Category Archives: paneer

Kashmiri Waza Paneer

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After an annoying work day, I find a new dish relaxing. And if it turns out to be a keeper , I write the recipe down so I can remember where I found it. This is also a Ranveer Brar recipe (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BnetynMDlkw)

This style is cooking is new to me. It’s all stewed in water- the tadka, (the infusion of spices into oils that flavor the whole dish) is missing. The dominant taste here is the sweetness of the caramelized onion and butter. They work with the whole spices to form a gentle and delicious flavor.

Prep: caramelize about a cup and half of onions and then grind into a paste to give you about a 1/3 cup of onion paste. I read that caramelized shallot paste (praan) forms the backbone of wazwaan cooking in Kashmir.

Heat some water with a tsp of turmeric and some salt. Once it starts to boil- add paneer pieces and boil for about 8-10 min. Pat the pieces dry and fry them till golden brown in mustard oil (I used regular oil with some mustard seeds sputtered in them)

Start the yakhni- in a liter of water , add 4 tbsp of butter, 2 black elaichis (cardamom), 2 bay leaves and one piece of cinnamon. Add the caramelized onion and a pinch of asafetida and a tbsp of Kashmiri mirch (I used gochugaru- use any mild flavorful chili powder). Bring to a boil and simmer.

Add the paneer and simmer on low for 15-20 min.

In the meantime- take 2 tbsp of the mustard oil and add a cup and half of tomato puree. Cook on low for 15 min or so. Add 1 tbsp of dry ginger powder and 1 tbsp of fennel seeds, some sugar and some salt. Add the masala to the paneer. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Eat with pita or rice.

The easiest Palak Paneer

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There is a common misconception that Indian food is involved and takes a lot of prep time. Here is my recipe for a weekday palak paneer. Comforting, garlicky and delicious. I use vegetable stock and a tbsp of nooch (nutritional yeast) to give this a huge unmami boost. It tastes like you’ve slaved on the stove for hours.

Prep: Peel 2-4 cloves of garlic, chop a block of paneer into inch sized pieces (that is it!)

Cook: In 1 tbsp of oil, start a jeera tadka (1 tsp of cumin till it sputters, a pinch of asafetida, 1/2 tsp of turmeric, 1-2 dried red chillies broken into fragment). Wilt one pack of washed spinach (5 oz) and 2-3 cloves of garlic on high heat(1-3 minutes). Blend the spinach and garlic mix with 1 cup of vegetable stock (I use better than bouillon), 1 tbsp of nooch, 1/2tsp of coriander powder and 1/2 tsp of cumin powder.

While that is blending away, in the same pan, add one more tbsp of oil and lightly brown the paneer cubes. Add the gravy back- cook for 10 minutes on a simmer, add a dash of heavy cream, taste for salt and you are done

Serve with rice or roti or tortillas. Also good as a soup if you increase the liquid to 2 cups of vegetable stock.

Home-made ricotta

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Ricotta is a soup-ier creamier paneer. Delicious savory with eggs or on pizza or sweetened with sugar or honey with fruit and pancakes or crepes or toast or crumpets. Problems of rubbery ricotta can be solved by just giving the acid time- leave it be to do it’s magic. Draining early causes rubbery curd- still delicious just not as creamy.

I use vinegar with Melissa Clark’s milk-yogurt-cream proportions. The yogurt really works and makes the ricotta curds creamy. Bring to a low simmer: 4 cups of whole milk, 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream and 1/4 cup of yogurt. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and 2 tbsp of white vinegar. Stir till the curds seperate. Remove off heat and leave curd-whey mixture alone for 10-15 minutes. Strain with cheesecloth/coffee filters over a colander for 5-20 minutes (depending on how firm you want your ricotta). I drain for about 6-7 minutes generally. The ricotta should keep for a few days – I wouldn’t know- this is such a delicious treat with sugar that we finish ours the same day everytime.

Paneer Ghee Roast (Kerala Style)

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I love South indian preparations- in both dry and curry form. But the techniques are so tedious- scrape cocount, grind to paste, dry paste- so on and on and on. This is my version of a much quicker dry roast. The masala will not be as smooth as a blender-ground masala but the flavor is spot on and this dish will be ready in 30 minutes.

Prep:

Chop: 1/2 a large onion diced (about 1 cup), 4-6 cloves of garlic, 3-5 kadipatta leaves (chopped fine)

Masala: mix together 2 tsp of  ground red pepper  (I used the Korean Gochugaru but Kashmiri red chillies  will work), 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp of turmeric, 1 tsp ground fennel seeds and 1/8 tsp ground methi(fenugreek) seeds. ( I used a mortar and pestle to grind the fennel and methi  to add to the powders)

Other flavorings: 2 tbsp tamarind paste (which I always have frozen) and 1 tbsp ground jaggery

Cook:

Cube 1/2 lb of paneer and roast in 1 tbsp of ghee on a low flame till lightly browned. Remove to a plate.

In the same pan, add another 1 tbsp of ghee, add curry leaves and onion. Cook till onion starts turning translucent.

Add masalas and roast till fragrant (around 1-2 minutes) without burning any of the ingredients.

Add tamarind, jaggery, 2 tbsp of yogurt and 1/4 cup of water. Cook for a minute and add paneer.

Cover and cook on low heat for 10-15 mintues.

Serve with dosa or rice or appam.