Kadai Vegetable

One of my favorite dishes from an Indian restaurant is kadai vegetable. For one, it is filled with the goodness of all kinds of vegetables and the vegetables are crunchy. The sauce is just adequate to coat the veggies and it is tangy and spicy. A perfect dish to eat with rotis or naan.

For this you will need -

1 tablespoon - Oil ( Any odorless)
1 teaspoon - Grated Ginger
1 teaspoon - Grated Garlic
1 No. - Onion (small sized) Cubed
1/2 No. - Green Pepper Cubed
1/2 No. - Yellow Pepper Cubed
8 - 10 Nos - Green Beans (Chopped into inch sized pieces)
1 No.  - Carrot (Chopped into inch sized pieces)
10 -12 No. - Broccoli Florets
1 No. - Potato Cubed
1/2 Cup - Pureed Tomato
1 tablespoon - Ketchup
1 teaspoon - Turmeric Powder
2 teaspoons - Coriander Powder
1 teaspoon - Red Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon - Amchur Powder
1/2 teaspoon - Garam Masala Powder
1/2 teaspoon - Kasuri Methi
Salt as per your taste
A dollop of butter

Method -

Steam the chopped beans, carrot, broccoli and potatoes either in a cooker (one whistle and quick release) or outside with a pinch of salt. In the meantime, put a slit tomato or two in water and boil for 10-12 minutes. Then cover and let it stand for a few minutes. Once cool, grind the tomato without the water into a fine paste. Then, in a kadai (wok), heat oil. Once hot, add the ginger, garlic and onions. Saute for a couple of minutes and add the peppers. Saute for 5 - 10 minutes till the onion and peppers are just cooked, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Now add the tomato puree. Saute a few minutes and add the steamed vegetables. Add the ketchup, turmeric, coriander and chili powders. Saute well on medium to high heat. Add the garam masala and amchur powders too. Reduce heat and cover the veggies. Allow to cook for 5 - 7 minutes. Then turn off the gas and add the kasuri methi. Finally add a dollop of butter on top.

 

Sandesh

This is another delectable sweet from West Bengal, a vibrant eastern state from India. Sandesh is also made from paneer. The method to make paneer is on this blog post. It is always preferable to make paneer at home for the fresher the cottage cheese the better the texture of your sweets. Of course if by some miracle you have access to real fresh paneer, then go ahead and buy that.

Sandesh is one of the easiest sweets to make and can be presented in very interesting ways. Here's one with rose petals looking so royal!

To make paneer, you will need. -

4 cups  - Whole Milk
2 tblspn - White Vinegar (mixed with 2-3 spoons of water)
Muslin Cloth

Once you have paneer, you will need -

1 cup - Sugar
Rose petals and rose essence (half a teaspoon)/ Saffron infused in milk/ cardamom powder

Method -

Knead the paneer really well for about 15-20 minutes. After kneading for 15 minutes, add sugar little by little and incorporate it into the paneer. You can reduce the quantity of sugar if you think it is too much. After that, take a wok or a wide bottom vessel and on low flame sauté the paneer sugar mixture for 4-5 minutes till the raw smell disappears. You can avoid this like I did when I made with the rose flavor. If you sauté, then sandesh will last longer, else you will have to eat it within a couple of days.

Now add the rose essence or cardamom powder if you are using any of these. Mix well. Make small balls and press flat. For rose sandesh - you add rose essence and garnish with fresh rose petals. For cardamom sandesh - just add the cardamom powder. For saffron sandesh - once you have shaped the sandesh, drizzle the saffron infused milk on each sweet. I did sauté the paneer while making the saffron ones, you can see the difference in the texture.

Serve warm or cold.

 

Honey Cake With Chocolate Ganache, Pecans And Strawberries

Luscious, golden and gooey - honey is one of my all time favorite ingredients. A spoonful of honey is something I have enjoyed all my life and my son loves it too! When I came across this recipe, I was delighted. A dear friend of mine posted the pic of her honey cake and I could already feel it's taste on my tongue! If this is not temptation, I don't know what is!

For this you will need -

250gm - Unsalted butter at room temperature
220gm - Honey
4nos - Eggs
150gm - Flour
150gm - Ground Pecans (you can use hazelnuts too)
1tspn - Baking Powder

For the ganache -

100gm - Dark Chocolate (70%)
1tspn - Butter
100ml - Single Cream
A handful of chopped pecans (or hazelnuts)
Strawberries - chopped in half

Method -

Pre heat the oven to 160deg C. Grease and dust a 24cm springform cake tin. Put a layer of parchment paper on the bottom.

In the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter till light and fluffy. Then add the honey and beat till they combine. Add the eggs, one at a time. Then add the ground nuts and flour, making sure not to over mix. The dry ingredients just need to be folded in.

Spoon the mixture, level with a spoon and bake for about 45-50 minutes till the cake is completely baked. One can check by inserting a toothpick which should come out clean.

As the cake cools, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl or on a double boiler. Once melted, add the butter and the cream, in a steady stream. Mix well. Allow to cool a little and it should thicken a little.

Take the cake out of the pan and pour the ganache over it and allow to over flow just a little. Sprinkle the chopped nuts along the edge and the strawberries in the center.