Spiced paneer with herbs from garden

October 26

“You never forget a beautiful thing that you have made. Even after you eat it, it stays with you - always.”
Julia Child

Here's presenting today's Sunday special- Spiced paneer spiked with the most refreshing and aromatic dill young-greens from my garden.

The beauty of today's Paneer captivated me so... I couldn't have enough of taking my eyes off it. And when I did mange to peel my eyes away from it, it was only to train them through the camera lens... This beautiful thing that I've managed to make, looks so pristine and beautiful, I am not going to cook/pan fry it at all. I'm just going to drizzle it with some lemon juice and have it as is...

October 27

Had part of my "Dill spiced paneer" as it is with just a drizzle of lime juice and sesame oil last evening itself. I pan fried the rest of it and it was topped on Brittania cream crackers along with a fresh slice of tomato, some fresh baby
dill and some crunchy Lola rosa lettuce leaves...

The best part was having it really early on a winter morning as a pre-breakfast snack in my little green patch, surrounded by my beautiful plants. At 7.00 am, my garden, after last night's rain, looked so beautiful in the soft early morning light. The heady aroma of my rosemary and basil wafted in the cool breeze to envelope me in a sweet scented cloak... the twitter of the morning birds added to the enchantment... I of course felt like the most beautiful person in the world, and every bite of my dill spiced paneer transported me into an ethereal realm... My wispy wings unfolded and I was a fairy flitting in and out of the lovely herbs and greens in my little patch...

What was more interesting is, the journey back to reality wasn't a rude one that landed me with a thud, but instead a smooth gliding descent, that made the beautiful cloak of enchantment settle lightly on my small-made shoulders, brought on a smile on my lips, a spring in my step, and a fresh resolve to take on the challenges of the day...

And to vouch for that, I'm in Mum's school since 10.00. The day till now had gone fabulously. And right now I'm typing some new worksheets, planning some interesting projects for vegetable day, deciding on themes for the upcoming fancy dress, planning a role play for the L. KG class in my mind and thinking of calling the teachers for lunch in a while...

And here's presenting- My "Palak, beans and rosemary- spiced paneer- Salad"
That's quite a mouthful I say...

The recipe is right here. Very simple as always...

* Marinate the paneer with some lime juice, salt, chilli flakes and mustard powder.
* Chop about 4 red yet firm salad tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 1 green capsicum and some crisp cabbage.
* Add the chopped vegetables to the marinated paneer and toss well.
* I added some whole baby lettuce leaves to it at the last moment
* Chill in the refrigerator for a while before serving
* I may add a few crushed roasted peanuts to it just before gobbling it along with my moong daal khichdi...

 The "Palak, beans and rosemary- spiced paneer" freshly unwrapped.

And hey ! Look at what the second batch of my "Palak, beans and rosemary- spiced paneer" turned into...

This batch of paneer turned out really well ! Soft spongy and at the same firm enough to cut it neatly into cubes. I marinated these cubes for a few minutes with lemon juice and a bit more of salt and chilli flakes. I Pan fried them for just about 30 seconds on each side. Served them hot with lemon and dill young-greens alongside. Just that slight hint of crispness on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth softness on the inside, bursting with flavours. Ummm...

And then the best part- The palak, rosemary, beans and dill are from my garden.