Almond Paneer

Paneer is nothing but Indian Cottage Cheese and a very versatile ingredient.  It can be added to vegetables, curries, desserts and even non vegetarian dishes.  I like make Paneer at home because it is so easy to make and I feel a sense of achievement whenever I make it.  Besides, my family loves it and we can eat it any time we want to instead of going in seach of it at various stores.  To cut a long story short, I had a surplus of Paneer in the house and decided to pair it with some Almonds that I wanted to use up.  The result was a lip smacking dish that left me very satisfied as I watched my guests scoop up every bit of the delicious gravy.

The Recipe For Almond Paneer:

The Ingredients:

250 gms home made Paneer , cubed (or you can buy it from a store)

100 gms peas

1 inch cinnamon

2 cloves

2 cardamoms

1 tbsp oil

1 cup water

For the Gravy:

1 large onion, cubed

1 tomato, diced

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp almond meal

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp jeera ( cumin seed) powder

salt to taste;

2 green chillies

1/2 tsp chilli powder

5 pepper corns

salt to taste.

a few coriander leaves and mint leaves

Grind these ingredients to a smooth paste adding 1/8 cup water

Method:

Heat a large non stick pan and add the oil to it.  Lower the heat to medium and saute the spices for a minute until fragrant.  Then stir in the gravy paste and stir fry for a few minutes until thick and the oil begins to ooze out of the mixture.   Add the cubed paneer, the peas and 1 cup water.  Cover and cook on simmer for 5 until creamy and the peas are cooked.  Adjust the seasoning. Garnish with coriander leaves and a few more almonds.  Serve hot with rice or any Indian Bread.

Learn how to cook a traditional Indian meal using recipes that have been inherited from my Mum & Grandmother.