Kerala Style Paneer Fry

I had mentioned in an earlier post that my husband had boldly accepted the responsibility of suggesting…mind you only suggesting what to make for dinner. Even though it doesn’t happen everyday, an occasional suggestion is very welcome.

I have made this recipe a few times, but had always stuck to the original ingredients. The recipe calls for soy chunks and the two or three times I made it, my husband suggested making it with paneer. It just didn’t happen, until last week.

I was slightly doubtful about the combination of paneer and coconut oil but trust me, the combination was simply delicious.

Ingredients (Serves 3-4)

Diced paneer – 2 cups

Chilly powder – 2 tsps (or to taste)

Pepper powder – 1 tsp (or to taste)

Crushed ginger – 1 tsp

Crushed garlic – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsps

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Garam masala – 1½ tsps

Chopped onion – 1 cup

Chopped tomato – ½ cup

Salt to taste

Coconut oil – 5-6 tbsps

Coriander leaves   

Curry Leaves        

Water

Method

Chop the paneer into one-inch size pieces and place in a wide bowl. Pour some hot water on it and leave for about ten minutes, this will make the paneer soft and more porous.

Drain the water. Add the pepper powder, chili powder, ginger, garlic, and salt and marinate for 10-15 minutes or longer, if you start early (the longer you keep it the better).     

Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onions until they turn light brown. Add the turmeric powder and coriander powder and continue sautéing. Now add the chopped tomato and cook until it becomes tender.

Once the onions and tomatoes are well cooked, add the marinated paneer pieces, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Do not open and stir in between, the paneer pieces could break.  

Remove the lid, and allow all the extra water to evaporate. Add the curry leaves, garam masala, and more oil. Lower the heat and allow the paneer to cook well. After about 5-6 minutes, toss the paneer pieces (you might see brown spots on the bottom, that’s normal). Keep cooking, while stirring occasionally. Add more oil if required. It took about 25 minutes to get the blackened texture all on all the pieces. Keep in mind that the paneer may not char as well as the soy chunks.

Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve hot with chapathis, fried rice, or even as an appetizer. 

Link to the original recipe: https://www.cucumbertown.com/soya-chunks-dry-recipe-dish

Note: When serving it as an appetizer, make sure the pieces are slightly bigger, so that they don’t disintegrate when cooking.

A Paneer Curry Without a Name

Why does this curry not have a name, you might think. Well, that's because it has been improvised from a chicken curry called 'Vattichu Chicken' seen on TV.

The process involved cooking the chicken with just the liquid released from the meat, tomatoes and onions and allowing all the water to cook off.  The procedure was fairly simple and the end product looked delicious. I figured it would taste well with paneer too, hence the trial.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Paneer cubes – 1 cup (approx)

Finely chopped onion – ½ cup

Diced tomatoes – ½ cup

Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tsps

Red chili powder – 2 tsps or to taste

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Chopped cilantro, mint and curry leaves – 2-3 tbsps

Water – 2 tbsps + 1 cup more for the paneer

Coconut/cooking oil – 1 ½ tbsps

Salt to taste

Method

Bring one cup of water to a boil, turn off the heat and add the paneer to it. Cover and keep aside until required. This will make the paneer softer.

Heat oil in a pan and add the ginger-garlic paste. I learnt, while watching this recipe being made, that adding the ginger-garlic paste before the onions brings out the flavor of the garlic. Sauté for a minute and add the chopped onions.

Sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Now add the chili and turmeric powders and salt; mix well. Add the diced tomatoes and stir. Add the paneer, cover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Check the gravy in between and if the gravy feels to dry, add a little water.

Once the gravy and paneer look well mixed, add the garam masala. If you would like to retain some gravy, take it off the heat at this point. If you like it more dry, increase the heat and allow all the water to boil off, in an open pan.  Garnish with cilantro and/mint leaves and serve hot. We had it with chapathis but with a little gravy, I think it will complement plain rice or even jeera rice. Bon Appétit. 

Palak Paneer Stuffed Paratha

Sometime last month, my parents went to a Rajasthani/Gujarati restaurant in Chennai and raved about the different dishes they tasted. One of their favorites was a palak paneer stuffed paratha, which my mother described extensively…and of course I couldn't bear not to have been there!!! What was the alternative? Coming up with my own version.

Ingredients

Aatta – 2 cups (approx)

Finely chopped spinach (Chiffonade would be pretty) – 1 cup (approx)

Very finely diced paneer – 1 cup (approx)

Chilli powder to taste

Garam masala to taste

Salt to taste

Oil/ghee

Method

Add a pinch of salt to the aatta and while adding little water at a time, make a smooth dough (chapathi dough consistency) and keep aside for at least half an hour.

The unsuccessful version with bigger paneer chunks

Roll out two chappathis. Spread some of the chopped spinach and paneer on the chappathi, leaving a  half inch border. Sprinkle some salt, garam masala and chili powder on the spinach-paneer mixture (Alternately, you can mix the spinach-paneer mixture with the spices and keep ready. Just make sure that there is no water in the stuffing). Wet the border with some water, cover with the second chappathi and seal the edges.  

Make the remaining parathas in the same way. Meanwhile, heat a griddle or non stick pan and start cooking the parathas. Spread a little oil or ghee on the surface for more flavorful parathas.

What you should not do (personal experience):

Cut the paneer into slightly big cubes; the parathas cooks unevenly and the edges become hard.

What you could do:

If you do not like the taste of raw palak, cook it with the paneer, chili powder, garam masala and salt. Just make sure that the mixture isn’t watery.

Serve with a dollop of curd and your favorite pickle. Bon Appétit.

Announcement: I would like to bring your attention to a super interesting contest being hosted by Shastha Foods. Get creative and send in your innovative dosa recipes to The Dosa Contest and win a gift hamper.

Happy Diwali!!!

Even though Square Meals was started as a combined effort, we have not cooked anything together after the EgglessBlueberry Muffins made early last year. We have been wanting to do it again and finally got a chance today. We cooked together… virtually! Standing in two kitchens, about 350 miles apart, but brought closer by technology: we made rasgullas via Skype. Funny, isn’t it?

Rasgullas have always intimidated us, and it has has been in our 'must conquer' list until today. So when one of us (Aparna) found a blog with an elaborate step by step procedure for making rasgullas, we did not want to miss the opportunity. The explanation, along with the captivating photographs gave us a glimmer of hope.

Diwali being around the corner, we decided to make it over the weekend, right on time for the festival of lights.

We started out in the morning, making the paneer and hanging it for the whey to drip completely. After a few hours, we took it up from where we had left off and continued with the procedure. Both of us were still a little apprehensive about how it would turn out and it was only after our first two sample pieces came out spongy and gorgeous looking, that we gained the confidence to keep going. The sight of the fluffy white balls swimming in sugar syrup was absolutely drool worthy and the final verdict came when both the husbands tasted one from the first batch and said 'It is gooood'.

Taking a little detour from our excitement, we would like to introduce you to a wonderful organization called Maitri. I (Gomathi) have been a volunteer at Maitri for the last four months. Maitri is a non-profit organization that helps women fight domestic violence, in the Bay Area. Being a part of this organization has enriched my outlook towards life. Aparna and I would like to request all of you to support this noble cause.

There are multiple ways to show your support:

• Become a volunteer at Maitri
• Like and share their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/maitribayarea
• Add their website's URL and hotline number to your email as a signature line http://www.maitri.org/ 1.888.8.MAITRI
• Help spread awareness

A tiny gesture from your side can be a big help to Maitri and to the numerous victims they care for.

Finally, we would love to thank Soma of e Curry for her wonderful recipe and we wish her, her family, and all our readers a Very Happy Diwali!

Masala Paneer Spread

Let me start by telling you that my father loves to experiment with food and is known for his chutneys and sandwiches. So it was no surprise when my mother mentioned a sandwich that he had made and all the compliments he had received from her colleagues. So when I asked him for the recipe, he said, "I sautéed some onions and tomatoes in a little oil. Added salt to taste and all the masala powders that I could think of and when the mixture had come together well, I added some paneer pieces and sautéed it for a few more minutes. After the mixture cooled down, I put it in the mixie (blender), blended it and put it back into the pan for further thickening. Once it was of spreadable consistency, I took it off the heat and used it as a spread for the sandwiches."

The thought of blending paneer did not sit well with me at first, but I had made up my mind to try it anyhow. So I bought some paneer during our weekend trip to the Indian grocery store. Before I could get to the sandwich, though, I made a paneer curry for dinner. A simple tomato-onion gravy with green chilies, garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, chili powder , cumin powder, and garam masala.  I had a little left over and was wondering what to do with it when a bright bulb went on in my head!!! Wasn't this quite similar to my father's paneer mixture (before blending)? Without losing any time, I took the paneer curry out of the fridge, put it into the small jar of my mixie and blended away until it was a smooth paste. I added a small piece of paneer (because I have the very bad habit of picking out paneer pieces from the gravy and eating them separately, leaving very little pieces Vs gravy).

The mixture was super fragrant from all the spices that had gone into it the previous night, the only thing missing was the bright color of the tomatoes, because I had added a little milk to the gravy. Anyway, I added a bit more chili powder and salt and poured it into a small pan and let it simmer on low heat for a while. My kitchen was filled with an amazing aroma as the paneer mixture sat and reduced into a perfect spread-like consistency. 

Alternately, I think this will make a nice Indian style dip/topping for chips, vegetables and crackers too. What say? Bon appétit.