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Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Chilli Paneer - Indian Cottage Cheese with Capsicum and Chilli

 My husband loves Indian Cottage Cheese - or Paneer.  Paneer is quite bland on its own but it takes on the flavours and colours of whatever it is cooked with. Most Indian shops in Melbourne sell paneer in blocks and it is a very quick and easy mid week dinner for us.  Including the prep, this dish takes only 30 minutes to make and you can serve it with rice, store bought chappaties or parathas or if you have the time, you can make your own chappaties.  I love chilli paneer because it has a bit of heat in it and it looks colourful.  The Kashmiri chilli I have used is not that hot, but it imparts a deep red colour to the dish that makes it look quite attractive.

To make a vegan chilli paneer dish, just substitute the paneer for Tofu.



Ingredients:

1 block of paneer, about 300 grams

3/4 of a green capsicum, julienned
3/4 of a red capsicum, julienned
1 red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
2-21/2 teaspoons of Kashmiri chilli powder (you can reduce this according to your taste)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1-2 teaspoons cornflour, mixed with a tablespoon of water and made into a slurry
2 tablespoons oil
salt to taste


Method:

Heat a saucepan and spray a bit of oil on it.  Place paneer block on it and toast two large sides of the block.  Once toasted, slice into small cubes.  Set aside.

In the same saucepan, heat oil and add cumin seeds.  When the seeds sizzle, add the onions and saute.

When the onions go soft and start to caramalise, add the ginger garlic paste and cook for a couple more minutes till it is blended well.  Next add the chilli powder and the turmeric powder and saute till the raw smell of the chilli disappears.

Add the julienned capsicums and saute till they go soft.

Add 1/2 cup of water and the paneer and salt to taste. When the capsicum is cooked, check for salt and add the cornflour slurry.

When the gravy thickens in a couple of minutes, turn off the stove.

Serve hot with rice or chappaties.







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