Guest Post - 47 : Today's Guest - Roshan

We have Roshan from Roshan's Cucina is with us today. She is a freelance research writer. She is interested in health, food, gardening, etc...Let us hear from her now...

Nithu's Kitchen : Tell us about you.

Roshan : My name is Daisy Roshan Nash. I am a freelance research writer and a mother of two. I live in Kochi.

Nithu's Kitchen : What are your interests.

Roshan : My interests include reading articles on health, food, fitness, social and political issues. I am also interested in gardening, home makeover and trying out new recipes.

Nithu's Kitchen : What made you to start a blog.

Roshan : I had a wish to publish a recipe book when I resigned my job (I was working in the ad dept of an English publication until my second child was born). Somehow it didn't work out....probably because I was busy with my freelance job and my infant baby. Now that my younger one has started his play school, I started a blog to record and share my recipes.

Nithu's Kitchen : Share us one unforgettable experience from one of your holiday trips.

Roshan : It was when we went to Munnar. We had stopped on the way at a resort which did not have a well laiden road. We had to reverse the vehicle down the hill to get to the place. The first time, a person at the resort directed my hubby. Later we went out to visit places and

returned at night. It was pitch dark and half way we felt our car was slipping away b'coz the place to be parked was slightly towards the right and we were reversing to the left. In no way my hubby could control the car since the dry grass was pulling down the vehicle when it was in brake also. Finally I managed to get out of the car with the kids and took a stone from nearby and placed it behind the wheel. Then I called the person at the resort who made arrangements to pull the car up. He called three men and tied the car with a rope and pulled it up.

Nithu's Kitchen : What dish do you have today to share with us. Why did you select this dish.

Roshan : I would like to share Kashmiri Paneer. Paneer is an ingredient liked by all and I consider all Kashmiri dishes to be exotic as is the place.

Ingredients :

paneer – 200 gms

tomato – 4

curd – 3-4 tbsp

chilly powder – ¾ tsp

salt – to taste

black cardamom – 2 or green cardamom – 3

bay leaf – 2 small

ghee - 2 tbsp

Ingredients not in the original recipe :

Pepper powder – ½ tsp

Sugar – ½ - ¾ tsp

Oil – 2 tbsp

Onion – 1

Garlic – 3 cloves

Method :

1. Cut the paneer into 4 cm long x 2-3 cm wide slabs.

2. Chop the tomatoes, onion and garlic and puree it with the curd.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan and add the ghee and vegetable oil. Deep fry the paneer pieces till light to golden brown (may be fried in batches). In the original recipe, the paneer was fried till it turned almost black. Drain the fried paneer pieces and place it in ¼ cup water or milk.

4. To the remaining ghee + oil add the bay leaf and cardamom and fry till the aroma comes out. Add the pureed tomato and curd mix.

5. Add the chilly powder and salt and let the puree boil for five minutes. Add pepper powder and sugar. Check taste and add more sugar and pepper if needed.

6. Half cup water may be added if the gravy is too thick. Add the fried paneer pieces and simmer for ten minutes.

Nithu's Kitchen : Thank you so much Roshan. Enjoyed talking to you.

Roshan : Thanks for the opportunity. Nice talking to you too.

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