Paneer Tikka Sizzler with Makhni Sauce and assorted vegetables

The word "sizzler" comes from the sizzle that one hears when, after heating the dish under a grill , the gravy is poured on, which dribbles on the hot plate and heats up. Sizzler" is an open-roasted, grilled or shallow fried piece of meat, chicken, fish or vegetables, served with french fries, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, french beans etc., served on a metal or stone hot plate, kept on a wooden base.

Sizzlers are a hot favorite with people of all ages and tastes. They are basically a combination of one main dish served with a choice of sauces and a large variety of accompaniments, and are a complete meal by themselves. Sizzlers can be either sweet, sour or of any flavor. The most common sizzlers are the non vegetarian ones — fish, mutton, and chicken, but the vegetarian ones tastes yummy as well. Vegetable sizzlers  are always a special offering of all the star restaurant of today.

 

Sizzler is a dish which I usually don’t make at home. Because it needs different utensil made with iron (because it retains heat for long time) and consist wooden stand to hold the iron plate. The food that will be served on sizzler plate should be made earlier, then heat the plate for long time(at least 5 minutes). Before serving assemble the food, put some sauce on the top which makes the sizzler sizzle and serve immediately.

So when this week’s theme  of  Sizzlers are chosen by my fellow bloggers for our 20th Foodie Monday Blog Hop theme , I was a little apprehensive , how to make this dish in the absence of a sizzler plate. I am so fortunate to have these charming friend of mine Rupal and Wagmi who encouraged me to try this dish at home and can be served on any hot nonstick thing available at home. This prompts me to think about the possibility of making what kind of sizzler dish and how to get the sizzling effect I could bring in the dish. The whole process was a learning experience from cooking the dish, learning about it’s history and photographing it.

When we look into the type of sizzler dish you can try at home, the choice is endless with Continental Sizzler, Indonesian Sizzler, Italian Sizzler, Lebanese Sizzler, Indian Sizzler, Mexican Sizzler, Thai Sizzler to name a few. Sizzlers are fun, no doubt, but is it possible to indulge in that fun without the scare of excessive calories? Yes, you can try this Indian Sizzler of Paneer Tikka served on sweet rice and some assorted winter vegetables and with the rich makhni gravy to balance out the flavour of the dish. Shake off the guilt occassionally and enjoy this sizzler as a one dish meal piping hot, with an excellent company on a lazy weekend.

 Ingredients For The Paneer Tikkas:

•   500 grams paneer cut into cubes
•   1 cup hung curd
•   2 nos of large onions cut into thick wedges
•   1 Red Bell Pepper, 1 Green Bell Pepper and 1 yellow Bell pepper cut into squares
•     1 teaspoon Besan
•     1 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste
•     1 tablespoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder
•      ½ teaspoon garam Masala
•      ½ Teaspoon dried Kasoori Methi
•      1 small bunch of Coriander Leaves finely chopped
•      2 tablespoon of Mustard Oil
•      Salt

Let's Learn How to make these Paneer Tikka:

• Combine the curd, besan, ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, kasuri methi, garam masala, chopped coriander, salt ,1 tablespoon of mustard oil and mix well to prepare a marinade.
• Add the paneer, onions and capsicum to it and keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Soak the wooden sticks in water for 15 minutes , if you are using barbecue skewers you do not need to do this.
• Arrange the paneer, onions and capsicum on  these bamboo sticks.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of mustard oil on a non-stick tava and sauté the paneer tikkas on all sides till they are lightly browned.

Ingredient for the saffron Flavoured Sweet Rice

•  1 cup basmati rice
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon desi ghee
• 3 to 4  black pepper
• 2 to 3 cloves
• 2 green cardamom
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small pieces of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon Cashew nuts for garnishing
• 1 tablespoon Raisins for garnishing
• 1 tablespoon milk
• a generous pinch of saffron

Lets learn how to make the saffron flavoured Sweet Rice:

• Wash and soak the Basmati rice for 30 minutes. Drain the water and spread it on a clean cloth and keep under a fan so that no water remains in the rice. Smear turmeric on the rice and keep aside.
• Place a heavy bottomed pan on the stove. Add one spoon of desi ghee and when the ghee gets heated, add the cashew nuts and raisins into the pan.
• Roast them till they turn golden brown color and then remove the nuts from the pan.
• Now pour one more spoon of ghee into the pan then add pepper, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, green and black cardamom into the pan. Sauté for few minutes. Add the rice and fry on medium heat till the rice turns a little brown.
• Add warm water and salt into the pan. Add the saffron infused milk ,mix well and cover with a lid.
• Cook on a low flame till the rice is half cooked and then add the sugar and cook till the rice is fully done.Switch off the stove.Garnish with fried cashew nuts and raisins.

Ingredients for the Makhni Sauce

•  4 large tomatoes , roughly chopped
• 2 cloves 
• 10 cashew nuts 
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 
• 2 tsp ginger-garlic  paste
• 1 large onion  finely chopped 
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 3 tbsp fresh cream
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp kasoori methi
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp of sugar

Lets learn how to make the Makhni sauce:

• Boil  the tomatoes, cloves, cashewnuts and oil with ¼ cup water and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
• Blend to a smooth purée and strain the purée through a sieve and keep aside.
• Melt the butter in a pan and add the cumin seeds.When the seeds crackle, add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a few seconds. Add the onions and sauté till the onions turn golden brown. Add the strained purée, chilli powder, sugar and salt.
• Cook with ¼ th cup of warm water and when it reduces to the desired consistency, add the cream, garam masala, kasuri methi  and take it away from heat.

For The Assorted vegetables

• 1 Carrot
• A few Cauliflower florets
• A few florets of Brocoli
• 1 Green Capsicum
• 5-6 French beans
• 3 nos baby corn cut lengthwise
• 1 Medium Onions
• 2 slices of Pineapple
• 1Apple
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• 1/4cup of green peas
•  2 tsp Black salt
• 1 tablespoon Chat Masala
• 2 tbsp Oil

Lets learn how to make this Steaming veggies:

• Wash all the vegetables nicely in chilled water to retain its freshness.
• Julienne carrot, french beans, capsicum. Dice pineapple, apple, and onions. Keep aside.
• Boil carrot, french beans and cauliflower florets , Brocoli and green peas  till half done.
• Heat oil in a wok and saute onions for till it turns translucent. Add capsicum and all the pre boiled vegetables.
• Toss lightly and add pineapple, apple and add black salt and the  Sprinkle Chat masala on top.

Once you have assorted all the elements of this yummy Vegetable Sizzler along with the sauce, we have to make sure to serve this sizzler  on a hot sizzling plate with the smoky and aromatic sizzling taste.

 Ingredients  for the sizzle

• 1 tbsp oil mixed with 1 tablespoon of water

Now let's plate this beautiful one pot sizzling dish:

• Heat the  sizzler cast iron sizzler plates/ stone plates over an open flame till they are red hot and place them on the  wooden trays.
• Arrange half the warm sweet rice in one side of the cast iron/ stone  plate.I have used a stone plate to serve. So I have placed a silver foil on the base and have served my rice and vegetable on it, so that the rice does not burn.
• Pour the vegetables mixture on one side of the plate.Place two skewers of the paneer tikkas on top of the rice.
• Pour some of the Makhni sauce over the Paneer Tikkas.
•  Rub a stick of butter  on the hot silver foil and pour a teaspoon of oil and water mixture  just before serving to bring the sizzle, smoke and aroma. This is surely going to click to your guests.
• Serve immediately with the makhni sauce.

TURKISH YOGURT SOUP WITH RICE, MINT AND PAPRIKA FLAKES

Turkish cuisine is very rich in terms of variety of soups. Soups Known as “Corba” in Turkish forms a very important part of Turkish diet In rural Anatolia, it is very common for this yogurt soup be eaten as breakfast, for a substantial meal, throughout the year. Yayla Çorbası or "highland meadow" soup has drawn its name  Yayla from the word "yaylalar" or high mountains meadows in northern of Turkey where grazing is at its best and high quality yogurt and dairy products are found in abundance. In Turkey, this soup is considered a good menu to fight cold because it has mild and minty flavor which easy and light for your stomach. this yogurt and mint soup is one of the most basic, tasty and filling soups I have and since then it has become an indispensable part of my comfort foods list.

 

Yogurt is an indispensable kitchen staple in Turkey. It is added to salads, made into sauces with garlic to scoop onto pasta dishes, used to moisten the layers of borek  pies, to fix a refreshing yogurt drink, ayran, or turned into this wonderfully  light but still a filling soup called yayla corbasi.  Yayla chorbasi is somewhat similar to the Azerbaijani yogurt soup called dovgha , with the main difference being in the herbs used- the Azerbaijani soup features a variety of fresh herbs (cilantro, dill,  spinach etc), while its Turkish counterpart is flavored with dried mint only.

Cuisine: Turkish

Serves 4-6

Preparation time: 10 minutes              

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of water (you can also use vegetable stock)
• 1/2 cup basmati rice, rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes
• 2 tablespoon of  olive oil
• 2  Cups plain, thick and creamy yogurt drained for 30 minutes
• 1 tablespoon All Purpose Flour.
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

For the dried mint & paprika flakes sauce:

•  2 tablespoon Olive Oil
• ½ tablespoon paprika flakes – you can use more for a spicier flavor
• ½ tablespoon dried mint

 

Let's Learn How to make Turkish Yogurt Soup:

• Soak the basmati rice in water for 30 minutes and hang the plain yogurt in muslin cloth to remove the excess whey.
•  Bring the water to a boil in a heavy saucepan and add the rice. Stir well and simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender and has released its starch to thicken the soup. Remove from the heat.

• Meanwhile in a bowl, combine the yogurt and  flour and beat until smooth (the flour stabilize the yogurt and keep it from curdling). From the pan, take a cupful of hot stock and whisk it into the mixture. Return the thickened mixture to the soup pan, stir in the dried mint and season with salt and ground black pepper. Stir well and simmer gently for another 10 minutes, or until the soup has a creamy consistency.

• To make the dried mint and paprika flakes sauce, gently heat the olive oil  in a separate pan on a low heat. Stir in the dried mint and paprika flakes, stir and cook on a very low heat so that the spices don’t burn for about 30 seconds, until the spices start to sizzle. Whisk this sauce into the soup.

Recipe adopted from http://ozlemsturkishtable.com/

Note: The Original recipe calls for adding egg yolk which I have not used .You can also  presoak ¼ cup dried chickpeas in water for a few hours, then boil until tender. Drain the chickpeas and add them to the already cooked soup. 

Sending this recipe to Foodie Monday Bloghop theme called  "Soup"

Chicken Shawarma - A Lebanese Gourmet dish

            

  Chicken Shawarma is a popular gourmet dish that one can get at Middle Eastern restaurants.  Marinated chicken chunks are mounted on a large rotating skewer and then roasted slowly to perfection against a gas burning grill.  Due to the unavailability of such industrial roasters at homes, Chicken Shawarma has typically remained a restaurant dish.  However by learning a few tricks you can bring the beautiful flavor of Chicken Shawarma to your home without the need of such roasters.

 

The basic concept is to have a nice marination that mimics a good chicken shawarma flavor and then grill the chicken in such a way that keeps it juicy. Do not overcook the chicken, only  13-15 minutes of cooking on medium heat is plenty, especially when we are cooking thin slices of chicken.

The Chicken Shawarma Wrap

Once the chicken shawarma is grilled, place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and shred into thin slices. Spread those slices along the diameter of a lachha paratha, add a bit of Lebanese Garlic Paste (check recipe) , some salty pickled cucumber , few charred cherry tomatoes, roll it and voila.. you’ve got yourself a nice chicken shawarma Wrap, made at home!

Ingredients

·         4 nos of thinly cut skinless boneless chicken breast

·         1 tbsp of lemon juice

·         1 tablespoons of tomato sauce

·         4 tablespoons of plain (Greek) yogurt

·         1 tablespoons of vinegar

·         1 head of garlic, crushed

·         2 tablespoons of olive oil

·         Salt  to taste

·         ½ teaspoon of ground oregano (or thyme)

·         1 teaspoon of paprika

·         ½ teaspoon of ginger paste

·         A pinch of nutmeg powder

Other ingredients for the Wrap:

Green Chutney
Lebanese Garlic Paste
Pickled Cucumber
Grilled Tomatoes
Shredded Onions
Lachha Paratha

Lets learn how to do it:

1.    Rinse the boneless chicken breasts with fresh cold water and  cut them horizontally into thinner cuts of about ½ inch (each breast could possibly be split into 2 slices depending on thickness).

2.    Mix all ingredients in a bowl and marinate the chicken in it , cover and let the chicken marinate in the fridge overnight.

3.    When ready, grill the marinated chicken using a grill for about 15 minutes on medium heat. You can also cook the chicken on a BBQ grill if you wish.

4.    Once cooked, shred the chicken breasts thinly as in the photo and it's now ready to be wrapped into a Shawarma Wrap. 

5.   Spread the chicken shreds along the diameter of a Lachha Paratha (check recipe below) , spread a bit of Lebanese Garlic paste, add some salty cucumber pickles ( Check recipe below), some charred tomatoes, green chutney (check recipe below)  , finely chopped onion, sprinkle some salt,  roll and enjoy.

A Small Secret For Moist Chicken

           Right when you take the chicken off the grill, place the chicken breasts in an empty warm pot, close the lid tightly and keep them locked for about 8-10 minutes.  The trapped vapors and moisture inside the pot will make the chicken very moist.

Grilled Baby Tomatoes or Charred Tomatoes

To bring a earthy charm to the recipe I have added the charred tomatoes as I didn't have Cherry Tomatoes at home. The earthiness it brings can not be compared to the raw tomato slices. However, it is a personal choice to use tomatoes in this way.

Pickled Cucumber

Cut cucumber into thin slices and add to the jar with 2-4 cloves of garlic crushed and minced, 3 Tbsp white vinegar,6 to 7 Black pepper corn, 3 to 4 green chillies slit lengthwise and salt . Once everything is in the jar, fill to the very top with filtered water and screw the lid  very tightly. Shake the jar  to distribute flavors and leave on your counter top for 12 hours. Shake again and turn upside down for another 12 hours, making sure the lid is screwed on tightly to avoid leakage. After pickles have sat for a total of 24 hours you can store in refrigerator and enjoy within a month for maximum freshness.

Lebanese Garlic Paste:

      In Lebanon they call it “Toom” or “Toum” which literally means garlic.   Egyptian  call it “Tooma”… Greek  have a similar version which they call “skordalia” and in Spain it’s referred to as “Aioli”.  In the US it is generally referred to as garlic sauce, however the fact is that it’s closer to being a paste than a sauce. Whatever the name is, a successful garlic sauce has a white, creamy texture similar to that of mayo, sour cream or “Labneh” and with a pungent aroma of garlic, and a mouth-watering tong-tingling blood-pressure-lowering flavor that is a perfect marriage between garlic and lemon juice.

 

This garlic paste goes very well with many BBQs, especially chicken Shawarma, grilled chicken, Kabab, BBQ chicken. The secret of making a garlic sauce lies in understanding the process of emulsification which is a process which allows liquids (water) and oils to “mix,” and turn into a “cream” in the presence of an emulsifier or emulsifying agent, and with the help of an external mechanical force such as grinding, shaking, stirring, spinning. The sequence in which oils and water are added, and the ratios also matter a lot and an imbalance can easily break the emulsification process and turn the ingredients back into a liquid state.

Traditional Garlic Sauce Preparation Method

          
        The Lebanese garlic dip was traditionally made using a pestle and mortar. People would first add the freshly peeled garlic cloves and salt to the pestle and hammer it away until it’s completely crushed. Then, they would add a tiny bit of olive oil (1/2 teaspoon) and hammer away for a minute or so, and then repeat this step for perhaps 30-40 minutes until the oil has been used, while adding a few drops of lemon juice throughout. Another way to do it is to wait on adding the lemon juice until the end. Both ways work.

Modern Preparation Method

Over time, the garlic paste making process slowly moved to food processors and olive oil was substituted with vegetable oils which made the dip less biting and even whiter.

Oil must be added at an extremely slow rate while the food processor is constantly running, and the oil pouring must stop occasionally for a few minutes to allow the garlic paste in the processor to absorb the new oils.

 

Ingredients

·         3 heads of garlic, pealed

·         180 ml of sunflower oil

·         1 lemon, freshly juiced

·         1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)

Instructions

1.    Before starting, ensure  all ingredients are at room temperature for a more reliable outcome.

2.    Add the garlic and salt in the food processor and run for 10-20 seconds. Stop processor, scrap garlic down the sides, then run processor again for another 10-20 seconds. Repeat process 3-4 times until garlic starts to turn pasty and looks crushed. This is very important to reach before proceeding.

3.    Start adding the oil to the processor at a very slow rate, in a very thin stream, each 60ml at a time. After adding the first 60ml you will start seeing the garlic emulsify and turn into a paste already.

4.    Add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice very slowly, in a thin stream. Wait on it a few seconds until the lemon juice is well absorbed.

5.    Then go back to repeating the same process of adding slowly 60ml of oil, waiting a few seconds, then adding ½ teaspoon of lemon juice until you’ve used all ingredients. This process should take 8-10 minutes.

6.    If at any point you see that the paste is turning liquid, it may be an indication that you’ve added either too much lemon juice, or oil, or you may have added them at a fast rate. In this case your options may be limited especially if the paste completely breaks. Sometimes adding a cube of ice may help.

Green Chutney:

Coriander is a herb that has been in use in ancient Indian Cooking. It is soothing to the stomach, and its long term use strengthens the stomach muscles. Coriander is a leafy vegetable, high in fibre and is beneficial for diabetic and heart patients.

Green chutney, usually known as hari chutney, is a versatile Indian condiment that can be used in many different ways. It is best used as a condiment with grilled or fried food, but may be used a spread or dip too. it acts as a spreads in wraps and rolls and also as a side during meal times

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh Coriander leaves,  chopped

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

1 tbsp jaggery

1 tsp tamarind paste

2 to 3 green chillies

salt to taste

Instructions

1.     With some water blend or grind all the ingredients in a blender or chutney grinder till smooth.

2.     Check the seasoning and add more salt if required.

3.     Store the coriander chutney in a covered bowl or container in the refrigerator.Use the coriander chutney whenever required.  

Lachha Paratha:

Laccha paratha is one of the Indian Breads, Unlike Roti or Parathas(Flat breads). This is a Layered , flakey paratha, made with Whole wheat flour. 

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 tblsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Water - As needed 

Mix flour,a tsp of ghee,salt well and then sprinkle water enough to make a smooth dough. But let it be stiff, not too soft. Otherwise it will be difficult for handling.   

Divide into 4 equal balls. Roll into big circle,as big as our tawa. Then apply a tsp of ghee evenly on the top. Either use your hands to spread or with a brush.

Sprinkle a tsp of flour and spread the flour evenly and start folding like the pleats.  The finer the pleats, you get more layers.

After fully done, twist and coil (roll) to make a flat round .Roll carefully, without applying too much pressure to ensure the layers are still there.

Heat tawa and drizzle oil and cook in medium flame(with oil drizzled) both sides until golden brown. Use the spatula and gently press while cooking to ensure even cooking. Always cook in medium flame with constant pressing with the laddle to ensure even cooking.

The recipe has been adopted from http://www.mamaslebanesekitchen.com. However I have added some Indian flavor in the form of Lachha Paratha, Green Chutney, to suit to the palette of my family