Paneer Lababdar

Preparation Time: 20 min. Cooking Time: 45 min. Serves 4

Ingredients:

500 grams Paneer (Cottage Cheese) + 40 grams Finely Grated

5 Medium Tomatoes 2 tbsp Butter

5 Medium Onions ⅓ cup Double Cream

1 Green Bell Pepper Very Finely Chopped 1½ tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste

1 Inch Piece Ginger Chopped 2 tsp Cumin Seed

6 Big Cloves Garlic Chopped ¼ tsp Asafoetida (Hing)

2-3 Green Chillies Chopped 1 tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)

2 tbsp Coriander Stem Chopped 2½ tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves Finely Chopped ¾ tsp Red Chilli powder

2-inch Cinnamon Stick 1 tsp Coriander-Cumin Powder (Dhana Jiru)

4-5 Green Cardamom Pods 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder

10-12 Cashew Nuts 1 tbsp Kasoori Methi (Dry Fenugreek Leaves)

3 tbsp Melon Seeds (Magaj Seed) ¾ tsp Jaggery (Gōr)

3-4 Dry Red Kashmiri Chillie Salt to taste

2 Bay Leafs Hot Water as Required

5 tbsp Oil

Method For Base Gravy:

Roughly chop three tomatoes and slice three onions. Chop the remaining two tomatoes and onions very finely and set aside.
Heat the 2 tbsp oil in a deep pan; once hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds, chopped ginger, garlic cloves, green chillies and the sliced onions; sauté for a minute, then add the cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf; cook on high heat until the onions turn translucent.
Add the roughly chopped tomatoes, coriander stems, cashew nuts, melon seeds, dry Kashmiri chillies, ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, and ½ tsp salt, mix well, and cook until the tomatoes are slightly mushy.
Add 1¼ cups of hot water, mix well, cover, and cook on medium flame until the tomatoes are mushy, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, cool, discard the bay leaves, and blend in the mixer to a smooth gravy, setting aside.
Cut the paneer into bite-size pieces. Heat the pan with some oil and sauté the paneer for a minute or two until slightly fried and coated, adding turmeric, Kashmiri red chilli powder, garam masala, and salt on medium-high heat. Remove it to a plate and set aside.

Final Tempering:

Heat the rest of the oil in a pan; once hot, add the rest of the cumin seeds, asafoetida, and finely chopped onions. Cook until golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Then, lower the heat and add ½ tsp turmeric, 1½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, red chilli powder, coriander-cumin powder, and ¼ cup of hot water, sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the finely chopped tomatoes and ½ tsp salt, and cook until the tomatoes are soft and mushy, then add the green bell pepper and sauté for a minute.
Strain the base gravy and add the garam masala powder, kasoori methi, and jaggery. Mix well and bring it to a boil. Then add the paneer cubes, butter, double cream, and grate in the paneer. Mix well and simmer low heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Lachha Paratha or Tandoori Naan.

NB:

Make sure you strain the base gravy to give a nice, smooth texture.
In a pan, dry roast the kasoori methi on a low flame for 2 minutes and then make it into a powder.

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