Dahi waala Paneer: A Double Delight With Sans Onion Or Garlic

This dish is made of paneer which is the most popular option for vegetarians in India. With a gorgeous gravy, it goes great with parathas, naans, and rice. A Mughlai twist to paneer with the cashew paste is immensely scrumptious and also great for Navratri seasons as it's free of onions or garlic. It is a great dinner option to enjoy with friends and family.

History Of Paneer:

There is a wide debate about what is paneer, chhena, butter, etc and what are their origins. Case in point, the roots of rosogulla are in which state. Although the practice of churning milk dates back to Indian mythology, who can forget the images of Lord Krishna and his earthen pot of butter? 

Although Portuguese are credited as the inspiration behind chhena and Europeans use a lot of cream, Paneer may be closer home. It is a milk derivative deliberately heated and split by an acidic agent. This process leads to the formation of Paneer. In India, it is said to originate in Punjab where diary-keeping communities sought ways to keep the milk for longer use.

Dahi or curd is an Indian household staple- especially in the north due to the hot climate. Because of a large number of vegetarian communities in India, Paneer comes with nutritional value and can be cooked grated, cubed, or as stuffings. 

So in this dish, we combine the goodness of two dairy products to make up for the absence of onion-garlic consistency. As a matter of fact, won’t disappoint.

Ingredients:

For marination:

• 1 tbsp mustard oil 
•  1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder 
•  1 tsp coriander powder
•  1/4 tsp turmeric
•  1 tsp cumin powder
•  1 tsp Kasuri methi
•  1/4 tsp black salt
•  Salt to taste
•  500 gm Paneer
•  Oil for shallow frying the paneer

For gravy:

•  1/4th cup melon seeds
•  1/4th cup cashew nuts
•  2 cups curd
• 1 tsp spicy red chilli powder
•  1 tsp coriander powder
•  1 tsp turmeric
•  Salt to taste
•  2 tbsp Mustard oil
•  1 tsp cumin seeds
•  2-3 green cardamom
•  2-3 cloves
•  2-3 chopped green chillies
•  1 inch (julienned) ginger (you can skip this)
•  1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
•  Hot water as required
•  1 tsp Garam masala
•  1 tsp Kasuri methi

Method:

• Add all the ingredients of marination in a bowl and mix well, coat the paneer well with the marination and keep aside
•  Set a pan on medium-high heat, add oil for shallow frying, shallow fry the marinated paneer from all sides and set aside
•  Boil the cashew nuts & melon seeds together for 7-8 minutes
• Strain out from hot water and grind to make a fine paste
• In a bowl, add curd along with the ground cashew and magaj paste, add the spices & salt to taste, mix well and keep aside
•  For making the gravy, heat mustard oil in a wok and add jeera, cardamom, cloves, green chillies & ginger,stir & cook for a minute
•  Lower the heat and add the Kashmiri red chilli powder, add little water to avoid the chilli powder from burning, stir & cook briefly
•  Now, add the prepared curd mixture & stir continuously on a low flame
•  Bring to a boil
•  Once the gravy starts to boil, cook on medium-high flame for a few minutes and adjust the onsistency as per your preference
•  Now, add the shallow fried paneer, garam masala & Kasuri methi, stir gently & cook for 2-3 minutes
•  Check to season and garnish with coriander leaves
•  Dahi wali Paneer is ready.