Paneer Onion Soup

Soup is one of the healthy appetizers that you would always love to include in your meal. If you are eating at a restaurant, you would always start with a bowl of hot and tasty soup. Why not? Soups are healthy and also aids weight loss. There is a diet named after knowing the weight loss benefits of soup. As the seasonal changes are affecting our health, you can have some healthy and delicious soups at home as a filling evening snack or as a starter.
There are many soup recipes that you can try. Here we are giving you an easy to prepare paneer and onion soup recipe. Paneer is a substitute of chicken for vegetarians. Lest check out this vegetarian paneer and onion soup recipe.

Ingredients:::

• Paneer- 250 gms (cut into small cubes)
• Onions- 2 (grated)
• Tomato- 1 small sized (mashed)
• Fried noodles- 1 cup
• Cabbage- ½ cup (chopped)
• Garlic- 3 pods (mashed)
• Bread slices- 3 (cut into small cubes)
• Manchurian sauce- 1tsp
• Black pepper- 1tsp (grounded)
• Salt- as per taste
• Oil- 1tbsp
• Water- ½ cup

For garnishing:::

• Parsley- 1tbsp
• Onion- ½ (sliced)
• Coriander leaves- 1tbsp (chopped)
• Butter- 1tsp

Method:::

• Pressure cook the cabbage for a duration of 2 whistles. Strain the water and mash the cabbage.
• Heat a pan and add oil. Fry the paneer cubes and onions for 2 minutes on medium flame. When the paneer cubes become golden, add tomatoes, garlic, boiled cabbage and cook for 2 minutes on low flame.
• Sprinkle salt, black pepper and then pour manchurian sauce. Add water and bring it to boil. When the soup thickens, take it off flame.
• Pour the paneer and onion soup in a soup bowl.

• Paneer and onion soup is ready to eat. Add fried noodles while serving. Garnish with parsley, coriander leaves, onion and butter. You can have this hot and relaxing soup with bread sticks or as a plain starter.

Jeera Aloo: Spicy Potatoes

Jeera aloo is an easy Indian recipe. This spicy maincourse dish can be prepared in just 10 minutes. It is a recipe made of fried potatoes and cumin seeds. If you want to enjoy this dish as a snack, you can deep fry and serve with tomato ketchup. This is actually a North Indian recipe. But if you add some curry leaves and mustard seeds while seasoning, it acquires a nice South Indian flavour.

Ingredients:::

• Potatoes 4 (chopped into small pieces)
• Cumin seeds 1 tsp
• Cumin powder 1 tsp
• Amchoor or dry mango powder 1 tsp
• Green chillies 3-4 (minced)
• Coriander leaves or cilantro (chopped) 1 tbsp
• Oil 1 tbsp
• Salt as per taste

 
Method:::

• Cut and peel potatoes.
• Heat oil in a pan (medium sized). Season the oil with cumin seeds.
• Reduce the flame to minimum and add cumin powder and amchoor to it.
• Pour the chopped potatoes into oil with the minced green chillies and add salt.
• Stir the potatoes a couple of times and cover the pan with a lid.
• Let it cook on low flame for 5 minutes. You need to keep stirring it once in a while to stop the potatoes from getting stuck to the bottom of the pan.
• Remove from flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Tips::: You can prepare this instant recipe of Jeera Aloo as a snack or a side dish with paratha..

Soyabean Pakora

Pakoras are a tasty fried snack that is very famous in India. This evening snack is highly enjoyed with a cup of tea. Pakoras at home or in street stalls are best served with a cup of masala chai. You can have vegetable pakora, plain pakora or even add different ingredients like chicken, kheema, paneer etc.
Soybeans are a healthy diet food that has many benefits. This legume is packed with proteins, nutrients and vitamins that are required by the body. It prevents cancer, protects the heart, improves digestion and strengthens bones to name a few. You can easily make soybean pakora and enjoy this healthy evening snack sometimes. Pakoras are deep fried and can burn the proteins and nutrients of soybeans. Moreover, they are deep fried in oil so it is a fatty snack. But, sometimes you can have this dish to satisfy your taste buds. Lets check out the soybean pakora recipe.

Ingredients:::

• Soybean- 100 gms
• Onion- 2 (chopped)
• Potatoes- 3 (boiled and mashed)
• Green chillies- 3 (chopped)
• Bengal gram/besan- 2 cups
• Red chilli powder- 1tsp
• Ajwain- 1tsp
• Coriander seeds- 1tsp
• Black sesame seeds/kala til- ½ tsp
• Baking soda- a pinch
• Salt- as per taste
• Water- 2 cups
• Oil- 2 cups

Method:::

• Soak soybean in hot water for 8-10 minutes. This softens them.
• In a bowl, add besan(bengal gram), ajwain, red chilli powder, salt, kala til (black sesame seeds), baking soda, coriander seeds and mix.
• Now add soybean, onions, green chillies and potatoes. Mix well with a spoon and slowly pour in water to make a semi-liquid pakora paste.
• Heat oil in a deep bottomed frying pan. When the oil becomes hot, slowly add a few pakora balls. Deep fry them till they become golden brown in colour and look crisp. Repeat till the mix gets over.

• Soybean pakoras are ready to eat. Serve them hot with coriander chutney or tomato sauce. 

Tips::: You can also mix coriander chutney with tamarind chutney. The sweet and spicy chutney will be a great combo with this evening snack.

Kacha Posto Bora (Poppy seed small cakes)

Posto bora is a rare delicacy cooked in the bengali household. Also known as poppy seed cakes, these posto (poppy seed) boras (small round cakes) are yummilicious.

It is rarely made may be because poppy seeds are expensive and these boras are so mouth wateringly tasty that you need to make lots of them. Easy to cook and make here is the recipe. Can be eaten with steamed rice and plain daal.

Ingredients :::

• Posto / poppy seeds – 1 cup

• Green chilies – 3 finely chopped

• Green chilies – 2 for grinding

• Onion – 1 finely chopped

• Maida / besan – 3 to 4 tbsp

• Salt & sugar to taste

• Mustard oil for frying

Method:::

• Soak the posto in water along with a pinch of salt for 30 minutes.
• Now in a grinder add the posto with the water and 2 green chilies. Make sure the mixture turns in to a smooth paste with no grains visible. 
• Now in a bowl add chopped onions, green chilies, ground posto and mix well. Add salt and sugar. Some like it sweet and some like it salty. 
• Add the seasoning as per your taste. Add the besan or maida so that it binds well and the mixture no longer remains runny. Now add a little bit of mustard oil and mix well.
• In a non-stick pan, heat little bit of oil. Make small round cakes and gently put them in the pan one by one. 
• Fry them in the medium heat so that they don’t burn. Turn the boras once they are done to cook on the other side.
• Once done, drain the boras in a paper towel. You posto bora is ready to eat. Serve hot.