Itihaas Chilli Paneer Recipe

Ingredients

•	Cottage cheese (paneer)	200 grams
•	Cornflour/ corn starch	4 tablespoons
•	Oil	2 tablespoon + to deep fry
•	Garlic,crushed	3-4 cloves
•	Green chillies,sliced	3-4
•	Onions,sliced	2 medium
•	Green capsicum,seeded and thick strips	1 large
•	Vegetable stock	1/2 cup
•	Salt	to taste
•	White pepper powder	1/2 teaspoon
•	Soy sauce	2 tablespoons
•	Chilli sauce	1 tablespoon
•	MSG	1/4 teaspoon

Method

Drain paneer well and cut into diamond shaped medium sized pieces. Heat sufficient oil in a wok, roll the paneer pieces in cornflour and deep fry on medium heat until the edges start to turn brown. Drain on absorbent paper and set aside. Blend remaining cornflour (nearly a tablespoon) in a quarter cup of water and set aside. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a wok, add crushed garlic and stir-fry for a minute. Add sliced green chillies, onions and green capsicum. Sauté for a couple of minutes. Add fried paneer and stir in the vegetable stock. Add salt, white pepper powder, soy sauce, chilli sauce, MSG and stir well. Stir in the blended cornflour and cook on high heat, stirring and tossing until the sauce thickens to coat the paneer and the vegetables. Serve immediately.

Itihaas Tarka Daal Recipe

Ingredients

½ cup red split lentils

3 cups of water

½ level tsp salt

1 small onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4 tbsp ghee or clarified butter

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp garam masala

1 small tomato

2 tsp chopped coriander

Method

1. Rinse the lentils in cold water and put them in a saucepan with the water and salt and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes skimming off any froth. Now partly cover the pan.

2. Cook for a further 40 minutes stirring now and again. At the end of the cooking time you should have a pale yellow soup like mixture.

3. During the final 10 minutes of cooking time fry the onion and garlic in the ghee or clarified butter until the onions are pale brown. Add the tumeric and garam masala to the onions and cook for 30 seconds.

4. Stir the onion mixture into the cooked lentils. Serve hot sprinkled with the chopped tomato and chopped coriander.

Itihaas Chana Masala Recipe

Ingredients:

·         1 can chickpeas in water (also called garbanzo beans) or 1 1/2 cups precooked + 1/2 cup water

·         1/2 onion, diced

·         3 cloves garlic, diced

·         3 tbsp olive oil

·         juice from one lemon (approx 2 tbsp)

·         1/2 tsp curry powder

·         1/2 tsp coriander powder

·         1/2 tsp cumin

·         1/2 tsp garam masala

·         1 large bunch of spinach or two handfuls, rinsed

Preparation:

In a large skillet or frying pan, sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, about 3-5 minutes.

Add chickpeas straight from the can, including all the water. Add spices and lemon juice, cover, and simmer about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more water if needed, until chickpeas are cooked and soft.

Reduce heat, add spinach and cover. Allow spinach to wilt for 2-4 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy your chana masala!