Makhmali Paneer Tikka

Hello Foodies,

         This Makhmali Paneer Tikka is my family's favorite appetizer, and it has a very smooth texture and a smokey flavor. They are made with fresh and soft cottage cheese(paneer), some veggies, spices, and yogurt. The paneer and veggies flavored with mild Indian spices and cooked over a pan (traditionally this tikka cook on tandoor or charcoal grill). You can never go wrong with these tasty yet straightforward makhmali paneer tikka. Served with Green/Pudina Chutney. This tikka will delight your taste buds, and I am damn sure that these makhmali paneer tikkas will make your appetite satisfy. You can also wrap them with the tortilla or with chapati and eat as tacos or as veg. frankie too. Don't that sounds yummy? When I am in a hurry, I always make some Frankie's with this marinated cottage cheese. 

What is Makhmali Paneer Tikka

Makhmali means velvety/soft like malai.

Paneer Tikka means, cubes of paneer(cottage cheese), are marinated in yogurt and Indian spices and are then arranged on a skewer with capsicums and onions. These skewers are grilled in a tandoor, or baked in an oven or cooked over the stovetop, and the dish is after that seasoned with lemon juice and chaat masala and served with green chutney.

The paneer, though tender, has a crisp singe on the surface. So let's get started!

YouTube Video:

Preparation and Cooking Time: 15 Minutes.

Marinate for 15 Minutes.

Ingredients : 

• Paneer cubes 2 cups 
• Red pepper ½ cup, sliced
• Red onion ½ cup, sliced
• Yogurt (Dahi) 1 cup
• Green chili paste 1 Tsp 
• Cashew nuts powder 2 tbsp
• Garam Masala ½ Tsp
• Chaat Masala 1 Tsp
• Salt 1 Tsp
• Veg.oil 2 Tsp

Instructions:

To Marinate Paneer: 

• In a bowl add yogurt, garam masala, chaat masala green chilies paste, cashews powder, salt, and mix well.
• Now add paneer cubes, red pepper, and onion cubes and toss gently till the marinade coats the paneer cubes and veggies evenly from all the sides.
• Cover and keep aside for 15 minutes.

To Cook Makhmali Paneer Tikka on Stovetop:

• Heat a nonstick pan and grease with oil. 
• Cook the paneer cubes and veggies till all the moisture evaporates, and the paneer and vegetables are cooked on both sides. 
• You will have to sprinkle oil in between to make sure the tikka gets golden brown on both sides.
• Here, delightful, tempting Makhmali Paneer Tikka is ready to serve, skewer the tikkas(cooked paneer and veggies) and all ready to slurp.
• Sprinkle some chaat masala and few drops of lemon juice and serve with tomato sauce or green chutney. Enjoy!!!

To Bake Makhmali Paneer Tikka:

• Preheat oven at 400 F and line baking tray with aluminum foil and spread some oil.
• Now, place paneer cubes and veggies on the baking tray lined with aluminum foil, spread a few drops of oil.
• Bake at preheated oven at for 15 minutes or till the paneer cooked well.
• Sprinkle some chaat masala and few drops of lemon juice and serve with green chutney. Enjoy!!!

Dietary Comment :

• The calorie count is based on a 2000 calorie diet.
• Per serving contains 182 calories, along with 12.5 g carbohydrates, 8.7 g fats, and 110g protein.
• Portion size can always be increased or decreased depending on your health goals and activity level. 

Health Benefits of Makhmali Paneer Tikka:

• Rich in protein: ideal for vegetarians.
• Low in carbs and high in protein.
• Strengthens Bones: Rich in calcium, which helps in building strong bones for children and maintaining them for adults.
• Rich source of B complex vitamins:
• Improves digestion.
• Best food for pregnant women: a good source for pregnant women as they need lots of calcium and phosphorus to support bone development.

If you try making this Makhmali Paneer Tikka, tell me which method(Stovetop, Oven or grill) did you use in the comments below!

• If you make this recipe, share your food picture with hashtag #aaichisavali on Instagram and Facebook, so everyone can enjoy it too! 
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Eat Healthy, Stay Healthy!!!

Homestyle Black Eyed Peas Curry in Instant Pot | Chavlichi Aamti

How to Make Homestyle Black Eyed Peas Curry in Instant Pot

Hello Foodies,

          I grew up eating this black-eyed peas curry or usal with bhakri/chapati. Black-eyed peas or beans are one of the most nourishing legumes. These are versatile beans that go well with many recipes. These peas are a storehouse of dietary fiber and many other most essential nutrients. Overnight soaked dried black-eyed peas are way better than canned ones. So do try to soak it and make black-eyed peas the proper way. Black-eyed peas curry made with gravy of onions and tomatoes and with some Indian spices. Whenever I prepare it, my family polished it off in no time! There are numerous versions of making this black-eyed peas curry, and each one has its own preferences, cooking style, and spiciness. One reason we like this version of black-eyed peas curry is that it is thicker and flavourful.

         In Maharashtra black-eyed peas are called chavali and made into a curry called chavli amti and stir fry(dry version) called chavli usal and serve with Chapati or Bhakri. In North India, black-eyed peas are called labia or and cooked like dal, served with boiled rice. In Karnataka, it's called alsande kalu and used in the preparation of Huli, a type of curry. Different places have these black-eyed peas, different names, and different methods of preparations. 

YouTube Video:

            I love to prepare all kinds of beans in the instant pot, and every single time it does cook very well. All beans require a long time to cook on the stovetop, but with the instant pot, this process is much quicker. There are so many kinds of beans, and they all cook at different times. Also, cook time changes when you cook salad, or soup makes a huge difference. Even cook time for soaked or unsoaked beans is not specified, or it plays a huge role in timing. I always soak beans, because it eases digestion a lot. So never forget to soak beans for 6-8 hours or overnight, before pressure cooking. 

           Make this Vegan-Gluten-free Finger Millets Flatbread (Ragi Bhakri) go with your black-eyed peas and call it a day! Make it for a nutritious weeknight dinner for your gut health. These black-eyed peas have anti-inflammatory properties. They act as probiotics and are full of protein, fiber. 

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes; Cooking Time: 15 Minutes.

Soaking Time: 6 Hours.

Each Serving of Black Eyed Peas Curry Contains 122 Calories.

Ingredients:

• Black Eyed Peas / Chavali 1 Cup(Soaked in water for 6 hours)
• Onion 1 medium, chopped
• Tomatoes 2 Small, chopped
• Desiccated Coconut 1 Tbsp 
• Red chili powder 1 Tbsp
• Turmeric Powder 1 Tsp
• Cumin Powder 1 Tsp
• Coriander Powder 1 Tsp
• Salt 1 Tsp
• Coriander Leaves ¼ Cup
• Cumin-mustard Seeds 1 Tsp
• Olive oil 2 Tsp
• Water 1 1/2 Cup
• Rice 1 Cup + Water 2 Cups

Instructions:

To Make Masala:

• In a grinder jar/blender add onion, tomato, coconut, green chilies, half of the coriander leaves and water and blend to make a fine paste.

To Make Black Eyed Peas Curry in Instant Pot:

• Turn on saute mode of the instant pot and heat oil.
• Splutter cumin-mustard and mustard seeds.
• Now, add prepared masala and saute and cook for 2-3 minutes or until oil separates from the masala.
• Add red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder, salt, and mix well.
• Now add black-eyed peas and water 1 cup and mix all well.
• Add 1 cup of water to the pot and mix well and place rice pan with trivet.
• Close the lid and place the vent in a sealing position.
• Cook on manual mode (Hi) for 6 minutes and followed by Natural Pressure Release (NPR) for 5 minutes.
• Release remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
• Take out the rice pan and turn on saute mode of the instant pot.
• Add a ½ cup of water and mix well and cook for a minute or two.
• Homestyle black-eyed peas curry is ready to serve, serve hot with rice, chapati, or with bhakri. Enjoy!!!

My Take:

• You can use unsoaked black-eyed peas too, if using unsoaked beans then cook for 10-12 minutes.
• You can use canned beans too.
• You can adjust the red chili powder quantity (less or more) according to your taste.
• Also, adjust the gravy thickness as you like it, so add more or less water. My family loves the semisolid version of this curry, so we can eat it with rice and roti too.

Dietary Comment :

• The calorie count is based on a 2000 calorie diet.
• Per serving contains 122 calories, along with 17.4 g carbohydrates, 3.1 dietary fiber, 3.89 g fats, and 5.4 g protein.
• Portion size can always be increased or decreased depending on your health goals and activity level. 

Health Benefits of Black Eyed Peas:

• It is the most abundant source of protein for Vegans and Vegetarians.
• This is high in potassium and low in sodium, which lowers blood pressure, especially for those with hypertension.
• Good for Diabetes, as it has a low glycemic index.
• This is a good source of dietary fibers, which can help prevent constipation and make bowel movements more regular.
• High in Vitamin. A, which helps to maintain healthy skin and mucous membranes.
• Weight Loss: these are the powerhouse of dietary fibers and which is potent enough to reduce appetite. Consuming peas can keep you full for a long time, which ultimately lowers your overall calorie intake.

Good Time To Eat:

           It is good to eat black-eyed peas curry for lunch, brunch, or for dinner.

• If you make this recipe, share your food picture with hashtag #aaichisavali on Instagram and Facebook, so everyone can enjoy it too! 
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Learn to Create Delicate and Amazing Fondant Monkey: Edible Cake Topper

Hello Friends,

          This edible fondant Monkey cake topper was adorable, and they were a huge hit at the birthday party. They are super easy and fun to create so you can work with your kids on them. I am sure they will love them just like they love playing with play-doh. Turn your art into edible and edible into incredible! Use them on birthday cakes, themed party cakes toppers and watch kids and adults enjoying them. This tutorial will show you how to create edible Monkey cake topper with various expressions. This lovely fondant monkey would make great toppers for cupcakes and cakes. Next time when you make a cake, definitely try this cute fondant monkey cake topper with many expressions! 

             One of my friend's kids were watching their favorite TV show, and suddenly one of them asked me to make an animal-themed cake for her birthday. I said yes and created this monkey cake topper with different expressions and also some other animal cake toppers(will share it soon). When I started to craft them, the idea to make Gandhiji's 3 Monkeys strike in my mind and thought to give it a go and voila! Fellas here it is. They turn out exactly what I thought. In this post, you will find step by step instructions, photos, and video on how to create the monkey topper with various expressions as well as details on all the tools I used. I think they turned out adorable, right? Which expression Monkey did you like the most?

            So guys learn how to make delicate and amazing fondant cake toppers. Let's get started!

YouTube Video:

Things You Need:

• Fondant: brown, flesh and black color
• Heart-shaped cutters
• Dresden tool
• Ball tool
• Star / any pointed tool
• Rolling pin 
• Toothpick
• Edible glue/adhesive
• One stick of spaghetti pasta
• Paintbrush

Instructions:

To Create the Body of the Monkey:

• Roll a ball of the brown color fondant and give it a pear shape. 
• Insert a toothpick into the body by gently.
• Roll out some flesh colored fondant and use a heart-shaped cutter to cut, that will fit onto the tummy and glue it.
• Roll one small ball of flesh color fondant for the tummy/belly button and glue it.
• Roll two smaller balls from the brown color fondant for the nipples and glue it.
• Using a pointed tool, push a hole into the tummy button.

To Create the Legs of the Monkey:

• Roll 2 small balls out of brown fondant(about a third of the size we used for the body) and roll these into a sausage shape.
• Pinch the bulge between fingers and create the shape of the foot.
• Now, place each leg along the side of the body and gently press in.
• Roll two pea-sized pieces of flesh colored fondant to make the foot pads, press them, and make a sausage shape and glue it.
• To Make toes: roll ten little balls of flesh color fondant. Make them in different sizes, so two of each but slightly smaller each time and glue toes on the feet.

To Create the Hands of the Monkey:

• Roll two small pea sized piece of flesh color fondant and give it a teardrop shape.
• Flatten it slightly and cut out a small V shape to create the thumb. 
• Repeat for the other hand, but cut the V out of the opposite side so that you have a pair.
• To make the arms roll brown fondant into a long sausage and the thickness you want monkey's arms to be.
• Dip a small length of spaghetti into the glue and insert it into the hand, and then thread the right arm onto this. 
• Glue them onto the body and let them dry.

To Create Face of the Monkey:

• Using the brown fondant, roll a ball about half the size of the body and turn it into a pear shape.
• Place the head onto the body.
• Use a small heart shape cutter to cut another heart from flesh colored fondant and glue to the head.

To make Muzzle: 

• Roll a small amount of flesh colored fondant and flatten it and glue it to the face.
• Use any pointed tool to make indents for the eyes and glue the small balls of black sprinkles insert into the indents.

To make the nose: 

• Roll a very small amount of flesh colored fondant and glue to the top of the muzzle.
• Insert the pointed tool into the nose to create the nostrils.
• Using a Dresden tool create a mouth.

To create ears: 

• Roll a small ball of flesh colored fondant, flatten, and use a ball tool to create a dimple. Cut in half and then glue it.

To create hair:

• Roll a tiny piece of black fondant and glue in place.

To Create 3 Monkeys:

• You can make your monkey in different expressions by assembling their hands in different ways.

If you try making this edible cake topper Monkey tell me what expressions, the color combination you used in the comments below!

• If you make this recipe, share your food picture with hashtag #aaichisavali on Instagram and Facebook, so everyone can enjoy it too!

• Subscribe my YouTube channel for Healthy, Tasty, Instant Pot and Air fryer recipes.

Eat Healthy, Stay Healthy!!!

Tutti Frutti In Instant Pot / Candied Fruits In Instant Pot

Hello Foodies,

          Voila! Tutti Frutti, My Favorite candied fruit. Which is yours? This Ultimate Tutti Frutti made using raw or green papaya. It's perfect for summer snacking. If you cannot find the tutti frutti for a cake, bread, cookies, or for Icecreams then make at home by using simple steps. Smaller pieces of peeled raw papaya are cooked in a sugar syrup until it reaches the one string consistency, which absorbs the moisture from within the fruit and eventually preserves it. It certainly sounds simple enough! So guys forget that rubbery tutti frutti from the store. Instead make your own version of chewy, aromatic and delicious tutti frutti at home. Using instant pot, you can make tutti frutti in less than half an hour and enjoy it into baked goods or as a topping for special desserts! This creates elegant and perfect stuff for summer dessert to keep everyone happy. Serve up a big glass of Falooda topped with freshly made tutti frutti after dinner and watch your family is enjoying it. 

              I love to eat this tutti frutti with betel leaf, and that combo is known as Meetha Pan(Meetha means sweet, and Pan means Betel Leaf). It's a popular dish to end your meal. Preparation of this Meetha paan is super easy. Begin it by washing the betel leaf and then apply some fruit jam, top it with all the sweet goodies, like saunf, lots of Tutti Frutti, desiccated coconut, mouth freshener and fold it and seal it. Enjoy this Meetha pan after a healthy meal. Basically, paan is a betel leaf mouth freshener from India. So guys let's get started to make this easy peasy candied fruit, Tutti Frutti.

YouTube Video:

Fruit Choices for Candied Fruits?

• Mostly, fresh and raw fruits can be transformed into Candied Fruits.
• You can use cherries, strawberries.
• Pineapples, kiwi can also be candied in slices or chunks.
• Also, some places dates and figs use to candied.

How to use Tutti Frutti in different recipes

• Use to make Ice creams
• To make Tutti Frutti Cake
• Use to Make cold dessert as topping for Falooda, Mastani, Custards, and sundaes.
• Use to flavor Puddings and Sweet Rice.
• They also the main part of sweet paans.
• Uses to bake various bakery products like bread loaves, tutti frutti cakes, cookies.

Preparation Time: 5 Minutes; Cooking Time: 25 Minutes.

¼ Cup of Tutti Frutti Contains 115 Calories.

Ingredients:

• Green Raw Papaya 1(500 g cubes)
• Sugar 2 Cups
• Vanilla Extract 1 Tsp
• Food colors 1 pinch (Red, Orange, Green, Yellow)
• Water 6 Cups or as needed.

Instructions:

To Prepare Tutti Frutti in Instant Pot:

• Wash Raw Papaya and peel the skin of it.
• Remove the seeds if present and cut the papaya into small cubes.
• In a pan add papaya cubes and water 2 cups.
• Turn on instant pot and add 1 cup of water into the insert of the instant pot.
• Place a pan with trivet and close the lid and place vent on sealing position.
• Cook on Manual Mode(Hi) for 1 Minute and quick release pressure(half cook them).
• Open the lid and drain off the water from the cooked papaya and keep aside.
• Turn on saute mode of the instant pot and add sugar 2 cups and water 3 cups and let the sugar dissolve completely.
• Now, add semi cooked raw papaya cubes and stir and boil for 15-20 minutes stirring in between. 
• Cook until get one string consistency of sugar syrup and papaya to turn soft yet retain its shape(For Me: it took 18 minutes to get one string consistency).
• Turn off the instant pot and add vanilla extract and mix all well.

To Make Colorful Tutti Frutti:

• Divide the cooked papaya cubes into equal parts along with sugar syrup.
• Add a pinch of red, green, yellow, and orange food color to each part and mix well.
• Let them soak for 12-24 hours, making sure papaya absorbs all the color.
• Now, drain off the sugar syrup and allow them to dry over kitchen towel. (If desired, you can also dehydrate tutti frutti by spreading thin layers on trays and drying for 12 hours, until fruit is no longer sticky).
• Voila, colorful and flavourful tutti frutti is ready to eat, top them over ice creams, puddings, or eat them as it is. Enjoy!!!

What to do with remaining or drained syrup?

• When you drain the soaked Papaya, you will have, and that can be used to sweeten desserts, or drinks or pour over ice cream.
• It can be good as a glaze on bundt cakes!
• I used it to make falooda.

Shelf Life of the Tutti Frutti:

• Tutti frutti stays good for 5-6 months when refrigerated.

My Take:

• Once the tutti-frutti dries off completely, it will not be sticky, so you can mix the all the colors tutti-frutti together.
• Cook on manual mode until the papaya cubes turn into semi-transparent, even though they are not half cooked, no worries, it will cook well with the sugar syrup.
• Add colors of your choice to make it more attractive and add different extracts to make it flavourful.
• Cut the cubes of raw papaya into small cubes for uniform cooking.

Dietary Comment:

• The calorie count is based on a 2000 calorie diet.
• Per serving(¼ Cup) contains 115 calories, along with 30g carbohydrates.
• Portion size can always be increased or decreased depending on your health goals and activity level. 

If you try making this Tutti Frutti in instant pot, tell me what color combination and flavor you used in the comments below!

If you make this recipe, share your food picture with hashtag #aaichisavali on Instagram and Facebook, so everyone can enjoy it too! 

Subscribe my YouTube channel for Healthy, Tasty, Instant Pot and Air fryer recipes.

Eat Healthy, Stay Healthy!!!