Paneer Palak Paratha / Cottage cheese Spinach stuffed bread

Stuffed paratha with butter is certainly a comfort food for most of us. My family loves to have it for dinner. Here is a simple Paneer Palak stuffed paratha recipe for you to try. Want to make it healthy??? Just don't add that butter on paratha...

Ingredients:

For paratha:

1. Wheat Flour - 3 cups
2. Salt to taste
3. Water - 1 + 3 tbs
4. Butter - 1 tsp/paratha
5. Flour for rolling the dough

For stuffing:

1. Paneer/Cottage cheese, crumbs - 1/2 cup
2. Spinach leaves - 2 cups
3. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Green chilli, sliced - 1
5. Ginger, chopped - 1/4 tsp
6. Onion, chopped - 1/4 cup
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Chaat masala - 1/2 tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Knead flour with salt and water till it reaches the right consistency as any bread dough. I have using stand mixer for this and water quantity mentioned is according to that
2. Keep the dough wrapped in a warm wet kitchen towel
3. Heat oil in a pan and splutter cumin seeds
4. Add ginger, onion and green chilli and saute it
5. Add salt, turmeric powder and chaat masala to it and give a stir
6. Add chopped spinach leaves and cook till the leaves are wilted
7. Add paneer crumbs to the above a mix well and cook for 2 more minutes and mix well to remove any big pieces
8. Heat a tawa or griddle to make paratha
9. Divide the dough into balls of about a lemon size
10. Roll each ball to form thin round shape of about 8 inch size like chapathi
11. Spread 1-2 tbs of stuffing on the above
12. Roll another ball to the same size
13. Cover the stuffing with second chapathi
14. Roll it again starting from the center to the sides to remove any air pockets
15. Place the stuffed paratha on hot tawa and add a tsp of butter on it
16. When one side is cooked, flip paratha to cook the other side, 1-2 minutes on each side under medium flame should be enough
17. Repeat the same with all parathas

Serve parathas with Tangy Paneer or simple yogurt raitha!

I am linking this post to FeistaFriday cohosted by Johanne@French Gardener Dishes and Liz@spades, spatulas & spoons

Stuffed Bun

Here is my first attempt to make stuffed bun. It is an easy to make snack or breakfast or even serve as dinner !

Ingredients:

For stuffing:

1. Potatoes, cooked - 1 big
2. Paneer - 1 cup
3. Onion, chopped - 1 medium
4. Ginger, chopped - 1 tsp
5. Garlic , chopped - 1 tsp
6. Green chilli - 1 or 2
7. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
8. Oil - 1 tbs
9. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
10. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
11. Coriander leaves, chopped -1 tbs
12. Salt to taste

For bun

1. Wheat flour - 2 cups
2. Instant yeast - 1.5 tsp
3. Salt to taste
4. Italian herbs - 1tsp( optional)
5. Sugar - 1 tsp
6. Milk, warm - 1/2 cup
7. Baking powder -1 tsp
8. Olive oil/ coconut oil - 2 tbs
9. Chia seeds - 1 tsp (optional)

Method:

For stuffing:

1. Heat oil in a pan
2. Splutter cumin seeds
3. Sauté ginger, garlic, green chilli and onion in it
4. Add turmeric powder and give a toss
5. Mash potatoes and paneer
6. Once onion is translucent, add mashed potatoes and paneer and mix well
7. Add garam masala and coriander leaves to the above and switch off the flame
8. Once stuffing is in room temp make balls out of it using your palm

Note: The stuffing should be dry otherwise bun will be soggy
The above recipe for the stuffing is not much spicy, For a more spicy stuffing you may use the Cutlet Recipe mix for stuffing.

 

For bun:

1. Mix yeast in warm milk along with sugar for 5 to 10 min until you see some froth on top
2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and herbs well
3. Knead the dough by adding milk and oil to the flour mixture
4. Keep dough in a bowl. Cling wrap the bowl and keep for 30 min for the dough to rise
5. Preheat the oven to 150degree Celsius 
6. Knead the dough again to release the air
7. Make balls out of dough and flatten it using your palm
8. Like stuffed parathas, keep a stuffing masala ball in to the flattened dough and close it properly
9. Brush the stuffed bun with oil and keep for 5 minutes
10. Brush with milk and sprinkle some chia seeds on it
11. Bake the bun for 20 to 25 minutes 
12. Once baked, move the buns to a wire rack for cooling

Note:
The buns can be served warm 

It can be stored in fridge for 1-2 days

Garlic chilli pasta/aglio olio pasta

We had been to Bintan for a break in the first week of this year, 2015. Bintan is a small island in Indonesia which is less than an hour ferry from Singapore. Even though the white sand beach, swimming pool and resort was superb, the food in our resort was not so remarkable except the food we had from an Italian restaurant there.  Garlic chilli pasta is what we had from there for our first day dinner and the next day dinner too :). And now it  has become one of my favourite dish. It is spicy and it is garlicky and it can be made in less than 10 minutes. So there is no excuse for not making this super easy dish on any day at home. Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Pasta - 100gm
2. Olive oil - 4 tbs
3. Garlic chopped - 4 big cloves
4. Dried red chilli flakes - 2 tbs
5. Cherry tomatoes(cut into half) - 6-10
6. Coriander leaves finely chopped - 2 tbs
7. Salt to taste

Directions:
 

1. Start cooking pasta as per the instructions given on the package with salt. Stir in between so that pasta doesn't stick to each other
2. When one minute is left for pasta to complete cooking, Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté garlic and chilli flakes in low flame. ( must be very careful not burn garlic or chilli) around 2 min. 
3. Once garlic is sautéed enough, add 1 tbs coriander leaves.
4. When pasta is fully cooked, strain it from water and run cold water on it 
5. Keep 2 cups of water used for cooking pasta for future use. 
6. Add pasta to sautéed garlic and chilli and make sure that pasta is coated with olive oil mixture
7. Add 1 cup of pasta water to pasta and simmer for a minute more. 
8. Add rest of coriander leaves and cherry tomatoes and switch off the flame. 

Serve the pasta while hot!

*if you think pasta needs more water you are free to add the 2 nd cup of pasta water before the last step