Masala Paneer

Masala Paneer

One of the easiest things to make in an Indian kitchen is fresh "paneer". All you need is fresh milk, lemon/vinegar and you are all set. Fresh paneer cubes are typically used in gravy and one can create an endless variety of dishes like paneer masala, kadhai paneer, paneer makhani-just to name a few! 

Today I will show you how to make flavored paneer that can be served as appetizer or in a gravy. Once you get the hang of making paneer, you can improvise, get adventurous and add any spices you like!

Process:

Whole milk-

Lemon Juice- from 1-2 medium lemons

Red Chilli flakes- 1-2 teaspoon

Cumin Seeds- 1-2 teaspoons

Salt- to taste

1) Boil milk. Once it comes to a roaring boil, add the lemon juice. 

2) Turn down the flame. Once you start seeing the greenish liquid separate from milk solids, turn off the flame. 

3) Strain the paneer into a colander.

4) Keep it in a muslin cloth and squeeze out excess water.  Now hang it on the tap for about 15 mins 

or so till the water is drained. 

5) Take the panner in a flat bowl and add the seasonings. Start to knead the paneer the way you would knead dough. 

6) Incorporate all the seasonings well into the paneer. 

7) Shape the dough into a square. Cover with paper towel and keep something heavy on it for a couple of hours. 

8) Transfer the paneer into the refrigerator and continue to keep the weight on it. 

9) Once it is completely cool, and the dough appears to keep the shape, cut it into small cubes.

10) For serving, pan fry with a little oil or serve as it is.

11) Enjoy and do let me know your feedback in the comments section below!

Divine Rasgullas

Divine Rasgullas

Rasgulla is one dish that is my absolute favorite dessert. I always thought that it was a very difficult task to accomplish! However, as I discovered by reading up several blogs, there is a trick to achieving the perfect rasgulla. I followed recipes given by 3 amazing food bloggers (links provided below) and learnt that it is probably one of the easiest dishes out there. :-)

So here we go!

Ingredients:

Whole milk: 1 litre
Lemon juice: 1-2 tablespoons
Sugar: 1 cup
Water: 5 cups
Rose essence- 1-2 drops
Pista, almonds, elaichi -optional for garnishing.

Process:

1) Boil the milk. Once it comes to a boil, add the lemon juice.
2) At this point you will see the milk curdling and the solids separating from the whey. Switch off the gas flame.
3) Drain the paneer into a colander lined with cheesecloth.
4) Wash the paneer with cold water well so that the taste and smell of lemon is removed.
5) Tie the paneer in the cheesecloth and hang it on the kitchen tap to drain the water.  Keep this for about 30 mins.
6) At this point squeeze out any excess water from the panner. Make sure you don't make the paneer too dry.
7) Paneer should look like the picture below:

8) Now start kneading the paneer into a smooth dough. It should take about 5-10 minutes for this step and the picture below shows how smooth the paneer should be.

9) Once your panner is smooth and oily, start making paneer balls like this.

10) Once the balls are formed, take a deep bottomed pan and add the sugar and water to make the sugar syrup. Once this syrup comes to a boil, start adding rasgulla balls gently in the syrup and cover with a lid.  (If you don't have a big enough vessel, you can cook them in batches). Make sure there is enough room in the vessel for them to cook. 

11) Cook the paneer balls for 12-13 minutes. Your rasgullas should double in size. 

12) Open the lid and place the balls gently into a vessel filled with drinking water. This step stops the rasgulla from cooking further. Your rasgulla may lose their size a little bit and that is OK. 

13) Let the sugar syrup cool down and come to room temperature. (if you like more sweet, you can add half a cup of sugar and a half cup of water into the syrup and let it come to boil again). Add 1-2 drops of rose essence (optional).

Now take out rasgullas, squeeze gently to remove water and transfer them into the sugar syrup. 

14) Refrigerate for 4-5 hours and serve chilled!

15) Enjoy! And please give me your feedback!!

Recipe Source:

1) http://cookingshooking.in/sponge-rasgulla-recipe/

2) http://spusht.blogspot.com/2013/10/rasgulla-paneer-balls-in-sugar-syrup-indian-dessert.html

3) http://cafegarima.wordpress.com/2014/06/15/rasgulla/