Paneer Tikka

These days I am cooking lot of North Indian dishes and I am liking it. I am getting myself to learn more about them and make dishes which are simple, easy and tasty. We had some Shan BBQ Masala so thought of using them to make Paneer Tikka. I love snacks especially, evening high-tea ones. They are quick, require less pampering and can be done in a jiffy. Very easy dish and requires very less prep work and cooking time.

Recipe from my own kitchen experiments.

Serves: 2 individuals

Ingredients:

Paneer (pre-fried) - 8-15 pieces

Shan BBQ Tikka Masala - 2 tablespoons (Red Food color + Garam Masala)

Yogurt - 2 tablespoon

Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon

Garam Masala (optional) - 1/2 teaspoon

Pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Oil - For frying

Coriander leaves (chopped - for garnishing) - 3-4 sprigs

Lime juice (optional) - 1 teaspoon

Salt - As per taste

Method:

Make a marinade paste of Yogurt, Shan Masala, Red Chilli powder, Garam Masala and Pepper powder. Thaw the Paneer for around 4 minutes in microwave if its frozen. Once its soft enough, mix in with the marinade and set aside for 20 minutes.

Heat oil in saucepan, place the Paneer cubes one by one and cook them till they are charred and well done. Alternately is using BBQ, grill them till they are done and charred on all sides for around 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and lime juice. Serve hot.

Marshmallows in Chocolate Sauce

Summer, BBQ, Chit-chat with friends, Grilled Chicken, Grilled Corn-Mushrooms-Panner. Yes my summer comprised of all of these soul-warming essentials. I was thinking hard of a Party Dish which can be made in 30 minutes. I quickly conjured the memory of this snack cum dessert which we had made recently for our BBQ Party. This dish was suggested by a dear one, N during one of the brainstorming sessions on the Party menu. Thanks N. Quite unique and one of its kind. Its pretty easy and would you believe takes only 5 minutes of cooking time? Luckily everyone was happy with this unique dish and we also feasted and boasted on the humbleness and simplicity of this Party dessert snack.

I dedicate this post to my dear fried J, who is the biggest Marshmallow fan I have met on the earth. She can gobble 10's to 20's of these spongy mass and be a happy soul for the entire day. I first tasted these in India at her place for a get together with friends and family.

Recipe ~ Family favorite BBQ Dessert
Serves ~ 4-6 individuals

Ingredients:
Marshmallows - 1 Packet
Chocolate Sauce ~ Hershey's

Miscellaneous requirements: BBQ charcoal with just enough heat for wilting the Marshmallows + Wooden Skewers (Soaked in water for half an hour prior to the BBQ.

Method:
Dip around 2-3 wooden skewers in water for 1/2 hour prior to your BBQ party. Pre-planning helps a lot. I soaked mine early in the morning so that we are all set for the BBQ with the skewers.

String in the Marshmallow pieces one by one with enough space in between. Gently run them over the BBQ coal. Best suggested time for BBQ Marshmallow is once BBQ is completely done with. The heat should not be too much not too less. Once the pieces begin wilting you will notice tiny wrinkles on the Mallow surface area. Gently run some Chocolate sauce over them. Gobble up the decadent delight!

Off these White pearls go for Mad Tea Party's Indian Party Dishes. This dessert snack is not necessarily Indian, but since we are Indians and we party with friends - I would count this is in.

BBQ: Grilled Mushrooms and Chicken Drumsticks

July 4th was great fun this time around!! Its a summery tradition to grill food in your backyard and invite friends and family over.

I happened to read some interesting tit-bits on food-on-skewer printed on a health magazine of a local healthcare magazine published here:

Delightful Summer Dinner on a Stick by Seleta Maler

"The French think of them as "brochettes". In Japan, they love "yakitori". The English call them "skewers". The Turks relish "kebabs". Indonesians enjoy "satay". Portuguese are fond of "espetadas". And around Buffalo, New York, residents savour "spiedo".

Whatever you call them, they are scrumptious and come on a stick (wooden or metal). They can be made with pork, beef, lamb, veal, poultry or fish. May be you know them as "shish kebabs". Whatever you want to call them, they are great for quick and easy healthy meals."

We had a great time with cousins joining us for a BBQ party. P's cousin brought in yummy Chicken Hariyali Kebabs and Corn on the cob.

P and I were responsible for the following:

1) Grilled Mushroom: I bought 2 packets of Baby Portolbello mushrooms and marinated it the previous night with Chilli powder, Shan Tikka Masala, Lime juice, Salt, Pepper powder, Coriander powder and just a spoon of yoghurt. Next day morning grilled this in wooden skewers alongwith Red Bell Pepper chunks and Onions. Its a good idea to soak the skewers in water for half an hour. This prevents the skewers from catching fire.

2) Chicken Drumstick: P used skinless, drumstick chicken with bone. He marinated in Shan BBQ Masala, Yoghurt the previous night. Next day we promptly took it to the the pit, added some Charcoal Liquid fuel on coal briskets and they were all set to blaze the meat and vegetable pieces! It was a a beautiful experience to understand how meat and vegetables cook alongside.

3) Tostitos with Tomato Tostito Chunky Salsa sauce and some Beer, Cool drinks to go alongwith!!

Summer is here for all of us!!