Palak Paneer Idli ( Punjabi Dakshini Delight ) served with Garlic Tomato Chutney

Spinach (Palak) is a rich source of Iron. Here is an unique healthy recipe for you from my kitchen that is a fusion of Punjabi and Dakshini Cuisine. 

For the Palak Paneer Idli

Ingredient 

1 Kg  Idli Batter 

1 bowl Spinach chopped

1 bowl Cottage cheese  crumble 

1 Tomato chopped

1 Onion chopped

1 Green Chilli 

2 Garlic cloves 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

1/2 tsp a Chilli powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder 

1 tbsp Oil 

1 tbsp Ghee

Handful of Spinach chopped 

Method 

Add 1 bowl spinach, tomato, onion, green chilli, garlic, salt, garam masala, chilli powder and cumin powder in a blender. Blend the ingredients into a purée. Take a pan, add oil, heat it. Add the purée and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cottage cheese, mix it. Take it of the flame. Add the purée into the idli batter, adjust the salt if need, add the chopped spinach. Mix it. Take the idli mould, apply ghee and pour in the batter. Steam the idlis. Once done, serve it with tomato chutney. 

P.S. It can be done with left over Palak paneer, mash the paneer in the left over Palak paneer before using. 

Garlic Tomato Chutney 

Ingredients

1 Garlic pod peeled and clean 

6 Dry Red Chillies

2 Tomatoes chopped 

Salt to taste

Method 

Add the above ingredients in a blender and blend it into a paste. 

For seasoning 

1/2 tsp Panch Phoran 

2 Dry Red Chillies Broken into pieces 

2 Pinches of Asafoetida 

2 tbsp Mustard Oil

Method 

Take the a pan, add the mustard oil, add the chillies and the Panch Phoran. Let it crackle, add the asafoetida. Sauté for few seconds, add the paste and cook it till the oil starts to saperate from the paste. Serve it with the idlis.

Red Mullets cooked in Garlicky Orange Saffron Sauce served with Butter Spinach Rice.....

Red Mullets cooked in Garlicky Orange Saffron Sauce served with Butter Spinach Rice.....

Butter Spinach Rice
Ingredients
4 cups of cooked Rice
1 cup Spinach chopped
1 tsp Garlic chopped
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Butter

Method
Take a pan, add the butter. Let it melt on low flame. Add garlic, saute it for a minute. Add the spinach. Sauté and cook for 2 minutes. Add the rice and salt. Stir fry it for 2 minutes. Keep it aside.

Red Mullet cooked in Garlicky Orange Saffron Sauce    

For Marinating the Fish and Frying the Fish
Ingredients
2 medium big size Red Mullet cut into halves
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Lime juice
1 tbsp  Butter
1 tbsp Oil

Method 

Marinate the fish with lime juice and salt. Keep it aside for 15 minutes. Take a pan, add butter and oil. Heat it. Fry the fish on both the sides until brown. Keep it aside.

Red Mullets cooked in Garlicky Orange Saffron Sauce
Ingredients
Fried Red Mullets
Juice of 2 Oranges
1 tbsp Garlic minced
1 Onion minced
1 tsp Orange Peel chopped
2 Pinches of Saffron
Salt to taste
1/4 tbsp of Sugar
1 tsp Pickled Red Chill sliced or Chilli flakes
1 tbsp Butter

Method
Use the same pan in which the fish was fried. Add the butter and melt it on low flame. Add the garlic and sauté it for few seconds. Add the onion and sauté it for 1 minute. Add the orange juice, let it simmer, add the orange peel chopped, saffron, sugar, pickled red chilli slices or chilli flakes and salt. Let it simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Add the fish and let the fish cook in the sauce for 2 minutes on each side.

To Assemble
Take a plate, arrange the rice. Add the fish in the centre of the plate. Pour in the remaining sauce on the fish and serve it hot.

Ladies Finger / Okra fried in Soda Batter

Ladies Finger / Okra fried in Soda Batter 

It serves as a side dish or a crispy snacks or an appetizer. Easy to make and tasty too.   

 

Ingredients 

150 grams Okra cut into half lengthwise

Batter 

Oil for deep frying 

Method 

Take a wok, add oil, let it heat, dip each pieces separately in the batter and fry it in the hot oil till crispy and brown. Serve hot.

For the Batter 

Ingredients 

1 cup All Pupose Flour

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Chilli powder

1/2 tsp Curry Powder

1/2 tsp Carom seeds

Club soda/ Drinking soda as per the requirement 

Method

Mix all the above dry ingredients and add soda little at a time to make a medium thick batter.

Orange Prawns served with Prawn and Egg Fried Rice

Orange Prawns 

To a Marinate the Prawns 
Ingredients

1 bowl of medium size Prawns

1 Egg White 

1 tbsp Soy Sauce 

Salt to taste 

Method 

Take a bowl and combine all the above ingredients and keep it aside for 10 to 15 minutes. 

For Frying the Marainated Prawns

Ingredients 

Marinated Prawns

1/2 cup Corn Starch

Oil for frying 

Method 

Take a wok, add oil and heat it. Add the corn starch in a plate. Take one piece of prawns at a time and coat it with corn starch. Add the coated prawns in the hot oil and fry till brown in colour. Keep it on a absorbent paper. 

For the Sauce

Ingredients 

1/2 cup Fresh Orange juice

1/2 cup Chicken stock

1 big size Garlic clove grated 

1 tsp Orange zest

1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1½ tbsp Soy sauce

Salt to taste

2 tsp Brown Sugar Or Sugar 

1 tbsp Corn Starch dissolved in 1 tbsp of water 

1 tsp Sesame oil

Method 

In a mixing bowl combine all the above ingredients and keep it aside. 

To make Orange Prawns

Ingredients 

Fried Prawns

Sauce 

1 tsp Sesame oil 

1/2 tsp Spring Onions chopped  

Method

Take a wok, add the oil, let it heat, add the sauce. Stir it and on low heat cook the sauce till it starts to thicken. Add the prawns and stir it. Cook the prawns in the sauce till the sauce has thicken and incooperated well in the sauce. Sprinkle spring onion for garnishing. Serve with Prawn and Egg Fried Rice. 

Prawn and Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients 

4 cups cooked Rice

1/2 bowl of small size Fried Prawns ( Marinated with 1 tbsp Soy sauce and egg, coated with cornflour and fried) 

1 bowl of Fried Egg pieces ( 2 Egg beaten with salt and fried) 

2 tsp Garlic grated 

1 tsp Ginger grated 

1/2 cup Red , Yellow and Green Capsicum diced 

1/4 cup Cabbage shredded 

1/4 cup Mushroom sliced 

1 Onion chopped 

1 tbsp Spring Onion chopped 

Salt to taste 

2 tsp Soy Sauce

1 tsp Fish Sauce

1 tsp Chilli Vinegar

2 tbsp Sesame Oil 

 

Method 

Heat the oil in a wok, heat the oil on high flame. Add  the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute. Add the capsicum, cabbage, mushrooms, and onion and sauté for a few minutes. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar. Stir it. Add the prawns. Stir it and add the rice and the salt. Stir fry the rice  till  the rice has incoperated well with the other ingredients. Garnish with spring onions and fried egg pieces. Serve hot. 

Masala Dosa served with Brahmin style Sambar

Masala Dosa served with Brahmin style Sambar 

For the Dosa Batter

Ingredients

11/2 cups Rice

1/2 cup Urad dal / Split Black Gram

Salt to taste

Method

Separately soak rice and urad dal at least overnight in water. Grind the dal and rice. Leave it to ferment overnight. Add salt and mix it.

Potato Filling

Ingredients

2 large Potatoes boiled and chopped

2 Green chillies chopped

Few Curry Leaves

1 Dry Red Chilli broken into pieces

1/2 tsp Chana Dal /  Yellow Split peas

1/2 tsp Urid Dal / Split Black Gram

1/2 tsp Mustard seed

2 Pinches of Asafoetida

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil

Few Coriander  Leaves chopped

Method

Take a wok, add oil, let it heat. Add the chana dal and urid dal, stir it for few seconds, add the mustard seeds, let it crackle. Add the red chilli and curry leaves, saute it for few seconds, add the asafoetida and stir it. Add the potatoes, salt and turmeric powder. Stir and cook for 2 minutes, garnish with coriander leaves and keep it aside.

For the Masala Dosa

Ingredients

Batter

Potato Filling

Ghee for Drizzling on the Dosa

Method

Take a dosa skillet. Let the skillet warm up. Add a ladle full of batter and swirl and spread the batter on the skillet. Drizzle ghee on top and let it cook till it becomes light brown, add 2 tbsp of the filling and spread it. Fold the dosa into half. Serve it hot with Sambar and Coconut Chutney..

Brahmin Style Sambar 

Brahmin Style Sambar Powder

Ingredients

1 tbsp Toor Dal

1/2 tbsp Chana Dal

10 Red Dry Chillies

4 tbsp Coriander seeds

1/4 tbsp Fenugreek seeds

1/4 tbsp Pepper Corns

1/4 tbsp Turmeric powder

Method

Roast all the above ingredients except for the turmeric powder. Cool it. Add it in a grinder with the turmeric powder. Grind it in to a fine powder.

To make the Sambar

Ingredients

1/2 cup Toor dal washed and soaked

1 Potato peeled and cut into cubes

1 Tomato cut into cubes

1 Carrot cut into pieces

1/4 cup small Onions peeled

1/2 cup Pumpkin cut into cubes

2 Green chillies cut into pieces

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

2 tbsp Sambar powder

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Fresh Coconut grated  or Desiccated Coconut powder

1 tsp Tamarind paste

1 tbsp Jaggery

For seasoning

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

1 Red Dry Chilli broken into pieces

Few Curry leaves

2 Pinches of Asafoetida

2 tbsp Coconut Oil

Few Coriander leaves chopped

Method

Take a pot, add the dal, turmeric powder, salt and 4 cups of water. Let it boil on low flame for 15 minutes. Add the vegetables. Let it continue to boil till the vegetables and the dal is almost cooked. Add water if required. Add the coconut grated or powder, sambar powder, salt, tamarind paste and jaggary. Simmer for 10 minutes more. Meanwhile take a pan, add the oil. Heat it. Add the mustard seeds, red chilli, curry leaves and asafoetida. Sauté for few seconds. Add it into the Sambar. Simmer for 2 minutes more.  Add the coriander leaves and serve hot.