to be a low fat meal! 😉

Hope you enjoy my version of a classic soup…much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

3 medium onions sliced
1 clove garlic minced
1 tbsp low fat butter spread
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Sprinkling of sugar
1 litre vegetable stock

METHOD

Heat up the butter and oil in a deep saucepan, sauté the onions until soft on a low heat. Sprinkle with sugar and carry on cooking until caramelized, can take up to 15 minutes

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Add the garlic and cook through for a minute or two pour in the vegetable soup stock with salt to taste and simmer gently for 30 minutes

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Serve with some fresh baguette and cheese of your choice

Looks Like Carrot?….

My husband is off now for the Christmas holidays and time for me to get creative in the kitchen!!!  It’s been a long time, since I’ve been able to take time out and just cook! especially with day to day chores and taking the boys to school.

Mr Shivaay Delights!! Aka Mr Makani! said he wanted a starter type of dish and something Indian!  So I decided to fuse ingredients together to make a funky new dish!

I grated everything in my food processor and stir fried away in my frying pan, I came up with this….

Sweet potato onion and coriander filling with the warmth of garam masala running through it.  I served it up on some wholewheat buttered toast with a light sprinkling of mature Cheddar cheese to give a bit of a salty edge to compliment the sweet and spice.

Simple, tasty and comforting..Hope you enjoy this recipe! and I shall see you soon! Much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 large sweet potato, peeled and grated
1 white onion grated
Handful of roughly chopped coriander
1-2 tbsp sunflower oil
Salt to taste
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander & cumin powder
Mature Cheddar cheese

METHOD

Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan on a medium heat, sauté the sweet potato, onion and coriander along with all the spices and seasoning

Reduce the heat, throw a little water to add moisture and cook through until the sweet potato is soft and the water has been absorbed

Serve on some buttered toast and don’t forget the cheese! Enjoy!!!

Melted Mozzarella…Need I Say More?

A very light meal was made in the form of melted mozzarella bruschetta.  Oh my! what a yummy meal it was.  Not too heavy or light, absolutely spot on!
Mainly eaten as a starter but I fancied a few more pieces than you would have in restaurant.  The best thing about this version was the melted buffalo mozzarella!  Did I mention it was melted?!!  So very rich, gooey, stringy and delicious!  I was in cheese heaven!

Try it out at the weekend friends, have a good one! See you next week, much love D x

INGREDIENTS

Fresh buffalo mozzarella in thin slices
Tomatoes diced finely
Red onion diced
Green chilli sliced finely
Salt to taste
Chunky pieces of toasted bread
Garlic butter Recipe here
Balsamic vinegar optional

METHOD

Place the tomato, onion, chilli in a bowl, season with salt.

Spread the toast with the garlic butter, top with the tomato mix and be generous with the mozzarella to finish

Heat in the oven or grill until the mozzarella has melted

Shahi potato curry

The Potato curry is a much loved dish in Indian food. The usual Bombay potatoes always appears on an Indian menu.
I thought I would make this curry tangy and spicy, with the warmth of ginger that comes through with every mouthful. The aromatic Shahi masala transforms this potato curry with its blend of cardamom, pepper, nutmeg, mace and star anise to name but a few, into a stunning and original new potato curry ~ Enjoy x

INGREDIENTS

15 new baby potatoes
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger peeled
1 small green chilli
1 1/2 tbsp sunflower oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
pinch of asafoetida
200g tomato passata/crushed tomato
1 level tsp salt
1 heaped tsp shahi masala
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground cumin & coriander powder
pinch of turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp sugar
A little water

METHOD

1. Parboil the potatoes until slightly tender, should take about 10-12 minutes. Drain and crush potatoes a little and set aside

2. Grind the onion, ginger, garlic and chilli in a food processor to a paste consistency

3. Heat oil in a large saucepan with the mustard, cumin seeds, cloves and asafoetida. Once seeds start to pop mix in the onion paste. Throw in the salt this will stop the paste from catching. Reduce to a low flame and cook for 2 minutes

4. Sprinkle in the rest of the dry seasoning, cook and cover for a further 5 minutes.

Pour in the tomato passata and stir in sugar, to take the edge off the acidity from the passata. Bring to a boil and reduce to the lowest flame, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes

5. At this point you may need to add a little water to loosen out the sauce. Combine the par boiled potatoes into the sauce and gently combine, avoiding breaking the potatoes. You may wish to crush them a little further to ensure better infusion of flavours

6. Cook curry covered on a low flame for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Once done serve with buttered pitta bread