Sea Breeze

A classic summer highball cocktail!

You need
2 part Vodka
2 part Cranberry Juice
3 part fresh grapefruit juice
Lime Wedge

Pour the liquid ingredients into a mixing glass and stir. Moisten the rim with lime wedge, squeeze it over the drink and then drop it into the glass

For "Sex on the beach" - just add 2 parts peach schnapps and garnish with maraschino cherry

Kashmiri Dum Aloo / Potatoes simmered in aromatic gravy

This is a traditional Kashmiri delicacy in a rich yogurt gravy. The characteristic  flavor of fennel seeds (Saunf) and creamy texture of yogurt makes this dish a perfect thing to go with puris, parathas or pilaf.

Though there is no onion or garlic, but a blend of so many different spices, makes this dish very festive! Follow this recipe as is, and you won't go wrong ever!

You need: 

Baby Potatoes - 4-5

Cumin seeds/ Jeera – 1 tsp

Asafoetida/ Hing – 1/8 tsp

Gram flour/  Besan – 1 Tbsp

Whole red chili - 2

Yogurt – 4 Tbsp

Sesame seeds – 1 Tbsp

Coconut powder – 1 Tbsp

Ginger – ¼ inch

Green chili – 1 (or adjust to taste)

Coriander powder – 1 Tbsp 

Fennel seed powder / Powdered Saunf – 1 Tbsp 

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Red chili powder – ¼ tsp (or adjust to taste)

Paprika/ Kashmiri mirch – ½ tsp

Salt

Garam masala – ½ tsp

Coriander leaves / Cilantro – 2 Tbsp

Sugar – ¾ tsp

Oil

1. Peel, wash baby potatoes and poke with a tooth pick (this will help it cook through and also in infusion of flavors). Heat one tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan, add potatoes, toss it to coat uniformly with oil and cover. Check every 30 sec and stir to brown potatoes on all sides. 
2. Heat the pan on medium heat and roast sesame seeds for about a minute until it lightly change color. 
3. Blend sesame seeds, coconut, ginger, green chili to a fine paste (add a tbsp of water if required) 
4. In a small bowl mix the sesame paste, yogurt, coriander powder, fennel seed powder, paprika, red chili powder, and turmeric. Keep aside.
5. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a saucepan. Add cumin seeds, asafoetida.  Once the cumin seeds crackle, add whole red chili and gram flour. Stir-fry for about half a minute until the gram flour is golden-brown.
6. Add the spice paste, and stir-fry for about 3-4 minutes on medium heat until the spices starts to separate from the oil. Add the sugar and fry for another 30 secs. 
7. Add the potatoes, mix it well and add about 1cup of water. Once it comes to a boil, cover and  let it cook on low-medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Adjust the water in gravy to your liking.
8. Add the cilantro and garam masala, cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let it sit for few minutes before serving. This helps bringing the color on the top of the dish.

 * If you don't have baby potatoes, use regular/russet potatoes and cut into quarters.

** The traditional recipe calls for deep frying the potatoes. You can make a healthier version (like mentioned above) or deep fry for special dinner/ occasion. However I didn't find a big difference in the taste, so you might as well skip the deep frying.

Dal Vada/Masala Vada (Chana dal)

Dal vada, coconut chutney and filter coffee. Need I say more!! Super Easy, Super Quick! Give it a try.

I usually don't deep fry. Pan frying in 2 tablespoon of oil is good too!!

You need:

Chana dal (split black gram)– 1 Cup (soak in hot water for 30- 40 min)

Onion – half medium size (very fine chopped)

Ginger – 1 inch (fine chopped)


Green chili – 2 nos (fine chopped)

Curry leaves – 7-8 nos. (chopped)

Coconut – 1 Tbsp (grated)

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Red chili powder – ½ tsp (adjust to taste)

Salt

Oil

1. Take half portion each of chana dal (decant all water), ginger, curry leaves in a blender. Add all the grated coconut, cumin seeds and blend to a fine paste. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Now coarsely grind the remaining chana dal. (only pulse so that most chana dals should be quartered or halved). Add this to the bowl too.
3. Now add remaining chopped ginger and curry leaves. Add all the onions, green chilis, red chili powder and salt to taste. Mix really well.
4. Roll a small portion into a ball and press between your palms to form a patty/ disc, 1 cm thick. If you feel this will break while frying, add 1 tbsp gram flour/ corn flour/ rice flour (though it should mostly hold without adding any of these ).
5. On medium high pan fry using 1-2 tbsp of oil.

Serve with coconut chutney or ketchup.  

Mutton Kasha (Spicy Dry Mutton)

Bengalis and Oriyas swear by this dish. Traditionally, this is cooked in a handi or deep pan and is cooked for a good 1 hour with very little water and under low heat - and quite naturally needs patience! For those of us brilliant chefs who suffer from a short-attention-span problem, the pressure cooker approach certainly takes the pressure off standing and stirring the mutton pieces continuously.


Many variations exist, but the essentials pretty much remain the same. A ginger-garlic-green chili paste, thinly sliced onions (blended works too), little bit of curd, whole garam masala, mustard oil and a lot of frying is what will get you there! Steamed rice works well as does roti, but my personal favorite is with light wheat parathas or rumali roti.


You need

400 gm mutton cut into bite sized pieces

Ginger (1 inch) Garlic 95 cloves) and Green chili (2)  - blended to a paste

1 big onion sliced into thin long pieces (you can blend this one too)

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp roasted cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala pwder

1 tsp red chili powder

2 tbsp curd

3-4 pieces of green cardamom

3-4 cloves

1 bay leaf

cinnamon sticks (2 nos of 2 in pieces)

salt to taste

1. Marinate the mutton pieces with the roasted cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, red chili powder, curd and salt and set aside for 1 hour
2. In a pressure cooker, heat 4 tbsp of mustard oil and temper with bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, cloves and green cardamom
3. Add sliced onions and fry till golden brown
4. Add the ginger-garlic-green chili paste to the onion and fry for 2-3 minutes more (till the raw smell is gone)
5. Add salt to taste
6. Add the marinated mutton pieces and fry on low heat for 15-20 mins
7. Now add 1/2 cup of water and close the lid of the pressure cooker and put the whistle on
8. Switch off after 6 whistles, wait for the pressure to ease off and open
9. Now smell the amazing aroma of mutton kasha and eat to your heart's content!

Kadhai Chicken (Country style curried chicken)

A very simple and uncomplicated chicken curry. While you may wonder, where are all the spices, how does the gravy get all its flavor, let me assure you, its the freshly ground/ blended spices added at different stages that perfectly marry all the flavors. 


Adding water is a big NO in this recipe. Chicken and other ingredients have enough water to cook in their own moisture. This tastes good with paratha or fragrant rice/pilaf.

Chicken – 300 grams

Coriander seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1tsp

Black pepper corns – 7-8

Whole red chilies – 3

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Garlic – large 6-7 cloves

Onion – 1 large (finely chopped)

Tomato – 2 large (fine chopped)

Green chili paste – As per liking (optional)

Coriander leaves – 4-5 Tbsp

Milk – 2 Tbsp

Oil/ Ghee/ A mix of oil and ghee – 2 Tbsp

1. Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds and black pepper corns on a low flame. Coarsely grind.
2. Blend whole red chili, garlic and ginger into a fine paste.
3. In a pan, heat  oil/ ghee and add onions. Fry till translucent in color.
4. Add half of the coarsely ground  powder (coriander, cumin and pepper corns). Fry for 2-3 min. 
5. Add the chili, ginger and garlic paste and fry for 3-4 min. 
6. Add the tomatoes and cook till tender. Add the chicken, green chili paste (skip if the gravy is hot enough already) cover and cook.
7. When the chicken is cooked completely, add the remaining coarsely ground powder, milk and cook for another min. 
8. Garnish with coriander leaves.  

Bharwan Bhindi (Okra with tangy stuffing)

Stuffed veggies always look special and make a delicious appetizer/ side. The spicy filling in crispy veggies, almost every time, look like hand crafted piece of art (provided it's a job well done ;)) made exquisitely for the patron. Quite frankly, the effort is a lot lesser than what the final product looks and tastes like. So go ahead and make this to impress your loved ones! Gentle warning : a little patience helps.. ;)

Some of my favorite stuffed veggies are okra, bitter gourd (karela), parwal (pointed gourd, potola), capsicum, eggplant (baigan) etc. 

You need:

Small tender okra/ bhindi 

Oil (preferably mustard)

For the filling: Below is the ratio of various ingredients. Make as much as you need. Typically, ¾ – 1 tsp filling per okra is a good estimate.

Oil (preferably mustard)

Nigella seeds – ¼ tsp

Green chilies – ½

Garlic (optional) – ½ tsp (very fine chopped)

Gram flour/ Besan – 1 Tbsp

Cumin/ jeera powder – ½ tsp

Mango powder/ Aamchoor – 1 tsp (use lime juice as a substitute)

Red chili powder – ¼ tsp

Salt- To taste

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Coriander powder – ¼ tsp

1. Take oil in a pan, add nigella seeds and very fine chopped green chilies, followed by garlic. Once you get the aroma, add all the ingredients in the list above (from gram flour to coriander powder). Roast on very low heat till the gram flour is roasted well. Remove from heat and let it cool. 
2. Make sure the okra is completely dry once washed. Trim the stalk. Now make a slit from one end to the other. But make sure you don't cut open the ends, as you need a pocket to stuff in the filling. 
3. Stuff the filling. If you have some stuffing left, reserve it. You can sprinkle on top while cooking to make it crispier.
4. In a wide pan, add oil. Now place the okra with open side facing upwards. Close the lid and cook on very low flame. Open after 4-5 min, shake the pan gently to turn the okra to the other side. Sprinkle some water (not more than a tbsp), cover and cook again. 
5. Once ¾ done, open the lid and let it cook while it gets a little crispy. If you have any filling masala left, sprinkle it on top of okra and give a stir. Be gentle. 
6. Once done, transfer to a serving dish.

* If you wish, add sliced onions when ¾ done and give a stir.

** Sprinkle chaat masala to add more zing. 

Mustard flavored broad beans (sem)

This recipe comes from my mom's kitchen and was probably handed down to her from my grandma. And nothing much seems to have changed over the years, be it the recipe or ingredients. Though spice grinders have replaced a quintessential element of kitchens in those days - the mortar pestle; and pre-cut  veggies (available round the year) have replaced seasonal veggies from your own farm, one thing remains constant – the taste. Broad beans (sem, pronounced as 'same') and potato coated in mustard paste, with hot steamed rice is what makes me feel so much at home, cozy and comfortable. 

You need:

Broad beans / sem (pronounced as 'same')/ Simba – 200 grams

Potato – 1 medium size (peeled and cut into quarters)

Tomato – 1 medium size (cut into quarters)

Mustard seeds – 1.5 tbsp (soaked in water for 30 min)

Ginger – ½ inch

Garlic – 2 cloves

Green chili – 1 or 2 

Mustard oil – 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Dried mango powder/ Aamchoor – ½ tsp

1. Blend together mustard seeds, ginger, garlic and green chili to a smooth paste. 
2. Heat oil, add fenugreek seeds. 
3. Add potato and fry on high flame for a minute. 
4. Add about 1 tbsp of blended paste (mustard, ginger, garlic and green chili), coriander powder, turmeric, and dried mango powder.  Fry for another min.
5. Add the beans and tomato cut into quarters. Cover and cook till done.
6. Serve with hot steamed rice.

Murg ka salan (Curried chicken)

You need to make this to know how different one curry can get from another, although you may be using the same set of ingredients. Here, the spices are very minimalistic and its the slight variation in the order of  what ingredient goes when, that marries the flavor of chicken and the spices perfectly, and makes it so delectable. Go ahead and try this, you will be pleasantly surprised. And this is super quick for a chicken recipe.

You need:

Chicken - 250 grams (preferably with bones)

Onion - 1.5 medium size (thinly sliced)

Ginger - 1/2 inch

Garlic  - 2-3 cloves

Green chili - 1-2 (depending on how hot you can handle)

Shahi jeera - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala - a little more than 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 3-4Tbsp

Tomato paste - 1 tsp

Salt

Kasuri methi - 1 tsp

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Fry the onions till golden brown or caramelized. Add 1/2 cup water and pressure cook it till you get 2 whistles.
2. Once the lid pressures release and lip opens bring flame to high till all the oil separates. Add the chicken and fry for a min on high flame. Cover the lid (don not put on pressure), reduce heat and cover till cooked half way. 
3. Bash up ginger garlic and green chili into a coarse paste in a mortar-pestle and add to the chicken.
4. Now add shahi jeera, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder (all of them together) and salt into the chicken. Fry for 3-4 min. 
5. Add tomato paste and cook for 2-3 min more. 
6. Add water as per the consistency you desire, and cook till done.
7. Add coriander leaves and finally powdered kasuri methi (just rub it between both palms)
8. Serve hot with butter rotis or parathas!

* You fry the onions and pressure cook it,without any spices or chicken. This is done so that when you cook this onion second time with the chicken, the onions form a thick and rich gravy, but the chicken at the same time doesn't overcook.

Rasmalai (Cheese dumplings in flavored thickened milk)

Steamed dumpling made from cottage cheese/ paneer,  soaked in sweetened, thickened milk which has been delicately flavored with saffron. Rasmalai originated in what is now coastal Orissa.


This is so devilishly delicious, I can guarantee  you won't stop at one! 


You need:

To make the Paneer/ Cheese dumplings:

Whole milk – 1/2 gallon (approx 2 litres, makes around 7-8 rasmalai)

Lemon – 1-2 nos.

Water

To make the base syrup: 

Whole milk – 3 Cups

Green cardamom pods – 3-4 nos.

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Sugar – ¾ cups

Saffron strands – 7-8

Make the Paneer/ Cheese dumpling:

1. Prepare cottage cheese/paneer  – Boil milk in a deep pan, add lemon juice and continue boiling. Once it is curdled properly, you will see lumpy cottage cheese/paneer and pale yellowish whey completely separated. Infact the whey will become very transparent and you will realise it has absolutely nothing to offer! :). Place a muslin/ cheese cloth over a colander and pour all the cheese-whey mixture from the pan. Run under cold water to stop the cooking process and also to remove the lemony taste. Squeeze out as much whey as possible from the paneer and hanging the tightly bundled muslin cloth for a 10-15 min. Be careful when you squeeze out the water, as there could still be some heat trapped. By the way, it really needs to be granular and dried for the rasgullas to not break while cooking. 
2. Knead the paneer well with your palms, just like you make dough. Make paneer really smooth. To test if the paneer is dry enough, take a little paneer and roll it into a ball with a smooth surface. Now put this in the boiling water If it breaks, remove more whey from the paneer mixture and mash well. If it doesn't break in 2 min, roll all the mixture into half inch thick discs/ patties. (roughly the size of Oreo biscuits)
3. In a pressure cooker, boil 4 cups of water. Add the paneer balls to the pressure cooker. Put the lid with whistle on. Cook this for 7-8 min. Switch off and run under cold water to release pressure. Immediately transfer to a bowl and let it cool.
4. Now press the cheese dumplings between both your palms to squeeze out of all the water. 

Make the base syrup:

1. Soak saffron strands in 4-5 tbsp of warm milk. Let all the color and flavor gets extracted. 
2. Bring milk to a boil and reduce the heat. Now keep stirring every 3-4 min. Reduce the milk to till its only 2 cups. Add cardamom powder, saffron extract along with the strands and sugar. Boil for another 3-4 min and transfer to another bowl.

Final touches to the Rasmalai: Now dunk all the dumplings to the base syrup. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

*You can also eat it hot, if you like! 

Vegetables tossed in light soy based sauce.

A very refreshing, healthy vegetarian side with delicate flavor of soy and garlic. Super quick to make and you can eat as much as you wish to, with absolutely no guilt. This preparation goes well with both mild as well as a spicy main dish.

You need: 

Vegetables like Onions (layers removed, cut into squares), Cauliflower, Broccoli, Beans, Carrots/Baby carrots, Sugar snap peas, Squash of your choice or Zucchini, Peppers (red, yellow, green), Asparagus, Water chestnut, Lettuce leaves cut into chunks etc.

Garlic – Finally chopped

Dark soy sauce

Vinegar

Honey

Oil – ½ tbsp

Lime juice (optional)

Peanuts (optional) – handful (roasted and lightly crushed) -

1. Steam/ Cook all veggies (using microwave or on gas) till ¾ done. The vegetables need to be crunchy, and not soft/ soggy.
2. In a pan heat oil, add garlic. On low heat fry for 30 sec (make sure you don't burn it, else it will become bitter).
3. Add equal quantity of dark soy sauce, vinegar and honey. Stir till it thickens a little.
4. Add the veggies and toss for 30 secs.
5. Quickly transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle slightly crushed peanuts and squeeze a little lime juice on top. (adjust the lime juice as per your taste since vinegar has already been added)

* I use pre-cut oriental veggie pack when too lazy to chop (found Valley Fresh Steamers, or Whole Food's organic pre-cut packs to be good) But make sure you cook a minute lesser than what's mentioned in the package directions.

** You can skip peanuts if you wish to or replace it with any nut of your choice.

*** Note that salt has not been added since soy already has some salt in it . Adjust to taste.  

Pad - Thai (Phat/ Phad Thai)

Hands down, one of the most popular/ loved Thai dishes across the world. Every time I make/ order Pad Thai, I promise myself - I shall not over-eat. And each time I fail. ;).  Its the burst of flavor, like any other Thai dish, that makes this preparation so delectable. Though traditionally, Kaffir lime leaves and Lemon grass are not used in Pad Thai, but i like to add a lot of them to mine, especially Kaffir lime. I just love the fresh and zesty aroma it lends to the sweet-tangy dish. 


You can make vegetarian version by skipping the shrimp and adding veggies like broccoli, colorful peppers (capsicum), asparagus.

You need:

Thai rice noodles - 250 grams

Tamarind paste- 5 Tbsp

Shrimp/ Prawns – 125 grams (de-shelled and cleaned)

Tofu – fried and cut into ¾ inch cubes

Kaffir Lime leaves – 6-7 (optional, but try not skipping)

Lemon grass – 2 (Use from the base till its soft, cut into 1 inch pieces - but optional)

Roasted unsalted peanuts - 6 tbsp 

Fish sauce - 3 tbsp

Brown sugar- 2 Tbs

Lime juice – 2 Tbsp

Vegetable oil -1/4 cup

Garlic- 1 tbsp (chopped)

Fresh red chillies- 2-3 (blended to a paste with small handful of fresh coriander)

Eggs - 2

Bean sprouts - 1 cup 

Spring/ Green onion -  2 stems (cut into 1-inch pieces)
Fresh coriander leaves

Wedges of lime

Keep the following things ready before you start cooking Pad - Thai: 

- Soak noodles in tepid water till softened,drain.

- Mix tamarind juice, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. 

- Coarsely crush peanuts.

*If you want to make chicken Pad Thai, use 120 grams of chicken breast. Slice the chicken into 1/4-inch strips,marinate with cornflour,a pinch of sugar and a dash of fish sauce. Add chicken in Step 3 and stir fry on high heat for 1 minute, then add Tofu. 

**If you want both chicken and shrimp, use 60 grams chicken, 60 grams shrimp. First cook the chicken for a minute in step 3, and then add the shrimp and tofu. 

***You can omit tofu if you don't like them. 

****And replace Fish sauce with dark soy sauce if you don't have any.

1. Heat oil in a wok (or large frying pan) until it is just about to smoke. Add garlic, chili paste and stir, letting it cook for about 30 seconds. 
2. Add tofu and shrimps and stir-fry for 1 more minute. 
3. Pull everything on the side of the pan and break eggs in the center of the wok and  fry without scrambling it too much. The eggs should look something like ribbons after 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the noodles to the wok now,  stir-fry for 1 minute gently so as to not break the noodles too much.  
5. Add reserved tamarind juice, continue stir-frying, mixing everything together for 1-2 minutes. Your noodles should still be al dente.
6. Add the bean sprouts and all the spring onion. Stir-fry for 30 seconds and take off heat. 
7. Check the seasoning,it should have a tang to it.
8. Transfer noodles to a serving dish and sprinkle the ground peanuts, and fresh coriander leaves. 
9. Stick a couple of lime wedges on the side and serve immediately.

Oven roasted Veggies



Just chopped

 

One of my all time favorite easy, healthy veggie sides is the classic oven roasted veggies. This one combines the best and the freshest ingredients, can have any variations of flavor that you want, based on what you feel like on the given day, tastes absolutely great while preserving the unique taste of each one of the vegetables and is great on the calories and fat. 

While you can have any veggies that you like, the ones that work for me are usually the follows:

Potato

Onions

Egg plant

Cauliflower

Tomato

Beans

Carrots

Squash of your choice / Zuchinnis
Corn

Green Peas

Peppers of your choice (Green, colored)

The  method is really really simple.

1. Drizzle olive oil onto a baking tray
2. Chop the veggies into proportionate bite size pieces, Spread evenly across the baking tray, so that all the veggies have an equal chance of getting cooked well.
3. Drizzle some more olive oil on top
4. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Optional (Add Herbs/Spices as you need - Rosemary / Thyme / Oregano are all great flavors to add).
5. Preheat oven to 450F
6. Place the baking tray in the middle rack and roast for 30 mins

Enjoy a healthy, high in nutrition, tasty vegetarian delight!



I like mine with lots of pepper



Rasgulla/ Khirmohan (cheese based, syrupy sweet dish)

Who knew making Rasgullas was so easy!!! I am genuinely thrilled. Because I could have never imagined how simple this recipe is, until I tried it myself. 

OK, back to Rasgulla. It is a very popular cheese based, syrupy sweet dish originally from Orissa. Surprised? So was I, but yeah, the rasgulla made its debut in Orissa and has been a traditional Oriya dish for centuries. 

You need: 

Whole milk – 1/2 gallon (approx 2 litres, makes around 12 big rasgullas)

Lemon – 1-2 nos.

Sugar – 1.5 Cups

Water

Green cardamom pods – 3-4 nos.

1) Making cottage cheese/paneer  – Boil milk in a deep pan and add lemon juice. Once it is completely curdled, you will see granular cottage cheese/paneer and pale yellowish whey completely separated. Place a muslin/ cheese cloth over a colander and pour all the cheese-whey mixture from the pan. Squeeze out as much whey as possible from the paneer by hanging the tightly bundled muslin cloth. It really needs to be granular and dried for the rasgullas to not break while cooking. 

2) In a pressure cooker, boil 4 cups of water. Add sugar and cardamom pods. Let it boil on medium high flame while you shape the paneer into rasgulla. 

3) Knead the paneer well with your palms, just like you make a dough. Try to make paneer really smooth. To test if the paneer is dry enough, take a little paneer and roll it into a ball with a smooth surface. Now put this in the boiling sugar syrup. If it breaks, try removing more whey from the paneer mixture and mash well. If it doesn't break in 2 min, roll all the mixture into small balls. 

4) Add the paneer balls to the pressure cooker. Put the lid with whistle on. Cook this for 7-8 min. Switch off and run under cold water to release pressure. Immediately transfer to a bowl and chill. 

Palak Paneer / Cottage cheese in spinach gravy

You need:

Paneer/ Cottage cheese – cut into cubes (shallow fried till golden brown)

Milk – ½ cup

Spinach – 500 grams

Onion – 1 no (fine chopped)

Ginger – 1.5 inch (julienne)

Garlic – 3-4 cloves (fine chopped)

Tomato – ½ (medium size, chopped)

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Green chilies – 2-3 nos.

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Garam masala – ½ tsp

Fresh coriander leaves/ Cilantro

1. Boil milk, add paneer pieces and boil for a minute. This will make the inside part really tender and juicy, while the outer part will be a little crunchy.
2. In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, and once they splutter, add green chilies and fry till they get a nice golden brown color. Remove 2 chilies from the pan, which will be used later to garnish.
3. Add half of the ginger, garlic and fry for a minute.
4. Now add onions, salt, turmeric and coriander powder. Fry for another minute.
5. Add tomatoes, garam masala and fry.
6. Add spinach, cover and cook.
7. Blend this mixture to get a smooth paste.
8. In a pan, heat ghee. Add ½ tsp mustard seeds, ginger juliennes. As soon as you get the aroma, add the spinach paste and paneer cubes to the pan. Cook for another min.
9. Garnish with fried green chili and coriander leaves/ cilantro.

*Add a teaspoon of cream on top for an extra zing!