Woah! Finally exams are over and I can return to blogging with a fresh start. I have so much to blog about. But lets begin with this scrumptious paneer recipe.
I stumbled upon this recipe by Sanjeev Kapoor about 2 years back. It sounded so delicious, I prepared it on the same day. I clearly remember that day. I and Nada had a holiday. As usual she "pleaded" me to prepare something and after a lot of "No, I'm feeling lazy today"s, I decided to prepare this. Though the recipe seemed like a time consuming one, it came together in a jiffy. I quickly finished the photography session and then we decided that we would wait for our younger siblings to return from school before having our lunch. But waiting for two hours was not an easy thing, at least not with this ghati paneer. We ended up finishing up more than half of the curry before the kids came home. I could only be thankful that the elders in my house are not fond of paneer.
This curry is packed with flavors due to the goda masala, a spice mix prepared in Maharashtra. The goda masala recipe that I have included here is not the authentic version(sorry Maharashtrians, I could not find the ingredients) but it worked perfectly for me.
Ghati Paneer:
200 gms paneer, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 large potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes
4 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 dried red chillies, broken into half
2 large onions, chopped
2 tsp garlic paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
2 large tomatoes, chopped
salt, to taste
1 tablespoon red chilly powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons goda masala(recipe included)
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
- Heat oil and deep fry patatoes till golden. Keep aside.
- Heat four tablespoons oil in a kadhai.
- Add onions. Sauté on medium heat.
- When onions have browned add ginger and garlic pastes. Sauté for about half a minute.
- Add tomatoes and salt. Lower the flame and cover the pan. Let the tomatoes cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add all the dry powders. Mix well.
- Cover and cook for about six minutes or till oil separates.
- Add the potatoes, paneer and coriander leaves.
- Mix, being careful not to break the brittle paneer.
- Serve hot with parathas or chappatis. I had it with some lemon rice.
Goda Masala:
1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
2 1/2 tsp white sesame seeds
1/2 tsp cloves
a small piece of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon green cardamom
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon oil
- Heat oil and roast the spices till they turn dark in color. Keep stirring to avoid burning the spices.
- Cool the spices and then grind them to a fine powder.
