Moru Curry / Seasoned Yoghurt Curry

Moru curry needs no introduction to those from Kerala. It is a simple curry prepared very frequently in most of the houses in Kerala. This is such a comfort food and we can enjoy a light lunch when it's served with rice. There are many variations to this curry.....you can add garlic, red chillies, fenugreek, tomatoes......each of which will make the curry more flavourful. My mother used to make this a lot when I was a kid as this curry helps in digestion. The cumin, ginger, turmeric, curry leaves along with yoghurt makes a lovely combo and does the trick. If you do have the buttermilk, you can directly use it to make this curry.  Enjoy this simple and delicious curry !!

Serves 3-4

You need....

1.5 cups Yoghurt

3/4 cup Water (approx)

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1" pc Ginger finely chopped

2-3 Green chillies chopped

3-4 Small Onions chopped

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

4-5 Curry leaves

1 tsp Coconut Oil 

Salt

To prepare...

Whisk yoghurt and water thoroughly . Add salt to this and mix well. Adjust the consistency of yoghurt by adding more water if you desire.

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard and cumin seeds. Saute small onions, ginger , curry leaves and green chillies until onion changes colour. Reduce the heat to low. Add the turmeric powder and mix. Now add the yoghurt and stir continuously so that it won't curdle. There is no need to boil the curry, just keep it for a couple of minutes and then the curry is ready to be served with rice.

Sending this to Kerala Kitchen, hosted by Prathibha , original event announcement here.
and to Kitchen Chronicles- Summer Splash hosted by Sangee, an event by Kalyani.

Paneer Bhurji

Hope all of you had a great weekend !! Let's welcome this week with an easy and delicious dish..Paneer Bhurji. I like paneer in any forms. As we all know its a great source of protein especially for vegetarians. It's a relief that my son, who was not very fond of paneer earlier, has started eating it recently. So I try to include paneer in our diet frequently. Paneer bhurji is a wonderful dish and can be served with rice or any indian breads. I made this as a side-dish for lunch a couple of days back. There was some leftover which I used to make a filling for sandwich later that day. The sandwiches also came out great. I have added some carrots in this bhurji to make it colourful and healthy.

Serves 3-4

You need...

2 cups crumbled Paneer

3/4 cup grated Carrot

1 Onion small, chopped

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1" pc Ginger chopped

1 tsp Chilli powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

a little Kasoori Methi (optional)

a few Coriander leaves chopped

Chaat Masala, Lime (optional)

1 tsp Oil

Salt

To prepare...

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter cumin seeds. Add ginger and saute for few seconds. Now add onion and saute till they turn slight brown. Add the carrots, sprinkle some water, cover and cook until the carrots are cooked. 

Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt to it. Mix well and add the paneer. Combine well so that paneer gets coated with the masala. Now add the garam masala and also add kasoori methi by rubbing between hands. Finally add the coriander leaves and give a quick mix. Sprinkle chaat masala or some lime juice if you desire. Serve hot with any indian breads,  rice or also as filling for sandwiches.

Notes:

* You can use other vegetables such as tomato, capsicum, green peas etc.

* You can add some chopped green chillies too.

Sending this to Show me your HITS by Sangee Vijay of Spicy Treats.

 SpotLight: Colourful Holi at Cuisine Delights

and to Holi Hai at My Cook Book

Also, sending my Egg Spinach Bonda, Vegetable Omlette and Steamed Egg Cubes curry to the ABC Series: Egg Recipes event by Ramya

Tandoori Paneer or Paneer Tikka

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. After the success of Tandoori Soya, my next experiment to try a tandoori style in oven was on Paneer. When I tried this for the first time, I followed the exact recipe as of Tandoori Soya. So I used the regular yoghurt and mixed all the paneer pieces in the marinade. But I felt that unlike soya which absorbed most of the marinade, paneer didn't absorb much of it and the marinade left out water as well. Hence I made the Hung yoghurt this time which can be made so easily at home. Hung yoghurt is very thick and creamy one and best for preparing marination. During my first trial, some of the paneer pieces got stuck to the foil though I had greased well and I am not sure of the reason. So this time I kept the skewers resting on the sides of the tray. 

The final verdict was that Paneer Tikka came out really good. The outside was slight brown n crisp, but inside was very soft. Since paneer is bland, add all the spices according to your preferences. Squeeze some lime juice just before serving, which will make it taste just great !! I made this as an appetizer when few of our friends visited us and served with the lovely Mint chutney.

You need....

2 cups medium size cubed Paneer

1 Onion diced

1 Bell Pepper diced

5 tbsp Yoghurt ( to be made to Hung yoghurt, see below for instructions)

For marination:

1 tsp Chilli powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1/2 tsp Pepper powder

1 tsp Lime juice

1 tsp Ginger- Garlic paste

a little Kasoori methi ( rub within hands and add )

Salt

To prepare..

To make Hung yoghurt: Put the yoghurt in a thin clean cloth, tie it tight and hang inside the refrigerator for about an hour. Keep a bowl under it so as to collect all the water drained. After this process, you will get very thick creamy hung yoghurt.

Mix all the ingredients under For marination with  the hung yoghurt to form a smooth paste. Coat each paneer piece with this paste on all sides. Place them on a tray or plate and refrigerate it for a minimum of 3-4 hours. You can leave them overnight as well. 

If there is extra paste left, mix the diced onions and bell pepper together with it. Leave it in the refrigerator. This step is optional. You can use onions and bell pepper without marinating also.

Soak the bamboo skewers in water for atleast an hour so as to prevent burning inside oven.

Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and grease it well. Now very carefully slide in paneer, onion and bell pepper alternately on to each skewer. I kept the skewers vertically resting on the sides of the tray so that paneer won't stick much on the tray.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Slowly turn the skewers and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until paneer gets slight brown.

Serve with some Mint chutney. Squeeze some lemon juice or chaat masala if you desire.

Sending this to Show me your HITS by Sangee Vijay of Spicy Treats.

and to SpotLight: Colourful Holi at Cuisine Delights

and to Holi Hai at My Cook Book