Veg Kadhai Paneer

My hubby would not step into a restaurant which does not serve paneer dish in their buffet menu. So here is one of his favorites. I learnt this from an Etv Gujarati recipe show with Lipi Oza. I have just tweaked it a little according to my taste buds.

Ingredients

½ cup Coriander Seeds

5-6 Dry Red Chilies (add or reduce according to tolerance)

2 tbs whole cashews

1 tbs Fennel seeds

¼ cup dry fenugreek leaves/Kasoori Methi leaves

4 Ripe Tomato (Big) diced

½ Onion diced

½ Bell Pepper diced

4/5 Beans cut ½ inch length (optional)

½ carrot cut ½ inch length (optional)

Salt to taste

Turmeric

Cilantro to garnish

Fresh Cream (optional)

Method:

This recipe is a one pot (Kadhai) wonder. You need to prepare it in stages so that the kadhai gets seasoned accordingly.

1)      Heat up the Kadhai and dry roast the dry fenugreek leaves. Once they get fragrant and light brown in color transfer them on a dish. Make a powder of this by hand or using pedestal.

2)      Add ½ teaspoon of oil roast coriander seeds, cashews, fennel seeds and red chilies till well done. Let it cool down and make a coarse powder out of it. As this is the base for kadhai gravy you can make an extra batch of it and store it for later use.

3)      Add 2 tsp oil and 2 tsp ghee/clarified butter. Sauté onions and add rest of veggies except tomatoes. Season it with salt, turmeric and chili powder. Add 2 tbs of the fresh dry kadhai masala and some kasoori methi powder. Transfer it to a plate.

4)      Add 2 tbs of oil and 2 tbs of ghee. Now add the remaining 4 tbs of the dry masala powder and sauté for a minute or two and add chopped tomatoes. (Please used chopped/diced tomatoes as this gives it the authentic color and flavor- Tip by Chef Harpaal Singh. By grinding tomatoes it generally loses its original color and flavor.)

5)      Add salt, turmeric and the kasoori methi powder. Once it is all mushy and oozes all water add the sautéed veggies and fried paneer.

6)      Add chopped coriander/cilantro. Add dash of cream for added flavor.

Enjoy it with roti, naan, paratha or rice.