Paneer Capsicum Do Pyaza - Holiday Special! :)

Ingredients

Paneer (cubed) - 11/2cup 

Half & Half - 1/2cup 

Capsicum -1 

Onion -2

Green chilly -2

Tomato -3

Ginger garlic paste - 2teaspoons 

Cumin seeds -1teaspoon 

Chilli powder -2teaspoons

Coriander powder -2teaspoons

Turmeric powder -1/4teaspoon

Kasoori Methi -1teaspoon 

Butter - 1teaspoon 

Oil 

Salt

Water 

Method 

Finely chop one of the 2 onions. 

Chop another onion and capsicum into big chunks and keep it separate. 

Finely chop the green chillies and tomatoes too.  

Heat  oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle.
Now add the finely chopped onion. Sauté for few minutes and add ginger garlic paste..saute until the raw smell is gone.

Add the finely chopped tomatoes with enough salt and keep cooking. 

Once the tomatoes are soft and mushy, add the chilly - coriander and turmeric powders. 

Mix it well and add the capsicum and onion chunks in the masala. 

Saute on medium heat for few minutes, adding a teaspoon of butter. 

Now add about a cup of water and let it cook for 4-5 minutes.

 Reduce the heat to low and add the half & half mil.
Once the milk is mixed with the masala add the cubed paneer.
Let the curry cook for few more minutes in low heat and put off the stove, garnish with Kasoori methi and serve.

Goes well with roti/phulka/ pulao/Jeera rice and Biriyani items. 

Note 

The dish was cooked  and clicked by my dear hubby..I just did the typing and enjoyed the curry with hot roties..of course! ;) :D :) Holiday Special! 

Beans Paruppu Usili

Ingredients

Beans - 11/4 cup (washed,  edges trimmed and chopped into desired shape) 

Channa dal - 1/4cup 

Red chillies - 3 (adjust to taste)

Asafetida /hing - 1/4teaspoon 

Salt 

To temper

Oil 

Mustard seeds - 1/2teaspoon

Ural dal - 1teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4teaspoon 

Method

Soak the channa dal for at least 11/2 hours. 

Wash, trim the edges of the beans, cut them into desired shape. (I am bored of regular cutting, so tried some different shape! :))

Microwave the beans with enough water and salt for 6-7 minutes, stopping the microwave few time, and mixing the veggie. Once beans are cooked, filter the excess water and keep it aside. 

Now take the soaked dal, red chillies, hing and salt (just enough for the dal) and grind it into a coarse paste. 

Transfer the dal paste into a greased microwavable dish, flatten it. Microwave it for 4-5 minutes or until the dal is well cooked. (alternatively, you can steam the dal paste in idli pot too)

Once the dal paste cools down, put it into a mixer and pulse it.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, let them pop up. Then add the urad dal, fry until it turns golden in color. Add the curry leaves and turmeric powder.

Now add the pulsed cooked dal mixture and stir it.

Add the cooked beans to the dal after few minutes and mix it gently.

Cook on medium flame until the dal mixture and the veggie gets combined. Check for the salt and put off the flame.

Yummy beans paruppu usili is ready to serve. Goes well with mor kuzhambu/ vat kuzhambu etc.