“There is nothing in this world that can’t be solved without butter paneer masala and paranthas.”

Paneer or cottage cheese has a dedicated fan following in India itself and I confess my family too are hard core paneer fans. I guess it’s all about the multiple ways one can make use of this  indispensable protein . This is one protein that tastes great and is at the same time  healthy too .  Rich in calcium  and easy to digest paneer can be grilled, baked or even just added to a rich gravy. Basically, paneer is an all-rounder and tastes good in any form it is prepared.

At home we buy paneer atleast once a week and special attention is paid to its preparation, it has to be something new every week. If it’s a tikka one week, then it’s a bake the following week- so far so good!  Coming to this recipe, some time back I had made a paneer tikka with green masala and it was a big hit.  With the same flavour in mind I decided to do  a proper paneer dish, adding onions, cream and a sprinkle of Garam masala on top before serving . This is just an awesome dish- you can get the freshness of coriander and mint, the tanginess of the lime juice added,the richness of cashewnuts and cream and above all the fragrance of the Garam masala – everything just blends in and the whole dish sings in unison!

Happy to be sharing this very tasty recipe with you,

Ingredients:

• Paneer- 250 GMs
• Onions sliced -2
• Coriander leaves -1 bunch
• Mint leaves – a handful
• Green chillies -4
• Cashewnuts -1/4 cup
• Curd-1/4 cup
• Ginger- garlic paste -2 tsp
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• Salt
• Sugar – a pinch
• Cream-1/2 cup
• Garam masala powder  -1 and a 1/2 tsp
• Butter-2 tbsp
• Oil -2 tbsp

Method :

•  Soak paneer in hot water for a couple of minutes. Remove and cut into cubes.
• Grind all the ingredients to a paste except the onions.
• Add  half the paste to the paneer cubes and keep aside for 1/2 an hour.
• In a little butter and oil, fry the sliced onion till light brown.
• Add the other half of the masala paste and sauté for a few minutes. Do not cover.
• Add cream and blend well.
• Add the marinated paneer, half a cup of water and mix well.
• Cover with a lid for 2-3 minutes. Remove the cover and stir once more.
• Sprinkle with Garam masala .
• Transfer to a serving dish and serve with Naan. ( recipe here).

Chef’s tips:

• Paneer should always be soaked in hot water before cooking.
• Do not add any water while grinding the leaves and rest of the ingredients to a paste.
• You can always substitute cream with milk.
• The sole aim is to retain the fresh green colour of the leaves right through cooking time.
• Do not add water while cooking too.
• A little bit of  sliced capsicum throw in along with the sliced onions adds on to the flavour of the dish.
• This serves 2-3.

Do try out the dishes and send me your feedback , would love to hear from you.

Till my next post ,

Cheers 

Rose