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Summer is a great time to go out and have fun, isn’t it? We can spend quality time with friends and family, have picnics, go on a little vacation, pool parties, barbecues, and what not. My family and I live in a community of condominiums and our apartment is on the ground floor. The swimming pool is right next to our little backyard. So we get to experience the beautiful sight of people having fun and laughing- carefree. Families come together and have barbecues beside the pool area while their kids enjoy the swimming. Sadly, we’re the only ones missing out. Ever since we met this accident, we have missed out on a lot of fun in life. We see people in the pool and wish we could also go swim. But that day seems to be quite distant, with the way things are moving.
Watching all the fun happening next door, my elder daughter Sheetal said to me with a sigh of disappointment, “I feel like eating chicken lollipops.” 😳 I was shocked to hear that at first; as vegetarians, how come she’s craving for chicken? And she said it in a way which suggested that she had previously tried them. I was trying to recall if she had tasted it before somewhere outside, probably when we traveled to foreign countries? But unable to recollect any such thing, I asked her curiously “By the way, when did you try chicken lollipops?” She replied immediately, correcting her previous statement, and said with a sheepish smile, “I meant they look quite tempting, and are such a feast to the eyes.” Now she just fuelled my curiosity. But I wasn’t in a mood to enquire further on that matter, as I already had an idea of what type of flavorful meal she was craving tonight. I simply said, “So what? I myself can make some vegetarian lollipops for you, and with a much better taste for sure!” I must say, I was feeling pretty confident 😏 Raining on my parade, she replied “Nope, pretty sure it won’t taste the same.” It sounded like a challenge, and I like challenges.
So I prepared this Vegetable Tandoori Platter for her and yes, I won! I succeeded in giving her a wholesome and delicious meal, so rich in flavor that she totally forgot about her earlier craving for chicken. I was on cloud nine when she exclaimed “Mom, this is amazing! You are the goddess of cooking, literally. How do you cook so brilliantly? How do you know exactly what I want?” Well, every mother knows what her children would like! Isn’t that true? We know which flavors they like, what type of meal would excite them, the list is endless! And that is exactly why, for every child, their Mom is the best cook in the world! Needless to say, it’s the same for me. I love my mom’s food and I have no control on my diet whenever I eat her food. But as she’s slightly old-school with her cooking, she only cooks traditional South Indian food, or should I say, authentic Andhra food. She doesn’t cook the latest versions of different cuisines. But my kids have expectations, and so I always cook different cuisines as they like to try new varieties of dishes. And these days they are watching MasterChef regularly, so they’re sometimes throwing challenges at me. Well, as I succeeded in my challenge I want to share the recipe with y’all, along with a secret. And the secret is that it takes just a few minutes to prepare this out of the world tandoori platter, but the taste will forever remain in your memories. Shhh.. Don’t reveal it!
For those who are unfamiliar with the term Tandoori, it is a style of cooking in which the food is exposed to live-fire in a specific type of oven, called a ‘tandoor’. The tandoor brings a unique char-grilled flavor to the food, achieved through marination filled to the brim with spicy and sapid condiments. Although I didn’t have a tandoor, I used the regular oven to prepare this beautiful tandoori platter.
Today I prepared three varieties of Tandoori dishes which constitute this tandoori platter: Tandoori Gobi (cauliflower), Masala Mushroom and Paneer Tikka.
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Tandoori Gobi:
Cut the cauliflower into large florets and wash them well. Take a wide saucepan, fill it with enough water to cover the florets and let it boil. When the water starts bubbling, add the cauliflower florets. Add in a pinch of turmeric and salt to taste. Just boil them for 5-7 minutes and then drain well.
For Marination:
Take a large bowl and put hung yogurt in it. Add some ginger-garlic paste to it. Then add all the preferred spices such as turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala (whole spice mix powder) or tandoor masala, chat masala, a pinch of black pepper powder and lemon juice to it. Then add some chickpea flour or corn flour to it. I added 2 table spoons of corn flour in my mixture. You can also add a pinch of food color to it if you want. I normally avoid using food colors but as today I am making this dish as a challenge, and I’m a perfectionist, I added some food color to my marinating mixture. I then added the florets of cauliflower. I used half a skewer for each of the big florets and wrapped the end of the skewer with aluminum foil to make them look like lollipops. Let it rest for a while in the marination sauce to absorb the spices well. Meanwhile, I started preparing mushrooms and paneer for marination.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and then place the cauliflower florets inside. Baste the florets with some cooking oil. Bake them for 15-20 minutes and then turn the florets over and bake for another 20 minutes. If you like it slightly charred then keep it for another 10-15 minutes. I personally like it slightly charred but my kids and husband like it more tender. So I removed them from oven pre-charred.
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Tandoori Masala Mushroom:
Wash the mushrooms in cold water and gently twist the stem off of each mushroom. Pat the mushrooms dry with a paper towel. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl with the marinade (same as above) and coat them well. Heat some oil in a wide sauce pan, add in finely chopped onions, colored bell peppers, minced garlic to it. Once the onions and peppers turn golden brown, add the mushrooms. Let them fry for a few minutes and turn the heat off once they are cooked and tender. You can even bake the mushrooms in the oven instead of frying them in oil, but as my cauliflower was already baking in the oven, I quickly finished making this on the stove to save some time.
Tandoori Paneer tikka :
Wash and cut the paneer into cubes of desired size and keep them marinated (same as above) for a few minutes. Heat oil in a pan and fry the paneer cubes until they are cooked. You can even bake them in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 300°F till they are slightly charred. But as I mentioned above, my family likes it when they are tender so I just let them cook up to my requirement. So, by the time the Tandoori Gobi is ready, I have also finished preparing the Masala Mushrooms and Paneer tikka. And my Veg Tandoori Platter is ready in a few minutes. They are soft and well cooked in the rich marinade that is full of the taste of spices and every bite of it awakened our tastebuds and filled our hearts with content. A mint or green chutney will complement this dish well. Happy Eating! 🙂
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