Here is a punjabi thali i made when a close friend visited us last week. The menu is given below.
Menu:
Drink - Jal Jeera
Starters - Papad salad and Paneer fingers
Bread - Naan
Side dish - Kadai vegetables, Methi dhal and Chole
Rice - Peas-jeera Pulao
Raita - Cucumber raita
Dessert - Rabdi
Pickle and Sauce
Home-made paneer
Ingredients:
- Milk - 5 cups
- Yogurt - 1/2 cup or Lemon juice- about 1/4 cup
How to make it:
Bring milk to a boil. Add the curd and mix well. Let it boil on low flame until its curdled and the whey separates. Switch off the flame. Drain the whey water from curdled milk. Wash the paneer in cold water. Take on to a muslin or cheese cloth and squeeze to drain excess water. To make a paneer block, keep a heavy bottom pan over the paneer until set. The whey water can be used for making sabji's and also as a substitute for curd or lemon juice while making paneer. I have tried making panner using both lemon juice and yogurt. I prefer yogurt as it gives more quantity and a softer paneer.
Jal Jeera
A popular drink of punjab, served chilled before the meal instead of soup. Its refreshing as well as induce hunger.
Ingredients:
- Jal jeera powder - 1 tbsp
- Water - 1 cup
- Ice cubes - 2
- Mint or Corriander leaves - for garnishing
How to make it:
To a cup of water, add jal jeera powder and mix well. Add ice cubes and garnish with mint or corriander leaves.
Paneer Fingers
Ingredients:
- Crumbled paneer - 3/4 cup
- Rice flour - 1/4 cup
- Corn flour - 2 tbsp
- Chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
- Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
- Onions - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
- Salt - as required
- Oil - for frying
How to make it:
Heat oil in a pan. In a bowl, mix all the above ingredients with just right amount of water to make a soft dough. Roll into required shape and deep fry in oil until golden brown.
Papad Salad
Ingredients:
- Papad - 1 (I used Lijjat papad)
- Tomato - 1, finely chopped
- Onion - 1, finely chopped
- Cucumber - 1, finely chopped
- Corrinader leaves - few to garnish
- Salt - as required
- Black pepper powder - as required
- Lemon juice - 1 tsp (if preferred)
How to make it:
Mix all the vegetables, add salt, black pepper powder, and lemon juice. Cook papad on medium heat on a tava. Place the cooked papad on a plate, topped with the vegetables and garnish with corriander leaves.
Naan
Ingredients:
- All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups
- Active (rapid rise) yeast - 1 tsp
- Warm water - 1 cup plus more if required
- Salt - as required
- Sugar - 1/2 tsp
- Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
- Oil - 2 tbsp
How to make it:
To 1/2 cup of warm water, add the yeast and feed with a pinch of salt and sugar. Keep aside until it becomes frothy. In a bowl, add the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the yeast water and knead to make a soft dough. Add oil and knead for few more minutes. Cover and set aside in a warm place until it rises into double. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit. Take a ball of the dough and roll flat. Bake on a pizza pan until done for about 10-12 minutes. Take out and brush with butter. Cut and serve.
Peas -Jeera Pulao
Ingredients:
- Basmati rice - 1 cup cooked and grains separated
- Onions - 1 cup chopped
- Peas - 1/2 cup
- Jeera - 1 tbsp
- Cashews - few
- Bay Leaf - 1
- Cardamom - 3 or 4 crushed
- Cloves - 3 or 4 crushed
- Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
- Green chillies - 2 or 3, slit
- Oil - 2 tbsp
- Butter - 1 tbsp
- Salt - as required
How to make it:
Heat oil and butter in a pan, add bay leaves, cashews, crushed cardamom, cloves and jeera. Add the onions, green chillies and ginger garlic paste and fry until onion turns transparent and raw smell of garlic goes off. Add the peas and cook until peas becomes soft. Add the cooked rice and salt and mix well.
Methi dhal
Ingredients:
- Methi leaves - 1/2 cup washed
- Corriander leaves - 1/4 cup
- Onion - 1, chopped finely
- Toor dhal - 1/4 cup
- Moong dhal - 1/4 cup
- Masoor dhal - 1/4 cup
- Turmeric powder - a pinch
- Green chillies - 2 slit
- Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
- Jeera - 1 tsp
- Curry leaves - few
- Salt - as required
- Oil - 2 tbsp
- Butter - 1 tbsp
How to make it:
Combine all the dhal and pressure cook with enough water and a pinch of turmeric powder. Heat oil in a pan, add jeera and when it sizzles add the onions, ginger garlic and chillies and fry until raw smell leaves. Add the chopped methi leaves, corriander leaves and curry leaves and fry for a while. Add the cooked dhal and salt. Cook until done. Add a dollop of butter on top. Mix well before serving!
Chole masala
Ingredients:
- Chickpeas - 1 cup, soaked and cooked
- Onions - 1, chopped
- Tomato - 1
- Turmeric powder- a pinch
- Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
- Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
- Jeera - 1 tsp
- Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
- Cloves - 2 crushed
- Garam masala - 1 tsp
- Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
- Salt - as required
- Corriander leaves - to garnish
- Oil - as required
How to make it:
Puree tomato in a blender. Heat oil in a pan, add fennel seeds, cloves and jeera and when it sizzles, add onions and ginger garlic paste. Add the garam masala, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and cardamom powder. Fry until raw smell goes off. Add the pureed tomato, salt and chickpeas and cook until done. Garnish with corriander leaves.
Kadai vegetables
Ingredients:
- Vegetables - 2 cups chopped ( cauliflower, carrot, peas, beans, potato and green peppers)
- Onion - 1 chopped
- Paneer - 1/2 cup cubed
- Tomato - 1
- Tomato paste - 1 tbsp
- Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
- Cashews - few
- Cardamom - 2 crushed
- Cloves - 2 crushed
- Garam masala - 1 tsp
- Chilli powder - 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
- Kasuri methi - 1 tsp
- Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
- Salt - as required
- Oil - as required
- Butter - 1 tbsp
How to make it:
In an un-oiled pan fry the cardamom, cloves and cashews. Grind with tomato and kasuri methi into a thick paste. Cube paneer and deep fry until golden brown. Set aside. Steam all the vegetables except onion and green peppers. Heat oil and butter in a pan add fennel seeds and when it sizzles, add onions and ginger garlic paste and fry for a while. Add chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and tomato paste. Add green peppers and cook for a while. Add the pureed tomato and enough water and cook until oil separates. Add vegetables and fried paneer cubes and cook until done. Garnish with corrinader leaves.
Cucumber raita
Ingredients:
- Cucumber - 1 small, finely chopped
- Yogurt - 1 cup (plain)
- Corriander leaves - to garnish
- Salt - as required
- Jal jeera - a pinch (if preferred)
How to make it:
Mix cucumber and salt in a bowl. Add yogurt and mix well. Granish with corriander leaves and sprinkle a pinch of jal jeera.
Rabdi
Ingredients:
- Crumbled paneer - 1/2 cup
- Evaporated milk - 1 can
- Milk - 2 cup
- Sugar - 1/4 cup or as required
- Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
- Nuts and raisins - to garnish
How to make it:
Boil milk and evaporated milk. Add cardamom powder and sugar and let it boil until a thick layer forms on top. Add the crumbled paneer and mix well until it become thick. Pour onto a bowl and once cooled refrigerate for few hours. Granish with nuts and raisins before serving!
Here is one more look!
