LAZEEZ:::---Beef Bhuna Curry

                                       Beef Bhuna Curry

             

                                          Ingredients:

Beef 1 kg
Onion Paste half cup
Onion, sliced half cup
Ginger paste 2 tbl spoon
garlic paste 1 tbl spoon
Turmeric powder a little more than half teaspoon
Chili Powder to taste ( in my family we love to eat hot, spicy beef, I took 1 level tbl spoon of chili powder )
Coriander Powder half teaspoon
Cinnamon
Cardamom pods 3/4
2/3 bay leaves
Oil
Salt to taste
Special Garam masala Powder

For 1 kg meat , here’s the measurement of SPECIAL GARAM MASALA:

Dried red chili 1 or 2
Cumin 1 teaspoon
Whole coriander 1 teaspoon
Cardamom 3
Cinnamon a small 1 inch stick
Black pepper half teaspoon
Cloves 7/8
Fennel Seed a little less than 1 teaspoon
Mace half teaspoon ( optional)

Dry roast them. I Microwave them for 40-45 second.Then Crush them into a fine smooth powder.

                                              Procedure:

1. Wash the meat and drain out the water well . Now marinate the meat with all the ingredients , except sliced onion and oil.

2. Heat oil in the pot . Add the sliced onion and fry them until brown . Don’t make it too dark , u may end up cooking dark colored beef bhuna . The color of the meat depends on this. So fry them until they are brown . In Bangla what we call “bereshta” or fried onion.

3. Now add the meat with marinade into the pot . Mix well with bereshta . Give 1/4 th cup of water and cover the lid . Cook the meat on medium-low flame for about 20/30 minutes or until the water is dried out . The meat will release water . So wait until the water dries out . Cook well, adding water little by little . Don’t burn the meat on the bottom, so be careful . Check every 10 minutes . But you have to cook well adding water little by little , what we call in Bangla “Koshano”. The flavor of bhuna beef depends on this “koshano”. I do it for at least 1 hour .

4. After one hour of “Koshano” , add enough hot water to cover the meat . Cover the lid and let it cook on medium flame until the meat is tender and the gravy comes to desired consistency.Put it on very low flame for another 5 minutes ( which we call to keep on dom) , oil will separate. Turn off the stove and put the meat on the stove with lid on .

LAZEEZ::-- palak paneer recipe

 

                           palak paneer recipe

                                                       Ingredients

                                                                   for palak puree

• 200 to 250 grams fresh spinach (palak) OR 5 to 6 cups roughly chopped spinach OR about 7 to 9 oz spinach
• 1 or 2 green chilies - chopped (hari mirch)
• 1 or 2 small to medium garlic cloves (lahsun) - roughly chopped (optional)
• ½ inch ginger - roughly chopped
• 3 cups water for blanching spinach
• 3 cups water for ice bath

                                                other ingredients for palak paneer

• 1 small to medium sized onion - finely chopped OR about ⅓ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 small or medium sized tomato - chopped OR about ⅓ cup finely chopped tomatoes
• 4 to 5 small to medium garlic cloves (lahsun) - finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder) - optional
• a pinch of asafoetida (hing) - optional
• ¼ or ½ teaspoon garam masala powder - add more if required
• 1 small to medium tej patta (indian bay leaf)
• 200 to 250 grams paneer or tofu OR about 7 to 9 oz paneer (cottage cheese)
• ⅓ to ½ cup water or add as required
• 1 or 2 tablespoon cream - low fat 25% to 35% (i used amul cream)
• 2 tablespoon oil or ghee or unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon kasuri methi leaves (dry fenugreek leaves) - optional. kasuri methi is crushed and added right towards the end. just before adding cream.
• salt as required

                                                        garnish for palak paneer

• a few teaspoons of cream or butter for topping the palak paneer (optional)
• ½ inch ginger - julienned
• lemon or lime wedges or slices

                                                           Instructions

                                                                  making palak puree

• rinse the palak or spinach leaves very well in running water. tender stem are fine. if the stems are stringy, then discard the stems.
• boil 3 cups water in a pan or microwave or electric heater. add ¼ tsp salt to the hot water and stir. then add the palak leaves in the hot water. let the palak leaves sit in the water for 1 minute.
• after 1 minute, using a pasta tong, take the leaves. 
• immediately add the palak or spinach leaves in a pan or bowl containing ice cold water. this method helps in preserving the green color of the spinach. just add 8 to 10 ice cubes to 3 cups water to get cold water. allow the spinach leaves to be in the cold water for a minute.
• then drain the ice cold water. add the spinach in a blender or grinder jar with chopped ginger, garlic and green chilies.
• make a smooth palak puree. no need to add water while making the puree. keep the spinach puree aside.

                                                       making masala for palak paneer

• heat oil or ghee or butter in a pan or kadai. if using butter, melt it a low flame making sure that the butter does not brown.
• add the cumin and let them splutter.
• then add the tej patta or bay leaf.
• add the finely chopped onions. saute till the onions become golden.
• then add the finely chopped garlic. saute till the raw aroma of garlic goes away. no need to brown the garlic.
• add the chopped tomatoes. stir and saute the tomatoes till they soften.
• once the tomatoes are softened and you see fat releasing from the sides of the mixture. then add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and asafoetida/hing.
• stir very well.

                                                              making palak paneer

• then add the palak puree and mix well. 
• add about ⅓ to ½ cup water or as required. stir again.
• simmer for 6 to 7 minutes or more till the palak or spinach is cooked. season with salt. the gravy or sauce will also thicken by now.
• stir and add garam masala powder.
• stir again and then add the paneer (cottage cheese) cubes.
• stir gently and simmer on a low flame till the paneer cubes become soft and succulent. cook for about 1 minute.
• lastly add cream. stir gently again so that the cream gets incorporated in the palak paneer gravy uniformly. switch off the flame.

                                                               garnishing palak paneer

• pour the palak paneer in serving bowls. while serving you can top the palak paneer with some butter or cream.
• you can also drizzle a few drops of lime or lemon juice on top along with ginger julienne on the palak paneer.

                                                                serving palak paneer

• stir and serve the palak paneer hot with some rotis. palak paneer goes very well with indian breads like tandoori roti, chapatis, phulkas, parathas or naan.
• being a versatile dish, palak paneer also accompanies rice dishes from the indian cuisine like jeera rice, veg pulao, ghee rice and even a simple steamed rice very well. 

                                                               Notes

• the paneer or tofu cubes can also be lightly fried and then added to the curry. in this case, you don't need to cook the paneer or tofu in the gravy as when frying they are already cooked.

                                                      Nutrition

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.1g | Protein: 9.7g | Fat: 13.3g | Saturated Fat: 3.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.9g | Cholesterol: 21.3mg | Sodium: 873.4mg | Potassium: 623.7mg | Fiber: 2.9g | Sugar: 3.2g | Vitamin A: 2400IU | Vitamin C: 40.4mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 3.1mg

                           palak paneer recipe

smooth creamy palak paneer made with fresh spinach leaves, paneer, onions, herbs and spices. one of the most loved recipes in my family and i hope it become yours too. if vegan or allergic to dairy products, then add tofu instead and skip cream entirely or use coconut cream. 

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time40 mins

LAZEZZ::-- Russian salad recipe

                             

                             Russian salad recipe

                                                          Ingredients

                                          main ingredients for veg russian salad:

• 1 medium to large carrot (gajar)
• 1 medium to large potato (aloo)
• ½ cup green peas (matar)
• ¼ cup french beans, chopped
• ¾ cup eggless mayonnaise
• 1 small stick of celery, finely chopped
• salt as required
• black pepper powder as required, (optional)

                                                                         for garnishing:

• lettuce leaves as required
• some slices of tomato, cucumber or capsicum

                                                            Instructions

• boil the carrot, potato, peas and french beans. you could also microwave them till they are completely cooked.
• when the veggies are cooked, peel the potato and then chop the potato with the rest of the veggies. alternatively, you can chop the veggies first and boil them later.
• i usually avoid doing the latter as when we chop the veggies and then boil them, some water- soluble vitamins and minerals are lost in the process. it is better to first boil them whole and then chop them.
• chop the celery. mix the chopped veggies, celery with the mayonnaise, salt and black pepper.
• garnish the salad with lettuce leaves, tomato, cucumber, or capsicum slices.
• serve the russian salad with your regular meals or you can also have it plain any time of the day when you are feeling hungry.

russian salad is an easy to make salad recipe and is quite popular.

Prep Time20 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: side dish

Cuisine: russian

 

Servings: 3 to 4

LAZEEZ:::hakka noodles

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                       -:: Hakka noodles::-

                                                       ingredients

• 200 grams hakka noodles - 1 pack of hakka noodles
• 3 to 4 small to medium spring onions, finely chopped, reserve a few greens for garnish
• 1 small to medium carrot, finely chopped or julienned
• 8 to 10 french beans, finely chopped
• 4 to 5 button mushrooms finely chopped * check notes
• 1 small to medium bell pepper - red green or yellow, finely chopped or julienned
• 1.5 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
• 2 to 3 dry red chilies (broken and deseeded) or fresh green chilies (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped celery
• ¼ teaspoon rice vinegar or white vinegar or rice wine
• ½ tablespoon naturally fermented soy sauce or regular soy sauce or add as required
• ½ tablespoon oil for coating the noodles
• 2 tablespoons oil for stir frying
• salt and pepper as required
• enough water to cook the noodles

                                                          Instructions

                                                         preparation for hakka noodles

• heat enough water in a pan with salt and a few drops of oil, till it comes to a boil.
• add the hakka noodles and cook according to the package instructions.
• when the noodles are cooking, rinse and chop all the veggies or you can chop the veggies before you start cooking the noodles.
• drain and rinse the noodles in running water, so that the noodles stop cooking.
• then add oil and gently mix, so that the oil gets evenly coated on the noodles.
• keep the noodles aside.

making hakka noodles

• heat oil in a wok or kadai or a pan.
• on medium heat, first add the dry red chilies and garlic.
• saute for a minute, then add the finely chopped spring onions and french beans
• increase the flame and stir fry for 3 minutes.
• add the mushrooms, carrots, bell pepper (capsicum) and celery. 
• stir fry all the veggies on a high flame till the veggies start getting slightly browned from the edges. this will take about 5 to 6 mins after adding the carrots.
• add soy sauce and stir.
• add the hakka noodles and toss it well and stir fry for a minute on high heat.
• season with salt and pepper. also add rice vinegar or white vinegar. continue to toss and cook the hakka noodles on a high flame for a minute.
• toss the whole mixture well and the add the chopped spring onion greens or garnish the hakka noodles with spring onions while serving.
• serve hakka noodles plain or accompanied with veg manchurian curry or vegetables in hot and sour sauce.