Veg patiala

#veg #patiala #veggies #papad #vegpatiala

Ingredients: 2 onions roughly chopped, 6-8 cashews, 1/2 cup diced french beans, 1/2 cup diced carrots, 1/2 cup florets of cauliflower, 1/4 cup green peas, 1/4 cup paneer cubes, 2 udat papads, 2 tsp kasuri methi, 1/2 cup cream, 2-3 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp red chilli powder, salt to taste, 1 tsp asafoetida, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tbsp grated paneer, 1 1/2 tbsp ghee, oil to fry papad, 2-4 tbsp milk

Preparation Time: 25 min (prepares for 6)

Recipe:

1. Saute the onions and cashews dry in a pan till they become golden and grind both to paste.

2. In a shallow pan, add a tbsp of ghee. To this, add the cauliflower, carrots, beans, peas and salt to taste and mix well. Cover with lid and allow cooking of the vegetables. Do not over- cook the veggies. They should remain crunchy. Once cooked, remove the veggies in a bowl and keep aside.

3. In the pan, add the remaining ghee and heat for seasoning. Now add mustard seeds and asafoetida. Upon cracking, add the paste of onion and cashews and stir well on low gas till the ghee oozes out from the corners. Now, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala to this and mix well. Let the spices cook well. In the meantime, beat the cream (I use the mixer pot - it gives a smooth texture as well as drives away the smell of onion that was ground earlier). Add this to the pan and stir continuously for half a minute. 

4. Add 2 tbsp milk and mix well. Bring the curry to a boil. Add salt to taste to the curry.

5. Now, add all the cooked vegetables to this mixture. Allow cooking and mixing of the flavors by tossing slightly. The mixture should not have running gravy yet it should not be too thick. The consistency should be such that the mixture can be easily spread over. If it is too thick, then add a tbsp or more of milk. Add the paneer cubes to this and turn well. Add kasuri methi to this, mix well and cover with lid.

6. While the vegetables' curry is simmering, deep fry the papads. You can cut them into halves and then fry. Keep aside the fried papads.

7. It's time to dish! In a serving bowl, add a layer of one papad. Over this layer, evenly spread half of the veg curry prepared in the form of a layer. Then, place a layer of second papad. Over this, again evenly spread the layer of the veg curry. 

8. Garnish with grated paneer and serve it hot! Veg patiala tastes great with kulchas or lachha parathas.