Rasha paneer

Paneer, you will find this in most Indian fridges. A versatile ingredient with hundreds of recipes dedicated to it. Soon after coming to Slovenia, I eagerly bought something resembling paneer. Imagine my disappointment when it turned out to be some young cheese. Even though it is very easy to make, it is a bit hassling when I just want to cook a quick simple recipe. So while sometimes I made the paneer from scratch, other times I tried to replace it with tofu or cheese for grills. But the replacement compromised the flavors hugely and I rarely cooked paneer dishes. Therefore, I was excited when Blaž’s mother stumbled upon paneer in some local fresh market. It was fresh and good and she bought a big block. I confirmed it to be paneer. She happily gave me a big chunk of it, and up came this recipe. I wanted to play with the sweetness of onion and raisins. A savory preparation with the underlying layer of sweetness, this is what the dish turned out to be. The garnish of kasoori methi leaves gave this heavenly aroma. The fresh cheese pieces in the gravy were a delight. A simple flavorful paneer dish after a long time.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

250g of paneer

1/2 red onion

1 big tomato

1inch ginger

3tbsp black raisins

1 dried red chili

1sp coriander powder

1/2cup milk

1.5tbsp kasoori methi leaves

1/2sp garam masala

Salt, sugar, oil/ghee

METHOD:

1.       Roughly chop the onion, tomato and ginger.

2.       Heat little oil/ghee in a wok. Add the onion, tomato, ginger, raisins, dried red chili, coriander powder. Fry on medium heat until the onion turns golden and softens.

3.       Blend everything into a smooth paste.

4.       Heat oil/ghee in the same wok. Cut the paneer in small cubes, rub salt and fry gently until golden. Keep aside on a kitchen towel.

5.       In the same oil/ghee, add the onion-tomato paste. Add salt and a pinch of sugar. Fry on medium heat until it leaves oil on sides.

6.       Add the milk and 1/2cup of water. Bring to boil.

7.       Add the fried paneer and bring the curry to boil again.

8.       Garnish with kasoori methi leaves and garam masala.

Dal makhani

Most of the time we are at an Indian restaurant outside India and Blaž does not wish to have non-vegetarian meal he orders dal makhani. Dal makhani translated to ‘buttery lentils’, is a rich creamy lentil dish originating from the Punjab region of India which then migrated to different parts of Northern India and abroad. The well-cooked lentils with rich cream and a generous dollop of butter on top forms a rich and delicate combination of flavors. Whenever I am cooking lentils I am heading home, I cook the staple Bengali lentil dishes. However, this time for some special occasion I decided to make for Blaž the dal makhani. Last time he was in Germany, he bought the black lentils for his favorite lentil dish. Therefore, it was time to put everything together and pair it up with some naans. I was surprised how well the flavors and textures worked. It was authentic and I was proud of myself. Blaž was very happy to get his favorite restaurant lentil dish at home, and that too in its authentic glory.

 You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

100g whole urad dal (black lentils)
50g rajma (red kidney beans)
40g chola dal (Bengal gram lentils)
1inch ginger
3 garlic cloves
3 green chillies

1 big tomato

20g tomato paste or puree

30g butter
30ml cream
3tbsp ghee
1sp whole cumin
pinch asafoetida powder
1/2sp fenugreek seed
1/2sp chili powder
1/2sp garam masala

Salt

METHOD:

1.      Thoroughly wash the lentils and soak them in water overnight.

2.      Make a paste of garlic, ginger and green chilies.

3.      Boil all the lentils with the garlic-ginger-chili paste and salt. Use just enough water. Simmer until the lentils are well cooked and then mash lightly with a ladle. Do not strain the remaining water.

4.      Heat ghee in a wok. Add cumin and fenugreek seeds, asafoetida and temper the spices well. Add finely chopped tomato and tomato puree. Stir for a couple of minutes on high heat.

5.      Add the cooked lentils and bring to boil.

6.      Add the chili powder, butter and cream. Simmer on low heat for around 30-35 minutes.

7.      Add garam masala. Season well. Garnish with a dollop of butter.