Paneer Malabari

This curry has the flavors and tastes of a naadan fish curry, where paneer replaces the fish. A friend who turned pure veg has come up with this yummy recipe, that was thoroughly enjoyed by my family.

Ingredients

250 gram - Paneer, cut to cubes or triangles

1 medium size - Raw sour mango, cut to small pieces

1 medium size - Tomato, chopped

2 to 4 - Green chili, slit in center

6 tbsp - Coconut milk powder

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp - Fenugreek / methi / uluva seeds

3 sprigs - Curry leaves

Crush to paste

1'' piece - Ginger

6 flakes - Garlic

Grind to a paste

6 tbsp - Grated coconut

1.5 tsp - Red chili powder

3/4 tsp - Turmeric powder

1.5 tsp - Coriander powder

Seasoning

6 - Shallots/ small onion, sliced

Coconut oil

Method

1 )In a pan or manchatti, pour 2 to 3 table spoon coconut oil, then add mustard and fenugreek seeds. Once the mustard seeds pops, add curry leaves, ginger - garlic paste, green chili and saute for a few seconds.

2 ) Then add the ground coconut paste and enough water for the gravy and bring to a boil. When it starts to boil, add the mango pieces and tomato. Cook on medium heat till mango gets cooked. Add salt to taste.

3 ) When mango is cooked add the paneer pieces cut into triangle pieces. When the paneer is soft and the flavors have seeped into it, add coconut milk ( add little water to coconut powder to make coconut milk ) to the gravy. Adjust gravy consistency and bring to a boil. Adjust salt to taste and take off the stove.

4 ) In a pan heat little coconut oil, add the sliced shallots to it and fry to a light brown color. Pour this seasoning on top of the gravy and close with a lid. Open after few minutes and serve.

Serve hot with rice and as my friend said it's - HEAVENLY.. !!

Masala Curry With Paneer, Peas & Potato

Combination of veggies with paneer adds flavor. A simple to make masala curry that will be good with rice or roti.

Ingredients

1 medium - Potatoes,cubed
1 cup - Green Peas
500 gm - Paneer, cut to cubes
2 pods - Green cardamom,
1 big - Star Anise
2 medium - Onion, sliced
4 - Green chili, slit in center
3 medium - Tomato, chopped

1'' piece - Ginger, chopped

Masala powders

2 tbsp - Coriander powder
1 tsp - Red chili powder
1 tsp - Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp - Black pepper powder

Grind to a smooth paste

1/2 a small shell - Fresh coconut

1/2 tsp - Jeera/ cumin seeds

1 small piece - Cinnamon

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

4 - Dry red chili,

1 medium - Onion. chopped finely

3 to 4 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Add to an utensil, potato, peas, green chili, ginger, onion, cardamom, star anise and the masala powders. Now add enough water to cover and cook the vegetables.

2 ) When the veggies are half cooked, add tomato and salt to taste. Simmer, cover and cook till the vegetables are fully cooked.

3 ) Grind coconut, jeera and cinnamon with little water to a smooth paste. Add this paste to the cooked veggies. Add more water if needed for the gravy. Adjust salt to taste. Simmer and cook.

4 ) Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat some oil. Add paneer cubes and fry to a light brown color. Transfer and add the fried paneer to the curry. In the remaining oil, do the seasoning. First pop the mustard seeds, than add dry chili, curry leaves and fry for second. Then add onion and fry to a light brown color. Pour this seasoning over the curry and close with a lid. Turn off the stove. After 5 minutes open the lid and serve the masala curry.



Serve as a side dish with rice or roti.

Paneer Bhurji

I hope every one had a good start of the year and are sticking to the new year resolutions :) Now to kick start the year 2010 blogging, let me present you with this Paneer dish. It's called paneer bhurji, which means scrambled paneer. Along with green peas and freshly made paneer, this makes a lip smacking side dish to have with roti.

Ingredients

2 cups - Freshly made crumbled Paneer
1 cup - Green peas, boiled
1 cup - Spring onion Or 1 big - Red onion, finely chopped
1'' piece - Ginger, finely chopped
2 - Green chili, finely chopped
1 big - Tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp - Garam masala powder
1 tsp - Coriander powder
1/4 tsp - R ed chili powder
Salt to taste

Garnishing

1 cup - Coriander leaves, chopped

Method

1 ) Heat oil in a pan, add green chili, ginger and fry for a second then add spring onion or onion and fry the onion, till lightly browned. Then add the powders - turmeric, coriander, red chili and garam masala powder. Fry for a second in oil, then add tomato, green peas and salt to taste. Close with a lid and cook on low heat till tomato is fully cooked.

2 ) Now add paneer and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Close with a lid and cook for few minutes. Open and garnish with coriander leaves. Stir and fry till you get dry bhurji.

Serve hot with roti.

Note - Instead of green peas you can use bell pepper. To make it colorful you could use, red, green and yellow bell pepper. If the paneer turns out too dry then add one spoon of whipping cream.

Methi Paneer

Methi or the fenugreek leaves, for all you care, is bitter in taste; but then is a part and parcel of Indian cooking. It's known for its medicinal values, used as home remedies. Cooking with methi leaves, here is a combination of methi and paneer. When cooked, paneer balances the bitterness of methi and you get this wonderful dish, that will go well with roti/ chapati or basmati rice.

Ingredients

1 big bunch - Fresh Methi leaves
200 gram - Paneer, cubed
1 big - Tomato, pureed
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 tsp - Coriander powder
1/2 tsp - Cumin seeds

Masala Paste - Grind to smooth paste

2 to 3 - Green chili
7 big flakes - Garlic
2 '' piece - Ginger
8 - Black pepper corns
2 - Cardamom seeds, powdered

Garnish

1/2 Cup Coriander leaves, chopped

Method

1 ) Pick methi leaves from the stem and wash very well. Drain and set aside.

2 ) Heat oil in a kadai/ wok. When oil is hot, add paneer cubes in batches and fry to a light brown color. Drain and set aside.

3 ) In the remaining oil, add cumin seeds, when it splutters add ground masala paste, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Fry well for 2 to 3 minutes on low heat. Now add coriander powder and fry for a few seconds. Then add tomato puree and cook till oil separates on low heat. Add fenugreek leaves, saute for a few minutes, till the leaves are cooked.

4 ) Now add paneer cubes and mix in well. Let the paneer suck in the masala flavors. Add one or two tablespoon of water, cover and cook for a minute or two. Open and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with roti or basmati rice.

Paneer in Rich Cashew & Almond Sauce

A north Indian preparation of paneer, that is cooked in a rich sauce made with cashew and almonds and called shahi paneer or Butter paneer . This dish will compliment well with naan, roti or basmati rice.

Ingredients

14 oz / 400 gram Packet - Paneer, cut into cubes
1 small - Onion, cut thin, lengthwise
4 medium - Tomatoes, chopped
2 to 3 - Green chili, chopped
6 big flakes - Garlic, chopped
1 '' pieces - Ginger, chopped
1/2 cup - Cashew & almonds ( mix of both making 1/2 cup)
1 tbsp - Whipping cream

Seasoning

1 tsp - Cumin/jeera seeds
2 to 3 tsp - Coriander powder
1/2 to 1 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
2 tsp - Garam masala powder
1 to 2 tsp - Shan Vegetable curry mix Or MDH kitchen king

Garnishing

1/2 cup - Coriander leaves

Method

1 ) In a pan, add enough oil to fry paneer. Set aside 2 cubes to use later. Place rest of paneer cubes in hot oil and fry on all sides lightly to golden color. Drain and set aside.Grate the 2 paneer cubes.

2 ) To the same oil add onion and fry till onion is lightly browned. Then add green chili, ginger, garlic, cashew and almonds. Continue frying for 2 minutes. Then add tomato, sprinkle little salt and cook till tomato is well cooked. Take off the stove and cool. Transfer into a blender and grind to a smooth paste along with whipping cream. Add little water if needed to grind.

3 ) Transfer the paste to a pan, add enough water to make a semi- thick gravy. Bring to a boil, add fried paneer pieces, grated paneer, salt to taste and simmer.

4 ) Meanwhile in another pan, heat some oil, add jeera, fry for few seconds, then add coriander, red chili, turmeric, garam masala powder, shan vegetable curry mix or MDH kitchen king and fry in the oil for few seconds. Add coriander leaves and fry lightly. Pour this seasoning into the pan with paneer, stir and mix well. Close with a lid, simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the stove and serve.


Serve with roti or naan.

Chilli Paneer

This is quiet a delightful dish with fried paneer, capsicum and mushrooms. Different color capsicum can be used to enhance the look. It's a dry stir fry dish, quick and easy to make.

Ingredients

14 oz /400 gm - Paneer, cut to small cubes
2 tbsp - Cornflour
8 oz /227 gm - Mushroom, washed and chopped
1 - Green Capsicum, sliced length wise
1 - Onion, sliced length wise
4 big flakes - Garlic, crushed
1 to 2 - Green chili,chopped
1/4 tsp - Black pepper powder
A dash of - Garam masala powder
2 to 3 drops - Vinegar
2 tsp - Tomato ketchup
Salt to taste

Method

1 ) Sprinkle cornflour on the paneer pieces. Shake to coat on the paneer. This will help the paneer from sticking to pan when frying. In a skillet heat oil on low flame, add paneer and fry to a light golden color, little at a time. Take off the oil and drain.

2 ) In the same oil, add garlic and green chili, fry for a minute. Then add onion and stir fry lightly. Onion should be crunchy, add capsicum and stir fry for a minute.

3 ) Meanwhile, microwave mushrooms placed in a microwave safe bowl for 3 minutes. Take out and add to the skillet and stir fry.

4 ) Add black pepper powder, salt to taste, a dash of garam masala and mix in. Add vinegar and tomato ketchup and mix in. Add fried paneer and saute.


Serve as a side dish with fried rice or even chapati.

Note - If you have left over, then don't microwave. Place in oven and bake with some grated mozzarella cheese.

For a slight gravy dish - Add 2 tsp corn flour to 1/2 cup of water and dissolve it. To this add 1 tsp soya sauce and above said amount of vinegar and tomato ketchup. Mix well and after adding black pepper and salt step above, add this cornflour mix and stir to coat the paneer. Cook on a medium high heat till the sauce thickens and coats. Turn off the stove and serve.

Spinach / Palak Paneer Kofta

To make palak paneer kofta seemed to be a long process. Since i was making paneer fresh at home. But when i started cooking, it didn't take too long to finish it.

Ingredients

To make fresh paneer
1.5 cup - Whole milk
3 tsp - Vinegar

To make spinach paneer dough

Prepared fresh paneer
10 oz ( 283 gram) - Frozen Spinach packet or use fresh spinach,chopped
3 to 4 tsp - Besan / bengal gram flour
1/2 tsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tsp - Ginger paste
1/2 tsp - Coriander powder
1/2 tsp - Garam masala powder
1 pinch - MDH kofta masala powder

To make gravy

1/2 tsp - Jeera / cumin
1 pinch - Hing
3 flakes - Garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp - Ginger, grated
1 - Green chili, chopped
1 medium size - Onion, chopped
2 - Tomato
1 tsp - Tomato paste
5 - Almonds
5 - Cashew nuts
3 to 4 tsp - Whipping cream Or
1.5 tsp - yogurts /curds
1.5 cup - Water

Garnish

Coriander leaves, chopped

Method

1 ) To make paneer - In a heavy bottom utensil, bring milk to a boil. Simmer heat and add vinegar. Stir continuously. The milk will curdle and whey will separate. Take off the stove and let it stand for a few minutes. (In picture, boiling milk and then curdled milk.)

2 ) Pour the contents to a cheese cloth placed on a sieve. Squeeze & drain out all the whey to get fresh paneer.

3 ) To make the kofta - Mix fresh paneer with rest of the ingredients listed for the kofta dough.When using frozen spinach, wash and drain all the water. Squeeze out all the water and then mix with other ingredients to make a dough.

4 ) Make small balls of the dough. Heat enough oil to deep fry kofta's. Fry kofta's to deep brown color. Take out and set aside.

5 ) To make the gravy - In a heavy bottom pan, heat some oil, add jeera, hing, garlic, ginger, green chili. Stir and fry for a minute. Add chopped onions and brown it well. Now add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste, stir and fry till oil separates. Add almonds, cashew nuts and salt to taste. Take off the stove and cool.

6 ) Add the cooked gravy ingredients to a blender, add whipping cream or you can use yogurt and make a smooth paste.

7 ) Place a saucepan on stove, add the ground gravy paste and water in it. Bring to a boil, simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Now add the fried kofta's to the gravy and cook for a minute or two. Take off the stove.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot as a side dish with roti or steamed basmati rice.

This is my recipe contribution for JFI-WBB greens, hosted by Indira of Mahanandi.

Fried Channa dal with Paneer

Ingredients

1.5 cup - Channa dal/Bengal gram dal
200 gram - Paneer,cut into cubes
1 medium size - Onion, chopped small
2 medium size - Tomatoes, quartered
2 pieces - Cinnamon
2 - Black cardamoms
4 - Cloves
2 - Bay leaves
1 - Whole red chilli
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 tsp - Red chilli powder
1 - inch piece - Ginger
3 flakes - Garlic (grind ginger & garlic to a paste)

250 ml - water ( 1 2/3 cup )

Corn oil

Salt to taste

Garnish

Few sprigs coriander leaves, chopped

Method

1 ) Wash Channa dal and soak for 2 hours. Fry the cubed paneer to golden brown colour.
2 ) Heat oil in pan and fry onions till light brown in colour.
3) Add ginger-garlic paste, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves and whole chilli and stir fry for a minute.
4 ) Add tomatoes and keep frying till oil separates.
5 ) Add Channa dal, salt, chilli & turmeric powder and fry for 5 - 7 minutes.
6 ) Add water, close the lid and cook on medium heat till Channa is well cooked.
7 ) Add fried paneer to the cooked dal.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve..........enjoy this delicious curry with rice or roti.