Kaju Paneer Masala
Servings: 5 people
Ingredients
- Paneer/Indian cottage cheese – 500gm
- Red onion – 1 medium roughly chopped
- Tomato – 1 medium roughly chopped
- Green chilli – 2 chopped
- Garlic – 2 cloves crushed
- Ginger – ½ inch chopped
- Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Coriander powder – 1 tsp
- Cumin/jeera powder – ½ tsp
- Fennel/perinjeera powder – ½ tsp
- Cashewnuts – ½ cup soak in ½ cup water
- Vegetable oil – 2-3 tbsp
- Salt – to taste
- Coriander leaves – ½ cup finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a kadai/pan and add ginger, garlic and onion; sauté till the onions are golden brown.
- Add green chillies and tomatoes; sauté till the tomatoes break down and become soft.
- Add the powdered spices and sauté again till oil clears.
- Turn off heat and cool well. Blend with very little water to form a nice, smooth paste.
- Soak the cashewnuts in warm water for at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut paneer/cottage cheese into cubes and keep aside.
- Return the onion-tomato paste to the same kadai and place on low heat.
- Blend the cashewnuts with the water in which it was soaked in the same blender to a smooth paste.
- Add to the pan and stir well to combine. Season with salt and add more water if required depending on how thick you want the gravy (for breads, it is best to have a semi-gravy consistency).
- Turn up the heat and bring to boil and then add the paneer pieces.
- Stir to combine well and cook on low heat for another 5 minutes.
- Turn off heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Notes
It is best to let the gravy/curry sit for at least 30 minutes before serving; this helps the flavours to combine well and coat the paneer pieces too.