JEERA PANEER (COTTAGE CHEESE)

This dish is a tomato based delicacy for vegetarians (does not mean non- vegetarians shouldn't try it :p ) 

The soft creamy paneer coated in a sweet and sour gravy, flavored with cumin is the perfect main course on any day. The mouth watering, non spicy taste along with the crunchiness of the onions is just irresistible. 

I got this recipe from my friend, Mehr's, nani / grand-mom. Mehr keeps visiting her grandmom every once a year and everytime she goes there she just goes crazy over this paneer recipe which her grandmom makes with loads of love for her. 

Now everyone knows grandmas foods are the best food on the planet. All the love and care they put into the dish so that their grandchildren can enjoy a hearty and appetizing dish is beyond measure. So Mehr kept telling me about this recipe and I just had to try it out after looking at the mouth watering pictures and her description of it. If I had a choice I would call this dish Grandma's special Paneer ;) 

So giving all credit to Mehr and her Nani for this delicious recipe, here you go, a must try dish for paneer lovers.

INGREDIENTS

• 200g paneer (cottage cheese) cut into 1"x1" squares
• 2 big onions (chopped)
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp chopped ginger
• 1 heaped tsp cumin (jeera)
• 3 big tomatoes (puree)
• 1 tbsp hot n sweet tomato ketchup
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp red chilly powder
• 2 green chillies chopped
• 3 tbsp ghee / oil
•  milk as required ( around half cup)
•  salt as per taste
• cream and coriander for garnish

STEPS

• Drop the tomatoes in boiling hot water which will help soften the peel and  then remove the peel with the help of a knife. ( optional )
• Chop the tomatoes and then blend them until it has a smooth consistency and then keep it aside.
• Heat oil/ ghee in a pan and add the chopped garlic, onions and cumin and saute for 5 mins.
• Add the tomato puree and mix well.
• Drop in the chopped ginger, green chilly,  red chilly powder and salt.
• Mix well and then transfer all the contents into a blender again and blend until a smooth consistency is obtained.
• Transfer the contents back into the pan after adding a little bit of ghee/ oil as required. Let it bubble for a while with the lid closed. (add water as required to make the gravy thin).

• Add the ketchup and sugar and mix well.
• Add the milk to make the consistency smooth. Let it bubble for a while until the water dries up a little.
• Add the paneer pieces and mix well and let it cook for another 5 mins.
• Garnish with cream and fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.