Ingredients
Serves 4
Shahi Paneer with Mushroom & Peas
400g Paneer (cottage cheese)
100g of mushrooms
100g frozen peas
1 small knob of ginger chopped or grated finely
1 onion finely chopped
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp Garam masala
½ tsp Red chilli powder
½ tsp sugar
3-4 tbsp tomato paste
3-4 tbsp pouring cream
100g cashew nuts (crush finely in a blender)
5 tbsp Ghee or butter or oil
Salt to taste
Saffron Rice Pilau
300g basmati rice
Boiling water approx ½ litre
2 tbsp oil butter or ghee to fry
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground cinnamon
10-12 whole cloves
1 pinch of saffron threads (or ¼ tsp ground turmeric)
50g raisins or sultanas
50g cashew nuts
Salt
Citrus Tart with Vanilla Marshmallows
Shortcrust dough
250g unsalted butter
185g icing sugar
2 eggs
65g almond meal
500g plain flour
8g salt
Citrus tart mix
4 eggs
275g caster sugar
240 ml orange juice
1 orange zest
1 lemon
60g cream
Vanilla Marshmallows
250g sugar
60g water
25g glucose
3 egg whites
10g gelatine
1 tbsp vanilla essence
Method
Shahi Paneer with Mushroom & Peas
Start by chopping the paneer or firm ricotta into small pieces, using a large non stick frying pan to fry until golden on each side, lightly season with salt and set aside.
In a saucepan fry the onion. Moments late add the ginger and follow on with the dried spices, continuing to stir till the spices begin to almost stick.
Add the sliced mushrooms. Then pour in a large cup of hot water, stir through the tomato paste and sugar; it should come to a nice thick gravy. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour in the cream along with the fried paneer and the frozen peas, adjust seasoning at this point, and just allow it to come back up to the boil, enough for the peas to warm through.
Serve with saffron rice pilau.
Saffron Rice Pilau
Heat the oil in a non stick pot and gently fry the grains of rice; this will lightly coat them and should result in lovely separate fluffy grains of rice.
Take care not to colour the rice, add in all of the spices including the saffron and salt, pour in boiling water and immediately reduce heat to low and cover with a tight lid.
It should take 15 minutes, so after about ten, add the raisins and cashews, gently stir through, and continue for a further 5 minutes.
Should it seem uncooked (different brands can vary) add a little more boiling water and return to a low heat.
Citrus Tart with Vanilla Marshmallows
Shortcrust dough
Rub butter, flour, icing sugar, salt and almond meal until it obtains a sandy texture. Add the egg yolks and mix until the dough just comes together. Cover with glad wrap and let it rest for half and hour. Line the pastry into a desired size tart base and bake blind at 175°C for 10 to 12 minutes.
Orange tart mix
Mix all the ingredients together, and pour into the pre-baked tart shells. Cook at 120°C, for 10-20 minutes (depending on the tart size) or until the mix is set. Chill. Serve with fresh citrus segments or berries.
Makes 10 small and 1 x 22 cm tart shell.
Marshmallows
Combine gelatine and ¼ cup cold water, let stand 5 minutes.
Put the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment.
Combine sugar, glucose and water in a small heavy saucepan; place over low heat, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to dissolve sugar crystals.
Clip on a candy thermometer; raise heat to high. When the sugar starts to boil start the mixer with the egg whites at low speed. Cook syrup without stirring until it reaches 120°C. If not using a thermometer it will take approx 5 minutes and it will have big, thick bubbles on the surface (firm-ball stage). Immediately remove pan from heat. Add the gelatine to the syrup.
With mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully pour syrup into the egg whites (they should be at soft peaks stage). Increase speed to high; beat until mixture is very thick and white and has almost tripled in volume, about 10 minutes. Add vanilla; beat to incorporate.
Generously dust a 20 by 20 cm baking pan with icing sugar. Pour marshmallow mixture into pan. Dust top with icing sugar; and with your hands pat it to smooth.
Dust with icing sugar; let stand overnight, uncovered, to dry out. Turn out onto a board; cut marshmallows with a dry hot knife into 2 by 2 cm squares, and dust with more confectioners' sugar.