Saturday, January 1, 2011

My Baby turns 2

Yes, can't believe it that my baby (my blog) is growing up! Yes my blog turns 2 today! Happy Birthday - my toddling blog! And Happy New Year everyone. Hoping you had a great New Year bash and wishing everyone a lovely year ahead...

This dish is dedicated to one of my mausi... She makes these awesome chena tarkari, aka Paneer Curry. She makes it so well even without adding ginger and garlic to the curry; and her paneer balls are as smooth as silk. This version I present here is my adaption of her chena tarkari... Hope you enjoy these as much as I do...

Ingredients

For the Paneer balls
1/2 gallon of whole milk (yields about 12-14 paneer balls)
1 lemon or 1/4 cup vinegar to curdle milk
1/4 cup maida
Salt to taste
a pinch of Garam masala
1 cup of oil for deep frying the balls

For the curry
1 big onion chopped finely
1 tea spoon of ginger garlic paste
2 tomatoes - chopped finely or mixed once in the mixie
1/2 tea spoon garam masala
1/2 tea spoon Turmeric powder
1/2 tea spoon Chili powder
1-2 bay leaves
1-2 green chillies (optional)
Salt to taste
1-2 table spoon oil

How To

Make Paneer balls
Boil the milk in a large container. Keep stirring so that it doesn't burn.
Once it boils, add the lemon or vinegar to curdle the milk.
Strain the paneer and remove as much whey as you can from the paneer.
Mix well with maida, salt and garam masala.
Make small balls, flatten against your palm and keep aside.
Deep fry the balls in oil, in small batches until golden brown and keep aside.

Make curry
Put the oil in a large vessel and heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the bay leaves and green chillies. Let it sputter for a minute.
Add onions and fry on low heat until the onions turn golden brown.
At this point, I took the onions out, let it cooled for a few minutes and mixed it well in a food processor to get a smooth paste.
Put the onion paste back into the hot vessel, add the ginger garlic paste and let it cook for a few minutes
Add the turmeric powder and chili powder now and mix well. Add the tomato puree or chopped tomatoes and cook until the oil starts to come out of the sides.
Add the garam masala and a cup of water and let the curry look nice and rich.
Turn off the heat and add the paneer balls.

Tastes awesome with plain rice or Jeera rice. This curry tastes even better the next day!

69 comments:

  1. Congrats and wish you many more to come. Happy New Year

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  2. A very happy new year Somoo and Congratulations on your blog turning 2. Wish many more such delicious years of blogging from you. this paneer dish is incredible. love this with pulao.

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  3. Hey,

    Happy blog anniversary!!:)

    Dr.Sameena@

    http://www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com/

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  4. Happy New year and happy blog anniversary.Paneer dish looks yummy!

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  5. Congrats on milestone. Yummy dish. Happy new year!

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  6. Happy b'day to your bloggy baby Somoo!
    Have always had chena tarkari without garlic and onions ... must try this way ... am sure to love it. :-)

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  7. It must be a great feeling for you celebrating your Blog Baby's birthday...my wishes to your baby and hope you have a great year ahead.
    Nice chenna tarkari.

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  8. Congrats Somoo!!!Happy Anniversary Blog !!

    Lovely chenna tarkari!! I usually get to savour this dish at oriya weddings !!

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  9. Congratulations...happy blogging. Curry looks great.

    Happy New Year:)

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  10. Thanks All. Just thrilled to see such encouraging comments...

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  11. Congrats on your blog baby's birthday. Happy new year to you and your family.

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  12. Wow congrats and wish ur baby many more happy birthdays enjoy cooking and bloging dear and happy new year to u and ur family

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  13. Congrats on your 2nd anniversary.Wishing you many more wonderful blogging years ahead.The paneer curry looks lovely and tasty and the gravy looks really rich .

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  14. Congratulations and Happy New Year!!! That paneer curry looks great :-)

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  15. Congrats!!Happy newyear!!Curry looks mouthwatering!!

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  16. Firstly, happy new year.

    Secondly, congrats on your baby turning 2.

    Thirdly, that is one awesome looking curry :)

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  17. Wish you a very happy and wonderful year ahead. Reminds me of the Chena tarkari back home .... drooling here.
    Hope to see the toddler grow up fast :)

    Cheers,
    Satrupa

    http://satrupa-foodforthought.blogspot.com

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  18. Birthday wishes for your 2 year blog baby ! Wish you many more..milestones..Curry looks fantastic!
    Have a great n prosperous 2011!!


    US Masala

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  19. Congrats on ur second blog anniversary. Recipe sounds very yum

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  20. congrats..and the gravy looks so yumm..

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  21. Congrats on the milestone dear...the curry looks really yumm

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  22. Happy birthday to ur babe!!!keep rocking
    Happy New Year!!!!

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  23. Happy new year!!:)
    and happy birthday to ur blog.:)
    ur blog is a gr8 help when mom use to go out..;)
    tc and be at ur best.

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  24. Congratulation and Happy 2011,yummy paneer curry..

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  25. Happy New Year and congrats to the milestone!

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  26. Happy blog anniversary and looking forward for more from here :) Recipe sounds so so yummy!

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  27. Congrats..keep rocking :-) Happy New year !!

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  28. Congrats and Happy new year dear. Awesome paneer curry!

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  29. Happy Birthday to your blog!!

    happy new year too!

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  30. @Cham, @Raks, @Gulmohar, @viki, @Soma - thanks all...

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  31. Khub badhia disuchhi! Chhena tarkari mora bhari priya.
    But you know, it's available only in Orissa???

    You have a fantastic blog Samoo. Me following you :)

    http://discoverlifestyle.blogspot.com/

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  32. @sasmita - welcome... SO nice to see you here..
    Thanks for dropping by!

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  33. Congrats soma..may u achieve many more is my prayer...keep rocking!! Wish u n ur family Happy & Prosperous 2011!!

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  34. Congratulations and Happy New Year to you and your family as well.

    The name is very nice..Tarkari...Very Yummy

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  35. @Shri - thanks...
    Tarkari means curry in Oriya...

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  36. A very happy birthday to one of my favorite blogs. Love your posts and recipes. The Paneer Tarkari looks so delicious. Have a great new year ahead. Lots of love.

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  37. Thanks @Pre... Honored to see what you have written!

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  38. Congrats Somoo and wishes to have many more.

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  39. Dear Somoo
    How are you and Happy New year. I was away to Calcutta.
    Congrats and Happy Birthday to your Blog baby.
    I like this chhena tarkari. To be very frank, I dont use Paneer to make the traditional chhena tarkari of Bengal or orissa. This is the only way to make that silky chhena BaDa for the curry. I note the proportion of chhena to Maida.
    I will be going to Orissa after 30 years I guess. We have a reunion of our school batch at Athgarh. Will be in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar too. I am so excited !!
    Have a nice week

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  40. @Ushnish - thanks... Truthfully my chena baras were not as silky as my Mausi... I don't know how she gets it sooo good....
    Enjoy your reunion. Must be so excited!

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  41. Congratulations on 2 years of blogging...This recipe is very interesting...I just made some paneer at home, will try this soon...

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  42. @Arch - thanks.. Let me know if you make it...

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  43. Simple recipe but seems tasty. I am always on the lookout for paneer recipes, so I am gonna try this.

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  44. @bergamot - thanks. let me know if u try...

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  45. Congrats on your second year.. Keep rocking.. That curry looks so rich and yummy.. Nice start for this year!

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  46. Hi, I have a 2 year old too... and I know what a joy life can be with them, and how busy it can get too! I look forward to browsing your Oriyan recipes and trying out a few...
    http://priyasnowserving.blogspot.com/

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  47. Btw, happy birthday to your little one :)))

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  48. Congrats to you..wish many more years of blogging ....sabji looks yum

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  49. Congratulations to you and best wishes to your two year old blog. Wish you and the blog many more flavoursome years. Your recipes are full of memories of someone or the other. You must submit a tribute recipe on our tribute blog www.pedatha.com

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  50. Hy,
    First time here...Congrats and wishing you many many more success in blogging...fascinating space you have...happy to follow u...
    do stop by mine sometime..
    Tasty appetite

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  51. @Pedatha - thats a huge compliment! I would love to...
    @Jay - thanks...
    @VS - thanks...

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  52. congrats on completing 2 years,would love to see many more yummy dishes as this one....

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  53. @Sushma - thanks... Would be my pleasure too...

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  54. Dear Somoo
    How are you? I am going to BBSR, Cuttack and Athgarh tomorrow for 5 days. This trip is after many decades. We have a get together of out school final batch.
    I want to buy the book by your MIL. I remember her name, but will it be possible to send me the publisher's name ...of course I will try at big book shops.
    Have a nice weekend

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  55. @Ushnish - I sent you the details... Hope it works!
    Have fun in Orissa....

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  56. Thank you, Somoo
    I got it. Cant wait to go to Bhubaneswar , Cuttack, Ravenshaw college
    Have a nice weekend

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  57. @Ushnish - enjoy your trip home. And write a long travelogue on it.

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  58. Hi Somoo,
    The curry looks delicious...
    Thanx for the recipe..tc :)
    http://mugdha-cookingfundas.blogspot.com/

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  59. Happy Blog birthday!..good to see you back

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  60. loved the odia khadya .. why dont you add in www.eodisha.org of recipe part else directly in reciepe.eodisha.org

    if you are intrested then plz send to admin@eodisha.org

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