Paneer Makhani - Divine indulgence

This is my sister-in-law's recipe. She is an amazing cook and whips up these delicious dishes which look and taste as good or better than you would find at any top Indian restaurants.

This is a rich dish, originally from the northern regions of India and made during special occasions. The first I had this was at her place when they had their house warming. And then I ABSOLUTELY had to make this for Diwali. So for Diwali, we have a get-together at our place every year and I like to cook mostly at home. I usually make Chole and one other dish. Last year, this was the highlight. Everyone loved it. It is high effort, but totally worth every bit of it. Enjoy!




Paneer Makhani

Ingredients

Paneer - 500 g
Onion - 6 small
Tomatoes - 2 cans or 8 large
Ginger - 3 in piece
Garlic - 3 pods
Cashew nut paste - 1/4 cup (grind with a little water)

Bay Leaf - 2
Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek) - 4-5 tbsp
Cardamom
Garam Masala
Corriander-Jeera powder
Kashmiri Mirch Powder (red pepper powder)
Salt - per taste

Oil for sauteing
Butter - 2 tbsp
Heavy Cream or Half-and-half: 1/4 cup

0) Cut paneer into 0.5 inch cubes. Heat 1 tsp oil in a non-stick (I prefer hard-anodized) pan, and sautee until the sides are browned. Keep aside.

1)Slice onions and sauté them until they turn translucent. Remove from heat, cool and grind into a paste

2) If using fresh tomatoes, blanch in hot water, peel and puree

3)In a pan, heat about a tbsp of oil. Add bay leaf, cardamom and ginger-garlic paste to it. Sauté for about 30 secs.

3) Add the onion paste to the pan and sauté for about 15 mins

4) Add the tomato puree and cashew nut paste, sauté till most of the water is evaporated. Cook on low heat - covered with a small opening to let the steam escape - this mix splatters profusely when cooking, so make sure to hold a cover to protect your hand/face when stirring

5) Add the garam masala, corriander, jeera powder, red chilli powder, butter, paneer cubes, cream and salt to taste. Add water to get the desired consistency.

Finally add the kasuri methi and let it simmer for about 15-20 mins.



This goes great with Chapatti or Paratha - Indian flatbread (try frozen Kawan brand Chapattis available at Indian stores) or Jeera (cumin) rice

Nutrition Profile
Coming Soon

Jeera Rice

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups (double the quantity of rice)
Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp
Salt (optional)
Oil - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Wash rice, drain and keep aside. Heat Oil in a pan. Add jeera seeds in hot oil. Once the seeds start to splutter, lower the heat, add rice and stir for about a minute to coat the rice with oil. Transfer to a rice cooker.

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