I came up with this recipe alteration from a friend of mine (her name is Taral), who made this curry for us...I liked it so much because it was so simple, yet very tasty and rich. Moreover I like paneer a lot. I made some changes to this recipe and it turned out to be the way I liked it.
I would like to share some info about Paneer (An Indian Cheese, known as Cottage Cheese):
A 4 oz (113 g) serving of 4% fat product has about 120 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated), 3 g carbohydrates, and 14 g protein. It also contains about 500 mg sodium, 70 mg calcium and 20 mg cholesterol.
It is popular among dieters and some health food devotees. Cottage cheese is a favorite food among body builders and weightlifters for its high content of casein protein while being relatively low in fat. Pregnant women are advised that cottage cheese is safe to eat during their pregnancy, whereas some cheese products are not.
Ingredients:-----------
1 pack Paneer (cut into medium sized cubes)
½ yellow Onion minced or chopped finely
2 big Tomatoes minced or chopped finely
1½ tbsp Tomato paste
1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
1tbsp Kasuri Methi
1tbsp Cayenne Pepper powder
¼ Chili powder
¼ tsp Coriander powder
½ tsp Cumin powder
½ tsp Turmeric powder
½ tsp Garma Masala powder
Salt to taste
½ tsp Sugar
½ cup Peas fresh/frozen
1tsp Ginger Garlic paste
1 tbsp Butter
½ tsp Oil
2 tbsp Cashew Nut powder
½ Whipping Cream
Whole Garam Masala:
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1 small Bay Leaf
2 Green Cardamoms
3-4 Cloves
1 small Cinnamon stick
½ Cumin seeds
¼ Fennel seeds
Method:
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1. Turn Oven to Broil, place the paneer pieces and broil it for about 5-10 mins until all the paneer pieces turn slight golden brown. (Note: best way to avoid deep frying the paneer) (I used only half pack of the paneer)
2. Off the oven and let the paneer come to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile in a sauce pan, add the butter and oil, once it medium hot add all the whole garama masala and sauté it for a mins until u get the auroma of the garam masala
4. Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté it on a medium low flame for 2 mins.
5. Add the minced onions and add a pinch of salt, cook the onions until they turn slight brown.
6. Now add all the powders cayenne pepper, chili, cumin, turmeric, coriander, garam masala powder and sauté it for a min
7. Now add the green peas and also add tomato paste, minced tomato and ketchup and stir it well and add ¼ cup water and cover and cook until the masala and tomatoes are cooked. (Note: oil will be seen outside to make sure it’s cooked)
8. Now add enough water and add the cashew nut powder and stir well, cook for another 5 mins.
9. Now simmer to medium low and add the whipping cream and paneer pieces and bring it to a boil.
10. In the meantime, in a pan add the Kasuri Methi and dry roast for a min.
11. Now add the kasuri methi by crushing it with hand over the paneer butter masala and mix well and off the flame.
12. You can serve this taste and rich curry with roti’s or naan or even seasoned rice. It goes well with Jeera Rice.
