Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer is an Indian dish made primarily from spinach and paneer cheese in a curry sauce. This dish has many of the same elements as the Paneer Masala dish that was posted previously. The hardest ingredient to find will be the paneer cheese cubes, but most Indian grocers should carry them.

Prep. Time: 5 mins.
Cooking Time: 1 hr.


Ingredients:

24-32 oz. Spinach
14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 lb. Paneer
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Jalapeno Pepper
2 Onions
1 Tbsp Corriander
2 tsp Cumin
2 x 1" Pieces of Ginger
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Cashews
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp Garam Masala
8 Tbsp Cream
1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder


Directions:

Add 1 Tbsp butter to a frying pan and fry the paneer cubes until they become golden brown.

Remove the cubes from the frying pan and cook them in a pot of boiling water for 10-12 minutes with a dash of turmeric.

Dice the jalapeno pepper and fry with the spinach in 2 Tbsp vegetable oil until all the leaves are wilted.

Place the spinach and jalapeno mixture in a blender on mince along with the salt, pepper and cashews and blend.

Fry the onions and garlic in 1 Tbsp vegetable oil for 5-10 mins. with a dash of salt.

Add the ginger, corriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, red chili powder and Garam Masala and fry for 2-3 mins.

Add the spinach mixture and diced tomatoes to the onions and garlic and cook for 5-10 mins.

Add the paneer cubes and cook for 2-3 mins.

Add the cream and serve over rice.

Aloo Gobi with Murgh Ke Mazedar Tukray

Aloo Gobi is a dry Indian and Pakistani dish made with cauliflower and potatoes. It's yellowish in color and is fairly spicy. The meat portion of this meal consists of spicy chicken bits (also known as Murgh Ke Mazedar Tukray). Both the Aloo Gobi and the Chicken are fairly quick and easy to make.

 
Prep. Time: 15 mins.
Cooking Time: 20  mins.

Aloo Gobi
Ingredients:

1.5 - 2 lbs. of Potatoes
1 Medium Cauliflower
1 Medium Onion
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Corriander
1 Bunch of Cilantro 


Directions:

Cut the potatoes into eighths and then slice them into approximately 1" wide pieces.

Slice the onion into thick pieces.

Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and cut off the stem. Break apart the florets starting from the outside and working inwards. The inner pieces can be used as is, while the outer pieces will generally be larger and will need to be cut into approximately 1/2" thick slices.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot.

Add in the cauliflower, onion and potatoes and cook for 15 mins. stirring frequently.

Add in the turmeric, cumin seeds, ginger, chili powder, garam masala, corriander and cook for 5 mins. longer.

Garnish with chopped cilantro.


Murgh Ke Mazedar Tukray
Ingredients:

1 lb. Chicken Breasts
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1/4  tsp. Turmeric
1/4 tsp. Red Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Paprika
1/4 tsp. Salt
3 tsp. Vegetable Oil


Directions;

Mix the spices and 1 tsp. of oil together in a large bowl.

Cut the chicken breasts into strips approximately 1 in. in length.

Coat the chicken pieces with the spice mixture.

In a frying pan, heat 2 tsp. of oil and cook the chicken pieces for approximately 10 mins.

Paneer Masala

Paneer Masala is a rich dish made with Indian cheese and a creamy tomato sauce. It's generally served over rice and can be fairly spicy. The hardest ingredients to find will be the paneer and the masala spices. You'll almost definitely need to visit an Indian grocery store for these. The recipe below takes a little bit of prep. work, but it's well worth it.

Prep. Time: 1 hr.
Cooking Time: 45 mins.
Servings: 3-4
Wine Recommendation: Gewurztraminer


Ingredients:

32 oz can Tomatoes
8 oz. cubed Paneer
1 Large or 2 Small Onions
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Bay Leaf
2 Cloves (or 1/8th tsp)
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Red Chili Powder
3 tbsps Cashews
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Coriander
1/2 tsp Fenugreek Powder
1 tsp Tandoori Masala
2 tsp Garam Masala
3 tbsp Butter
3 tbsp Cream
1 Bunch Cilantro


Directions:

Place the cashews in a bowl of warm water and allow them to soak for approximately 10 mins.

Saute the chopped onions and garlic in the vegetable oil until translucent, approximately 10 mins.

Place the onions, garlic cloves and cashews in the blender and puree them.

Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a pot, add the bay leaf, cloves and ginger, then add the onion paste.

Puree the canned tomatoes in the blender and add to the onions along with the chili powder, fenugreek powder, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and tandoori masala.

Stir and let simmer for approximately 15-30 mins.

While the onions and tomatoes are cooking, heat 1 tbsp of butter in a frying pan and saute the paneer cubes until golden brown.

Remove the panner from the frying pan and place in a pot of boiling water and boil for 10-12 mins.

Once the paneer and sauce are both done, mix the paneer cubes in with the onions and tomatoes. Add in 1/4 cup of water and cook on medium heat for another 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and mix in 1 tbsp of butter and 3 tbsp of cream.

Serve garnished with chopped cilantro.