Paneer Jalfreize

Paneer Jalfreize is a very common restaurant dish. You pick up any menu inn any hotel and 99% chances are that you will find it under the vegetarian fare. Basically it is a very simple dish. The real beauty lies in the interplay of colors of the bell peppers. I, unfortunately, could not lay my hands on red and yellow bell peppers and had to make do with green capsicums. You must try and get as many colors as possible on the palette.


Ingredients

250 gms paneer, cut into long fingers
1 capsicum, cut lengthwise
1 yellow bell pepper, cut lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, cut lengthwise
1” ginger, cut into juliennes
1 large onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, boiled and pureed
3 tbsp ready made tomato puree
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 dry red chillies
1 tbsp coriander powder
½ tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp kashmiri mirch powder
Salt to taste


Heat some oil. Add the cumin seeds and dry red chillies. Once the seeds start spluttering add the ginger juliennes. Now add the sliced onion and cook till translucent. Add the pureed tomato and ready made tomato puree and cook till oil starts leaving the sides. Now add all the dry masalas and sprinkle some water. Cook till the masalas are done.
Toss the sliced capsicum and bell peppers and cook for 2 minutes. You don’t want to overcook as you want the veggies to have the crunch. Now add the paneer and half a cup of water. Check the seasoning. Cook on high flame so that the water is quickly absorbed. The aim is not to cook the bell peppers and yet coat the paneer pieces with masala. You can garnish with chopped green coriander.

Cheese Balls

You know what is the most unfair thing in this whole world? The fact that anything that tastes good makes you fat!! In an ideal world you could eat to your heart’s content and not put on weight. I envy those people who have a high metabolism and can eat without a care in this world. In fact I fell that merely writing this post is going to add a few kilograms to my weight. And that is because i am writing about a very yummy thing. Cheese!
Who doesn’t like cheese? There are hundreds of kinds of cheese. And all these kinds come from three milk sources: cow, sheep and goat. But let us not go into a “cheesy” discussion.
This is a simple tea time snacks recipe. It is quick and easy to make. I have used the basic Amul cheese tin we get in the market.


Ingredients

2 cups grated cheese
2 onions, chopped fine
4 green chillies, chopped fine
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp chat masala
Salt to taste
¼ cup cornflour
Breadcrumbs for coating
2 tbsp cornflour+1/2 cup milk

Mix together grated cheese, chopped onions, green chillies, coriander leaves, chat masala, salt and ¼ cup cornflour. Make small balls. Make a mixture of 2 tbsp cornflour and ½ cup milk. Dip the balls in this mixture and roll in breadcrumbs. Once all the balls are done then cover them with a clingfilm. Keep them in the fridge for an hour, if possible. Deep fry the balls.

Paneer Taka-tak

Amritsar is known as the food capital of the north. And rightly so! Apart from the famous Golden Temple and Jalianwala Bag the streets of Amritsar are teeming with all kinds of food. There are food items that carry the name with them..Amritsarimachli, Amritsari naan!! What can be a greater testament of the food legacy of a place?
I really liked this paneer recipe when I first heard about it. You first marinate and grill the paneer slab. Then you add it to the gravy. There are two layers of flavour here. I simply had to try it out.


Ingredients

½ kg paneer slab

Marinate in 
1 cup hung curd
3 green cardamoms
5 cloves
1 tsp ajwain
¼ ysp cinnamon powder
1 tsp chaat masala
Seeds of 1 black cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
½ tsp turmeric powder

For the gravy
2 onions, sliced fine
2 tomatoes, sliced fine
1” ginger, grated
2 green chilies, slit
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
 1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

Make the marinade first. Grind together green cardamoms, cloves, seeds of black cardamom. Add to the cinnamon powder, chat masala, ajwain, salt, turmeric and hung curd. Apply to the paneer slab well on both sides. Keep aside for an hour. Then heat a pan and add some ghee. Fry the paneer slab on both sides till golden brown. Cut into pieces.

Heat some oil. Add the green chillies and cumin seeds. Add the grated ginger. Now add the sliced onions and cook till translucent. Add the tomato slices and cook some more. Now add the tomato puree and all the dry masalas. Cook till oil starts leaving the sides. Add a cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the paneer pieces and cook till the gravy thickens.

Achari Paneer

Who doesn’t  like pickles? And I mean the Indian ones with lots of oil and a combination of masalas. Nowadays we get al kinds of ready made pickles in the market. However during my childhood i remember the whole neighbourhood used to go on a pickle making spree every summer and winter. Summers mean mangoes. As soon as the raw mangoes are of a decent enough size they are ready for pickling. And winters means carrots, cauliflowers, turnips...the list in endless.

Incorporate this achari taste into your food and the result is lip smackingly awesome. The main acahri flavour comes from the combination of five spices. In Bengali we call it paanch phoron. Even if cooking a simple dish such as pumpkin we add the paanch phoron to take the dish to a different level. Also the use of asafoetida is also important. I feel that the best thing about Indian cooking is how we play around with various spices.

Ingredients

250 gms paneer, cut into cubes

½ tsp rai

½ tsp saunf

½ tsp jeera

½ tsp methi

½ tsp kalonji

A pinch of asafoetida

2 onions, chopped fine

2 tomatoes, chopped fine

1 tsp grated ginger

4 tbsp whisked curd    

2 dry red chillies

1 tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Dry roast the rai, saunf, jeera, methi and kalonji. 

Dry grind it to a coarse powder. Keep aside.

Heat some oil in a pan. Add the red chillies and asefoetida. Add the grated ginger and sauté. Add the chopped onions and cook for sometime. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till they are soft. Add the five spices powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Sauté for a minute or two and then add the whisked curd. Cook till the oil separates. Add a cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the paneer pieces, cover and cook till oil floats on the surface. This achari paneer tastes great with parathas.

Paneer Butter Makhani

I love watching TLC channel. It has some really great shows about food, cooking and recipes. There is one programme I never miss and that is "Cheese Slices".

It really amazes me how we are able to produce hundreds of varieties of cheese from just three main milk sources: goat, lamb and cow. Buffalo milk is not used that commonly apart from making the mozzarella.

Have you been to the gourmet cheese stores. They let you sample the different varieties. Frankly speaking some of the cheeses are simply yuck! Maybe I do not have the palette to appreciate mouldy, smelly stuff. And if you ask me then my favorite kind of cheese is the cottage cheese. That is right!! Nothing to beat apna desi paneer. We can cook it in so many different ways. Every region of our country has a variation of the paneer dish. 

This dish is a rich and creamy presentation. I have used both tomato puree and ready made puree. I have found that adding ready made tomato puree to any dish increases its taste. Maybe that is because we do not always get god quality tomatoes at the grocer's. Whatever be the case the combination of these two makes the dish so great!!

Ingredients

200 gm paneer, cubed

4 tomatoes, blanched and pureed

2 tbsp readymade tomato puree

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tbsp kasuri methi

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin powder

 1 tbsp coriander powder

 1 tbsp kashmiri red chilli powder

3 tbsp cashews, soaked and made into a paste

Salt to taste

A pinch of sugar

1 cup milk

Blanch the tomatoes in hot water, peel and make a puree.

Heat some oil. Add the ginger paste, sauté, and add the tomato puree. Cook on medium heat till all the liquid evaporates. Now add the readymade tomato puree, tomato ketchup, kasuri methi, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, red chili powder, sugar and salt. Fry well.

Add the cashew paste and fry. Now add a cup of water and simmer. Add the paneer pieces and slowly add the milk. Do not put the milk in one go. Rather drizzle a lit and mix well after each addition. Simmer for some time and add a dollop of ghee.

 

Paneer Bread Rolls

Bread rolls are a quick and easy snack for children. You can put in as many veggies as you like and the kids will still enjoy them.

Ingredients

5 bread slices

100 gm paneer, grated

1 onion, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped

½ cup peas

1 tsp cumin seeds

Salt to taste

Heat a pan and add some oil. Now add the cumin seeds. When the seeds start to crackle add the onions and green chilies. Sauté for a few moments. Now add the grated paneer and peas. Cook for some time. Season with salt.

Remove the crusts from the bread slices. Dip them in water and squeeze. Now put some filling in the centre and tightly close up the bread slices. Make sure there are cracks through which the filling is peeping.

Deep fry the bread rolls. 

Chilli paneer

Chilli paneer

Ever heard of Chinese chat? It is very common to come across Chinese chat in most Delhi markets. I am sure the Chinese will consider it a blasphemy. 

The Chinese food we get in India is nothing like authentic Chinese cuisine. This I got to know during my recent trip to Hong Kong. In fact actual Chinese cuisine is an acquired taste. 

The ones we get here locally is smothered in tomato sauce, soya sauce and vinegar. It caters to our spicy and tangy taste buds and that is why we love it so much.

This dish here is in no manner an authentic Chinese recipe. It is the Indo Chinese variety we are so used to. But what can I say!! I love it this way!

Ingredients

For the paneer

250 gms paneer, cubed

1 cup flour

½ cup cornflour

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp soaya sauce

1 tsp tomato sauce

Salt to taste

For the sauce

3 tbsp chopped garlic

1 capsicum, cubed

2 sprigs spring onion, sliced

3 green chillies, slit

4 tbsp tomato sauce

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tsp ajino moto (optional)

1 cup water

Paste made of 1 tbsp cornflour+1/4 cup water

First prepare the paneer. Mix together flour, cornflour, salt, garlic paste, tomato sauce and soya sauce. 

Add some water and make a semi-thick paste. 

Add the paneer cubes and keep aside for 15 minutes.

 Heat some oil and deep fry the marinated paneer cubes.

Heat some oil. 

Add the chopped garlic, capsicum and spring onions. Saute on high heat for 2 minutes. 

Add the tomato sauce, soya sauce and ajinomoto. 

Add the cup of water and bring to a simmer. 

Add the paneer cubes and cook for a few minutes. Add the cornflour paste and simmer for few minutes till the sauce thickens. Garnish with some sliced spring onions.

Dhaniya paneer

Dhaniya paneer

This recent ban on instant noodles has been a rude awakening call about all the junk we put in our bodies. In this age of instant processed food we find it so much more convenient to take the short cut. Working parents prefer ordering for a pizza rather than cooking up fresh food every time.

I have been reading about the benefits of coriander leaves for detoxifying the body. It is true that fresh herbs and leaves like coriander and curry leaves are wonder potions for our overall health. And there is something about the use of fresh herbs that simply enriches the food. This dish uses a lot of fresh coriander leaves. Once cooked it gives a very subtle flavour and is not overpowering like a coriander chutney.

Ingredients

250 gm paneer, cubed

2 onions, quartered

1 tomato, quartered

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 cup pureed fresh green coriander

1 bay leaf

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

Boil the quartered onions and tomato for 15 minutes. Cool and grind it to a paste.

Heat some oil. Add the bay leaf and cumin seeds. 

Add the ginger garlic paste, pureed onion and tomato and saute till oil starts leaving the sides. 

Add the pureed fresh coriander leaves, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala and salt. Fry for some time. Add a cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the cubed paneer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Garnish with some grated paneer. 

Nawabi Paneer

Nawabi Paneer

Tomatoes, two ways!!

Onions, two ways!!

Yes you heard it right! 

In this dish we are using tomatoes and onions in two ways. That is why this is a Nawabi dish. A dish for the royals. The gravy is rich and succulent. The paneer is pleasantly sunny in colour. All in all a dish I had fun making and had double the fun eating!!

Ingredients

250 gms paneer, cut into cubes

2 medium onions, browned

2 medium onions, sliced fine

2 tomatoes, sliced fine

4 tbsp tomato puree

10 cashews, soaked

1 tsp ajwain

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp + ½ tsp turmeric powder

¼ cup fresh cream

Add ½ tsp turmeric powder to 2 cups of water and soak the paneer pieces for about an hour.

Slice 2 medium onions very fine and deep fry in hot oil till light brown. Make a paste with the soaked cashews.

Heat some oil. Add the ajwain seeds. Add the ginger paste and saute. Now add the sliced onions and cook till they are soft and translucent. 

Add the sliced tomatoes and tomato puree. Cook till the tomatoes are soft. Add the onion-cashew paste and fry. Add the masalas and cook till the oil starts leaving the sides. 

Add 1 cup water and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile the paneer pieces are nicely sunny in color. Add them to the gravy and cook for 10 minutes. Before taking off the heat add the fresh cream.

Gobi Paneer Makhni

Gobi Paneer Makhni

Gobi and paneer in a tomato based gravy with kasuri methi. The final taste comes out to be achari. Maybe it is the combination of ingredients because I certainly did not start out to make a achari dish. Sometimes experiments turn out to be amazing!!

Ingredients

2 cauliflower/gobi, cut into florets

100 gm paneer, cubed

3 tomatoes, blanched, pureed

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tbsp kasuri methi

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder

Salt to taste

A pinch of sugar

¼ cup mustard oil

First blanch the tomatoes and make a fine puree. Heat the mustard oil to smoking point. Add the cumin seeds. 

Saute the cauliflower florets on high heat till they are well browned. 

Add the tomato puree and ginger paste. Add the coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, chilli powder, salt and sugar. 

Cover and cook till the puree dries and the florets are coated well with the masala. 

Add the kasuri methi and paneer pieces. Cover and cook for some more time. The oil will separate and the dish will be cooked. You can garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Matar Paneer

Matar Paneer

Matar and paneer. 

A match made in heaven. 

And it tastes best in a tomato based gravy. No onions, no garlic, no heavy masalas. A simple dish and one of my favourites from childhood. 

Many people prefer frying the paneer pieces before putting them in the gravy. I don’t!! I like my paneer to be soft and crumbly. Frying makes them chewier. 

The dish is so irresistible that you will not be able to resist dipping a spoon and sampling it as the gravy simmers away!!

Ingredients

200 gm paneer, cubed

1 cup peas

3 tomatoes, pureed

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp salt

A pinch of sugar

½ tsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp cardamom powder

4 tbsp mustard oil

Heat the mustard oil. Add the cumin seeds. Add the tomato puree and ginger paste. Cook till the water evaporates and the puree starts drying up. 

Add all the masalas and cook till the oil separates. Add salt and sugar. Now add the peas and paneer pieces. Cook for a minute or two till the paneer pieces are well coated with the masala. 

Add ½ cup of water and simmer. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. You can have this with hot roti or rice.

Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer Butter Masala

This rich, red, luscious gravy is an all time favourite of all, even die hard non vegetarians. I specially love they way they make it in dhabas, especially in Punjab. They don’t skimp on the butter because after all it is butter masala. However when I make it at home I cringe at the thought of that much butter going inside me. So I skip the butter part and yet it does turn out yummilicious. 

Ingredients

250 gms paneer
5 red, ripe tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp ginger paste
2 dry red chillies
1/3 cup cashews, soaked, blended into a paste
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp kasuri methi
1 tsp turmeric powder
 1 tbsp red chili powder
Salt to taste
A pinch of sugar
1 ½ cups milk
2 tbsp cream

Boil the tomatoes and discard the peel. Grind them to a smooth paste. Heat some oil. Add the bay leaf and dry red chiilies. 
Add the ginger paste and saute it a little.
 Add the tomato puree and cook on a low flame till the oil separates. 
Add the coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, turmeric, red chilli powder, kasuri methi, salt and sugar. Fry on medium heat till the dry spices are well fried.
 Add the cashew paste and fry some more. Add ½ cup water and simmer. Once it comes to a boil slowly add the milk, stirring all the while. 
Bring to a boil and then add the paneer pieces. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Garnish with cream. 

Paneer Kulcha

Paneer Kulcha

The first time I tried this out I baked it in the oven and it was a big disaster. It was already lunch time and I had promised my husband something new for lunch. So I decided to fry it like a normal parantha. But when it went on the tava it swelled up beautifully and it was so tender that I had trouble flipping it over. 
It was a hit. It was ever so soft, so fingerlicking good. We had friends over for dinner the next day and I served this again. By this time I had tweaked and perfected the recipe for tava cooking. Everyone loved it. In fact most of my rice went untouched because the Paneer Kulcha won hands down. 

Ingredients

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
¾ cup curd
Water to knead
For the filling
400 gm paneer
Salt to taste

Mix together the flour, salt, sugar and baking soda. Now add the curd and mix well. Slowly add water and knead into a pliable dough. It will be a little soft. Cover and keep for 4 hours. 
Crumble the paneer and add salt. 
Make medium balls of the dough. You will make approximately 10 kulchas. Roll out each ball. Put a good amount of filling and close the dough. Roll it out again. 
Heat a tava. Put the rolled out kulcha on the tava. Cook on one side for a minute and then flip over. Apply oil and fry both sides well. 

Rangili Kofta

Rangili Kofta

Why rangili? Because it is rangili or multi coloured with white paneer, red carrots, green peas and amber raisins. And to be honest I gobbled up a few while frying the koftas. 

Ingredients

For the kofta

3 potatoes, boiled and mashed

½ cup green peas

2 carrots, grated

½ cup paneer, crumbled

2 green chillies, chopped

3 tbsp raisins

½ cup Breadcrumbs

For the gravy

2 green cardamoms

1” cinnamon

1 bay leaf

2 whole red chillies

1 tbsp ginger paste

2 onions, minced

1 tomato, pureed

2 tbsp readymade tomato puree

Few cashews, soaked and made into a paste

2 tbsp kasuri methi

1 tbsp coriander powder

 1 tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric powder

 1 tbsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Pinch of sugar

For the koftas

Mix together mashed potato, peas, grated carrots, crumbled paneer, chopped chilli and salt. 

Add the breadcrumbs so that the koftas do not break during frying. Make kofta shapes, round or cylindrical. Deep fry. 

For the gravy

Heat some oil. Add the green cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf and red chilies. 

Add the ginger paste and fry for a few seconds. 

Add the minced onion and sauté till the onions turn golden brown.

 Now add the pureed tomato and the readymade tomato puree. Add the dry masala powders. 

Cook on low heat till the oil starts leaving the sides.

 Add the cashew paste and kasuri methi and fry for a minute. Add some water to make a thick gravy. Add salt and a pinch of sugar. 

Simmer till the gravy is ready. Keep it aside till serving time. Add the koftas just before serving.