bonellilou

          This is the first time I am making Paneer Koftas at home, I have made cabbage koftas and lauki koftas ( I have not blogged them yet, will do it soon ), but never this. I think it's because, whenever I bought paneer, Palak Paneer ( my daughter's favorite ) was the first thing that I made with it and then the Paneer Butter Masala. Also, since koftas need a little more work, time and deep frying, I always find an excuse to avoid it. But this time, I had decided to make the koftas and I realized that actually it's not really too much work. I had checked a couple of recipes from my cookbooks and online and this is a combination of couple of them. The koftas turned out really soft and the curry turned out absolutely delicious, a good side dish to go with naans, pilafs and rotis..

Need To Have
For Koftas

• Grated Paneer - 100 gms
• Potato - 1 medium, boiled, peeled and grated
• Corn Flour - 1 + 1/2 tablespoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
• Grated Ginger - 1 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

For The Gravy

• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Almonds - 10
• Cashews - 5
• Melon Seeds - 1 tablespoon
• Golden Raisins - 6
• Green Cardamom - 2
• Cloves - 2
• Garlic - 5 cloves
• Ginger - 1" piece
• Green Chillies - 2
• Cinnamon - 1" stick
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Kasuri Methi - 1 tablespoon
• Fenugreek Seed Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Yogurt/Curd - 2 tablespoons
• Fresh Cream - 2 teaspoons
• Salt to taste

Method
Gravy : 


          Boil the onion, almonds, cashews, melon seeds and raisins along with some water till the onions become softer. Remove, cool and grind with the cardamom and cloves into a smooth paste and keep. Grind the ginger, garlic and green chillies into a paste.


          Heat some oil, add the cinnamon, when it sizzles, add the ginger-garlic-green chilly paste and saute for a couple of minutes till the raw smell of garlic disappears, then add the onion-almond paste and mix.


          Then add the turmeric powder, salt, coriander and cumin powders, mix, then add the curd and mix in well.


          Add about 1 cup water, mix and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Then add the kasuri methi and fenugreek powder and mix, then finally mix in the fresh cream and remove.

Koftas : 


          Mix in the grated paneer, potato, corn flour, turmeric and chilly powders, garam masala, ginger and salt, make small lemon sized balls and keep.


          Heat the oil, deep fry the koftas till golden, remove and drain the excess oil. Add the koftas to the gravy just before serving, in fact you can place the koftas on the plate, pour the gravy on top and serve.


Note
If the paneer potato mixture is very sticky, add a little more corn flour.
If you leave the koftas soaked in the gravy for a long time, it might soak in the gravy and might become mushy.
The quantity that I have given will be enough for 3 to 4 servings.

          Though the first choice in my house, when I make paneer is Palak Paneer, there are a couple of dishes that I want to try out with it, Paneer Shahi Kurma being one among them. After looking at a couple of recipes. I settled down with this one from here, of course with a few small changes. This is a creamy and rich curry, but I have not added any cream or butter here, the curry gets its richness from the nuts added. It goes very well with rotis, nans and pilafs, ideal for parties or for those special weekend lunch or dinner..

Need To Have

• Paneer - 200 gms, sliced
• Capsicum - 1 chopped
• Cloves - 2
• Bayleaf - 1
• Cinnamon - 1" piece
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Black Cardamom - 1 
• Green Cardamom - 2 + 2
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Yogurt/Curd - 1/2 cup
• Saffron - a generous pinch
• Salt to taste
• Chopped Coriander to garnish

To Grind

• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Cashews - 10
• Almonds - 5
• Melon Seeds - 1 tablespoon
• Garlic Cloves - 5
• Ginger - 1" piece

Method


          Take all the ingredients given under ' to grind ' and boil it with about 2 cups of water for about 10 minutes, then strain and reserve the water ( about 1 cup ).


          Grind the strained nuts and onion into a fine paste and keep.


          Heat some oil, add the cloves, bayleaf, cinnamon. black cardamom, 2 green cardamom, once the cloves start sizzling, add the cumin seeds, after a few seconds, once the cumin seeds start sizzling, add the ground paste and saute for a minute.


          Add the turmeric, chilly and coriander powders followed by the chopped capsicum and saute. Add the curd, 2 tablespoon at a time and keep sauteing till it blends well with the paste and the 1/2 cup curd is done.


          Now add the reserved water ( from boiling the onion and nuts ) plus another cup of water, mix and bring it to a boil. Then add the paneer pieces, simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes till the required thickness is got. Finally add the saffron, cardamom powder ( take the inner seeds of the remaining 2 cardamom pods and powder ) and serve it garnished with the chopped coriander.


Note
The original recipe does not have capsicum, I added it for some flavor and texture.
The final gravy should be thick and creamy.
If you want, you can add some fresh cream at the end to make it even more richer, also use butter instead of oil.

          Back after a small break, didn't mean to take it, but had a houseful of guests for a week, then caught a very bad cold, so I just had to do it. Coming to today's post Paneer Lababdar, I was a little tired of making the same dishes with paneer, I wanted to try out something new with it and I saw this cooking video of Chef Vikas Khanna, it was a healthy version of Paneer Lababdar sans the butter and cream. It's a simple dish, takes less than thirty minutes to make.and though the it didn't have any butter or cream, it still tasted very creamy and delicious and went very well with rotis..

Need To Have

• Paneer - 200 gms, diced
• Onions - 2 small ones
• Garlic - 5 cloves
• Ginger - 1" piece
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Chilly Flakes - 3/4 teaspoon
• Tomatoes - 2 big, chopped
• Chopped Coriander - 2 tablespoon

Method


          Heat some oil, add the onions, garlic and ginger and saute till the onions turn pink, then add the cumin seeds, turmeric powder, garam masala, corainder powder and chilly flakes.


          Mix it for a minute, then add the chopped tomatoes and salt, saute till the tomatoes break down and become mushy. Cool and grind the mixture into a smooth paste.


          Put the ground mixture in a pan and heat it up ( add a little water, about 1/4 cup ), when it starts bubbling, add the paneer cubes, mix for about 3 to 5 minutes. Switch off and garnish with the chopped coriander.


Note
If you want to make the dish richer, then replace the oil with butter and at the end add some fresh cream.
Also we can use kasuri methi ( dried fenugreek leaves ) instead of coriander leaves, it gives a nice flavor.

          I make paneer at home, at least once in 2 weeks, since my daughter likes it very much and mostly instead of doing a curry with paneer alone, I cook it along with some vegetable. I usually add capsicum, peas, spinach or even cabbage, this time I wanted to try it with eggplant/brinjal. Sauteing the eggplant and then mixing in paneer pieces would have worked too, but I made a curry with grilled and mashed eggplant and paneer. At home, we like the smoky flavor from the grilled eggplant, if you don't like it then peel, cook and mash the eggplant. The curry was delicious with a nice flavor, we had it with rotis but it would go very well with naans or even with some light pilaf..

Need To Have

• Big Eggplant/Brinjal - 1 medium
• Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese - 200 gm, cubed
• Onions - 2 big, chopped
• Garlic - 4 cloves, grated
• Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 11/2 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
• Kasuri Methi/Dried Fenugreek Leaves - 2 atblespoons
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Method


          Roast the eggplant directly on fire till the skin is charred completely, cool it, then peel the skin and mash the eggplant and keep.


          Shallow fry the paneer pieces in a little oil, remove and keep.


          Heat some oil, add the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds, when it starts sizzling, add the chopped onion and grated garlic. Saute till the onions turn pink and the garlic gives a nice smell, then add the tomatoes, kasuri methi and saute for a minute.


          Add the turmeric powder, chilly and coriander powders and salt and saute till the tomatoes break down and become mushy, then add the mashed eggplant and mix.


          Add about 1 cup of water and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the paneer pieces, garam masala and cook for another 5 minutes, garnish with some more kasuri methi, remove and serve.


Note
Don't over fry the paneer pieces, they'll turn tough.
You can add some fresh cream at the end to make the curry richer. 

          Today's post is once again for the ' Shhhhh Cooking Secretly ' event, I was supposed to cook and post it for last month, but then, since my kitchen was getting renovated, I couldn't do it till last week. I was paired with Shama of Easy2Cook Recipes and she had given me rice and paneer as the secret ingredients. I didn't think too much, the moment the ingredients were given, the first thing that came to my mind was these cutlets. I used leftover rice, paneer along with some capsicum and onion and spices and then shaped them into these cutlets. Since I wanted to keep it healthy, I shallow fried them, they turned out super delicious, it can be served with some green coriander chutney, but I served them with just some tomato sauce, perfect evening snack..

Need To Have

• Cooked Rice - about 1 cup
• Grated Paneer - 1/2 cup
• Besan Flour/Kadalai Maavu/Gram Flour - 1 tablespoon
• Capsicum - 1/2 of a big one, finely chopped
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1 tablespoon
• Salt to taste

Method


          Heat some oil, add the onions and saute them for a minute, till they turn translucent, then add the capsicum, salt, turmeric and chilly powders. Saute it well on medium heat till the capsicum is just cooked.


          Take the cooked rice, mash it a little, add the paneer and besan flour. Then add the sauteed capsicum and coriander and mix everything together, check for salt and keep.


          Heat some oil for shallow frying, shape the mixture into small balls, flatten it and shallow fry it till they turn golden brown on both sides, remove and serve it warm with some coriander chutney and tomato sauce.


Note
Depending on the moisture in the cooked rice, add more or less besan flour.
If you are planning to deep fry it, it would be better to dip the balls in some flour mixture, coat with some bread crumbs and then fry them because there is a chance that the mixture would start breaking, once you drop them in the hot oil.
You can also add some cooked raw peanuts or cashews to the mixture.

          Chilly Paneer, it's a nice side dish to go with fried rice and noodles, an Indo-Chinese dish, Indian paneer ( cottage cheese ) cooked in Chinese style. It's a very easy dish, the paneer is shallow fried and added to sauteed bell peppers, spiced up with chilly and soy sauces and flavored with ginger, garlic and spring onions. I have given approximate measurements for the chilly and soy sauces and pepper, feel free to increase or decrease according to your taste..

Need To Have

• Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese - 200 gms, cubed
• Spring Onions - chopped, 1 cup
• Onion - 1, sliced into big pieces
• Green Chilly - 1 sliced
• Garlic - 3 cloves, chopped
• Ginger - 1" piece, grated
• Red Pepper - 1/2, sliced
• Green Pepper - 1/2. sliced
• Soy Sauce - 2 teaspoons
• Red Chilly Sauce - 2 tablespoons
• Corn Flour - 1 tablespoon
• Black Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
• Salt to taste

For Frying The Paneer Pieces

• All Purpose Flour/Maida - 2 tablespoons
• Corn Flour - 1 tablespoon
• Garlic - 3 cloves, grated
• Ginger - 1" piece, grated
• Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt - a pinch

Method


          Take all the ingredients given for frying the paneer pieces and add about 1/4 cup water and make a thin batter.


          Heat some oil, dip the paneer pieces in the batter and shallow fry them till golden, remove and keep.


          Heat some oil, add the chopped spring onions, garlic, green chilly and grated ginger and saute for a minute. Then add the sliced bell peppers and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the sliced onion and saute for another minute, then add the soy sauce and mix.


          Add the corn flour mixed in 2 cups water, little salt and the remaining batter used for frying the paneer pieces, followed by the paneer pieces and chilly sauce. Cook for a minute, add the black pepper, check the salt, remove and serve it warm, garnished with the green part of the spring onions.


Note
Don't fry the paneer too much, it'll make them rubbery.
For a healthy option, we can use tofu in the place of paneer, of course, paneer tastes better.
You can increase or decrease the soy and chilly sauces and black pepper, according to your taste, can also add some chilly flakes too for more spiciness.