Restaurant Style- Easy Paneer Tikka Masala (Vegan) & Garlic Naan Recipe

Hi guys! I hope you all read my previous post regarding managing anxiety in current times of COVID_19.

Keeping in mind the situation that we all are facing, it is very essential for all of us to keep ourselves busy at home. Hence, I am coming up with interesting content for all of you.

From today, I am starting a 10 days 10 posts event on my blog where I will be posting a new article everyday on different topics.

In today’s post I share 2 recipes. Tomorrow’s post will be on a different topic. Since the main niches of this blog are Food & Recipes. Health & Wellness, Travel and Poetry & Musings, I shall be sharing on topics related to these niches.

Anyway, coming back to today’s topic- Food & Recipes; Now cooking can be quite therapeutic and can be fun, especially if one decides to try out new recipes and prepare a variety of dishes. At times, it can get tedious too and I feel bored to cook at times, nevertheless, I try to keep it fun so that I feel motivated to cook. Cooking it is an essential lifeskill, especially in current times where we are restricted to our homes. Also, nothing beats the satisfaction and comfort of a well-cooked meal.

In today’s blog post, I will be sharing 2 recipes.

1. Vegan Paneer Tikka Masala
2. Garlic Naan

If you want to know why I quit dairy in my diet- Read here.

These recipes that I have shared in this post are simple and easy to prepare and yet give you a restaurant style taste and that is why I am sharing them. It will require a just a tiny bit of preparation but it is quite hassle-free.

RECIPE FOR VEGAN PANEER TIKKA MASALA

This is not the elaborate North Indian recipe where one grills the tikkis first. It is a quicker version of the same recipe and results are almost similar and the taste is very restaurant like and extremely delicious!

Ingredients:

1. 2 blocks Tofu. (diced) (Substitute with Paneer if not vegan)
2. 1 packet Suhana Paneer Tikka Masala (Recommended. Read Procedure for recipe without this masala)
3. 4 pods cardamom
4. 2 tsps saunf (fennel seeds)
5. 1 tsp mustard seeds
6. 1 tsp jeera seeds (cumin seeds)
7. 3 green chillies
8. 1 tsp turmeric powder
9. 1/2 tsp dhania powder (coriander powder)
10. 1/2 tsp jeera powder
11. 4 medium sized tomatoes (chopped)
12. 1 big sized onion (finely chopped)
13. 3 tbsp oil or more if needed. (I used olive oil, you can use any oil you wish to use)
14. Salt according to taste

Procedure:

1. In a heated pan, add 2 tbsps oil and add the diced tofu cubes. Pan fry them, add salt and pepper. Once they turn golden-brown and a little crisp, switch off gas and keep them aside. The tofu cubes should not be too golden brown or hard else they will not absorb the flavours. A medium golden-brown colour is sufficient.
2. In a wok or kadhai, heat oil. Once oil has heated enough, add the mustard seeds & chopped green chillies. As soon as the popping sounds reduce, add the jeera (cumin seeds). Add finely chopped onion and let it caramelize and change colour.
3. Once the onions turn soft & caramelize, add the turmeric powder, dhania & jeera powder and the cardamom seeds and sauf. Saute for a minute or so.
4. After a minute add the chopped tomatoes. Saute till the tomatoes are mushy and the water in the tomatoes starts evaporating and they start thickening and become gravy like.
5. Once the tomatoes turn mushy, add 1 whole packet of Suhana Paneer Tikka Masala.
6. **If you do not have Suhana Masala, add yoghurt/ cashew paste/ milk/fresh cream in this recipe, along with 1 tsp chopped garlic. Also add 1/2 tsp red chilli powder & 1 tsp garam masala as well. (For the cashew paste, just soak 10-12 cashews in water for 1 hour, drain water & grind cashews to a paste in the grinder)**
7. Add salt as per taste.
8. Add the tofu cubes that you had kept separately and mix them into the gravy.
9. Let the gravy simmer on low flame for a bit and once the gravy is thick enough and not runny, switch off the gas.
10. Let the gravy sit for atleast 15 min before serving as the tofu cubes will absorb all the flavour.

That’s it! Your Vegan Paneer Tikka, resturant style is ready. Garnish and serve with rotis, naan or phulkas.

I served it with garlic naan and it tasted amazing .

RECIPE FOR GARLIC NAAN

This Garlic Naan is mouthwatering and tastes amazing. Also, this is a healthier version of the naan where I have substituted half part of the flour with whole wheat flour. So don’t feel guilty about eating this naan!

Ingredients:

1. 1 and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2. 1 and 1’2 cup plain white flour
3. 1 tsp sugar
4. 1 & 1/2 tsps salt or according to taste
5. 1 cup water
6. 2 tbsp oil
7. 1 packet of dry active yeast.
8. 3 cloves minced garlic
9. 2-3 tsps kalonji (nigella) seeds (optional)

Procedure:

1. In a bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and water and let sit until very foamy. Warm water works best for activating yeast. The water should not be hot or it will kill the yeast. If you are not sure about the temperature, just add normal room tempabout 10 minutes. Meanwhile,in a large bowl add the both the types of flour & whisk them together. Create a well in the center.
2. After the yeast has activated & become frothy, add it to the well inside the flour, add oil as well and mix. After you have mixed it a bit, add salt. ( Never add salt directly to yeast as it will kill the yeast and not let it activate.)
3. Knead the mixture till it forms a dough. Dough should be pliable and it can get a bit stretchy.
4. Knead until the dough is formed, then turn out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead until smooth, about 3-4 minutes.
5. Transfer the dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover loosely with a damp kitchen towel. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
6. After 1 hour, knead the dough briefly and shape the dough into dough balls.
7. This recipe will make approximately 11-12 dough balls depending on what size you make them into.
8. Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Roll each dough ball out until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
9. On one side, add sprinkle the minced garlic and kalonji seeds and roll over that side again so that they stick to the naan while cooking.
10. Place the naan carefully onto the hot skillet with the other side (which doesn’t have the garlic & seeds) down on the pan.
11. Cook until large bubbles form on the surface, about 2 minutes. Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden, about 1-2 more minutes.
12. Sprinkle oil as and when needed, while cooking the naan,
13. Stack the cooked naan on a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm as you cook the remaining pieces.

Naan in the making 🙂

That’s it your naan is ready. You can use butter in place of oil while making the naan.

You can garnish with coriander/cilantro as well. I didn’t because I did not have them in my kitchen.

Serve with your favourite sabzi or gravy. (Goes best with the Tikka Recipe above :D)

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Do try out these recipes whenever you feel like eating restaurant style food. You will not be disappointed.

Keep a watch for my blog post tomorrow.

10 days, 10 posts..

See you all tomorrow!

Till then,

Dream. Imagine. Be Crazy. Be You!

5 stereotypes about India and Indians debunked.

India.. We are a complicated yet simple country. Full of idiosyncrasies yet normalcy. Full of chaos until you learn to find the peace. We are a land of variety, a land of different cultures, lifestyles and food habits all amalgamated into one country.

Ever since I have moved to Singapore, I am often asked, “What race are you?” and when I tell them I am an Indian, I often come across answers like “Oh, you don’t look Indian” or “You are too fair to be Indian” or “You don’t sound like an Indian”

All these interactions, led me to ponder upon a few things and I have realized that there are a lot of stereotypes about Indians which need to be shed or clarified.

1.Indians are brown or black

Now this is the most common form of sterotype (or racist comment) that I have come across. People are obsessed with skin color all the time. (Yeah it happens in India too, but more so, here.) I don’t understand how somebody’s skin color defines them. Nobody automatically becomes superior or inferior based on their color. A person isn’t defined by color, yet somehow people judge talent and intelligence based on it.

Also, not all Indians are black. We come in all colors from fair to chocolate brown and I think all of us are equal and should be judged solely on our talents and other soft skills. Color should not be the deciding factor at all.

2. India is a country full of slums, snake charmers and poor people

While this is true to some extent, I disagree that our whole country should be stereotyped as that. Today, India is a fast developing superpower with more and more markets investing in the country. We are knowledgeable about a lot of things and are upto date with what is going on in the world.

Also, a large part of the poverty has to be blamed on the British Rule in India which lasted for 150 years, due to which we lost most of our resources and a whole lot of wealth. Despite this, we are recovering quite fine and managing to make our mark in the world.

Marine Drive, Mumbai.

3. All Indians are into Information Technology (IT) or Work as labourers or do odd jobs.

I agree most of us are really good at IT and I considered taking it up as well at some point. However, we have educated ourselves in a lot of other professions including finance, journalism, arts, dentistry, medicine and everything else on the planet. I am a physiotherapist who blogs. So yeah. A lot of diverse professions out there. Kindly don’t fit us into one box. A lot of Indians hold MBAs and PhDs. India also has plenty of business schools, and the government is working hard on providing quality higher education. The education system in India is competitive and challenging, and children are given exams from a young age. Children commonly go to extra tuition after school just to get ahead, especially in big cities.

Since the population of India is vast, Indians usually have very good exposure to hands-on experience and treating patients in medical and physiotherapy related fields.

4. Indian food is all about naan and butter chicken

Well while this may be the most common available food outside India, Indian food is if I may so, most varied in the entire world. Every city, every village, every state has a unique culture which defines it’s cuisine.

Even the spices we use vary and all our spices have a lot of health benefits.

The next time you drink a ‘turmeric latte’ or ‘chai latte’ remember they have been adapted from India where, since centuries every kid is advised to drink turmeric milk (haldi doodh) and Chai is our official drink. Hah!

Also, a large number of Indians, (including me :D) are vegetarian, so Indian food is like paradise for vegetarians and vegans.

The cuisine completely changes from North to South and East to West. It mainly depends on the climate and the type of crops that grow in that region. So yeah, if you haven’t gotten my point by now, Indian food is vast and not similar at all.

5. Indians worship cows and have 330 million Gods!

Well, this stereotype is true I would say and I will proudly say I love this stereotype, but not the way it is depicted by the world.

Why do Indians worship cows??

The Indian cow possesses motherly qualities and is given a human like status.

The milk of Indian cows contain A2 milk protein (unlike A1 milk in jersey cows) which is similar to a human mother’s milk. The urine and cow dung of these Indian cows is also very beneficial and used for a lot of purposes in Indian villages and helps prevent a lot of diseases and provides immunity. Hence, Indians worship cows, because they are selfless animals asking nothing in return except love and care.

Why do Indians worship so many Gods & Goddesses?

Lord Ganesha (dagdusheth halwai ganpati, Pune)

330 million gods in India! Gods and goddesses with multiple heads and arms! What kind of crazy religion is Hinduism? Actually, it’s not what it seems. While Hindus do believe that god is in everything, it’s all manifestations of the one source and creator of reality — Brahmaan, that is the Universe. Therefore every living and non-living thing is viewed as sacred. Each of Hinduism’s many gods and goddesses also represent individual aspects of Brahmaan. For example, Lord Ganesha is worshiped for good fortune and removing obstacles. Goddess Laxmi is worshipped for prosperity and wealth,etc.

an image of Lakshmi Devi

So there you are. I hope I have clarified a few of the many stereotypes about India and Indians.

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To my fellow Indians who are reading this and wondering how can we change the way the world views us I have a few tips:

1. When in “Rome do as the Romans do” which means, whichever country you are in, do your best to learn more about their culture, habits ,behaviour and cuisines. Follow the rules, keep yourself, your surroundings and home clean and civilised.
2. Don’t roam in groups or clans and mingle just with Indians. Most Indians do this. Don’t sit and just befriend fellow Indians. Make friends who are not Indian so that you grow and get to know much more about other people and break the barriers.

Overall. if most Indians who stay abroad would come out of their shells and interact more with people of all races and cultures, I think a large number of stereotypes can be broken. Be more willing and open to adapting new habits. Afterall you are currently staying in another country, the least you can do is be open-minded and show eagerness in mingling with the people around you. Of course that doesn’t mean we are forgetting our culture, but just enhancing our knowledge and lives by making new friends and learning about new cultures.

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So that’s all I have to say for now. Whoa, that was a long one after a long time.

I would say, India has its flaws, it’s share of crimes and corrupt people, yet that part doesn’t represent our country. We stand out by our human values, our hospitality, our honesty, our love for peace, our knowledge and of course yoga and spirituality.

So let’s all be ‘global citizens’ and more adapting and accepting of each others cultures.

Till the next post,

Dream, Imagine, Be Crazy, Be You.

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