Paneer Lababdar

          Back after a small break, didn't mean to take it, but had a houseful of guests for a week, then caught a very bad cold, so I just had to do it. Coming to today's post Paneer Lababdar, I was a little tired of making the same dishes with paneer, I wanted to try out something new with it and I saw this cooking video of Chef Vikas Khanna, it was a healthy version of Paneer Lababdar sans the butter and cream. It's a simple dish, takes less than thirty minutes to make.and though the it didn't have any butter or cream, it still tasted very creamy and delicious and went very well with rotis..

Need To Have

• Paneer - 200 gms, diced
• Onions - 2 small ones
• Garlic - 5 cloves
• Ginger - 1" piece
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Chilly Flakes - 3/4 teaspoon
• Tomatoes - 2 big, chopped
• Chopped Coriander - 2 tablespoon

Method

          Heat some oil, add the onions, garlic and ginger and saute till the onions turn pink, then add the cumin seeds, turmeric powder, garam masala, corainder powder and chilly flakes.

          Mix it for a minute, then add the chopped tomatoes and salt, saute till the tomatoes break down and become mushy. Cool and grind the mixture into a smooth paste.

          Put the ground mixture in a pan and heat it up ( add a little water, about 1/4 cup ), when it starts bubbling, add the paneer cubes, mix for about 3 to 5 minutes. Switch off and garnish with the chopped coriander.

Note
If you want to make the dish richer, then replace the oil with butter and at the end add some fresh cream.
Also we can use kasuri methi ( dried fenugreek leaves ) instead of coriander leaves, it gives a nice flavor.

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Eggplant And Paneer Curry

          I make paneer at home, at least once in 2 weeks, since my daughter likes it very much and mostly instead of doing a curry with paneer alone, I cook it along with some vegetable. I usually add capsicum, peas, spinach or even cabbage, this time I wanted to try it with eggplant/brinjal. Sauteing the eggplant and then mixing in paneer pieces would have worked too, but I made a curry with grilled and mashed eggplant and paneer. At home, we like the smoky flavor from the grilled eggplant, if you don't like it then peel, cook and mash the eggplant. The curry was delicious with a nice flavor, we had it with rotis but it would go very well with naans or even with some light pilaf..

Need To Have

• Big Eggplant/Brinjal - 1 medium
• Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese - 200 gm, cubed
• Onions - 2 big, chopped
• Garlic - 4 cloves, grated
• Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 11/2 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
• Kasuri Methi/Dried Fenugreek Leaves - 2 atblespoons
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Method

          Roast the eggplant directly on fire till the skin is charred completely, cool it, then peel the skin and mash the eggplant and keep.

          Shallow fry the paneer pieces in a little oil, remove and keep.

          Heat some oil, add the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds, when it starts sizzling, add the chopped onion and grated garlic. Saute till the onions turn pink and the garlic gives a nice smell, then add the tomatoes, kasuri methi and saute for a minute.

          Add the turmeric powder, chilly and coriander powders and salt and saute till the tomatoes break down and become mushy, then add the mashed eggplant and mix.

          Add about 1 cup of water and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the paneer pieces, garam masala and cook for another 5 minutes, garnish with some more kasuri methi, remove and serve.

Note
Don't over fry the paneer pieces, they'll turn tough.
You can add some fresh cream at the end to make the curry richer. 

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Rice And Paneer Cutlets

          Today's post is once again for the ' Shhhhh Cooking Secretly ' event, I was supposed to cook and post it for last month, but then, since my kitchen was getting renovated, I couldn't do it till last week. I was paired with Shama of Easy2Cook Recipes and she had given me rice and paneer as the secret ingredients. I didn't think too much, the moment the ingredients were given, the first thing that came to my mind was these cutlets. I used leftover rice, paneer along with some capsicum and onion and spices and then shaped them into these cutlets. Since I wanted to keep it healthy, I shallow fried them, they turned out super delicious, it can be served with some green coriander chutney, but I served them with just some tomato sauce, perfect evening snack..

Need To Have

• Cooked Rice - about 1 cup
• Grated Paneer - 1/2 cup
• Besan Flour/Kadalai Maavu/Gram Flour - 1 tablespoon
• Capsicum - 1/2 of a big one, finely chopped
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1 tablespoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Heat some oil, add the onions and saute them for a minute, till they turn translucent, then add the capsicum, salt, turmeric and chilly powders. Saute it well on medium heat till the capsicum is just cooked.

          Take the cooked rice, mash it a little, add the paneer and besan flour. Then add the sauteed capsicum and coriander and mix everything together, check for salt and keep.

          Heat some oil for shallow frying, shape the mixture into small balls, flatten it and shallow fry it till they turn golden brown on both sides, remove and serve it warm with some coriander chutney and tomato sauce.

Note
Depending on the moisture in the cooked rice, add more or less besan flour.
If you are planning to deep fry it, it would be better to dip the balls in some flour mixture, coat with some bread crumbs and then fry them because there is a chance that the mixture would start breaking, once you drop them in the hot oil.
You can also add some cooked raw peanuts or cashews to the mixture.

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Chilly Paneer ( Cottage Cheese )

          Chilly Paneer, it's a nice side dish to go with fried rice and noodles, an Indo-Chinese dish, Indian paneer ( cottage cheese ) cooked in Chinese style. It's a very easy dish, the paneer is shallow fried and added to sauteed bell peppers, spiced up with chilly and soy sauces and flavored with ginger, garlic and spring onions. I have given approximate measurements for the chilly and soy sauces and pepper, feel free to increase or decrease according to your taste..

Need To Have

• Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese - 200 gms, cubed
• Spring Onions - chopped, 1 cup
• Onion - 1, sliced into big pieces
• Green Chilly - 1 sliced
• Garlic - 3 cloves, chopped
• Ginger - 1" piece, grated
• Red Pepper - 1/2, sliced
• Green Pepper - 1/2. sliced
• Soy Sauce - 2 teaspoons
• Red Chilly Sauce - 2 tablespoons
• Corn Flour - 1 tablespoon
• Black Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
• Salt to taste

For Frying The Paneer Pieces

• All Purpose Flour/Maida - 2 tablespoons
• Corn Flour - 1 tablespoon
• Garlic - 3 cloves, grated
• Ginger - 1" piece, grated
• Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt - a pinch

Method

          Take all the ingredients given for frying the paneer pieces and add about 1/4 cup water and make a thin batter.

          Heat some oil, dip the paneer pieces in the batter and shallow fry them till golden, remove and keep.

          Heat some oil, add the chopped spring onions, garlic, green chilly and grated ginger and saute for a minute. Then add the sliced bell peppers and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the sliced onion and saute for another minute, then add the soy sauce and mix.

          Add the corn flour mixed in 2 cups water, little salt and the remaining batter used for frying the paneer pieces, followed by the paneer pieces and chilly sauce. Cook for a minute, add the black pepper, check the salt, remove and serve it warm, garnished with the green part of the spring onions.

Note
Don't fry the paneer too much, it'll make them rubbery.
For a healthy option, we can use tofu in the place of paneer, of course, paneer tastes better.
You can increase or decrease the soy and chilly sauces and black pepper, according to your taste, can also add some chilly flakes too for more spiciness.

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Palak Paneer - 2, Spinach With Indian Cottage Cheese

          Though I am calling this post as Palak Paneer - 2, this is in fact, the first palak paneer that I used to do for my daughter. It's a very simple dish that does not use much spices or masalas. Back in the US, we get baby spinach packets, just wash and blanch them and use them and they taste very good in this dish, better than the regular spinach. This dish is ideal for a small group, because we are using only spinach puree here, no onions or tomatoes to give more volume, for a bigger group or party, I would recommend my other recipe here. I got this recipe from a cook book of Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, a delicious recipe with minimum ingredients and maximum flavor..

Need To Have

• Spinach/ Palak  - 1 big or 2 small bunches
• Paneer/ Indian Cottage Cheese cubes - 1 cup
• Green Chillies - 2
• Cumin Seeds/ Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
• Garlic Cloves - 4-5, finely chopped
• Cream Cheese - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Recipe for home-made paneer here.

Method

          Remove the thick stems from the spinach, wash and add it to boiling water and immediately switch off. Remove it from the hot water, dip in cold water (I usually skip this step), drain and grind it with the 2 green chillies. I got 11/2 cup of spinach puree.

          Heat some oil, add the cumin seeds, when it starts to sizzle, add the garlic and saute till it turns golden. Then add the spinach puree and boil for 2 minutes.

          Then add the paneer cubes, mix gently and cook for 2 more minutes. Finally mix in the cream cheese, remove and serve it with rotis.

Note
Since I didn't have fresh cream , I used cream cheese.
I don't fry the paneer pieces before adding, it's up to you, you can add it as such or shallow fry and add.

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Palak Paneer Bhurji/ Spinach And Cottage Cheese

          My daughter loves spinach and paneer, she likes all the curries I make with them, especially the Palak Paneer, it's her favorite side dish for rotis. But sometimes when I want to do something simple with spinach and paneer, but still very tasty, then this Palak Paneer Bhurji is my option. This goes very well with plain rotis or as a filling for sandwiches and masala dosas, or even mix it with some white rice, try it, I am sure you'll love it..

Need To Have

• Spinach - chopped, 2 cups packed
• Grated Paneer/ Indian Cottage Cheese - 1/2 cup
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Garlic - 2 cloves, grated
• Grated Ginger - 2 teaspoon
• Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Kasuri Methi - 1 tablespoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

Kasuri Methi - Dried Fenugreek Leaves

Method

          Heat some oil, add the cumin seeds, when it starts sizzling, add the onions, ginger and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, ( that green leafy thing in the picture is because I had chopped the onions on the same cutting board after the spinach ).

          Then add the tomatoes and saute for a minute. Add the salt, turmeric, chilly and coriander powders, saute till the tomatoes become mushy.

          Now add the chopped spinach, keep cooking till the spinach is done. Add the grated paneer and mix till the mixture becomes thick and dry. Finally add the kasuri methi ( crushed slightly between your palms ), mix well and remove.

Note
You can use chopped frozen spinach for this.
Can use store bought or homemade paneer.
Kasuri methi is available in Indian grocery stores, it gives a unique flavor, but if you are not able to find it, add 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala and 1/2 teaspoon of fenugreek seed powder.

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Paneer Butter Masala/ Creamy Curry With Indian Cottage Cheese

          Paneer Butter Masala, a favorite of most kids, a rich creamy dish, and is sure to appear in most party menus. Paneer/ Indian Cottage Cheese cubes are cooked in a rich blend of spices and is garnished with kasuri methi/ dried fenugreek leaves and a dash of fresh cream, the resulting flavor is simply irresistible. Though the dish looks so rich and delicious, it's actually pretty easy to make it. You can make your own paneer ( the method here ) or use store bought ones, both works very well..

Need To Have

• Paneer Cubes - 11/2 cups
• Kasuri Methi - 2 tablespoons
• Fresh Cream - to garnish
• Oil & Butter - as needed
• Salt - to taste

To Grind

• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 cups, chopped
• Chopped Ginger - 2 teaspoons
• Garlic - 5 small cloves
• Cashews - 2
• Golden Raisins - 6 small
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Cinnamon - 1" piece
• Cloves - 2
• Cardamom - 1
• Javentri - a small piece

Method

          Heat some oil and stir fry the paneer cubes, remove and drain to remove excess oil.

          For the paste, heat a little oil, add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and javentri ( the orange flower like thing in the first picture). When it starts sizzling and the elaichi or cloves pop, add the onions, garlic and ginger and saute for about 2 minutes.

          Now add the tomatoes, saute still it starts turning mushy, then add the turmeric,chilly and coriander powders, mix for a minute, remove and cool.

          Grind this along with the cashews and raisins, now your paste is ready.

          Heat some butter and oil, add the ground paste and salt and saute it well for about 3 minutes, if it sticks, add a little water and keep sauteing.

          Once you get a nice flavor, add the paneer cubes, about  2 cups of water, kasuri methi, cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Then remove and add the fresh cream, serve it warm with some rotis or naan.

Note
Sometimes, store bought paneer turns a little rubbery when stir fried, to avoid this soak it in some warm milk after frying, till adding it to the curry.
Since it's paneer butter masala, I've added butter, but you can leave it also, it'll still taste good.
Kasuri Methi is available in all Indian stores.

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Matar Paneer/ Peas And Cottage Cheese Curry

          Matar Paneer, Green Peas with Indian Cottage Cheese, is a very popular side dish for naans and rotis and a very common dish on restaurant menus and parties. It's liked very much by kids as the main ingredients in this curry are peas and paneer, which is liked by most of them. I have used home made paneer and I didn't follow any particular recipe, just added what I felt would be right for this dish, it turned out very delicious and paired perfectly well with the rotis that we had with it..

Need to Have

• Fresh Or Frozen Green Peas - 11/2 cups
• Paneer Cubes - 1 cup
• Onion - 1 medium chopped
• Cinnamon - 2" thin stick
• Kasuri Methi - 1 tablespoon
• Salt - to taste 

To Grind

• Onion - 1 small
• Tomatoes - 2 medium
• Garlic - 4 cloves
• Ginger - 1 tablespoon, chopped
• Cashews - 5
• Golden Raisins - 6
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cardamom - 1
• Cloves - 2
• Javentri - very small piece

Method

          Grind together all the ingredients given under 'to grind' and keep. Cook the green peas and keep, I usually microwave it with some water and salt.

          Heat some oil, add the cinnamon, when it starts sizzling add the chopped onions and saute till it turns pink.

          Now add the ground paste and saute it for at least 5 to 7 minutes until the raw smell goes away.

          Then add about 2 cups of water and salt, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat. Now add the cooked peas and the paneer cubes, mix and cook for another 2 minutes. Finally add the kasuri methi (slightly crush it with your hands), mix, cook for a minute more, remove and serve it warm with any bread or pilaf.

Note
While sauteing the paste, if it sticks to the pan, add a little water and continue sauteing.
Kasuri Methi is dried fenugreek leaves available in Indian groceries.
Javentri is a dried, orange flower like spice, found in Indian groceries, if you don't find it add one more cardamom while grinding the paste.

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Moong Dal / Green Gram And Paneer Curry

          Ever since I started using this moong dal /green gram with skin, I have become a huge fan of it, it's not only more healthy ( extra fiber from the skin) but also very tasty. I had used it in the cabbage pongal and now in this curry along with homemade paneer/ cottage cheese.  Adding paneer made this dish even more tasty and I also added some capsicum and kasuri methi for some extra flavor. We had it with pav / buns, you can even have it with some plain toast too..

Need To Have

• Moong Dal/Green Gram With Skin - 1/2 cup
• Grated Paneer/ Indian Cottage Cheese - 1/2 cup
• Green Capsicum -  1 1/2 cup chopped
• Tomato - 1 medium chopped
• Garlic cloves - 4 chopped
• Red Chilly Powder - 3/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Garam Masala -  1/2 teaspoon
• Kasuri Methi - 2 tablespoons
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Black Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Pressure cook the moong dal ( about the same time to cook raw rice). Heat some oil, add the cumin and mustard seeds, once it starts spluttering add the fenugreek seeds, mix till it turns golden. Then add the chopped garlic and saute till it starts turning golden brown. Now add the chopped capsicum and keep mixing for about 3 minutes.

          Add the tomatoes and saute for a minute, then add the turmeric and chilly powders along with the salt, keep mixing till the tomatoes turn mushy. Now add the cooked dal and a cup of water , mix and simmer it for about 5 minutes.

          Then add the grated paneer, garam masala and kasuri methi ( crush it between your hands before adding), mix and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve it warm with any bread of your choice.

Note
Can soak the moong dal and then cook it in a regular vessel instead of pressure cooking.
Kasuri Methi is dried Fenugreek leaves, available in Indian grocery stores.
Also readymade paneer is available in Indian stores.
Add more or less water to the curry, depending on how thick or thin you want it.
Can serve it with a dash of lemon if you want it a little more tangy.
Take care, not to burn the fenugreek seeds, gives a bitter taste to it.

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