Methi Matar Malaai

Just before the dinner, at around 8 PM, I felt like having something different and my mind started going back to my bachelorhood days when I used to eat daily at a small restaurant. That was the place where I had made friends with the owner and would always order something off the menu and the chef would always make me the dishes I ordered in the way I wanted them. Of those, one of my favs was Methi Matar Malaai and I made it today. Here's the recipe.


Preparation time: 15-20 Minutes


Ingredients:

• Matar (Green Peas - Fresh or Frozen) - 1 Bowl
• Methi (Fennel Leaves) - 1/4 Bowl - You may chose fresh/dry leaves and if you chose dry, soak in fresh water before use
• Cream/Malai - Half Bowl
• Red Onions - One
• Tomatoes (optional) - One
• Jeera (Cumin seeds), Red chilly powder, Salt, and Kitchen King (a pinch of it for taste)

Procedure:
Heat 1 TSP oil in a pan. When it gets real hot, put cumin seeds in it and let them change their color to dark brown. Add the finely chopped onion and stir fry till they become golden brown. At this stage, you can also add chopped tomatoes (if you wish) to the onions and fry them. Now add the peas and stir for 2-3 mins.

Add the remaining spices, except Kitchen King. We'll save it for the end. Fry the mixture for a min and then cover it to let the peas cook for some time.

After 2 mins, add the fennel leaves and mix them well with the peas. Stir the mixture for 1 more min. You'd now get the nice aroma of the fennel leaves.

Now add cream and mix it properly. Also, add a pinch of Kitchen King to flavor it. Methi Matar Malai is almost ready now. While serving, pour a TSP of ghee on it. Tastes amazing! :-)
Have it with garma-garam fulkas (chapattis), Naan ...slurp slurp!

Friday night Matar Paneer!

It was Friday night and I felt the itch to kick Divu. What's a better way than to kick her out of the kitchen and make something delicious for her! ;-)

In the refrigerator, the poor soul was lying unnoticed since long so I thought of bringing it to life, of course, in My own style! :-) Ohh, I was talking about Paneer!
Paneer or Cottage cheese (We used to say in college - "Paneer is to a Vegetarian what Chicken is to a Non Vegetarian"). As I am a hard-core vegetarian, so my dishes would be strictly vegetarian! :-)

This is what the Paneer looked like after going through an ordeal of 25 minutes. Read on if it tempts you and aspires the chef that's hiding somewhere inside you!

Ingredients:

• Red Onion Chopped / Half Sliced – the way you like it - 1 Big / 2 Small
• Half Sliced Red Tomatoes - 2 to 3
• Fresh / Frozen Green Peas - Half bowl
  (If frozen – soak in water before use for 10 mins)
• Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 TSP
  Finely chopped / crushed ginger and garlic can also be used)
• Finely chopped Green Chilies - 4 to 5
• Cottage Cheese - ½ Lb (250 gms)
  (Homemade / Fresh Paneer would be the best choice)
• Butter/Oil - 2 TSP
• Desi Ghee - 1 TSP

Spices - Regular:

• Cumin seeds (Jeera) 1½ TSP
• Corianderpowder (Dhaniya) 1 TSP
• Red Chilli powder (Lal Mirch) 1 TSP
• Turmeric powder (Haldi) 1½ TSP
• Salt per your taste (Namak) 1½ TSP for me

Special / Optional:

• Asafoetida powder (Heeng) a pinch
• Kitchen King (Everest / MDH) per your tsaste (I prefer around ¾TSP)
• Coriander leaves (Fresh Dhaniya)

Procedure:

1. Preheat the pan and put butter/oil.
2. Reduce the flame to Sim and throw in cumin seeds. When you hear its churning sound and see them jumping all over the, fry them for half a minute or so, till the color becomes dark brown.
3. Now throw in the ginger-garlic paste and give it a few seconds to turn brown.
   Now it’s for the green chillies to find who is hotter - the pan or chilies themselves!)
4. Throw in half of the chopped Green Chilies in the mixture. Fry them for half a minute.
   
   Do not forget to sir the mixture continuously when it's getting fried.
   

5. Put in the chopped onions now and sauté at medium heat for 3-4 mins – wait for the light brown color to appear.
6. Now put the half-sliced tomatoes and saute` well.
   
   Cover the mix for a min at light flame to let it release some water.

7. Put the rest of the spices and mix well.
   
   Do not crush the tomatoes to save on time - let them release water by itself. Cover the mixture again and let it cook for 2-3 mins at low heat (lesser than Sim). While it's cooking, enjoy the aroma of the Micky's special tadka!
   

8. Put the peas in the mixture and stir well again and increase the heat to Sim.
9. Cover the mixture again and let it cook for 2 minutes. Right now, I am letting the peas absorb some flavored moisture from all the spices!
10. In the meantime, crush the cottage cheese and keep it ready. The mixture will release some more moisture, and if somehow it goes totally dry, you can add some water (half a bowl – not essential).

11. Finally, mix the cottage cheese and stir well at medium heat.
12. Heat it for a min and spread it on the pan.
    At this stage, the yummy Matar Paneer is ready to serve, but I prefer adding the specials now.
13. Sprinkle the Kitchen King and Asafoetida powder over the Matar Paneer and mix it nicely .
14. Micky da matar paneer is ready steady go!

Yummmmzzzz!!!

Serve in a Bowl and Garnish the Matar Paneer with finely chopped Coriander Leaves and a tablespoon full of Desi Ghee!

InJoyzzzzzz!!!