Paneer Masala

These days I am getting a little confident of my Indian cooking skills. The dishes turn out delicious and I have learnt to experiment with the spices too. Husband loves Indian food and simple as well without much oil and spices and as such freshly ground spices help you attain that maximum taste without adding a lot of it. Besides, nothing can beat the aroma of home ground spices. So here is a super simple Paneer recipe I experimented with some freshly ground spices. The beauty of this dish lies in this secret spicing which I am sharing with you all. 

                                 

Ingredients

250 gms paneer cubes

2 medium onion finely chopped

1" piece ginger, finely grated or made into a paste (freshly prepared paste is preferred)

3-4 cloves garlic finely grated or made into a paste (freshly prepared is preferred)

2 medium tomatoes made into a puree

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp deggi mirch (the non spicy red chilli powder)

1 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp spice mix (recipe given below)

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp freshly roasted kasuri methi, crushed

Fresh coriander leaves (as per your taste for garnishing

Salt to taste

2 tbsp olive oil or any cooking oil

For the Spice Mix

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 black cardamoms

3 whole red chillies

Dry roast all the above ingredients till fragrant and let it cool. Make into a fine powder and store in a air tight container for later use. 

Direction

1. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the paneer cubes till golden on both sides. Do not fry for too long else you will end up with chewy paneer. A slight golden tinge is all you want. 

2. Soak the paneer pieces in a bowl of warm water just enough to cover them all. You can use this water later on for the gravy. 

3. In the same pan, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and bay leaves. I did not add any additional oil. You can add if you feel rhe oil is too less. Let the seeds brown and then add the chopped onions. 

4. Fry the onions till pink and translucent and then add the ginger garlic paste. Continue frying till a lovely aroma of the fried spices emerges. 

5. Now add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, sugar, salt, and coriander powder and fry. You can splash a litlle water at this point if the masala is drying up and you haven't used extra oil. 

6. Next, add the tomato puree and continue frying on a medium flame till the raw smell disappears and oil starts coming out from the sides. This step is very crucial for the beautiful color of this dish. 

7. Now add the ground spice (2 tsp) and stir well mixing all the spices well. Tip in the fried and soaked paneer pieces and stir. Take care not to break the paneer.

8. Once the masala coats the paneer well, add about 1/2 cup of the water in which the paneer was soaked. 

9. Stir and let it simmer on a medium flame. Add the crushed kasuri methi and stir. Reduce the gravy to your desired consistency. This dish is best served with just a little bit of gravy, do not make into a watery curry. 

10. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapatis or steamed rice. 

P.S.: Do you like this new format for writing the recipe or do you like to read it in a paragraph? Please share your feedback in the comments below.

                                    

Baked Cottage Cheese Quesadillas (Baked Paneer Parathas)

A lot of Western food can be seen to be derived from Indian kitchens. These Quesadillas are one such which is quite close to its Indian counterpart, the much loved Paneer Paratha. The Quesadillas however have an added advantage of being baked or toasted on the stove top without the oil which makes them super healthy and nutritious. While the filling for the Quesadillas is entirely upto your taste and liking, you cannot miss the crunchy crust which almost reminds you of a thin crust Calzone! It is a must try in your kitchen and especially if you are watching your calories and still want to enjoy something interestingly delicious!

                                

Ingredients

2-3 cookedtortillas/leftover chapati (I used store bought wholemeal chapatis. It is best to use left over chapatis which are a day old. You may not get the crunchy crust with a freshly prepared chapati. Also, I recommend rolling the chapati a little bigger and thinner than the usual one so that the filling can be adequately placed)

1 cup paneer roughly crumbled with your hands

1 medium onion chopped

1 small tomato chopped

1/2 cup mixed bell peppers chopped

1 sprig coriander leaves chopped

1 green chilli chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp freshly crushed black pepper powder

Salt to taste

Grated cheddar cheese (quantity depends on how cheesy you like it. I used about 1 tbsp per quesadilla)

1 tsp olive oil

Direction

Prepare the filling first. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till translucent. Add the chillies and tomato and fry till soft. Now add the bell peppers and cook till just done. Add the fresh coriander and the spices and salt and mix well. Switch off the flame and add the crumbled paneer or cottage cheese. We do not want to cook the paneer. Let the mixture remain in the hot pan with the flame off. This heat is sufficient to soften the paneer. Let it cool on its own.

Pre-heat the oven at 175 degree celsius in the broiler mode or top rod only. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil. Take one tortilla or chapati and brush it with room temperature water on both sides. Now put the filling on one half of the tortilla/chapati. Do not put a heaped filling. It should be in a single layer so that the other half closes in comfortably. Leave a little space on the sides. Now sprinkle the grated cheese on top and fold in the tortilla/chapati covering the filling.

                                  

Place this on the prepared baking dish. Repeat for the rest of the tortillas/chapatis. 

         

Bake in the pre heated oven for 10-15 minutes till crispy on the outer side and slightly browned. Flip the side and bake for another 5-10 minutes till crispy and browned on both sides. You can adjust the oven timings and temperature as per your oven settings. 

Remove from the oven and cut into wedges. Serve hot with your favorite dip.