Homemade Paneer

Ive never made paneer before at home fearing how it will turn out.But when I made my paneer at home I realised how easy it was and Iam never gonna go back to store bought paneer.These paneer cubes were made from low fat milk.

Ingredients:

Low fat/2 % milk - 6 cups

Lemon juice - 4 tablespoon

Utensils needed:

Colander lined with cheese cloth

Pan filled with water used as weight.


Method:

Heat milk in a thick bottomed vessel on a medium-high flame.Keep stirring intermittently to keep it burning in the bottom.

When milk starts to boil,add 2 tablespoon of lemon juice to the milk and switch of the flame.Stir it.Then add another 2 tablespoon of lemon juice and stir.By this time the milk will start to curdle.If it hasn't,you can add 1 or more tablespoon of lemon juice.

The milk solids will start to separate and you will get a clear yellowish/greenish liquid which is called the whey.

Milk solids separated from the whey

Pour the contents into the cheesecloth lined colander.Rinse it with cold water to get rid of lemon smell.

Gather the ends of the cheese cloth and make it as a bundle and squeeze to remove extra water.


Tie it and hang it for about 30 minutes and allow it to drain.

Bundle tied for the water to drain

Now wrap the paneer and fold the cheesecloth on all the four ends like a square making sure the ends does not crumble.Place weight over for about 1 hour.I used a pan filled with water.

Then refrigerate the block for about 2 hours.It will become firm.Cut into cubes .Use immediately or store the cubes and use the next day.

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Banana Bundt Cake

 

It feels good to be back in blogosphere.Ive been down with flu and cough and literally there was no trying-out new recipes..Just we had the usual food.I missed blogging and baking.This cake was baked more than 2 months before.I like to bake bundts because it is so easy,simple and don't need frosting at all.

I took this recipe from dulcedough website and made some changes.It had a rum glaze but i skipped that.

 
Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 2 1/4 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking Soda- 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup softened at room temperature

Sugar - 1 cup

Eggs - 2

Ripe bananas mashed - 3

Sour cream - 2/3 cup I used homemade yogurt

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Walnuts - chopped1 cup

Semisweet chocolate chips - 1 cup I didn't add 

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350deg F.

Combine flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt.

Add the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla and mix until combined.Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Gently fold in the walnuts.Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 40 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. 

Cool cake in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

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ChickPeas/Garbanzo Beans Kaara Kuzhambu

This is yet another recipe of Menu Rani Chellam(from Jaya TVs Arusuvai Neram show)

When you run out of veggies this is the best bet.This is an authentic recipe of Tamilnadu's kaara kuzhambu.

Ingredients:

Chick peas - 1/2 cup soaked for 8 hrs and cooked for 2 whistles in pressure cooker

Onion - 1 medium sliced

Tomato - 1 chopped

Dry red chillies - 2

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Methi/Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder r- 2 tsp

Chili powder - 1tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind - size of a lemon soak din water

Extract about 2 cups of juice

Salt to taste

Oil preferably gingelly oil - 1/4 cup

Curry leaves - a sprig

Grind the following into  a paste :

Grated coconut - 2 tsp

Poppy seeds - 1 tsp

Cashew nuts - 5 or 6

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai.When hot add the mustard seeds.When they splutter add the methi seeds and chillies till slightly brown.

Add the curry leaves and then the onions.

Saute till onions turn translucent.

Now add the tomato,turmeric powder and saute till mushy.Then add coriander powder and chili powder and saute for 2 minutes.

Now add the paste and saute till raw smell goes off.

Finally add the tamarind juice,required amount of salt and boil for about 8 to 10 minutes on medium heat.

Serve with plain rice.

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Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt Cake

 I finally bought a 12 cup bundt pan!!!YAY!!

I had bookmarked a lot of recipes even before my pan arrived..

The foodlibrarian website has tons of bundtcake recipes to choose from.I tried a simple cinnamon chocolate bundt cake. It was super moist,soft and tasted yummmmmm!!

Thanks to Mary(of foodlibrarian) and Ellie of Vintage Victuals !!

Ingredients:

Water - 1 cup

Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

Unsalted butter - 1 stick

Unsweetened cocoa - 1/4 c plus 1 T (or 5 T)

All-purpose flour - 2 cups

Sugar - 2 cups

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 1/2 tsp

Buttermilk - 1/2 cup

Baking soda - 1tsp

 Eggs - 2

Vanilla - 1 tsp


Method:

Bring to a boil in a pot: Water, oil, butter and cocoa

In a large bowl, combine together with a whisk: flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon

Add the chocolate mixture to the flour and mix until combined.

Add the buttermilk and baking soda and mix.

In a small bowl, combine the eggs and vanilla. Add to the batter and combine.

Pour batter into greased 10 or 12-cup Bundt pan  and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes (the original recipe says 25 minutes, so start checking then).





Cool in pan.

Top with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk or water.

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Strawberry Bread

I know Iam not blogging regularly.This is because my kid's summer vacation has started and we had been to my BIL's place for vacation.

This time we had great fun camping at a state park.The kids really enjoyed a lot.It was a nice experience for them being without TV,video games for 2 days.

I had made this strawberry bread more than a month ago.It was lying in my draft.Strawberries are aplenty in stores now.So I never miss to grab a box of these antioxidant-rich fruit during errands.

Recipe courtesy :Allrecipes.com

I halved the recipe to make 1 loaf and made some changes according to reviews.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour -1 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 1 cup-- can be reduced to 3/4 th of a cup

Salt - a pinch

Cinnamon Powder - 1 1/2  tsp --I reduced it to 1/2 tsp

Strawberries - 1 cup chopped-- I added another cup to make it 2 cups.

Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

Eggs - 2 beaten

Pecan - 1/2 cup chopped optional--I didnt add.

Method :

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
 
Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture.

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in pecans.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaf out  and cool completely.

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