Matar Paneer

Matar Paneer is arguably the dish that most number of people in the world have tasted. I go by the theory that every single soul that lives in the subcontinent has at least eaten it once - over a 1.25 billion people. That may be an embellished way of putting it but probably the best way to express the reality of this dish. One of the most common dish made from one of the most common ingredient in specialty Indian cooking, Paneer. A dish for all places and occasion. Be it a guest or the kids birthday or you simple feel like eating something special to anniversaries and weddings - there is a good chance matar paneer will be one of the dishes served. It sure was something my mother made for my birthday parties every year along with other specialties. It is also omnipresent. Every restaurant obviously offers it but if you ever find yourself driving in the most remote part of the country and pull over to eat in a rinky-dink roadside dhaba, rest assured you can order for a hot plate of matar paneer with roti.
The sweetness of the peas together with the creamy bite of the paneer brought together by a creamy gravy that you can make as mild or spicy as you prefer, just brings it all home especially with a piece of hot Naan.
Again, this dish is made with slight variations by different people. I make it a couple of different ways myself but this version I present is the healthy one where I avoid using cream or butter or cashews altogether which this dish normally calls for.

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Gobhi Takatak / Stir fried Spicy Cauliflower!

This is the flower that is bought the most often into our household. No offense to dear hubs, the red rose is in fact a close second. Jokes apart, the cauliflower is indeed a versatile vegetable. At least in India, the cauliflower, which is mostly available during colder weather, is cooked many different ways, liked by most and is eagerly awaited to be available in the local markets. To be honest and no offense to anyone, I believe not enough justice is done to the cauliflower here in the US. The few things that I have seen made with it like mashed, baked with cheese or even served raw with a dip just does not extract enough mileage from this vegetable.

This recipe is one of my most favorite cauliflower dishes. A nice big floret, all wrapped in the thick gravy just explodes with flavor in your mouth and if you added enough heat in it as I do, the kick of the heat with the spices just makes you want to do a happy dance. If you a fan of curries, this one is a must-try.

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Kadahi Vegetables/Mixed vegetable curry

Yesterday I was at our local farmer's market. They have the most beautiful and colorful stuff all around. I go crazy around all the fresh produce they have. The sight, the smell, just too good to resist. I began picking all different kinds of vegetables. The pretty one... the colorful... the new kind (which I had no idea what to do with) whatever I could get my hands on. Hubby was watching from a distance... waiting with our daughter... pretending he don't know the crazy lady raiding all the vegetables... ha ha. As we were driving back home... thinking in the car about the dishes I could make (yup... I always think about food :D). The more I thought, Kadahi vegetables seemed the most logical choice.
It is a colorful dish consisting of lots of seasonal vegetables and exotic Indian spices. A very famous 'dhaba' dish. It is a classic north Indian dish but can be found all over the country.
The vegetables are cooked in a kadhai or wok (hence the name kadhai vegetables) in a spicy onion-tomato based sauce with lots of ginger, garlic, cilantro leaves and flavored with kasoori methi. It has a distinct fresh spicy aroma and flavor that compares to nothing else. So I made it the same night for dinner. I realise prepping is the lengthiest part of this dish so I did what I often do, you guessed it got my hubby to work (I had to sweet-talk him into it ;)

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