Taruna Deepak, the creator of all kinds of unusual vegetarian food, has an intriguing new paneer dish for people who are bored of paneer tikka, paneer bhurji or paneer kofta curry.
Her Lasooni Paneer uses one tbsp of garlic, but it's well balanced out with the tomatoes and milk.
"Do not hold yourself back from using milk," advises Taruna. "It helps bring a balance to the sourness of the tomatoes, tones down the garlic taste and mellows the heat of the chillies."
Once you have your ingredients in place, this curry will take less than 30 minute to get ready.
Lasooni Paneer
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
- 300 gm paneer, cubed
- ½ tsp jeera or cumin seeds
- ½ tsp rai or mustard seeds
- 2 small onions, thickly sliced
- 1 tbsp grated garlic
- 1 medium tomato
- ½ tsp crushed kasuri methi or fenugreek leaves
- 1/3 cup milk
- ½ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
- ½-¾ tsp red chilly powder, or to taste
- 2 tsp dhania or coriander powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2 whole green chillies, each slit into 2 pieces
- 2-3 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste, around 1 tsp
- Fresh green dhania or coriander or cilantro leaves, to garnish
Method
- Chop and blitz the tomato in a grinder to make at least 1/3 cup or more of tomato puree.
Keep aside.
- Heat the oil in a kadhai or saucepan over medium heat.
Add the cumin and the mustard seeds.
When the spices begin to crackle, add the sliced onions and fry till translucent.
Add the grated garlic and fry till golden and aromatic.
Add the pureed tomato along with the masala powders, salt and the kasuri methi.
Keep stirring over medium heat till the masala leaves the oil.
Add the milk and lower the heat.
Add the green chillies.
Add the paneer and stir.
You may add more milk if required at this stage -- I do not like my curry too diluted and prefer the masala coating the paneer pieces.
Cook for a minute and the curry is ready; do not cook the paneer much more else it will turn rubbery.
Stir in some fresh coriander and use the rest as garnish just before serving.
Serve hot with rotis, parathas or naans.
Taruna's Note: Feel free to chop the green chillies, in case you wish to add some more heat to the curry.
Taruna Deepak lives in Mumbai and is the creator of the food blog Easyfoodsmith.