Paneer Lababdar

I am a Paneer freak. I love Paneer. I can gulp down  chunks and chunks of irresistible Paneer in one go. It is always a part of my menu whenever I visit any restaurant or eatery, something I make bi-weekly or very often. Sight of soft creamy chunks of Paneer dipped in butter masala gravy with naans or rotis or crispy Paneer Pakodas eaten with your favourite sauce to my hungry stomach is always heaven.

Like I said it’s always on my menu if somebody comes over for lunch or dinner. I love experimenting with Paneer gravies and this time when we had guests I decided to make something different. I made Paneer Lababdar.

The Paneer Lababdar is rich gravy flavoured with carom seeds and cumin seeds. It is a perfect combo with chapathis, rotis and naans. It is easy to make and gets ready in minutes…The aroma of carom and cumin makes the already alluring Paneer dish more tempting .I was very proud of this new preparation and decided to make it again.

Ingredients

   Paneer chunks – 250 grams

   Vegetable oil or Ghee -3 tbsp

Cumin seeds-1-1/2 tsp(I put ½ tsp)

Carom seeds-1-1/2 tsp(I put ½ tsp) Cumin Powder- 1/2 -1/4 tsp (I put ¼ tsp)

Tomato puree – ½ cup Chopped Tomato -1-2cup Chopped Onion-1-2(I used 1onion) Capsicum sliced -1/2 of 1 big Capsicum Kashmiri Red Chilli powder-1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder – ½ tsp

Dry Fenugreek leaves – ½ tsp

Fresh Cream-4 tbsp

Butter-3-2 tbsp(  I used 2 tbsp)

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder -a pinch

Chopped Green chiili-2

Sesame seeds – ½ tsp (crushed)

Dhaniya powder(Coriander powder)-1/2-1/4 tsp(I used ¼ tsp) Ginger garlic paste-1-1/2 tsp(I used 1/4th tsp)

For Garnishing

Fresh Coriander- 2 Tbsp

Ginger Shredded- 1- 1/2 Tsp

Sliced Tomato-1 For garnishing Method Take a pan and heat oil.Add cumin seeds and carom seeds and saute for half a minute .Add  ginger garlic paste& green chilli paste(or chopped) sauté for a minute. Add chopped onions  & sauté till it turns golden brown. Add the tomatoes and stir well for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato puree and cook over low flame for 2 minutes.  Add sliced capsicum ans saute till cooked. Now add cumin powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, garam masala, dhaniya powder ,  kasuri methi , turmeric powder and crushed sesame. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Cook  for few minutes until oil starts separating from masala. Add little water to gravy. Add salt After this, add Paneer cubes & cook for about 8-10 minutes on low flame. Add butter and cream. Garnish with shredded ginger,chopped coriander and sliced tomato peel. Notes You can add kasuri methi  last and cook for 4-5 min with closed lid low flame then add  butter  and fresh cream instead of adding kasuri methi in step no: 4. You can add ground cashew paste. You can omit turmeric powder, dhania powder , crushed sesame , ginger garlic and green  chilli  as they are optional.

The other day we went to an eatery I requested for a paneer dish again, as usual. My friend who accompanied me remarked '' Paneer it had to be". I smiled back at her. Yes she is right. Paneer tops my favourite food list. This time. Every time.

Vegetable Kurma

I’m making the post a week late. Like I mentioned in my previous post this recipe was part of our New Year get- together. But last week was hectic…I had lot of small errands to do and that kept me outside the house the whole day. So my post suffered. I would come back home tired only to drop dead on the bed….snore snore.. I was already asleep.

Coming back to my mix vegetable kurma , it came out well .My mom had taken my son Aniket to the park. By the time they came back home the dish was ready. The flavours of cardamom and cinnamon and other ingredients wafted into the air and filled the house. Just then my mom entered the house and she exclaimed….mmmmmmmm nice……Aniket had a small twinkle in his eye. Hey what was his momma cooking?

It made a good combo paired with the ghee rice .We all love it. My mother’s friend even took down the recipe because she had made it in a different way earlier but loved my recipe too. I wanted my vegetable kurma to taste like the one in Vrindavan- an eatery near my house. I had tasted em with some pooris once ….So I browsed and browsed the net for the perfect recipe , combined a few till I thought I would be able to make its poor cousin. But to my surprise it tasted just the same…Vrindavan style……

Vegetable kurma is a lovely side dish- It is a stew which can be made with yogurt cream, nut and seed pastes or coconut milk and  has its roots traced to  Mughalai cuisine…Can be served with chapathis, naan, palappams or even mixed rice. Since it contains a mixture of many vegetables it is healthy too. No wonder it is a quick refuge many housewifes turn to. Why wouldn’t they? Isn’t it healthy, tasty and even easy to make.

Ingredients

Onions-11/2 medium

Green chilli-3-4

Ginger garlic paste- ½ tsp

Mixed vegetables-1-11/2 cup(carrots,beans,cauliflower,potatoes and peas)

Milk-1/4 cup

Yogurt-2 tbsp

Coriander powder-11/2-2 tsp

Cumin seeds-1/2-14 tsp

Fennel-1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Bay leaf-1

Black stone flower-1

Curry leaves- few

Oil-3 tsp

Ghee-1 tsp

Redchilli powder-1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder-a pinch

To Grind

Cloves – 2 nos

Cinnamon stick – 2 (small)

Cardamom – 1 no

Cashew – 2 nos or more

Poppy seeds – 2tsp

Roasted Channa dhal – 2 tsp

Green chili – 1 no

Coconut – 5 tbsp (grated )

Cumin seeds-a pinch  

Fennel seeds-a pinch

Method

Cook the vegetables.

Grind the ingredients listed under the heading grind.

In a pan, heat the oil and ghee together. When hot, add bay leaf, curry leaves, stone flower, and cumin and fennel seeds.

Add chopped onions and green chilli. Saute till onions become golden brown.

Add ginger garlic paste.Fry till raw smell leaves.

Add coriander powder, red chilli and turmeric powder. Fry.

Add vegetables. Pour water and let it bubble.

Add yogurt, ground paste and salt. Simmer and boil for 3 min.

Add milk and bring to boil. Give a good stir.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Notes:

You can add ½ tsp cumin and ¼ tsp fennel seeds to the items to be ground instead of frying it and then add it after the vegetables

Instead of cooking the vegetables separately, you can add it with a cup of water directly, simmer and boil it for some time with closed lid and then proceed with the rest of the process.

Usually we donot not add red chilli powder and turmeric to vegetable kurma .You can omit it if you prefer so.