Slow cooker palak paneer (Cottage cheese cubes in spinach sauce)

Paneer is an important dish for the vegetarians in India, It is a must in weddings or any occasion for a vegetarian.

Today was one of those days when you have too much work, a fussy baby, and a desire to cook a good meal. I was working on my sewing project for a long time and wanted to finish it today but still wanted to eat a good meal so I made the preparation, put the palak paneer in the slow cooker, and sat to finish my project.





Some may wonder that this seems easy on a stove top too but the total time spent in preparation for slow cooker palak paneer is less than 10 minutes compared to 45 minutes preparation and cooking time if you do it on stove top.

HISTORY :
In India Saag made of Mustard greens with Yak's milk goes back at least 2000 BC during the Mohenjodaro and Harappa Civilization but the Paneer was introduced during Emperor Akbar's period late 15 century.

Paneer was invented by Mongols riding their horses carrying milk in Mushki (Bags made of raw-hyde). The heat of desserts and the rennet in the leather turned the milk into Paneer.

Palak Paneer is a Spinach Leaves based curry dish eaten in India and Pakistan with bread. The difference between Palak Paneer and Saag Paneer is, in some cases, consistency. Palak is watery compared to a more solid saag/ Mustard green.

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch fresh spinach, washed thoroughly
2 large yellow or red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 piece ginger (4 inches) peeled and roughly chopped
1 garlic head, peeled and chopped or 2 tbsp garlic paste
5 green, Thai, Serrano or cayenne chilies  stemmed
4 tbsp. ground cumin1 heaping tbsp. garam masala
2 tsp. turmeric powder
Fresh cream 1tbsp
1 tbsp. salt



DIRECTION

Microwave the spinach with 1 cup of water for 6 minutes. In the meantime put the onion and garlic in a blender and make a paste.
Blend the spinach until smooth in a blender or transfer to a blender and do the same. 

Put every ingredient in the slow cooker except fresh cream and Paneer. Stir it well and set the slow cooker for 2hrs on high. After 1 and 1/2 hrs put the paneer. I prefer to put fried paneers instead of fresh ones. If you want to fry the paneer, saute cubed paneer in a skillet with 2tbsp oil over medium heat for 2 minutes.
Garnish it with cream.
Serve it with Indian bread or plain rice.

Slow cooker Gajar Halwa (Carrot Pudding)

This is a sweet carrot pudding associated mainly with the state of Punjab in India & Pakistan but is practically made everywhere in India on special occasions.
Yes, this the same gajar ka halwa that every Bollywood film mother croons about how her daughter- in- law should make it because it’s her son’s favourite dish. This filmi gajar ka halwa had me enthralled.




The one thing that I don’t like about gajar ka halwa is that there’s always a mound of carrots to be grated and I have grated many a finger in the process. I have seen my mother toiling away peeling mounds of carrots for years. 
So now I just prefer baby carrots, they are easier to grind and cook and are more sweeter than bigger carrots . Baby carrots may also lessen the cooking time.


Also along the years I have figured out to eliminate the standing time while cooking by usng my slow cooker. Believe me if you have a baby as bright eyed and bushy-tailed as mine you will not mind the extended time of cooking while it get cooked unattented and you can relish a warm bowl of carrot pudding in the morning.....Yum!!!

HISTORY 
The Gajar ka Halwa was first introduced by the Sikh traders of the Punjab during the Mughal period and the name originates from an Arabic word "Halwa", which means "sweet" and it is made from carrot ( Gajar in Hindi) so the name Gajar ka Halwa (meaning pudding of carrot or Halwa of carrot). Gajar ka Halwa originally contained carrots, milk and ghee but nowadays includes many other ingredients like mava (Khoya). This age old traditional recipe remained in Punjabi cook books for many years. Being a combination of milk and carrots it is known as Milk Flavored Gajar Ka Halwa but in the other case, the combination of cream or mava (Khoya) and carrot is described as Mava flavored Gajar ka Halwa.

RECIPE Ingredients:
2 pounds carrots, peeled and washed thoroughly
2 cans of evaporated milk or 6 cups of milk
2 cups sugar or 5 cups stevia or splenda (artificial sweetener)
1 cup raw almonds, crushed or chopped
1/2 cup melted ghee or butter
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon ground pistachios
1 tablespoon ground almonds


Directions:

 Grate the carrots  in a food processor. (I've found that the pre-grated, store-bought carrots are not worth using because they are grated too thick and too long.) Put the carrots in the slow cooker.
Bring the milk to a boil on the stove top and pour it over the carrots in the slow cooker. If you are using evaporated milk just pour it on the carrot.
Cook for 3 hours on high. Remove the slow cooker lid and cook for another 3 hours on high. Replace the lid, but leave it slightly open and cook on slow for 6 hrs or high for 3 more hours.
( I generally start at 6 pm and by 12 pm before going to bed set it for 6 hrs on low. Do the rest in the morning.)
The carrots will be cooked and will look soft and watery. Add the sugar and continue cooking in high for 15 minutes. 
(If you are using milk instead of evaporated milk, you have to cook in a skillet for 15 minutes at this stage and not in the slow cooker because the milk is much watery than evaporated milk.)
Add the crushed almonds and the ghee or butter. Add the raisins and ground cardamom and  stir
Add the sugar and continue cooking, stirring, for another 5 minutes in the slow cooker. 
Garnish with the ground pistachio and almonds.

Slow cooker Cambodian Samlor kari (Coconut chicken curry with lime and chilli paste)

Samlor kari is Khmer red curry in Cambodia which is made of chicken, beef or fish. It’s often cooked with sweet potatoes, julienned onion, snake beans, bamboo shoot, eggplant, potatoes, fresh coconut milk, lemongrass and kroeung. The soup is usually served as a dipping sauce for bread. In special events like weddings and other anniversaries, samlor kari is eaten with samlor machu and this combination is called nom banh chok samlor curry. 

 I made it with potatoes, chicken, coconut milk and eggplant. If you want you can add the other vegetable mentioned above.

Ingredients
6 stalks lemongrass or 2 tsp lemon zest
2 small wedges wild lime, mostly peel, or  chunks of regular lime, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
Several pinches of salt
3 tablespoons minced galangal or minced fresh ginger route
 4 to 5 regular shallots, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
10 medium to large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
4 Thai dried red chilies soaked in warm water until softened. 
2 tablespoons shrimp paste
2 lbs boneless chicken or can also use chicken with bone, but I prefer boneless
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 potatoes peeled and cut in half
2 Asian eggplants, unpeeled, cut into rough 1-inch chunks
1 can coconut milk
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
Cut the tough root ends and dry upper stalks off the lemongrass; peel off the tough outer layers and discard. Very thinly slice the remaining 2 to 3 inches of each stalk. You should have 1¼ cups (the number of stalks you need will vary greatly depending on their size and freshness). Make a paste of the lemon grass in the blender. If you are using lemon zest just peel the zest sufficient for full 2 tsp. 
Put the shallots, garlic and ginger/galangal in the blender and make a paste.
 Cut open the chilies and remove the seeds and using a blender or processor, add a little Chile-soaking water if necessary to help create a paste. 
Heat a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and when it is hot, stir in the curry paste. Cook, stirring, until brown. Add the chicken pieces and stir for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken with the paste into the slow cooker. Add the potatoes.
Add the coconut milk, the salt, and the sugar. Cook on high for 3 hrs.
Add the eggplants after an hour of cooking.
Garnish it with lime and dried chilies.
Khmer samlas are somewhere between soup and stew, ideal for eating with rice