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While vegetarian food is not hard to find in most pubs, hotels etc, the choice is woefully limited – usually pasta of some kind, vegetarian chili, bean burger, sometimes a vegetable curry or Mediterranean-veg lasagna chock full of gross aubergines/eggplant and zucchini (because, you know, they’re Mediterranean vegetables and apparently no other veggies are known to ever be used in Mediterranean cuisine). Some places offer two vegetarian options, if you’re lucky. But usually it’s just one of the above, and vegetarians have to like it or lump it.
I should be glad that there’s at least SOMETHING non-meaty and non-fishy to eat in Western restaurants, and I suppose I am... but I still can’t help wishing that their chefs would show just a little imagination for vegetarians. Which is why I like a little pub in Wem (Pete’s hometown), called the Old Post Office (Pete’s home-away-from), which is owned and run by Pete’s business partner Guy, and a couple of his friends. The pub is called the Old Post Office because before it was converted to a pub, it used to be the old post office premises before they moved lock stock and barrel to the new post office premises – well, why did you think the pub’s name is what it is?
Anyway, I like the pub for all sorts of reasons – one, the younger crowd (the noisy, binge drinking, annoying kind) stay away because it doesn’t offer them much in the way of a “hep” ambience. Two, the pub plays good music on an excellent sound system (which Pete set up). Three, the décor is homely (I especially love the squashy-soft sofas from whose hug it’s difficult to get out) but with an exotic touch in the way of beautiful sculptures and paintings and wall-hangings which Guy brought back from his trips to Africa. The effect is casual and comfortable.
And now for the fourth and most important reason - the food. The pub offers a carvery every Sunday, with at least two different choices of meat, which Pete loves. The Sunday carvery has had very good reviews in the local newspapers, because the servings and accompaniments are generous – and all freshly cooked that day, nothing from frozen. I would be happy to eat just the accompaniments that are available – roast potatoes, boiled potatoes, cabbage, peas, cauliflower or broccoli cheese, roast parsnips, carrots, leeks, stuffing balls, Yorkshire puddings - a veritable feast!
But I get a special entree just for me as the only vegetarian who goes there for Sunday lunch. The two lady chefs make it a point to try out a new recipe for me, even though – or perhaps especially because – vegetarian food is not their comfort zone. It’s not even as if I’m a guinea pig… apparently they try out their new recipes during the week on the regulars (the pub makes it a point to provide sandwiches and other finger food on the house, in the evening), asking them for feedback. And then, on a Sunday, the recipe makes its formal debut – just for me (or any other vegetarian, assuming any comes along. It hasn’t happened yet, they say.)
Since I know that there won’t be any aubergine in anything (the staff all know of my loathing for this gross slimy-when-cooked vegetable), I’m always delighted to try whatever they've made – and so far, every single thing has been a hit. It's really nice of them to take the trouble to make anything, just for one person, especially when they've got their hands full catering for all the regular guests.
One time it was peppers stuffed with a really nice rice mixture, and since I had peppers at home last Sunday (when Pete and Bex were having a Sunday lunch at home), I decided to make my own main course and share the accompaniments (called “trimmings”) with my husband and stepdaughter for our family meal. Pete served everything in a giant Yorkshire pudding - yummy!
Recipe for: Stuffed green peppers with nutty rice
Ingredients:
2 green peppers (capsicum/bell pepper)
1/4 cup paneer, diced into 1/2 cm cubes
1 cup cooked basmati rice
1 green chilli, sliced into thin rings
4 tbsp shredded methi leaves (optional)
1/2 cup shredded coriander leaves
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tbsp mixed nuts (peanuts, cashewnuts, pecans), chopped
2 tsp raisins or sultanas
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garam masala
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Slice off the tops of the peppers and carefully remove the seeds and pith. Make sure the peppers can remain upright; even up the bottoms if required so that they sit flat. Reserve the tops, don't throw them away.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the chillies, paneer and chopped nuts. Stir fry till the nuts and the paneer are pale golden brown.
3. Add the coriander and methi leaves and fry till they wilt.
4. Add the sultanas/raisins.
5. Now mix in the rice, garam masala, black pepper powder and salt to taste. Heat this stuffing thoroughly, then turn the heat off and let it cool.
6. Spoon the filling into the prepared peppers, pressing down with the back of the spoon to get as much of the stuffing in as possible,
then put the tops of the peppers back on.
7. Place the stuffed peppers on a baking tray and spray them with Pam on the outside, or brush them with a little oil. Bake in the oven at 200C for 15 minutes or so, or till the peppers are a soft and wrinkled. Don't overcook them.
8. Serve the peppers hot as a main course with a selection of vegetables, and vegetarian gravy.
RECIPE: STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS WITH NUTTY RICE
Ingredients:
2 green peppers (capsicum/bell pepper)
1/4 cup paneer, diced into 1/2 cm cubes
1 cup cooked basmati rice
1 green chilli, sliced into thin rings
4 tbsp shredded methi leaves (optional)
1/2 cup shredded coriander leaves
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tbsp mixed nuts (peanuts, cashewnuts, pecans), chopped
2 tsp raisins or sultanas
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garam masala
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Slice off the tops of the peppers and carefully remove the seeds and pith. Make sure the peppers can remain upright; even up the bottoms if required so that they sit flat. Reserve the tops, don't throw them away.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the chillies, paneer and chopped nuts. Stir fry till the nuts and the paneer are pale golden brown.
3. Add the coriander and methi leaves and fry till they wilt.
4. Add the sultanas/raisins.
5. Now mix in the rice, garam masala, black pepper powder and salt to taste. Heat this stuffing thoroughly, then turn the heat off and let it cool.
6. Spoon the filling into the prepared peppers, pressing down with the back of the spoon to get as much of the stuffing in as possible, then put the tops of the peppers back on.
7. Place the stuffed peppers on a baking tray and spray them with Pam on the outside, or brush them with a little oil. Bake in the oven at 200C for 15 minutes or so, or till the peppers are a soft and wrinkled. Don't overcook them.
8. Serve the peppers hot as a main course with a selection of vegetables, and vegetarian gravy.
There are plenty of blogs that detail how to make paneer at home – and really it is the simplest thing, taking perhaps just a little time. A quick google (like I did) would show you what I mean. But because I’ve been literally inundated with a request (anonymous, but still a request) to post a recipe for home-made paneer, I thought I would add my bit to the information superhighway.
My extra tip is to NOT throw away the whey that’s left behind (as I regrettably did the first time), but to use it in place of water when cooking rice for pulao or biriyani. Whey can also be used to knead chapatti dough, but that doesn’t use up much whey really, unless you have a very large family which eats lots of chapattis! The whey stays good for 2-3 days (or maybe longer, but I haven’t tried it personally) in the fridge. Ditto the paneer.
Recipe for: Home-made paneer
Ingredients
2 litres milk (full fat or half-fat)
2-3 tbsp fresh lime juice or fresh curd/yogurt
Method:
1. Bring milk to a boil,
then add 2 tbsp lemon juice to it and stir, turning down the heat to medium.
2. Let the milk solids separate from the liquid (whey).
If the whey looks milky and not thin enough, add a little more lemon juice and simmer for a few minutes more.
The whey should be almost transparent liquid.
3. Strain the paneer through a muslin cloth
and let the whey drain into a vessel.
Hang up the paneer for 4-5 hours to let all the whey drip through…
or if you’re impatient like me, squeeze it through the cloth (when it’s cool enough to handle without discomfort) to help the whey on its whey out… er, I mean way out. (Yes. HAHAHA!)
4. Shape the paneer into a round or rectangle as best as possible and put it under a heavy weight for 2-3 hours (if you want to be able to cut it into pieces, and for the pieces to hold their shape).
After a somewhat forced sabbatical from my food blog because of computer problems, I’m feeling quite happy to be back! And oh, the relief of not losing all the unposted recipes with the accompanying photographs that were stored on the hard drive…! It was very disheartening to think of losing everything when my computer crashed, and although I had a laptop in its absence, it just didn’t feel right and I couldn’t raise the enthusiasm to even take photographs of recipes, much less post them on my blog. Anyway, eventually Pete got around to restoring my computer – with everything intact – and now I’m back in business, with strict instructions to back up my photos regularly onto his external drive. Sir, yes SIR!
What I have today is a paneer recipe yet again, except that this time I used paneer that I made myself. Yeah I know, it’s easy to make and all that... but people who are unaware of the awesome hold that inertia has over me will simply not understand why I had never made paneer at home thus far. It just seemed easier to buy it, especially when it became available at Tesco and Sainsbury.
But last week I had so many bottles of milk collecting in the fridge that I just had to DO something about it. The milk had accrued because Pete had been working away from home at a client’s all week – basically, if he isn’t at home to drink coffee, the milk stays sober (which means the same as undrunk, yeah? Oh I'm funny! *heheh*), as it were.
So if I’d made payasam or some Indian sweet, it would have:
1. ...been enough to supply a large Indian marriage party for two “veLai”s (meals, in essence) – but since there would have been no large Indian marriage party anywhere within 100 miles of Shrewsbury in any direction, really, I would have had to eat it all...
2. ... thereby going into a diabetic coma from all the sugar, since there are no takers for Indian sweets at home and I would be the only person to eat it all...
3. ... mainly because I would have been driven to madness from making the sweet in the first place as I don’t have the patience to stir ginormous quantities of milk to half the volume, and that resulting madness would have made me the only person to eat it all...
See what I’m getting at? Madness to use huge up huge quantities of milk to make huge quantities of sweets using huge quantities of sugar, madness to even try making it at all, madness arising from the effort of trying to make it, and definitely madness to risk a sugar overload. Madness all around, to put in a few words that which I’ve already said in many many words.
So, to avoid all that madness, I settled for making paneer.
First of all, I was surprised to see how much milk it takes to make a reasonable amount of paneer. (But what to do with the quantities of whey is a problem I haven’t managed to sort out. It’s sitting in the fridge right now, while I wait for a brilliant solution to arrive in my head. It might take a while.)
Secondly, I was surprised at how very much tastier it was than store-bought (yeah, I can be as DUH as the next person, okay?)... Pete loved the paneer – the taste, its soft spongy texture as opposed to the store-bought stuff, even the irregular oddly cubic shapes (I wasn’t able to cut up the paneer uniformly, and he was under strict instructions to love it anyway – a Sir Yes Sir! moment for him there).
Lastly but not leastly - yay, this is a foolproof and idiot-proof way to use up excess milk, AND have fresh paneer every two weeks or so!
This recipe (yes, I bet you were beginning to think there was no recipe, weren’t you? I KNOW these things!) was very basic, and therefore it was very satisfying that Pete raved about it. I thought it was pretty good too, but really, it was such a simple recipe that to me it didn’t merit quite that amount of pride. Still – it’s not my opinion that counts as much as that of people who have to eat my cooking.
So, here it is –
Recipe for: Paneer yogurt curry
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups fresh-made paneer cut into 1" cubes
1-1/2 cups tomatoes, chopped
¾ cup onions chopped fine
1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1 tbsp rice flour
2 tsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
¾ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
¾ tsp garam masala or chana masala
1 tsp grated or ground ginger root
Salt to taste
Garnish:
1 tbsp oil
2-3 tbsp raw peanuts
Method:
1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and fry the paneer till beginning to turn golden. Drain and reserve.
2. Add the second tsp oil to the oil in the pan and heat, then toss in the grated ginger.
3. Stir it about for 10 seconds in the oil, then add the turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, red chilli powders and the cumin seeds. Fry for 30 seconds or till the seeds turn a darker colour.
4. Add the onions and fry till they turn soft, then put in the tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes break down. Mash the tomatoes in the pan itself with a potato masher till they become homogenous.
5. Stir the rice flour into the yogurt and add it to the tomato mixture along with salt to taste, stirring it in quickly. Let this simmer for 5-6 minutes. Now add the paneer pieces and turn them gently in the sauce so that they get well coated.
6. Sprinkle the garam/chana masala over the paneer and stir again gently. Let the paneer simmer in the sauce for 5-6 minutes.
7. While the paneer is simmering, heat 1 tbsp oil in a small tempering pan and add the peanuts. Stir gently till the skins turn dark and the peanuts turn aromatic (about a minute). Remove from the oil and sprinkle over the paneer yogurt curry just before serving.
Some time ago, we went to a little Indian takeaway restaurant to see if it was any better than the others that we had visited (short version – it wasn’t). When I say Indian, of course, I mean Bangladeshi… most of the take-aways are (over)run by Bangladeshi folks. No, I actually mean Bangladeshi men, because I’ve never seen any women working at any of these take-out/eateries (shall we just say “takeouteries”?), ever. Anywhere.
Anyway, the menu had palak paneer (translated to “spinach with cheese” for the edification of non-desi types) listed under side dishes, so we ordered it, as Pete likes paneer.
What we got, however, was as far away from paneer as… well, as cheddar cheese. Because that’s what it was – pureed spinach with over-melted (read crusty) cheddar cheese on top. It wasn’t inedible, but it also wasn’t paneer. When I questioned the server about this travesty of a North Indian dish, he actually insisted that it was what I’d ordered - spinach with cheese. Well, yeah. Technically, it was, I suppose… but it wasn’t paneer.
I wasn’t inclined to take it further with him because for one, Pete thought the dish was okay, and for two, it wasn’t like we’d paid through our noses for the meal… but of course I knew we’d never go back to that particular restaurant again.
A few weeks later, I went to our usual takeouterie for some plain naan (which they make really well). While I was waiting for my order, the restaurant guy engaged me in some idle chat, trying to get me to order some of their main dishes as well. When he recommended the palak paneer, I told him about our cheddar experience and he fell about laughing, calling his mates to hear all about it as well. They all wanted to know which restaurant we’d been to, but I decided not to fuel their gossip quite that much, so I was deliberately vague.
They had a terrific time laughing about my experience (which made me wonder why, as it wasn’t THAT funny! Or perhaps they were bored and this was their only entertainment for the week), but he recovered enough before I left to say to me: “Madam, this is why you should come only to our takeaway”.
What I thought was: “This is why I should make palak paneer at home” – but I didn’t say it to him. I went home instead, clutching my oven-hot plain naan.
And some considerable time later, I made palak-matar-paneer - which, translated into posh restaurant-speak for non-desi readers is “Lightly sautéed cubes of Indian cheese, cooked with fresh green peas and served in a mildly spiced, silky spinach gravy finished off with a swirl of fresh cream”.
Does that description make you want to lick your monitor screen, or at least your lips? :o)
Recipe for: Palak matar paneer
Ingredients:
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (reserve two tbsp)
1 medium tomato, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
4 cups baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup cooked fresh green peas
1 cup paneer, cubed
2 cloves garlic
3 fresh green chillies (or to taste), chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil
1 tbsp coriander leaves, roughly chopped
A few tbsp cream for garnish (optional)
Method:
1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and lightly fry the paneer pieces till they turn a pale gold. Drain and reserve.
2. Add the remaining tsp of oil to the pan and when it's hot, fry the chopped green chillies, cumin seeds and garlic for 30 seconds.
3. Add the sliced onions to the pan and fry till they turn soft and pale brown. Then add the chopped tomatoes and fry till they begin to turn mushy. Toss in a handful of spinach leaves, stir till they wilt, add another handful of leaves and continue till all the spinach is wilted.
4. Let the mixture cool for a bit, then blitz it in a food processor along with the remaining sliced tomato,
till it's a smooth puree. You wont need to add any extra water.
5. In the same pan, add the reserved 2 tbsp chopped tomatoes and fry them till they just begin to break down.
6. Add the spinach puree to the tomatoes in the pan, stir in salt to taste along with 1/4 cup water, and let the sauce simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.
7. Toss in the paneer now and simmer the mixture for two minutes.
8. Add the cooked green peas and garam masala, stir it in.
Leave on the hob for a minute longer, then turn the heat off. Garnish with chopped coriander.
9. Just before serving, swirl some fresh cream into the gravy (if desired) and serve hot with rotis or jeera rice.
Looks like the next few posts are going to be mainly "empty the fridge" types, as I'm off to India next Tuesday, for a fortnight.
Today, as the first of the use-'em-up recipes, I made an impromptu side-dish using one of the two bunches of spinach that were wilting quietly in the fridge. Two red onions, two tomatoes, half a cup of cubed paneer and a few spices and condiments later, there it was - a healthy side-dish to go with the methi (fenugreek greens) chapatis that we had for dinner.
Recipe for: Paneer palak subji
Ingredients:
Fresh spinach - washed, drained and chopped - 4 cups
1/2 cup paneer, cubed
2 onions, sliced thinly
1 tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic, slivered
1/2 tsp ginger root, grated
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 fresh green chillies (as per taste), sliced thin
OR
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
3 tsp oil
Method:
1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and stir-fry the paneer till the cubes turn reddish-golden. Remove from the heat and reserve.
2. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil. Add the ginger root, the garlic, cumin seeds, chilli powder/green chillies and fry for about 30 seconds, till the cumin seeds turn brown and aromatic.
3. Now add the salt, garam masala, ground pepper and the sliced onions. Fry till the onions start becoming soft.
4. Add the chopped tomato and fry for a minute.
5. Finally add the spinach and sprinkle two tbsp water and cover the pan. Lower the heat and let the spinach wilt for 4 minutes or so.
6. Stir the contents so the spinach and onions are well mixed, then add the fried paneer. Add 1/3 cup water, stir and simmer the subji on medium heat for another 3 minutes or so, until the spinach is cooked.
7. Serve hot with a dollop of cream or Greek yogurt, as an accompaniment for rotis/parathas.
I love my greens - any greens, which is a quantum change from when I was younger. But I cant really tell them apart, taste-wise, unless it be the sour-sharp tangy "gongura", which is an Andhra specialty (as demonstrated deliciously by Indira in her blog). I wish I could get gongura here. The Indian grocery market in Birmingham does not run to quite such regional varieties, unfortunately.
My mother used to buy "ara keerai" and "mola keerai" from the local travelling vendor, claiming that the two were different in taste - but I could never tell them apart, either in looks or in taste. "Saag" and "palak", North Indian varieties of spinach, are interchangeable as well, to me. If I cant get these known Indian greens, I'm happy to settle for the generic "greens" available in the English supermarkets. I honestly dont find them any different when used in dals or cooked, mashed and seasoned in the Tamil way.
Today, though, there was fresh saag (or it could have been palak), courtesy of a foray to the Birmingham shops, and some of my very own home-grown fenugreek greens (yessss!), so I decided to make saag-paneer. And then while rummaging in my cupboard, I found a nearly empty pack of pink masoor dal - it came to about 1/2 cup. It didnt seem worthwhile to store such a small amount or transfer it to a tin, so I decided to use it up.
Voila! - saag paneer with masoor dal.
The cupful of fenugreek greens (methi) added to the saag provided the winning touch, because the final result was just mouth-wateringly tasty. I do love my methi! And the 1/2 cup of masoor dal, cooked, was just enough to hold together the rest of the ingredients, making it unnecessary to add any cornflour or rice-flour as a thickener. And boy was it tasty! Masoor is one of my favourite dals because it cooks so quickly. I've always though it a bit of a shame, though, that the pretty salmon pink colour disappears when the dal is cooked - it turns yellowish instead.
Oh, and the best part of this dal - the only fat content is from the paneer. If you use low-fat paneer, so much the better!
Recipe for: Saag-paneer with masoor dal
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh spinach leaves, cut into strips
1 cup fresh methi (fenugreek) leaves, chopped
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
200 gm paneer, cubed and lightly stir-fried in a tsp of oil
3 green chillies, chopped fine (optional)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
1/2 tsp garam masala or chana masala
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup pink masoor dal
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
Low-fat cooking oil spray
For tempering:
1 tsp oil or ghee
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
2 dried red chillies, broken in half (optional)
Method:
1. Wash the masoor dal and cook it in about 1-1/2 cups water mixed with the turmeric powder, till it's done but not mushy. (Remove any froth with a spoon). Drain the water and reserve (about a cupful).
2. In a wide pan, heat the tsp of oil and add the garlic and chopped green chillies (if using). Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the sliced onions. Squirt the onions with a couple of sprays of cooking oil. Fry till the onions start turning brown.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the chopped greens. Sprinkle 3-4 tbsp of the reserved dal-water over the greens. Cover the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes on medium-low, until the greens are wilted and cooked.
4. Now add the red chilly powder (if using), the cooked masoor dal and the rest of the dal-water and mix well. Add salt to taste.
5. Add the lightly fried, cubed paneer and simmer the dal for 4-5 minutes.
Seasoning:
Heat a tsp of oil/ghee in a small pan, add the dry red chillies (if using) and the cumin seeds. When the seeds change colour and give off a nice aroma (a few seconds), add 1/2 tsp of garam masala and take the pan off the fire. Pour this seasoning over the surface of the dal and serve hot with plain steamed rice and microwaved papad.
There's too much spinach in the house at the moment... I know this is beginning to sound like whatever I cook is because I have too much of it lying around. This largesse of spinach wasn't Pete's fault, though (for a change - heheh). We spent Saturday night in Colchester and on our way back, Pete had the good idea of coming back via Birmingham so that I could pick up some Indian essentials and some fresh veg like okra, yam and green bananas. I also bought two bunches each of fenugreek leaves and coriander leaves, but I left the spinach alone. However, I wasnt destined to escape it, because the shopkeeper threw in two bunches of saag to make up the 6 bunches of greens that were selling for one pound. Bah. (I've just realised that I said "bunches" more times in the last couple of sentencesthan I've said them ever!)
Still, spinach isnt such a bad thing. I rather like it. And since there was lots of cooked rice left over from the previous night, the choice was clear about what to make for dinner - spinach rice. With cabbage, since there was half a cabbage in the fridge. It was a Savoy cabbage, but you can use any cabbage really. I prefer the green variety to the white, though. I dont know what would happen if you used red cabbage - speaking colour-wise, I mean.
With green cabbage and green spinach, the rice ends up almost emerald coloured. And it tastes very nice indeed, especially if you use a lot of cheese. This time I used grated paneer to mix with the rice, and medium-strong cheddar to sprinkle over the top, but I've also made it with just cheddar cheese throughout. It tastes just as nice in a slightly different way if you use only cheddar - the texture of the rice becomes stickier because cheddar melts and paneer doesnt.
I suppose this could be classified as some kind of fusion cooking, but I'm not sure what's fused. It's basically Indian, with some cheese added.
Oh, one thing to look out for - big green-toothed smiles after you finish eating!
PS. I took photos of this, but for some unknown reason they didnt register on my camera chip :( Will add a photo the next time I make this recipe again. I'm really bummed out over this because I dont know what I did wrong with the camera - so there's every chance that it will happen again. Bah.
Recipe for: Spinach rice with green cabbage and cheese
Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice, cooked al dente and cooled
To puree -
3 cups spinach leaves
3 tbsp coriander leaves (optional)
1" piece ginger root
1 clove garlic
For the masala -
1 cup green cabbage (Savoy is ok), shredded
2 onions, sliced into thin strips
1 tsp cinnamon powder
2 whole cloves (or 1/4 tsp cloves powdered)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin seeds 4 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup grated medium-strong cheese - cheddar or similar (I used 1/4 cup grated paneer and 1/4 cup cheddar)
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp oil/butter
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Puree the spinach, coriander, ginger and garlic to a smooth paste, using as little water as possible. Reserve.
2. In a flat-bottomed pan, heat the oil. Add the bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon and cumin seeds and fry briefly, then put in the onions and let them cook till they begin to turn brown.
3. Add the shredded cabbage and stir-fry for a minute or two, until the cabbage starts wilting. Then add the spinach puree.
4. Fry this mixture on high heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Then add half a cup of water and salt to taste, mix again and turn the heat down low. Cover and let cook for 3 minutes.
5. Stir in the coriander powder and take the masala off the heat, then pour in the lemon juice. At this point you can remove the bay leaf and the whole cloves, if you like.
6. Gently mix half the cheese with the rice, taking care not to mush the rice.
7. When the onion-cabbage masala has cooled, mix it with the rice until it's evenly distributed throughout.
8. Put the rice in an oven-proof casserole with a lid. Smooth the top, pour the milk over evenly and then sprinkle the rest of the cheese. You can add more cheese if you like.
9. Bake in a pre-heated 190C oven (375 F) for 20 minutes or so, until the cheese is melted and the rice is heated through. Serve hot with plain salted potato crisps on the side, or crushed and sprinkled on top. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt too, if you like.
Note: You can add green peas, shredded carrots or any other quick-cooking (or pre-cooked) vegetables you like to the onion-cabbage masala.
The first time I introduced paneer to Pete, I didnt tell him what he was eating. I just served it up for our dinner and waited for his reaction which, after a few thoughtful bites, was a puzzled: "This is yummy. Is it chicken? How did you mask the chickeny taste? Hey, are YOU eating chicken!?!" Nope I wasnt, I told him gleefully. He was eating - ta-DAH! - Indian cheese. Paneer, to be precise. Since then, I've made various paneer dishes and he's loved all of them.
And tonight, he asked if I could make something with paneer for dinner. That coincided rather nicely with my decision to use up the ready-bought 250gm-pack of paneer that was a bit past its best-by date. So tandoori paneer found itself on the menu, along with green peas pulau. And it was a very creditable success. The tandoori paneer turned out gorgeously crisp on the outside, its ginger-garlic marinade cut deliciously by the fresh lemon juice, and succulently soft on the inside.
I dont know if this recipe would work as well on home-made paneer, because you really cant get it as firm as the store-bought stuff. But there are plenty of other recipes perfect for the softer texture of home-made paneer... I guess we'll be seeing some of those in future posts.
Recipe for Tandoori Paneer and Green Peas Pulau (to serve 2 persons):
Tandoori Paneer
Ingredients:
250gm firm paneer, cut into one-inch cubes
1 red bell pepper, deseeded, cut in thin rings
1 medium onion, cut in thin rings
1 tsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
For the marinade:
2" piece fresh ginger
2-3 cloves of garlic
1-2 fresh green chillies, or to taste
2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
Couple of drops of red or orange food colouring - optional. (I used 2 tsp of paprika to add a bit of colour.)
Pinch of ready-bought tandoori or chaat masala, for garnish - optional
Method:
1. Grind all the items for the marinade in a spice or coffee grinder to a paste.
2. Put the paneer pieces in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over, reserving a tsp of it. Turn the paneer pieces gently with your fingers until the pieces are more or less coated with the marinade.
3. Set aside for about an hour, minimum.
4. About 10 minutes before you want to serve the paneer, heat up the grill in your oven. Arrange the marinated paneer pieces on a greased tray or rack and grill, turning once or twice, until the paneer begins to turn golden on the surface.
5. While the paneer is grilling, heat 1 tsp oil in a wide frying pan and add the reserved teaspoon of marinade. Fry this for a few seconds, then put in the onion rings.
6. After about 4 minutes, add the bell pepper rings to the onion and cook the mixture for 3-4 minutes longer, or until the onion is translucent and the bell pepper is slightly wilted.
7. Toss the tandoori paneer with the bell pepper and onion mixture, and serve hot.
Green peas pulau
Ingredients
1 cup basmati rice, cooked al dente
1 cup green peas, cooked (fresh is best, frozen is ok too)
2 onions, sliced thin
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 fresh green chillies, slit (fewer or more according to taste)
1-2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp garam masala (if available)
OR
mix of 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder, 1/2 tsp powdered black pepper, 1/2 tsp powdered coriander seeds
1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander leaves, for garnish - optional
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a big wok, add the whole cumin seeds, fresh green chillies and ginger-garlic paste. Fry this for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
2. Now add the sliced onions and the garam masala or spice mix. Cook the onions until they turn soft and begin to brown a little, then add the cooked green peas and rice.
3. Turn this mixture over carefully to distribute everything evenly. Take care not to break up the rice grains.
This can be made ahead and reheated in a microwave oven. Just before serving, garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
