a few somethings that i cooked up in the kitchen ...

I have started this new blog today - my first! I sincerely hope that you all will like stuff that I post on my blog. Firstly, I feel that I should explain (briefly - no worries:)) my intention behind starting on this blog. This is the first time in my life (in the 28 odd years till now) that I have been sitting at home with nothing much to do - recently was diagnosed with quite an acute case of hyperthyroidism only 3-4 months after my marriage:(

Since I have also resigned from my job recently, and not joining anyplace soon - I thought, it would be nice to mention a few of 'the things that i do'.

I have not been much of a cook - since have mostly relied on mum's cooking when at home or else on take-aways when not at home. Only after my marriage in December, have I really started cooking in earnest - and enjoying it too!! I guess, its also something to do with the fact that my husband and myself, both are self-styled foodies and experimental cooks:) I seriously believe that one of the best bargains about marriage is that you finally get a life-long ally..someone who will always be there for you..your confidante..with whom you can plot and plan..and basically create a mess in the kitchen:P

Well..yesterday we decided to make Paneer Tikka Masala on the spur of the moment (reason - we tried our hands at making Vegetable Spring Rolls during the weekend, but they were a complete disaster. So tried doing something simpler yesterday).

The tikkas came out really well...crispy and yummy:) I was too tired to make a gravy for the tikkas, so we used some fresh green chutney (made from fresh green coriander and mint leaves) as an accompaniment. We used the tikkas as a side dish along with our ajwain parathas and masoor tadka. To cut it short - we had a wonderful dinner!:) Just check out the tikkas yourself and try out this simple improvised recipe for quick home cooking.

Paneer Tikka (Cottage Cheese Tikkas)

Ingredients (for marinade):

# 100 gm - thick yoghurt/dahi

# 1 tsp grated fresh ginger

# 1 tsp grated fresh garlic

# 1/2 tsp each of garam masala, red chilli powder, dhania powder, jeera powder.

lemon juice and salt to taste

Method:

1. Cut big pieces of onion, capsicum, tomato and paneer (~ 1 inch sq pieces). Remove seeds from tomato and capsicum before dicing.

2. Wash and pat dry buttin mushrooms (we used small buttons - so they got grilled easily).

3. Mix these veggies in a big bowl with all the marinade (mix tenderly so as not to break the soft cottage cheese squares). Cover the bowl with a cling foil and refrigerate for 12 hours or less. We could only marinate ours for a little over an hour.

4. When its time for grilling - take out the veggies and skewer them gently so as not to break any of the pieces. We grilled the mushrooms on a separate skewer so as to cook them thoroughly.

5. Drizzle a few drops of oil on the veggies and grill them at 200 C for 20-30 mins. Grill time depends entirely on how you want the veggies to turn out - soft and mushy or al-dente and crisp. Serve with green chutney (pulse fresh washed coriander, mint leaves with roasted red tomato - skin charred and removed and 1 clove of garlic).

Your suggestions and comments are most welcome!