Our Eid Menu

 by Libas Team

Paneer de Tikke (Home-made Cheese Tikka)

-Serves 4

The ‘tanduri’ style of cooking lends itself mainly to non-vegetarian dishes. So here is a recipe for a vegetarian ‘tikka’ that uses paneer, a home-made cheese that does not melt when cooked. For those who do not eat eggs, omit the egg and add 1 more tablespoon each of gram flour and cream.

500g (1 lb) paneer

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garam masala

¼ teaspoon ground mango powder

½ teaspoon dry roasted ground cumin seeds

salt to taste

1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves

2 tablespoons gram flour

2 tablespoons thick double cream

1 egg

lightly beaten

¼ teaspoon ground dried red chilies

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

1. Cut the paneer into pieces 3.5cm (one and a half inch) square and 2.5cm (1 inch) thick. Put in a shallow bowl and sprinkle with the turmeric, pepper, garam masala, mango powder, cumin seeds, salt, and fenugreek leaves. Toss the paneer gently to coat well with all the spices. Set aside for 15 minutes.
2. In a bowl put gram flour, cream, egg, salt, and ground red chilies. Whisk well until a smooth, thick batter is formed. Add the spiced paneer to the batter. Mix gently, coating all the pieces thoroughly. Set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4. Thread the paneer tikkas on to skewers, leaving spaces in between each piece.
4. Place the skewers on a wire rack over a baking tin and cook in the oven for about 10-12 minutes. Turn them once during cooking.
5. Just before serving, place the tikkas under a hot grill for a few seconds to brown the edges.

Serve hot with any chutney. (Unsuitable for freezing).

Malaipura (Creamy Pancake)-Serves 4
-Serves 4

Purras are traditionally made during the rainy season in Punjab. They are warm and filling.

150g (5 oz) plain white flour

180ml (6 fl oz) milk

180ml (6 oz) double cream

150g (5 oz) sugar

180ml (6 fl oz) water

½ teaspoon aniseed crushed

¼ teaspoon saffron crushed

½ teaspoon rosewater

oil for shallow frying

2 tablespoons mixed chopped nuts.

1. Put the flour in a bowl. Mix together the milk and cream and add, a little at a time, to the flour. Stir constantly until the mixture becomes a creamy batter of pouring consistency. Add a little more or less liquid as needed. Cover and leave for 30 minutes. Mix well just before use.
2. Put the sugar and water in a pan and place it on medium heat. Bring to the boil, add the aniseed, lower the heat and simmer until a thick syrup is formed.
3. Remove from the heat, add the saffron and rose-water and set aside.
4. Place a heavy-based frying pan on medium heat and add enough oil to coat the surface. Pour a tablespoon of batter into the pan and gently swirl it into a circle of about 10cm or 4 inches. Lower the heat and fry for about 30seconds or until golden brown. Turnover and fry gently for 1 minute or until golden brown. Repeat using the remaining batter to make more pancakes.
5. Arrange the malaipuras on a serving dish, pour the syrup all over and decorate with chopped nuts. Serve hot.