Mataar Paneer (Green Peas with Tofu)

Wow, I haven't posted anything for so long and this time ,I'm glad I can post again after being a mommy. Well anyway this food is one that I prepare for my baby although I don't cook it with too much spice so that it can be palatable for baby. The authentic mataar paneer recipe is kinda chilli since this is original Indian recipe and a favorite and easy to prepare. All u need is green peas, be it fresh or frozen there's no issue what you can use. You also need all purpose cream to make it creamy and yummy. Soft tofu which is made of soya not the milk since the tofu produced from milk is more tough and hard and I don't suggest it. What I prefer is the soft tofu or made of soya. Just slice it into bigger cubes and you don't need to fry it. 

 Ingredients:
 200 g. Green peas
 1 big onion
 2 medium tomatoes
 2 cloves of garlic
1 tbps. ginger garlic paste
a pinch of turmeric powder
 a pinch of chili powder (optional)
 garam masala (1/4 teaspoon)
 tofu (soya paneer)
salt to taste
oil
water
all purpose cream
 wansoy or fresh coriander leaves (for garnishing)
1/4 tsp. jeera or cumin seeds

 How to cook:

 Put oil and when the oil is hot, put the jeera seeds and then saute garlic and onion and put salt to your onion. After that you can put turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, chili powder and masala powder. After this you can now put the chopped tomatoes and put a bit water. Once the tomato is mushy and soft you can now add the green peas. Cook the green peas well so that it won't be hard and difficult for your little one to eat. Once your green peas is done, you can now add the tofu and then put the all purpose cream and sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves or wansoy. Just check the taste if you still wanted to add salt.

YUMMYYYYYYY!!!!

Macaroni Carbonara ala Pobre

You can’t resist carbonara because of its creaminess. I have to make it simpler this time because first of all I don’t have fettuccine pasta, second I cannot include bacon in this dish since we don’t eat pork meat. I am sure you would say, ohhh no! a carbonara will never be carbonara without the taste of bacon. Well, that is true because that is how carbonara should be made. But for those who don’t eat pork, well this recipe is for you since I only improvised chicken instead of bacon.





You might also think that why not use pasta such as spaghetti or fettuccine? Well, as I have said, nothing on hand that is available except macaroni so my version for today was Macaroni Carbonara ala Pobre. I used only cheddar cheese because it’s too expensive to buy parmesan cheese here. Maybe if I do have an extra budget for that, I can boost some more for my ingredients. Sometimes, we just don’t need to follow what’s on the cookbook. We need to innovate at times and if you’re bold to do things and experiment, you might be able to invent something special and something that tastes good even if the ingredients are not the actual things you added.

So I sliced off those button mushrooms, readied my sauce and other ingredients to make this especial dish. It was perfect for brunch as what I prepared before hubby goes to work. It was already heavy in the tummy and I just wish I had garlic bread to go well with this recipe. Anyway going back to what I am drawing here, you just needed these few ingredients to make macaroni carbonara ala pobre inviting:

Ingredients:

Macaroni (elbow)
Button mushrooms
Garlic
Onion
Maggi ginisa flavor mix
Chicken bouillon cube
All-purpose cream
Cheddar cheese
Salt
Ground black pepper
Water
Cooking oil

Preparation / Method on cooking Macaroni Carbonara ala Pobre:




Step 1: Boil the macaroni: Just follow the instruction on how long your macaroni will be ready. It usually takes about 8-12 minutes of cooking, it also depends on the brand so be sure to read the label. Once your macaroni is done, set it aside.

Step 2: For your carbonara sauce, this is what you need to do:
Sauté garlic and onion on a pan with oil and put the button mushrooms. While you stir you can now add your ginisa flavor mix and chicken bouillon cube to add flavor to your mushroom. This is the signature that will keep your mushroom tasty.

Step 3: You need to get ready your all-purpose cream. If it’s too thick, just add ample amount of water and just add salt and ground black pepper to taste. Stir well so that it won’t stick at the bottom of the pan. Make sure that your flame is in medium to slow heat. Once your sauce is done, it will be ready to mix with your macaroni. Best to serve with garlic bread and I do hope you will also try this simple yet affordable recipe.