Matar Paneer

RCI is a monthly blog event focusing on various Indian cuisines. The cuisine this month is Punjabi and Richa is hosting it at As dear as salt.


A funny thing happened with me the other day. We had been to an Indian restaurant and while browsing through the menu I realized I had made all the dishes at home. Palak paneer, Alu palak, Punjabi chole, Paneer jalfrezi..the list went on and on and for the first time in my life I felt like my mom. Mom would say it's useless to waste so many rupees on a simple dish in a restaurant when we can make it at home and it's much healthy too. Back then we used to get irritated when mom said this. We said "Zala hicha suru (she's started again)".

As a teenager, I was obsessed with eating out. Most of the times eating out would be =Punjabi food. However, we used to end up ordering the same dishes again and again. Thinking back I realize that most of the veggies would be stale and there would be a heavy ghee layer floating in it. For RCI, I made one of my favorite Punjabi sabzi.

Matar Paneer/Green peas with cottage cheese

Serves:4

Ingredients

1. 1 tbsp ghee
2. 1 inch cinnamon stick
3. 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
4. 2 cloves
5. 1 bay leaf
6. 1 onion - chopped fine
7. 1 tsp ginger paste
8. 1 tsp garlic paste
9. 1 tsp red chilli powder
10. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
11. 2 tsp coriander powder
12. 1/2 tsp cumin powder
13. 1 tbsp cashew pieces
14. 2 tomatoes - cut into huge chunks
15. Salt to taste
16. 1 cup fresh green peas or frozen peas (thawed)
17. 1 packet fried paneer (about 230 gm)
18. 1 tbsp whipped cream or malai

Method

1. Soak the paneer in water for 10-15 minutes. Puree the tomatoes along with the cashew pieces.
2. Heat ghee in a pan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and bay leaf. Fry for a minute.
3. Add the chopped onion and the ginger garlic paste. Fry till the onion turns light brown.
4. Add all the powders from 9 to 12. Fry for a minute.
5. Next, add the tomato-cashew puree and salt to taste. Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes (till the mixture thickens).
6. Add the peas and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil.
7. Add the whipped cream and paneer cubes. Mix well taking care that you don't break the paneer cubes.
8. Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

This one turned out super-tasty. It went into our favorites list. Be sure to try it out!

Jalfrezi Paneer

This is one of our favorite vegetables. So much so, that we end up making it every time we get paneer. The home-made version of this sabzi is definitely better than the hotel one; which comes with floating oils.

Jalfrezi or “dry fry” is an Indian curry in which marinated pieces of meat or vegetables are fried in oil and spices to produce a thick, dry sauce. You can use bell peppers, onions, paneer, French beans, or any of your favorite vegetables.

If you are making Paneer Jalfrezi, you can either use home-made paneer (cottage-cheese) or store bought fried paneer. Here’s how you can make panner at home:
Making Paneer

You will need 1 gallon of milk and 1/3 to ½ cup fresh lemon juice. Bring milk to a boil in a large pan. Reduce the heat to low and, while gently stirring, add the lemon juice. When the milk separates into cheese curds and yellowish whey, remove the pan from the heat. Line a strainer with a triple thickness of cheesecloth 22 to 24 inches square. Using a slotted spoon gently transfer the large pieces of paneer into the strainer, then slowly pour the smaller bits and whey through it. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth and tie the cheese into a tight bundle. Rinse the paneer curds with a slow stream of water to remove the lemon taste. Gently squeeze out the excess liquid. Place the cheese into a slanted surface draining into the sink. Neatly fold the cheesecloth over the cheese to make a flat, square parcel and balance a heavy, flat weight on top of it. Drain and press the paneer until it is firm. Refrigerate it. You can cut the paneer into ½ or ¾ inch cubes and shallow fry them in ghee or oil. (Extracted from “India – The Vegetarian Table” by Yamuna Devi).

I used store-bought fried paneer. The recipe for Jalfrezi has been adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor’s “Simply Vegetarian”.

Jalfrezi Paneer

Ingredients
1.400 gms Paneer – cut into cubes
2.2 medium tomatoes
3.2 medium capsicums
4.2 medium onions
5.½ tsp ginger paste
6.½ medium bunch coriander leaves
7.2 whole red chillies
8.3 tbsp oil
9.1 tsp cumin seeds
10.1 ½ tsp red chilli powder
11.½ tsp turmeric powder
12.Salt to taste
13.1 ½ tbsp vinegar
14.1 tsp garam masala powder
Method
1.Wash and cut tomatoes, onions, and capsicums into slices.
2.Clean, wash, and chop coriander leaves. Remove stems and break red chillies into two.
3.Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds. When they change color, add red chillies, ginger, and onions. Sauté till the onions turn golden brown.
4.Now, add the red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Stir well and add capsicum. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add paneer and toss. Add salt and vinegar and cook for 2-3 mins. Stir in the tomato pieces and garam masala powder
5.Serve hot with chapatis.

This is my entry for the letter “J” for Nupur’s A-Z series. Hope you like it!