Home made Paneer

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Milk: 1/2 gallon

Lemon juice: 2 tablespoons

* We used the regular 2% organic milk.

Bring the milk to boil in a pot. Squeeze in the lemon juice and allow it to fully curdle. Turn off the heat. You can see the light water separate form the milk fat. Strain this out and save the fat. Squeeze out all the water and set in a flat plate. Cover it with cling wrap and place some thing heavy (like another plate) over it and let it set in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours. Cut into cubes and use as necessary.

Fresh Grated Coconut

Wondering what this post is all about..Well we came across something very interesting on Food network "Good Eats" some time ago and we decided we have got to share this with our dear readers. Using the frozen grated coconut has been our only option (for convenience sake) and sometimes not finding it in the Indian grocers can be annoying since we mallus need this for anything and everything.

Now, here's a not-so strenuous technique to get fresh grated coconut at your home.

Prep time: 20- 25 mins
Procedure

• Buy a whole coconut from your local grocer. (A tip to know if its nice is to shake and check for lots of water in it)
• Pierce the so called eyes or the 3 spots on the face of the coconut with a screwdriver or just use your drill to make holes on them. Empty all the coconut water by turning it down to a glass.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 375 F. Make sure all the coconut water has come out before you put in the oven.
• Keep this whole coconut in the oven to bake for 15-20 mins.
• Take it off and just hit the coconut with a hammer. The shell will just crack open. Now pull out the fruit inside using a knife.
• Peel the brown skin using a peeler and roughly cut in into smaller pieces.
• Put these pieces in the blender or the food processor and use the grate or shred option to get fresh delicious coconut right at your home.

Wasn't that bad right.. So just give it a try!!!

Thank you Kairali sisters (http://cookingwithkairalisisters.blogspot.com//) for the "Honest Scrap" award.

We would like to share this award with Homemakers Diary (Sayantani -an inspiring Bong mom), Padhuskitchen (Padhu ,the animal lover through edible art), Look who is cooking (open book for her wonderful pics), Will-O'-the -Wisp (Varsha,our neighbour blogger), Collaborative Curry (another passionate cooking duo like us)

Now, it's not enough just to grab this award, there are conditions and obligations in receiving it:

a) I must brag about it.
b) Display the badge on my blog and link to the one who tagged me to prove that I didn't tag myself (how pathetic that would be!)
c) Share 10 things about myself.
d) Pass the award to other fellow bloggers by visiting their site.

Here you go..10 things about us...

1. We are big TV buffs whose calenders are booked on Tuesday's and Thursday's for LOST and SURVIVOR.... husbands also included.
2. We literally spend so much time together we often answer each other phone calls.
3. Love to play board games and most weekends stretch till early dawn (recent favorite "Bang the Bullet")
4. We enjoy new cuisines and always in the lookout of new restaurants.
5. Have lots of great girlfriends who we drag along for shopping and hours and hours of gossiping.
6. We are getting ready for the summer in Seattle with lots of yoga and swimming.
7. Love to go and spend hours and hours in home decor stores.
8. We never say no to lunch or dinner invitations from our acquaintance ;)
9. Music is always in the background when we cook.
10. We are hardcore Fishetarians trying at least one new fish every week..