Paneer Capsicum Pulao /Indian Cottage Cheese&Bell Pepper Rice

Today I am sharing an easy to prepare Rice dish,Paneer bell pepper pulao.Paneer capsicum rice/pulao is one of the best healthy,easy to prepare rice recipes and can be served with various accompaniments and Indian curries.

It is a quick nutritious rice dish flavored with delicated spiced,paneer and capsicum.
This tomato-based paneer capsicum pulao is a toothsome treat that will delight your family and friends!

PANEER CAPSICUM RICE/PULAO

Course:Main course

Yield :4 servings

Preparation Time:10minutes

Cooking Time:20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes 

 

 INGREDIENTS:  

• Basmati rice -1 Cup
• Capsicum  -1 no (medium size)
• Paneer cubes- 1cup
• Carrot  -1 no
• Onion  -1 no
• Green Chilies-2 nos
• Ginger-Garlic paste-1 tsp   
• Tomato  -1 no  
• Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
• Cloves - 3nos 
• Bay leaf -1
• Cardamom  -4nos
• Black Pepper- 1tsp
• Shah Jeera-1/2tsp(optional)
• Salt  - to taste
• Water -2 cups
• Oil/ghee -1 tbsp    
• Coriander leaves,chopped (optional)-2 tsp

 

CAPSICUM PANEER RICE/PULAO

 METHOD:    

1.  Wash and soak the rice for at least for 30 minutes.Drain it well in a colander.
2. Cut the capsicum into medium sized cubes.
3. Soak the paneer cubes in hot water with a pinch of salt for minimum 15 minutes.
4. Add ghee/oil in a pan,add well drained rice and saute until it becomes dry.While roasting,be gentle otherwise it may break. 
5. Heat oil/ghee in a pan,add cinnamon,cardamom,cloves bay leaf,shah jeera and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant.
6. Add finely chopped onion and saute until translucent,without changing its color.
7. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw ginger smell goes off.Add chopped tomato and fry till it becomes soft.
8. Add finely chopped carrots along with green chilies.Fry till carrots are half done.Add crushed black pepper and mix it well.Add 2 cups of water,required salt and bring it to a boil. 
9. Add the roasted rice bring it to a boil.Close the lid and cook in a low flame for few minutes.
10. Mean while shallow fry the paneer cubes preferably in a nonstick pan in a medium flame until golden color and immerse them in hot water until use.Drain the  water and keep aside.
11. Heat oil in a pan,add diced capsicum/bell pepper and saute for 2-3 minutes.Keep aside.
12. Add paneer cubes and capsicum cubes to the rice and veggies mix,cover and cook for another 2-3minutes.
13. Make sure that bell peppers are not over cooked.I like crunchy peppers than mushy ones.Once the bell peppers/capsicums are added,don't cook more than 2-3minutes.
14. Taste the rice and adjust seasoning accordingly.Sprinkle coriander leaves/cilantro and serve hot.

  NOTES:

• Roasting rice ensures separate grains.
• You can replace whole slit green chilies with red chili powder
• Soaking the paneer cubes in hot water ensures  its softness even when cooled down.If not frying the paneer just dip them in hot water for5-10 minutes and drain the water before cooking.
• While shallow frying paneer,make sure that you use a nonstick pan and fry it in a medium flame until golden color.
• Add some ghee fried cashew nuts along with paneer.If you like sweet touch,add ghee fried raisins also.   

PANEER CAPSICUM RICE

Serve warm along with a spicy or rich accompaniment,any kind of Raita,pickle and papad.....

Enjoy the Dish.....

Happy Cooking!!!!!

LOTUS 

Chana Dal(Bengal Gram Lentil) Halwa

As Indians celebrates Holi today I would also love to share my wishes to all my friends and readers.

                            Happy Holi!!!

 Today I am sharing a sweet which is popular in northern part of India and is prepared during festival seasons.This recipe was new to me and never tried the halwa with dal.But I love this sweet very much.

I am happy to inform you that i am now a team member of the South Vs North Challenge SNC as called,hosted by Divya Pramil of You Too Can Cook Indian Food.She is doing this job for the past six months in a  big successful way.By participating this challenge i can learn more North Indian dishes.The group is divided into 2 teams named as south and north team where both of them compete against each other with a traditional recipe.Kirti from flavors from my kitchen challenged south team with a sweet dish Chana dal Halwa and Swasthi  challenged the north team with Hyderabad dum vegbiryani  as this month's challenge.This is the first time i am participating in a challenge competition.

Here is my Recipe for Chana Dal Halwa.
Ingredients:

1. Chana Dal/Split bengal gram/kadala parippu-3/4cup
2. Granulated white sugar-1/4cup
3. Rice flour-2tsp
4. Ghee-5-7tbsp
5. Milk-1.5cup
6. Cardamom pods-5,crushed  
7. Cashew nuts,halved-5-7 

 Method:

1. Wash and soak chana dal in water for 2 hours.
2. Boil the dal in 1cup water until it is just done.
3. You can pressure cook with 1cup water for 2-3 whistles and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Allow all the water to evaporate and allow to cool.
5. Mash the cooked dal with the ladle or with  a masher to get a coarse paste.
6. Heat ghee in a pan and add mashed dal.
7. Fry the mashed dal on medium heat for 15 minutes or until the ghee separates on the top and the raw smell disappears.
8. Now add 1/2cup milk along with rice flour and fry on high heat till it is well absorbed.Then again add the remaining milk and keep stirring frequently. 
9. Repeat this until all milk is used.
10. Now add sugar and cardamom powder.Mix well.
11. Fry on high heat for 5 minutes.switch off the flame, when the halwa starts leaving the pan.Add chopped cashew nuts.
12. Pour into a greased tray  to set.Pressed the top of the halwa using banana leaf or with an aluminum foil to get a smooth surface.Sprinkle some chopped nuts on top of it and cut in desired shape.

Serve with warm or as your personal taste.

NOTES:

• You can use blender to mash the dal.Do not add water and make a coarse paste(I didn't use).
• Stir the mixture continuously while cooking.
• Do not add milk in one trip.Then the halwa becomes soggy and will loose the texture too.  
• You can add khoya also. 
  

Happy Cooking!!!