A Perfect Meal

A perfect meal or a soul satisfying meal is definitely the one that makes you feel that you have eaten whole heartedly and have enjoyed each and every bite of food that you put in your mouth and I have got just the perfect recipes to attain that level of satisfaction.

Kadai Paneer:

Ingredients:

250 gms Paneer (cottage cheese) - cut into triangles.
2 whole red chilies
2 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
2 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp ginger paste
1 medium onion thinly sliced
2 tsp red chilly powder
2-3 spoons of chopped coriander leaves.
2 tsps Olive oil or any cooking oil
4-5 tomatoes roughly chopped
Salt to taste
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan. Add broken whole red chilies, coriander seeds, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon to it.
• Once the oil is fragrant add the sliced onion to the pan and sauté for 2 mins. Add the chilly powder to the pan and continue cooking. Add the ginger and garlic paste to the pan along with kasuri methi.
• Add the tomatoes to the pan. Add salt at this time as it would help the tomatoes to soften and release their juices. Let it simmer for 15 – 20 mins on a medium flame.
• Add the paneer pieces to the pan and cook till the paneer is blended well with the masala.
• Add lemon juice to the paneer and garnish with coriander leaves.

Dal Tadka:

Tuvar dal is probably one of the most commonly used dals in Indian households. This recipe is definitely a twist to the tuvar dal that we normally make and it tastes yum with boiled rice.

Ingredients:

1 katori tuvar dal
2 whole red chilles
4-5 kadi patta
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp red chilly powder
2 tsp lemon juice
2-3 spoons of chopped coriander
1 spoon oil (for tadka)

Method:

• Wash the dal thoroughly. In a pressure cooker add sufficient water to the dal and add salt and turmeric powder and pressure cook it for 4-5 whistles.
• In a separate pan, add oil and let it simmer till the oil gets hot. Add the whole red chilies, rai, jeera and kadi patta to the pan. Once the jeera sizzles add garlic and ginger paste to it and sauté for 2 mins.
• Now add red chilly powder to it and mix well.
• Add the prepared tadka to the pressure cooked dal. Now add lemon juice to the dal and garnish with chopped coriander.

Tip: To add more flavor to the dal, prepare a separate tadka with 1 spoonful of desi ghee and let it simmer. Now add the jeera to the pan and add some red chilly powder and add prepared tadka to the dal and quickly close the lid to capture the aroma.

I am sending the recipe of Kadai Paneer to Siri Dee for the coriander event Herb Mania