Ingredients required for Paneer Masala:

Potatoes and Dill Indian Style

Easy Egg Masala

Pan-Fried Crispy Shrimp

Air Fryer Salmon Fish Fry

Instant Pot Carrot and Cabbage Dal

Comfort food at its best! Creamy and delicious yellow split moong dal with vegetables.

Course Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Author Nandini

Ingredients

½ cup Yellow split moong dal
¼ onion (chopped)
1 tomato (chopped)
1 inch ginger (chopped)
1 green chili (slit)
1 carrot (cut in big pieces)
¼ cabbage (cut in big cubes)
½ tsp turmeric powder
Cilantro for garnish

For seasoning

1 tsp cumin seeds
⅛ tsp Asafoetida

Instructions

Wash the moong dal 2 or 3 times, add it to the Instant Pot with 3 cups of water.
Chop the onion, tomato, ginger, chili, carrots, and cabbage.
Add the above-chopped ingredients along with turmeric powder to the Instant Pot. Mix well.
Close the Instant Pot and pressure cook on high for 6 minutes.
Once the Instant Pot beeps after it is done, press cancel.
After about 15 minutes the pressure would have released. Open the Pot. Add salt to taste. If you want you can add more water. Mix and transfer the dal into a serving dish.
In a seasoning pan or a small frying pan, heat a tablespoon of ghee. When the ghee is hot, add the cumin seeds and asafoetida.
Immediately put this seasoning into the dal.
Garnish with Cilantro, your delicious dish is ready!

Notes:

This Dal can be made without the vegetables too.
Using ghee is recommended as it really enhances the taste of the Dal. But if you do not have any, any flavorless cooking oil can be used.
This Dal will thicken as it sits, so when re-heating add water to it.
Some other choices of vegetables are green beans, broccoli, spinach, and zucchini.
Use more chilies if you like it spicy. I usually take out the chili before serving. You can also sprinkle some red chili powder on top.
Asafoetida is optional but it adds to the flavor of the Dal. It is available in any Indian grocery. You can read all about asafoetida here and learn about its health benefits.

Hope you will try out this simple yet satisfying Instant Pot Dal. If you do please leave a comment or rate the recipe below. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for just being here!! Do stay awhile and check out my other posts.

Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook @lovetostayhomeblog to know about my latest recipes, DIYs, and crochet projects!

Have a wonderful day!

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

Eggplant and Paneer Manchurian

September 2, 2021 No Comments

This Eggplant and Paneer Manchurian is a real treat for the senses! It smells so good and tastes so delicious. It is a bit rich in taste as the eggplant and paneer are both fried in oil, so definitely an occasional treat, not an everyday meal!

I have heard of and tasted cauliflower, mushroom, and chicken Manchurian, but I have not seen or heard of Manchurian made from eggplant. So, I was curious to see how this would turn out.

Usually in this dish, the vegetable is deep-fried in a batter and then added to the sauce. I wanted to try it without deep-frying the eggplant, but the eggplant absorbed so much oil that it was as good as deep frying it! I think the next time I make it, my trusty air fryer will be used! If you would like to use less oil, I suggest air frying or baking the eggplant.

In the end, I was happy with how it turned out, it tasted so delicious, what a great and different way to use up an eggplant!

What are the Ingredients for Eggplant and Paneer Manchurian?

Eggplant

Paneer

Spring Onions (Scallions )

Garlic

Ginger

Green chilies

Cilantro

For the sauce:

Soya sauce

Sriracha

Tomato Ketchup

Vinegar

Oil

How do you make this dish?

Cut the eggplant into slices, ( I soaked the eggplant in salt water for about 15 minutes to remove the bitterness, after that I washed the eggplant slices and dried them with a kitchen towel)

Next, cut each one into 4 quarters. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the eggplant quarters till golden brown, the eggplant does soak up a lot of oil. I drizzled a little bit more now and then.

I think the next time I will use my air fryer or roast the eggplant in the oven just to reduce the amount of oil used. You can try this if you want to make it less oily.

After the eggplant is fried, keep them aside.

Pan-fry the paneer with a little bit of salt and pepper. (Once fried, put them in hot water until ready to use, this keeps them soft)

Chop your scallions, ginger, garlic, and green chilies.

Heat up a pan with some oil, when hot add in all the chopped ingredients. Stirring quickly so they do not burn. Add the sauce mixture. Mix it all well and add in the eggplant and paneer.

Let the sauce coat the eggplant and paneer well.

Last, add the green parts of the scallions and cilantro. Mix it all up and your delicious Manchurian is ready!

Eat with Instant Pot Mixed Vegetable Rice, Quick Chicken and Egg Noodles, roti, or paratha.

Eggplant and Paneer Manchurian

Eggplant and Paneer fried with scallions, ginger, garlic, green chilies, and cilantro and then cooked with a spicy chili sauce.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese, Indian

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Total Time 40

Author Nandini

Ingredients

1 Eggplant
10 cubes Paneer
3 Scallions
4 cloves garlic
2 inches ginger
2 green chilies
Oil as required

For the sauce

1/4 cup Soya sauce
1 tbsp Vinegar
2 tbsp Sriracha sauce
3 tbsp Tomato Ketchup

Instructions

Cut eggplant into slices and then into quarters, sprinkle salt on them, and let them sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. This brings out the bitterness in them.
After 10 minutes wash the eggplant slices and dry them with a kitchen towel.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the slices till golden brown on both sides. You can also use an air fryer or oven to use less oil.
Pan-fry the paneer cubes till golden brown (sprinkle with salt and pepper), and keep them in hot water. This makes it remain soft.
Chop the spring onions, ginger, garlic, green chilies, and cilantro.
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce and keep the sauce aside until needed.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan on medium-high heat, when the oil is hot, add the chopped ingredients except for cilantro and scallion greens.
Add the sauce and mix well. Immediately add the fried eggplant and paneer(drained). (The paneer can be seasoned with some salt and pepper at this point)
Mix well so the sauce coats the eggplant and paneer well. Check for salt, and add if needed. Lastly, garnish with scallion greens and cilantro.

NOTES:

The eggplant and paneer can be air fried or baked to reduce the amount of oil that goes into this dish.
This dish is spicy, to reduce the spice level, add fewer green chiles and less Sriracha sauce.
I do not mention salt in the ingredient list as the soya sauce is salty, but you can taste it and add salt in the end if required.
You can use chopped onion instead of scallions but using scallions is preferred.

Do try out this different way of cooking eggplant. Let me know your feedback if you try it out by commenting below.

Thank you for visiting my little blog! I appreciate you being here!

You might also be interested in these other simple and delicious vegetarian recipes:

Crispy Zucchini Fritters

Mixed Vegetable and Paneer Curry

Quinoa Upma

Image by Marta Kulesza from Pixabay

Instant Pot Egg and Peas Pulao

Instant Pot Mixed Vegetable Rice

August 17, 2021 No Comments

Instant Pot Mixed Vegetable Rice is a quick simple recipe! It is one of those recipes that does not have many ingredients yet tastes really good.

This Mixed Vegetable Rice tastes very mild, I have not used any chili or spice powders except for turmeric powder. I love using turmeric powder in all of my recipes mostly for its health benefits. Apart from that, I love the bright yellow color that it gives the rice!

The Instant Pot is by far one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. The ease and convenience of cooking everything in one pot is a real big plus, also the time factor is very important. For many of us, we need this Instant Pot in our busy lives! I have 2 and I use one of them almost every day! These are the Instant Pots that I have, a 6quart and a Mini 3quart.

(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you for your support!)

I have many one-pot recipes that you might like to try using the Instant Pot. Here they are if you would like to have a look at them, and try them out:

Instant Pot Chicken Pulao

Easy Instant Pot Mutton Biriyani

Instant Pot Peas Pulao

Instant Pot Spanish Chicken Pulao

What are the ingredients for Instant Pot Mixed Vegetable Rice?

Basmati Rice

Mixed vegetables

Onion

Tomato

Ghee

Whole spices – cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves, cumin seeds

Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

How do you make this Instant Pot Mixed Vegetable Rice?

Press sauté on the Instant Pot, add the ghee. When it is hot, put in the whole spices.

Add sliced onions and fry them till slightly brown, next go in the sliced tomato.

When the tomato is soft, add the turmeric powder.

Add all the vegetables with salt to taste.

Mix well. Add water. For every cup of rice, add 1 1/2 cups of water.

Stir it all, check for salt.

Close your instant pot and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.

After it is done, press cancel, do a quick release after 10 minutes.

Open the Pot, transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Enjoy your instant pot vegetable rice.

Instant Pot Mixed Vegetable Rice

Basmati Rice cooked with Mixed Vegetables, and whole spices in ghee!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Author Nandini

Ingredients

2 cups Basmati Rice
2 cups Mixed vegetables ( I used carrot, corn, peas, and green bell pepper)
½ onion (sliced)
½ tomato (chopped)
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
2 tbsps ghee

Whole spices

1 inch cinnamon stick
4 cloves
3 cardamom pods
1 tsp Cumin seeds (jeera)

Instructions

Press saute on the Instant Pot, add the ghee. When it is hot, put in the whole spices.
Stir it, add the onions, fry them till lightly brown, then add the chopped tomatoes.
Once the tomatoes turn soft, add the turmeric powder.
Next, add the vegetables along with salt.
Mix well, add 3 cups of water. For every cup of rice, you need 1½ cups water.
Stir it well. Close the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
Once the Instant Pot beeps when done, press cancel. After 10 minutes, do a quick release of pressure.
Open the pot, mix gently and transfer the Vegetable rice to a serving dish. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Notes:

You can use any vegetables of your choice. Some good options are potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, carrots, corn, etc.
If you like spicy food, you can add some chopped green chilies when you are adding the onions.
Ginger garlic paste can be added too if you like the taste of it. If adding, put in 1 tsp after frying the onions.
You can use oil instead of ghee. However, the ghee gives this rice a nice rich taste.
Instead of water, you can use coconut milk, your rice will be even creamier and tastier!
Use the same measuring cup for the water that you used to measure your rice. For every 1 cup of rice, use 1 1/2 cups of water.

Try out this Instant Pot vegetable rice with a yummy side dish like:

Paneer Masala

Mixed Vegetable and Paneer Curry

Easy Indian Chicken Stew

Easy Egg Masala

Simple Chicken Curry

Palak Paneer

Sausages and Peppers

Thank you for visiting my blog, hope you will try this recipe. Don’t forget to leave me a comment and rate this recipe!

Do follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook @lovetostayhomeblog to see my latest posts.

I just want to say Thank You for your support of my blog! It means a lot to me!

Image by Amit Sodha from Pixabay

Quinoa Upma

August 14, 2021 No Comments

Quinoa Upma is a different, more flavorful way of cooking your quinoa. I started eating quinoa instead of rice as it has more protein and is a much healthier option. You can read about the 11 proven health benefits of Quinoa here.

On its own, quinoa is pretty tasteless, so you need to add some flavors to it.

I decided to try out this Quinoa Upma and I was pleasantly surprised. Upma is a very common Indian breakfast usually made with Semolina. (Sooji/Rava in India) it is made with vegetables and a few spices. It is vegan and gluten-free as well!

What are the ingredients for Quinoa Upma?

Quinoa – I used white quinoa, but any kind of quinoa will work.

Mixed vegetables like carrots, beans, and peas

Onion

Ginger

Green chili

Turmeric powder ( optional) – I use it for most of my recipes because of its medicinal value, you can read more about it here. If you leave it out, your Upma will not be yellow but white.

Salt to taste

Cilantro

Oil

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds

Channa dal ( split yellow peas)

Split Urad dal ( white split dal)

(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you for your support!)

How do you make this Quinoa Upma?

Heat some oil in a pan. Add seasoning ingredients., when they splutter, add chopped onions, ginger, and green chilies.

Next, add the turmeric powder if using. After that goes in the vegetables along with salt to taste. Mix well.

Put in the washed and drained quinoa. Add double the quantity of water. Mix and cover it.

Check after about 10 to 15 minutes. The quinoa would have absorbed all the water. Mix gently and make sure that it is not too wet or too dry.

Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with coconut chutney or peanut chutney. ( any kind of chutney will do)

Quinoa Upma

Quinoa cooked with mixed vegetables and a few Indian spices.

Course Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Author Nandini

Ingredients

1 cup Quinoa
1 cup Mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, beans, cauliflower, potato, etc)
½ Onion (chopped)
1 inch Ginger (chopped)
1 green chili (chopped)
¼ tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil
Cilantro (for garnishing)

For Seasoning

½ tsp black mustard seeds
½ tsp split white urad dal
½ tsp yellow split pigeon peas (chana dal)

Instructions

Heat the oil in a wide pan, add seasoning ingredients, when the mustard seeds splutter, add chopped onions, ginger, and green chili.
Add turmeric powder if using it.
Next, add in the vegetables and salt to taste. Mix well.
Put in the washed and drained quinoa, adding double the quantity of water. (2 cups)
Mix and cover it on medium to low flame. Check after about 10 to 15 minutes, the quinoa would have absorbed all the water.
It should not be too dry or too wet. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Serve with coconut chutney or peanut chutney on the side.

NOTES:

Make sure to wash the quinoa a couple of times to get rid of its bitterness.
When adding water, use the same measuring cup used to measure the quinoa.
You can add different vegetables like carrots, peas, green beans, potatoes, cauliflower, etc

Do give this a try, it’s something different using quinoa! Makes a great filling breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

You might also like these easy vegetarian recipes:

Crispy Zucchini Fritters

Broccoli and Quinoa Patties

Paneer Masala

Thanks for visiting! If you try out this recipe, let me know in the comments or rate the recipe. I love hearing from you!

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest @lovetostayhomeblog to get the latest happenings on my blog.

Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash

Paneer Masala

July 31, 2021 No Comments

This Paneer Masala is a creamy delicious curry that tastes best with Naan or paratha. It does not have any cream but gets its creaminess from the cashew nut paste. To make it vegan you can use tofu instead of paneer.

I love paneer and have it at least once every week. If you like paneer this recipe is a must-try! You might also like to try my palak paneer recipe and my mixed vegetable and paneer curry.

First, let’s talk about this life-changing Onion Masala!

I use Instant Pot onion masala in this recipe. I highly recommend making this over the weekend and you can have all your meals ready in no time for the week. This is a lifesaver and a must if you cook Indian food every day or even if you like eating Indian food. If you have this onion masala your life becomes so much easier! I follow this recipe from Ashley over at her blog myheartbeets.com. Her blog is full of recipes using onion masala and she has tons of Instant Pot recipes too. Do check out her website.

If you do not have onion masala, you can start the recipe by making your masala as follows:

Heat oil in a pan, add onions(1 chopped)fry till slightly brown. Add ginger garlic paste(1 Tsp), fry a little, add tomatoes(2 chopped)with turmeric 1/4 Tsp), chili powder ( 1 Tsp), coriander powder(1 tsp), and cumin powder (1/4 Tsp). Mix, cover your pan and let it cook. When the oil floats on top your masala is ready.

Wait for it to cool down and purée it in a blender. Or use an immersion blender.

Your onion masala is ready.

If you pre-make this onion masala and have it in your freezer, cooking Indian food becomes much simpler! The baby food freezer cubes from Amazon seen below are what I use to freeze my onion masala cubes.

These are my Favorite Amazon Kitchen Picks!

Ingredients required for Paneer Masala:

Paneer- cut into cubes about 200 gms, soak the paneer in hot water till you use it, this makes it soft.

Onion Masala – 2 cubes ( or make the masala as stated above)

Red onion – 1/2 cut into cubes

Green bell pepper- 1/2 cut into cubes

Vinegar

Cashew nuts – soaked in warm water for 15 minutes

Kasuri Methi – Dried Fenugreek leaves are available in any Indian store, you must use this for the best taste.

Sugar – 1 Tsp

Spice powders- Turmeric, Kashmiri Chili powder, garam masala powder, and salt to taste.

How do you make this Paneer Masala?

Heat oil in a pan. Add the cubed onion and green bell pepper. Fry for a few minutes. It has to remain crisp and not become soft. Take them out and set them aside.

In the same pan, add the onion masala, all the spice powders, the vinegar, sugar, and a little water. Close the pan and let this come to a boil. Add the cashew paste. Mix and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Add water to thin it out if you like.

Next, add the paneer along with the Kasuri methi and a sprinkle of garam masala powder.

Mix and cover it, so that all the flavors meld. The masala will be thick because of the cashew paste. You can always add a little water to thin it out, but check for salt and add some if required.

After 5 minutes switch off the flame. Add the onions and bell peppers into the paneer masala.

Your delicious Paneer Masala is ready!

Enjoy this with Peas Rice, Naan, or Paratha.

Paneer Masala

A creamy paneer gravy made with onion tomato masala with added spices, green bell pepper, and red onions.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Ingredients

200 grams Paneer ( around 25 cubes)
2 cubes Frozen Onion Masala (around 1/2 cup)
½ Red onion cut into cubes
½ Green bell pepper cut into cubes
1 tsp White vinegar
15-20 Cashew nuts (soaked in warm water for 15 minutes)
2 tbsp Kasuri Methi (Dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Spice powders

¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
½ tsp Garam masala powder

Instructions

Heat about 1 tbsp oil in a pan. When hot add the cubed onion and bell pepper. Fry for a few minutes, it should remain crisp and not become soft. Take them out and set them aside.
In the same pan add 1 tbsp oil, then add the onion masala, the spice powders, vinegar, sugar, salt, and a little water. Mix it all up and cover the pan. Let it come to a boil. Stir in between so it does not burn.
Blend the cashew nuts into a paste adding some water. Add this cashew paste to the masala, cook for about 5 minutes, adding a little water to thin it out.
Add the paneer along with the Kasuri methi and a sprinkle of garam masala powder. Mix it and cover the pan. Cook it for another 5 minutes on low flame.
Check for salt and add more if needed.
Add the previously fried onions and bell pepper to it, mix it and garnish with more Kasuri Methi or chopped cilantro.
Your paneer masala is ready! Enjoy with rice, Naan, or paratha.

Notes:

To make it vegan, use Extra firm tofu instead of paneer.
To make it even tastier you can fry the paneer before adding it to the masala. I left out that step as I did not want to add more oil to the dish.
After the curry is ready, you can serve it drizzled with heavy whipping cream on top or add a dollop of butter! That adds to the richness and taste.
Add more red chili powder to make it spicier.
You can leave out the onion and bell pepper if you do not have them.

Let me know if you try this recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment.

Thank you for visiting! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Here are some other vegetarian recipes you might be interested in:

Air Fryer Tortilla Samosas

Easy and Tasty Chickpea Burgers

Indian Lime/ Lemon Rice

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

Broccoli and Quinoa Patties

Fried Masala Mushrooms – Deep-fried Vs Air-Fried!

July 28, 2021 No Comments

These Fried Masala Mushrooms – Deep-fried Vs Air-fried are such a treat! You can serve these as an appetizer or snack. They can also be an accompaniment to any meal.

I like mushrooms but struggle to find different ways of cooking them. So I decided to cook them this way as let’s face it, who does not like fried food?! As I am a big fan of the Air Fryer, I decided to try them in an Air Fryer as well. So read on to find out how it is done, and how it turned out!

If you have any leftovers(if there are any!😁), give them a makeover and make Mushroom Manchurian(bonus recipe included)!

Whichever way you eat it, these mushrooms will be your new favorite!

What are the ingredients required for Fried Masala Mushrooms – Deep-fried Vs Air-fried?

Mushrooms- Button mushrooms, I’m sure you could make these with baby Bella mushrooms as well. If you do try them out let me know if it works.

I wash the mushrooms and dry them thoroughly. I know most people say don’t wash mushrooms but I do as that’s the only way to get rid of stuck-on dirt. Moreover, I have never had a problem with washing and then cooking them.

Oil – For deep frying use a high heat oil like Vegetable Oil, Canola Oil, Peanut Oil, or Sunflower Oil.

For the masala coating:

Chickpea flour or Besan – you can find this flour in any Indian store. Bonus it is gluten-free!

Rice flour – This flour can be found in an Indian store as well.

Ginger garlic paste (optional)

Kashmiri Chili Powder

Turmeric powder

Cumin powder

Pepper powder

Chaat masala powder

Salt to taste

Water to mix

How do you make these Fried Masala Mushrooms – Deep-fried Vs Air-Fried?

Add all the dry ingredients for the batter together in a mixing bowl, and use a whisk to mix them.

Add water a little at a time to get a smooth batter. I used about 1/2 to 3/4th cup. The batter should not be thin, it should be on the thicker side.

Add the mushrooms to this mixture and coat them well.

How do you fry these mushrooms? I tried 2 ways. DEEP FRIED Vs AIR FRIED

DEEP-FRIED

In a cast-iron pot, heat oil, I used canola oil.

When the oil is hot, add mushrooms one by one, they should start sizzling as soon as you put them in. That’s a good indication that the oil is at the right temperature. Let the flame be on medium.

Turn them after a few minutes. Fry them till they are crispy about 8 to 10 minutes.

Take them out and put them on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the extra oil.

Serve them hot! They will become soft as they sit. But you can always warm them up in a toaster oven or air fryer.

AIR-FRIED

If you have seen some of my previous recipes, you probably know that I love the Air Fryer! So I had to test this out in the Air Fryer to see for myself how they compared to the deep-fried Mushrooms.

First, line the air fryer basket with foil. Then brush a little bit of oil on the foil.

Drizzle some oil (1 tablespoon) on the coated mushrooms and mix.

Using tongs, place battered mushrooms on the foil in the Air Fryer.

Close the Air Fryer basket and switch it on to 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Turn the mushrooms once in between.

After 10 minutes your crispy air-fried mushrooms are ready!

Taste-wise I would say surprisingly both tasted equally good!

The only thing with using the Air Fryer was that you can only put it a little at a time. So it might take longer depending on the quantity you are making. And it does tend to stick to the foil a bit. Next time I would try parchment paper.

Enjoy your fried masala mushrooms with some tomato ketchup or Sriracha sauce!

Fried Masala Mushrooms

Mushrooms in a spicy chickpea and rice flour batter, deep-fried or Air-fried to crispy deliciousness!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Author Nandini

Ingredients

15-20 Button Mushrooms
2 cups Canola Oil (for deep frying)

For the batter

½ cup Chickpea flour (Besan)
¼ cup Rice flour
1 tsp Kashmiri Chili powder
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
¼ tsp Cumin powder
¼ tsp Pepper powder
½ tsp Chaat masala powder
1 tsp Ginger garlic paste (optional)
1 tsp Salt (or to taste)
½ to ¾ cup Water

Instructions

Wash and dry the mushrooms. Cut them into 4 depending on the size of them If they are small you can cut them in half. Keep them aside.

To make the batter

Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl using a whisk or a fork.
Add water a little at a time, using a whisk, mix until you get a nice batter consistency. It should not be too thick nor too thin. The batter should be able to coat the mushrooms.
Add mushrooms to the batter and mix until all the mushrooms are coated evenly with the batter.

To deep-fry:

Heat oil in a cast-iron pan. When the oil is hot, drop the mushrooms into the hot oil. It should sizzle as soon as it goes in. Fry the mushrooms on both sides till crispy. This should take about 6 minutes or so.
Take them out and drain them on a paper towel. Fry them in batches without overcrowding the pan.
Serve hot with Sriracha or Tomato Ketchup.

To Air-Fry

Line air-fryer basket with foil or parchment paper.
Brush the foil or paper with oil. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of oil on the battered mushrooms. Mix well.
Using tongs, put the mushrooms into the Air-Fryer basket leaving space in between each one.
Close the basket and switch on your Air Fryer to 400° for 10 minutes.
Turn the mushrooms once in between.
After 10 minutes, take them out of the Air-Fryer and enjoy!

Notes:

To make it spicier, use more Chili powder or add chopped green chilies or jalapenos.
You can use the same batter for other vegetables as well. Good options are onions, cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, etc
If you do not have an Air fryer and want to make this without deep frying it, I am sure you can use your oven at 400F, and bake the mushrooms for maybe 15 minutes. Let me know if you do try it out in your oven.
To re-heat these mushrooms, you can use a toaster oven or the Air-fryer. They do become soft after a while.

If you happen to have leftovers, I did because I made so much! I decided to experiment with making Mushroom Manchurian.

Bonus recipe using Fried Masala Mushrooms!

Mushroom Manchurian

Chop up a quarter of an onion (or use scallions), 5 cloves garlic, 1-inch ginger, and 2 green chilies.

Sauce – To make this easy sauce, add 1/4 cup soya sauce, 1 tbsp vinegar, 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup, 1 tablespoon chili sauce(I used Sriracha) to a bowl. Mix it up.

In a pan, heat some oil. When the oil is hot, add all the chopped ingredients. Fry well till slightly brown. Add your sauce and mix well.

Put in your fried mushrooms and mix well to coat them with the sauce. I did not add any salt and didn’t need to. But you can taste it and add if required.

I also added a squirt of tomato ketchup as I felt it was too spicy.

So you can adjust the spice accordingly. Garnish with lots of chopped cilantro or scallion greens. Enjoy your easy and tasty Mushroom Manchurian

It turned out delicious in the end!

If you like easy recipes like this, you might also be interested in:

Easy Egg Masala

Potatoes and Dill Indian Style

Jalapeno Poppers

Easy and Tasty Chickpea Burgers

Homemade Pizza

Air-Fryer Potato Wedges

Pan-Fried Crispy Shrimp

Air Fryer Tortilla Samosas

Thank you for visiting! Hope you will try out this easy recipe, let me know if you do, by leaving a comment and rating the recipe. I would love to hear from you!

Take care and Happy Cooking!

Photo by Anthony Garand on Unsplash

Chickpea Masala

July 17, 2021 No Comments

Chickpea Masala without the readymade powder!

This Chickpea Masala or Chole Masala is so delicious and very easy to make. Most recipes I have seen use a readymade masala mix called ‘Chole masala powder’.

I have tried it with my own mix of spice powders, I am very happy with the way it turned out. My kids love chickpeas and I use chickpeas in my cooking at least once a week.

What are the ingredients for Chickpea Masala?

Chickpeas – canned chickpeas or you can soak dry chickpeas and pressure cook them, I soaked the dry chickpeas overnight, in the morning, I pressure cooked them in my Instant Pot for 8 minutes.

Onion – one onion chopped

Tomatoes – Purée tomatoes in a blender

Ginger garlic paste

Lime juice – juice of half a lime

Cilantro for garnish

Spice powders:

Turmeric

Kashmiri Chili

Coriander

Cumin

Chaat masala powder – this gives it a tangy taste! It can be found in any Indian grocery store. Or the link will take you to Amazon where it is available online.

Garam masala powder

Salt

Oil for cooking

(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you for your support.)

How do you make this Chickpea Masala?

Keep all your ingredients ready.

Heat a pan on medium heat. Add oil, when the oil is hot, put in onions and fry well till translucent.

Add ginger-garlic paste. Fry for about 5 minutes.

Add tomato purée and all the spice powders.

Mix well, cover, and cook.

After about 10 minutes you can see the oil floating on top.

Add chickpeas and about 1/2 cup water.

Mix and cook for about 5 minutes.

Switch off the stove, add lime juice and cilantro to garnish.

I served this Chickpea Masala with this Instant Pot Peas Rice and this 2 ingredients Naan. It tasted really delicious!

Chickpea Masala

Chickpeas in an Onion Tomato gravy with a blend of Indian spices.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Author Nandini

Ingredients

2 cups Cooked Chickpeas
1 Onion (chopped)
2 Tomatoes (pureed) ( I used Roma tomatoes)
½ tsp Ginger garlic paste
½ Lime (juiced)
Cilantro for garnish
2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Spice powders

½ tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Kashmiri Chili powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
½ tsp Cumin powder
½ tsp Chaat masala powder
½ tsp Garam masala powder

Instructions

Heat a pan on medium heat. Add oil, when the oil is hot, add onions. Fry till translucent.
Add ginger-garlic paste, fry for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so it does not burn.
Add pureed tomatoes and all the spice powders along with salt.
Mix well, cover, and cook.
After 10 minutes, you can see the oil floating on top.
Add chickpeas and about half a cup of water.
Mix and cook for about 5 minutes.
Switch off your stove, add lime juice and chopped cilantro.
Your chickpea masala is ready!

Notes:

You can cook the chickpeas ahead and keep them in the fridge or freezer! It is a time saver and you save money too by cooking your own chickpeas.
This can be made in the Instant Pot as well. Press the saute function and follow the recipe, when adding the chickpeas, you can add the soaked chickpeas, so basically you are cooking the chickpeas along with the masala. This is a time saver for sure! Pressure cook for 10 to 12 minutes. If you are using canned chickpeas just pressure cook for 4 or 5 minutes. Once done, open the Instant Pot, add the lime juice and cilantro to garnish.
When you add water along with the chickpeas you can add more if you want extra gravy.
If you like it spicy increase the amount of chili powder.
Chaat masala powder gives it a tangy taste, I recommend using it. A substitute for it could be Amchur Powder which is Raw Mango Powder.

Hope you will try this recipe out. It is delicious, you can eat it with rice, bread, paratha, or naan.

Please rate this recipe and leave me a comment down below. I would love to hear from you!

You might also like to check out my other Vegetarian recipes:

Mixed Vegetable and Paneer Curry

Air Fryer Tortilla Samosas

Potatoes and Dill Indian Style

Easy and Tasty Chickpea Burgers

Air-Fryer Potato Wedges

Indian Lime/ Lemon Rice

Potato Masala

Have a wonderful day and thank you for visiting my blog!

Photo by Manasvita S on Unsplash

Beetroot Cutlets

July 14, 2021 No Comments

These beetroot cutlets are a great snack or accompaniment to any main meal. They are full of vegetables mixed with mashed potatoes, rolled in breadcrumbs, and pan-fried till golden brown or in this case a beautiful purple from the beetroots! I actually started out making these as vegetable cutlets, but the beetroot kind of took over and so I decided to call them beetroot cutlets!

They can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated until you need to fry them. I have kept them for about 3 to 4 days refrigerated.

If you want you can even freeze them. Just put them on a baking tray, and leave them in the freezer till frozen. After they are frozen put them in an airtight freezer-safe container or a freezer bag and put it in your freezer.

Fry them straight from the freezer when you need a quick snack!

What are the ingredients for these Beetroot Cutlets?

Beetroot cooked

Mixed vegetables- carrots, cauliflower, peas

Half an onion

Tomato

Ginger

Garlic

Green chili

Cumin seeds

Spice powders- turmeric, chili, coriander, and garam masala powder

Salt to taste

Boiled potatoes

Breadcrumbs – I make my own breadcrumbs at home using toasted bread

Oil for frying the cutlets.

You might also be interested in this recipe which uses boiled potatoes Potato Masala

How do you make these Beetroot cutlets?

First cook your beetroot in an Instant pot or pressure cooker for 15 minutes. Keep aside to cool.

Boil potatoes in an instant pot or pressure cooker for 10 minutes.

Chop onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and green chili.

Prep all the vegetables, including the beetroot, and keep them aside.

Add cumin seeds, ginger-garlic, and chili to a blender, I used my Ninja small jar., just make it into a fine chop.

Heat oil in a pan, add the onions, and ground-up ginger, garlic, chili, and cumin seeds. Sauté till the onions are slightly brown. Add tomatoes, spice powders, and cook till tomatoes turn soft.

After that add the chopped vegetables and salt to taste. Mix well, cover, and cook till the vegetables are cooked.

When cooked add some chopped cilantro and mix.

Let it cool down.

In the meantime mash the boiled potatoes.

When the vegetables and potatoes are cool. Add the potatoes to the vegetables and mix well. (I added 3 boiled potatoes)

Taste and add salt if needed.

Make balls out of the mixture. Add breadcrumbs to a plate. Take one ball and flatten it into the breadcrumbs, turn and do the same for the other side. Make it a round shape. Roll the sides too in the breadcrumbs till the whole cutlet is coated with breadcrumbs.

Do the same with all of the balls. At this stage, if you want to freeze some go ahead and put them on a baking sheet and freeze them.

You can refrigerate them for some time before frying. But you can also fry them immediately.

To fry them, heat oil in a pan. Fry till golden brown on both sides.

Enjoy your beetroot cutlets as a snack, in a sandwich, or as a side to your main meal.

Beetroot Cutlets

Beetroot and other vegetables cooked with Indian spices, mixed with mashed potatoes, made into patties, covered with breadcrumbs, and pan-fried to a crispy cutlet!

Course Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Ingredients

1 Beetroot (cooked)
3 Potatoes (boiled and mashed)
1 cup Mixed Vegetables (carrots/peas/broccoli/cauliflower/corn)
½ Onion (chopped)
1 Tomato (chopped)
1 cup Breadcrumbs
Oil for frying the cutlets and for frying the masala

To grind:

½ inch Ginger
4 cloves Garlic
1 Green chili
1 tsp Cumin seeds

Spices

½ tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Kashmiri Chili powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
½ tsp Garam Masala powder

Instructions

Pressure cook the beetroot, peel, chop, and keep aside.
Boil potatoes in Instant Pot or Pressure cooker. Peel them, mash them, and set them aside.
Prep all the vegetables. Chop the onion and tomatoes
Grind the ginger, garlic, green chili, and cumin seeds.
Heat oil in a pan, fry the onions till transparent, add the ground ginger, garlic, chili, and cumin seeds. Add tomatoes and spices.
Next, add all the vegetables including chopped beetroot. Add salt to taste.
Mix well, cover, and cook.
When the vegetables are cooked, switch off the stove.
After the vegetables have cooled down, add the mashed potatoes.
Mix and make balls out of the mixture. I got about 20.
Add breadcrumbs to a plate.
Take one ball and flatten it onto the breadcrumbs. Turn and make sure the cutlet is coated with the breadcrumbs.
Do this with all the cutlets. Keep them refrigerated.
When ready to fry, add oil to a pan. When the oil is hot, add the cutlets and fry them on both sides till golden brown.

Notes:

When cooking with beetroot everything gets that deep red color. I recommend using some sort of liner on your cutting board so it doesn’t get those deep red stains. I am still trying to take out the stains from my cutting board! And maybe wear gloves so your hands do not become red!
When adding the mashed potatoes, the number of potatoes depends on their size. I used 3 big Idaho potatoes. Use as many as needed to get the mixture to a consistency that it can be made into a ball without falling apart.
An option is to dip the cutlet in a beaten egg and then coat it with the breadcrumbs. This helps the breadcrumbs stick better. If you do not want to use an egg, you can dip the cutlet in a cornstarch and water mixture before rolling them in breadcrumbs.
You can always leave out the beetroot and use other vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, corn, or peas.
When frying the cutlet, since everything is already cooked, just fry them till the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
An exception is made when frying frozen cutlets, you will have to cover them so the inside of it thaws and warms up.
This might take a while to get together, but the end result is worth it, so do give it a try. From this recipe, you can get about 20 cutlets. So freeze some for later!

Do check out my other easy snack recipes: Broccoli and Quinoa Patties, Air Fryer Okra Fries, Jalapeno Poppers, Air Fryer Tortilla Samosas, Air Fryer Salmon Fish Fry

Let me know if you try this recipe, I love to hear from my readers! Please leave a comment and rate this recipe.

Thank you for reading and happy cooking!

Photo by Felicia Buitenwerf on Unsplash