Paneer aur anjeer ki sabji (Paneer with dried figs in yogurt sauce)

The Sunday newspaper comes with interesting culinary articles in the supplementary section. These articles are about particular cuisines, new trends in culinary world, particular ingredients and so on. A place to get interesting ideas. And this is where I got the concept of this particular dish, from a article talking about typical cuisine of the Marwari sect of India. The idea of combining paneer, yogurt, chili, and sweet dried figs sounded very unusual and interesting. Even while cooking I was not sure of the outcome. There was not really any harmony of flavors at the initial tastings. And then slowly everything blended well and the dish was a harmony of sweet-tart-hot flavor with the chunks of creamy paneer. An unusually interesting dish it is to serve with rice.

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

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

100g paneer

100g dried figs

1 pinch asafetida powder

1 pinch cumin powder

Oil

Coriander leaves – garnish

Yogurt mix:

180g yogurt

1sp red chili powder

1 pinch turmeric powder

Salt

METHOD:

1.      Fry the paneer cubes until golden brown. Put them in salted hot water for a couple of minutes and take them out.

2.      Cut the dried figs in halves and blanch them.

3.      Mix well all the ingredients of the yogurt mix.

4.      Heat oil in a wok. Temper the oil with asafetida and cumin powder.

5.      Add the yogurt mixture and 1/4 cup of water.

6.      Simmer for a while. Add the paneer and dried figs.

7.      Simmer for 3-4 minutes more.

8.      Serve garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

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.

Methi paneer

For the most important day of Durga puja celebration, it was a complete Indian menu, even though a simple one. The main course was supposed to be achari chicken with flavor of different spices. Hence for the side dish, I decided on something simple and on the sweetish side. This paneer (young cheese) dish with the beautiful fragrance of fenugreek and ginger was the best choice. Simple and delicate.

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

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

250g paneer

1 tbsp fenugreek seeds

3 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves

1 tbsp ginger paste

2 cups milk

2 tbsp raisins

1 sp coriander powder

Salt

Sugar

Ghee/ Butter

METHOD:

1.       Heat ghee, add the fenugreek seeds and let them crackle until fragrant and black. Remove the fenugreek seeds. This ghee fragrant with fenugreek will be used for further cooking.

2.       Cut the paneer in small cubes and fry until golden brown. After frying soak in warm salt water for half minute, drain and keep aside.

3.       In the same wok, add grated ginger and fry on low heat for a minute.

4.       Add milk, coriander powder, salt and a pinch of sugar. Simmer on low heat for around 5 minutes.

5.       Add dry fenugreek leaves, raisins, and fried paneer cubes. Increase the heat and bring it to boil.

6.   Serve hot.

Paneer pepper bhurji

I invited Blaž to my place for a simple dinner of vegetable pulao. I had got all the vegetables beforehand but messed up with something. Therefore, that day on way home I decided to buy chicken and make chicken pulao instead. However, luck was not in favor of pulao that day. The small nearby shop had its meat section closed and did not have any good vegetables. It was a bad situation. The dinner was supposed to be simplest, but I had nothing to cook even for the simplest dinner! With only one big bell pepper at home, I was supposed to cook a dinner for two! I was annoyed, and searching for ideas. And then, I remembered how simple it is to make paneer. My problem was solved. Paneer pepper bhurji was on the menu with rice; and it was liked. The crunchiness of pepper and freshness of paneer makes it a quick and tasty dish.

INGREDIENTS:

225g paneer (from one lit. milk)
1 big red bell pepper
1 small onion
1sp whole cumin (Indian)
1/2sp chili powder
Oil
Salt
Sugar
Ground pepper

METHOD:

1. Make paneer from 1 lit of milk (how to make paneer), crush it and set aside.
2. Finely chop the onion and cut the pepper in cubes.
3. Heat oil in a pan.
4. When oil is heated, add the whole cumin and let it crackle.
5. Add the pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the fresh crushed paneer.
7. Season with chili, salt, a pinch of sugar and pepper.
8. Cook on medium heat until the pepper is crunchy but not soft, and the paneer is fried.
9. Serve with steaming rice or hot roti.

Paneer/Chana

Panner (Chana) is an acid-set cheese common in Indian subcontinent cuisine. It is not matured unlike other cheeses and it doesn’t melt, making it a good ingredient in cooking and for stuffing. In India, at home we would always buy it. Only when I was little, it was made fresh at home. I would eat it fresh, warm, without pressing in its crumbled form, with a little sugar. And I still remember its creamy fresh taste. After coming to Slovenia, getting paneer and substituting it with any other cheese was a problem. Many Indian dishes call for it as an ingredient and substituting with cottage cheese was not an option as it melts. Therefore, I decided to try making it on my own. And after a few trials and errors, I can make it perfectly. It is fresh, tasty and easy to make. Great to eat warm with little sugar, or ready for the tasty paneer dishes.

INGREDIENTS:

1lt milk
3sp lime/lemon juice OR 2tbsp vinegar
1/2cup warm water

METHOD:

1. Boil the milk.
2. In the mean time, prepare the limejuice (vinegar) by diluting it with water.
3. Also, make the strainer ready with cheesecloth on it.
4. When the milk starts to boil, lower the heat to minimum.
5. Add slowly the limejuice (vinegar) with constant stirring.
6. The milk will start to curdle. Stir gently until the greenish transparent whey separates out.
7. Strain the paneer and wash it with cold water to remove sourish flavor if any.
8. Drain the paneer completely.
9. Wrap it in cloth in the desired shape and keep it pressed under something heavy for a couple of hour to make a slab of the paneer that can be cut into pieces for cooking.

NOTE:
Add a little more of limejuice or vinegar if this amount is not enough.
Save the whey, it is a healthy drink and good for making dough, lentils, cooking etc.