PANEER COCONUT APPLE NARU

For this post of PANEER COCONUT APPLE NARU, I did not have to search pictures.... I did it fresh last evening .... the idea too was fresh once back from my walk in the afternoon.... If you are a miser like me you cannot resist yourself from buying two big boxes of fresh, juicy apples at a discounted price . If you are living with two bad guys, they will revolt taking apple every day to school and office though the junior prefers a fruit box for this short break... If its heavy... he does not open his lunch box and brings it back home! There had to be something to do with the apples! 

I like sweet apples but it is not favourite with me as are mango, jackfruit, watermelon, litchi or custard apple. What I like about an apple is that it takes me to my two favourite destinations of India .... Kashmir and Shimla-Manali! However poor my 10th board result was, the daddy did take us to a tour of Kashmir way back in 1987 after I got admission in a decent college! Though I was not in a great mood for I faired too bad in my boards or may be for other reasons.... but trust me the paradise on earth keeps up the spirit at all times.... I could sing holding tight the little brother's hands "husn pahadon ka... o sahiba... kya kehna ke baro mahine yaaha mausam jaro ka".... the brother was not bothered about the sister's romantic self.... he might have been planning to insert a walnut inside his nostrils to see if he can breathe or not.... he gave us harrowing time till his marriage. 

Anyway, our unromantic daddy took us to the local State Bank of India but not to the "Bobby House" even after several requests. Yet, I excused him because he tolerated my full body weight up in the hills whilst the ponies got tired.... haha... till date I could not do anything for the rescue of the ponies.... though I have stopped riding them... I did not do so in Shimla back in 2008... my child enjoyed a lot but I feel this practice of entertaining the tourists should stop! India gets her supply of apple from these two places and like me, a majority of Indian kids do not like apple for one big reason.... we as kids are fed "apel sheddo with cerelac"..... I just giggle on my own when I see this island and its neighbour eat all those what we grew up eating... "sago, barley and even kamranga... a celebrity fruit here... God! 

Coming to apple, I can never forget the taste and joy of those apples freshly plucked from the orchards in Kashmir! Here too we get a variety of apple and it comes home on a regular basis alongside grapes... the junior prefers apple while the senior prefers grapes... I have to balance.... learnt the balancing act with tiffin boxes. Now what to do with 12 apples.... this is not a wise home to have breakfast with muesli, yogurt and apple! An idea popped up! .. Initially I thought of a "sandesh" / fudge ... but I ended up using more of desiccated coconut compared to the shredded apple and crumbled paneer.... hence a PANEER COCONUT APPLE NARU.... is more of an appropriate name! Most of the time I do not use measuring units .... inside the kitchen I love to feel free!

If you can prepare the paneer / chena fresh before using it for this sweet recipe.... nothing can be better than it. At times I do not wish to go authentic, neither sweat much while cooking. I was unwilling to boil 2 litres of milk to get this little amount of chena / paneer. I just took out 1/3rd of a paneer block from the freezer.... soaked in hot water for 2 hours. Cristine skinned and shredded the apples..... as of desiccated coconut, I just required the packet to be cut. I had to use water for the apple to cook and the jaggery to get sticky. In fact, I was keen on clicking the hand which helps me in all these ventures.... sudden or planned without any expression of irritation. 

Look at Cristine's palms... they are as soft and supple as of Mandakini  of Bollywood! The husband does not tolerate my "attempts to sing".... calls me "pata kumari"..... The 16 year old silly girl who got swayed away by the beauty of the paradise on earth and hummed "husn pahadon ka"... is humming at this moment "khile khile phoolon se bhari bhari wadi.... raat i hi raaton mein kisne sajadi".... she will be 48 in two month... she still cherishes these dream numbers.... she lives her unreal dreams through Bollywood and accuses it to have destroyed her academic life! 

My readers must be wondering how I am able to live with a practical person.... well I love mountains and have fear of heights at the same time! It is him who tolerates me after puking ten times on his lap.... he tends to me without a frown when I felt sick while travelling last January.... forgot our relationship and screamed... "driver rokke rokke... I want to puke... I cannot tolerate AC in cars... I need fresh air".... at least 5 times I repeated in the 5 hours of journey. He is leaving again on the Janmashtami day.... his lunch box had to have some PANEER COCONUT APPLE NARU.... though I will store every thing stale for him till his return! 

This is me who I love to unfold to my readers, who is super excited to know from the girls at the doctor's chamber that there is a nature's trail near to our home and I must go there for walks. I must go there soon and cherish together Bollywood and Walking! To find out the direction too I have to call the husband while my girl friends are at work... have the ability to be on their own! Anyway, I liked the native girls at old Dr. Chang's chamber.... remember we have to love the place where we stay else they will not accept us .... sitting at one place and "at all times" praising another is not a right thing to do... let us stay connected to both the places! Thats what I do.... To blog about a "loti shutki" is not a wise idea before Janmashtami... hence a PANEER COCONUT APPLE NARU....

INGREDIENTS :

DESICCATED COCONUT : 11/2COFFEE MUG
APPLE : 2STANDARD SIZED
PANEER : 300 GM
JAGGERY POWDER: 1SMALL CUP [I use a chemical free one]
GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 11/2TSP [make it fresh at home]
GHEE : 2-3 TBSP + 2-3TSP


PROCEDURE :

Cut the apples into 4 pieces each. Peel off the skin and thinly cut off the seed segment. Wash and shred.

Now we will break the paneer block into crumbles and keep rubbing for 7-8 minutes.

Heat 2-3tbsp ghee in a wok.

Add the desiccated coconut and keep stirring until its light brown and aromatic.

Add the shredded apple, stir. Add 1 medium cup water, fold in well and cook till the shredded apple melts.

Add the crumbled paneer and fold in very well. Stir until they mix very well. This may take some 3-4 minutes.

Now add the freshly made cardamom powder and the jaggery powder. Fold in well. Add a medium cup of water.

Keep cooking until the mixture gets sticky which may take 8-10 minutes.

Transfer to a plate and let cool a bit. Knead well for 2-3 minutes.

Now just make round shape with your right palm. I was not so particular with the shape. Desiccated coconut may not give a smooth finish or I may not have that expertise.

Serve fresh or you can refrigerate in containers for a maximum of 3-4 days.