Kitchen remodel update

     The beautiful paint is finished, giving the kitchen and kitchen nook a very classy look.   AS of last night the wood is almost finished in the kitchen area.  The countertops will be installed on Friday! Gets better every day.

Paneer Paratha / Cottage Cheese Stuffed Flat Bread

My recipe for the second day of Blogging Marathon is "Paneer Paratha". Although the methods for making stuffed paratha are similar to each other, some find it a bit difficult to make a perfect paratha.



One of my readers told me that though she followed all the steps mentioned, she still faced difficulty while rolling, as the filling often kept leaking out from the dough. So, I have decided to post another method of making stuffed paratha. This method is easier than the previous one. However, it is up to you to decide your comfort level and choose the method accordingly.



Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 8 parathas

Ingredients:



For Dough:



Wheat flour/ Atta - 2 cups + extra for dusting

Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Water - 1/2 - 3/4 cup or as required to make dough

Oil - 1 teaspoon

Oil - 2 tablespoons or as required for cooking parathas.



For Stuffing:



Paneer - 2 cups

Green chilli - 2 nos, finely chopped

Coriander leaves - 2 tablespoons, finely chopped

Amchoor powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Method:



For Dough:



1) Take flour, red chilli powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water little by litlle and make a soft dough.

2) Coat it with oil. Cover and keep aside.

3) Meanwhile prepare the stuffing.



For Stuffing:



1) In another mixing bowl or wide plate, crumble paneer.

2) Add green chillies, coriander leaves, amchoor powder and salt. Mix well. Remember to add correct amount of salt as we already added it to dough.

3) Taste and adjust the amchur powder and salt. Keep it aside.



For Making Parathas:



1) Divide the dough into 16 small sized lemon balls. Make sure the size of the balls are identical.

2) Take two identical balls and roll them to approximately 15 CM round disc as we roll for chapathi. Please refer the picture below.

3) In one rolled chapthi, spread a generous tablespoon or more of paneer mixture. Leave little space around the edges.

4) place another rolled chapthi over it and seal the corners. If required, seal it with the help of water.

5) Sligtly roll it using rolling pin.  Repeat the steps for making other parathas.

6) Heat the skillet. Cook the paratha with the help of oil.

 

7) Serve with raita or pickle.

Note:



1) With the given measurement, I prepared 8 medium size parathas as shown in picture. However, you may vary this as per your preference. Make it smaller or bigger.

2) Try to use fresh paneer for best results.

Eric Lanlard's Lemon Meringue cupcakes

We had a family tea this week, one of the things that I baked are these Lemon Meringue Cupcakes - an Eric Lanlard recipe.

They are lemony, soft and delicious, but they are not difficult. The Italian Meringue is the hardest part.

Heres the recipe:

Makes: 12 muffins
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15–20 minutes
You will need
For the cupcakes:
100g unsalted butter, softened
100g golden caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split
2 eggs
100g self-raising flour, sifted
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
75g ready-made lemon curd
For the meringue:
2 egg whites
100g golden caster sugar

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake papers.
2. For the cupcakes, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla seeds together in a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand whisk, until pale, fluffy and well combined.
3. Crack in the eggs, one at a time, and beat until both are fully incorporated into the mixture. Fold in the sifted flour and lemon zest until well-combined.
4. Spoon the cupcake batter into the cupcake papers. Add a teaspoon of lemon curd to the top of each cupcake.
5. Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until they are pale golden-brown and spring back when pressed lightly in the centre.
6. Meanwhile, for the meringue, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Gradually add the sugar, whisking continuously, until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. The mixture should be thick and glossy.
7. When the cakes are cooked, turn off the oven and preheat the grill to its highest setting.
8. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag with a small plain tube and pipe some in a spiral on top of each cupcake. Place the cupcakes under the hot grill two minutes to colour (or you can use a kitchen blowtorch to toast the meringue).
Recipe, Home Bake by Eric Lanlard (Mitchell Beazley, £20). Also appears on Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard, broadcast on Channel 4, March 2012.

And here is the best Muffin Tin I have found.