PANEER KURMA | PANEER GRAVY

Paneer Kurma is done using variety of vegetables along with Paneer. The spices are soaked along with coconut and badam  and added to vegetables to give a rich taste. Also, Paneer is roasted on dosa tawa and added to the kurma. This gravy is ideal North Indian dish which can be a perfect side dish for Idiyappam , Chappathi, and Naan. This is Semi- thick gravy and can be served with Fried rice and Pulav varieties.

The entire recipe is done in Pressure cooker, so less oil/ghee is used. Vegetables like carrot, capsicum,chow chow/chayote, green peas, tomato have been used. Even Vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, potato can also be used. This recipe can be done in quick time if all the ingredients and masala paste is ready. Iam happy to share the first full Video recipe of this blog. 

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Video recipe of Paneer Kurma

Recipe for Paneer Kurma

INGREDIENTS:

Paneer - 200g

Onion - 1

Capsicum - 1/2

Carrot - 2

Green peas - 1/4 cup

Chayote/ Chow chow - 1/2

Kasuri methi - 2 tsp

Rice flour - 1 tsp

Oil - 3 tsp

Salt 

To grind

Badam - 10

Coconut - 1/4 cup

Coriander seeds - 2 tsp

Fennel - 1/2 tsp

Poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon - 1

Cloves - 2

Ginger - 1/2 inch stick

Garlic - 4

Sambhar powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander leaves - handful

METHOD:

• Soak Green peas overnight or for 6 hours.
• Soak Badam for an hour and add all the ingredients given to grind  along with badam and prepare a smooth paste.
• Chop the vegetables and keep aside.
• In a pressure cooker/pan, add oil and place the onions.
• Then add soaked green peas and all other vegetables.
• Add the grind paste over the vegetables and add 1/2 cup of water and required salt.
• Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles on high flame.
• Let the pressure subside by itself.
• Meanwhile, heat a dosa pan, place the cubed paneer and roast for a while.
• Roast till it starts to change to brown and keep aside.
• When the pressure reduces, open the lid and place on flame.
• Gently mix the gravy and add slightly roasted paneer.
• If the gravy is watery, add little water to the rice flour, mix well and add to the gravy.
• Taste for salt and add little if required.
• Add Kasuri Methi and mix well and switch off the flame.
• Tasty and flavourful PANEER KURMA is ready.

Step wise recipe with photos:

1. In a pressure cooker/pan, add oil and place the onions.

2. Then add soaked green peas and all other vegetables.

3. Add the grind paste over the vegetables and add 1/2 cup of water and required salt.

4. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles on high flame.

5. Let the pressure subside by itself.

6. Meanwhile, heat a dosa pan, place the cubed paneer and roast for a while.

7. Roast till it starts to change to brown and keep aside.

8. When the pressure reduces, open the lid and place on flame.

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9. Gently mix the gravy and add slightly roasted paneer.

10. If the gravy is watery, add little water to the rice flour, mix well and add to the gravy.

11.Taste for salt and add little if required.

12. Add Kasuri Methi and mix well and switch off the flame.

13. Tasty and flavourful PANEER KURMA is ready.

PANEER GRAVY using khoya

This is a  mild gravy with sweetishness, using less spices and with rich taste. This is done using Paneer and instant unsweetened khoya/pal kova. It differs in taste and preparation is also different compared to other paneer side dishes  and less time consuming. Khoya can be prepared in home or else can be bought outside. This dish goes well with chappathi, roti, naan and dosa. Children will surely enjoy this dish since it is less spicy and tastes awesome.

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INGREDIENTS:

Paneer - 200g

Milk powder - 50g

Onion - 2

Tomato - 3

Milk - 1/2 cup 

Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Red chilly/Sambar powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Ginger - 1 inch stick

Garlic pods - 4

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - 1

Cardamom - 1

Kasuri methi - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves - little 

Ghee - 3 tsp

Salt 

METHOD: 

1. To prepare instant kova, add milk powder and little ghee in a bowl.

 2. Heat 1/4 cup of milk and add to the milk powder, mix well and keep aside.

3. In a dosa tawa, cut paneer into cubes and roast on all sides for a while. No need to add ghee.

4. Chop tomato into pieces and grind to a paste along with ginger and garlic.

5. In a tawa, heat a tsp of ghee, add cloves, cinnamon and cardamom and saute for a while.

6. Add finely chopped onions and cook well till the onion changes translucent.

7. Add all the powders, stir for a minute and add the tomato paste.

8. Mix well and cook it covered till the raw smell goes off and till it comes together. Add little ghee if needed.

9. Add instant kova and mix well. Add remaining milk and adjust the gravy consistency.

10. Add the roasted paneer cubes, mix well and cook it covered for few minutes. Add little water if the gravy is thick.

11. Add kasuri methi and chopped coriander leaves.

12. Tasty, aromatic and mild Paneer gravy is ready to be served.

Note:

• If store bought kova, see to that it is unsweetened.
• Ghee can be replaced by oil.
• Tomatoes can be chopped finely and added instead of grinding. 
• Ginger and garlic can be crushed and used.

 

METHI MALAI PANEER GRAVY

This is a very rich, creamy and slightly sweet gravy done using Paneer, Cream/thickened milk, fenugreek leaves. It is done using fresh fenugreek/methi leaves. Here, I have done using Dried Fenugreek leaves/ Kasuri Methi. Usually due to the bitter taste of methi, children refuse to eat it. When cooked along with malai and Paneer the bitterness is reduced and tastes awesome. Fresh methi can also be used to prepare this recipe. This can be served with Naan, chappathi, roti, fried rice, Jeera rice or ghee rice. 

INGREDIENTS:

Paneer  - 200g

Crumbled Paneer - 3 tbs

Thickened milk - 1/4 cup

Kasuri Methi/ Dried Fenugreek leaves - 2 to 3 tbs

Onion - 2

Tomato - 1

Ginger - 1 inch stick

Garlic - 4

Cashews - 10

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Green chilly - 2

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Ghee - 2 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt

METHOD:

1. In a tawa, heat oil, add chopped onions and saute for few minutes.

2. Add chopped tomatoes, green chilly, ginger, garlic and cashews and stir for few minutes until the tomatoes turn juicy, switch off the flame.

3. After it cools down, grind to paste.

4. In the same tawa, add a tsp of ghee, and transfer the paste.

5. Stir well for few minutes on low flame. Cover it with a lid, so that it doesn't splutter out.

6. Stir in intervals so that the masala gets cooked well. Add turmeric powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder.

7. When the raw smell goes off, add the cubed Paneer and required salt and cook on low flame.

8. Add kasuri methi and required water and cook with lid closed for few minutes.

9. Add sugar, thick milk, crumbled Paneer, a tsp of ghee and mix well.

10. Tasty and aromatic Methi Malai Paneer is ready.

Note:

• Instead of thick milk, 2 to 3 tsp of fresh cream can be used.
• If fresh methi leaves are used, mix little salt to the washed and cleaned leaves, allow for 5 minutes, squeeze out the water. This reduces the bitterness of methi leaves and can be used instead of kasuri methi. 
• Also saute fresh methi leaves in ghee/oil for a while before adding the paste.

SHAHI PANEER

"Shahi" means royal. As its name suggests, this is a Mughlai royal dish made with cashews, almonds, spices, yogurt and saffron along with Paneer. It is a semi sweetened gravy, using less spices, aromatic & creamy. Here, I have prepared a white gravy, just to differentiate from other Paneer dishes. 

INGREDIENTS:
Paneer cubes - 1 cup
Tomato - 1/2
Kasuri methi - 1/2 tsp
Yogurt/Curd - 1/2 cup 
Coriander leaves - little (optional)
Ghee - 2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp 
Sugar - 1 tsp

To grind
Onion -2
Ginger - 1 inch stick
Garlic pods - 3 
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1
Fennel/Sombu - 1/2 tsp
Poppy seeds/Kasakasa - 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Cashew - 5
Badam - 5 
Green chilly - 2
Saffron - 5 strands

METHOD:

1. Soak all the ingredients given to paste for few minutes, after partly dry roasting cloves, cinnamon, fennel, poppy seeds & coriander seeds. Grind to fine paste along with ginger, garlic, a green chilly, cashew, badam and saffron and keep aside.

2. In a pan, boil water, add chopped onions and close the lid. After it cools, grind to paste. Do no throw away the water, it can be used while preparing gravy. 

3. In a thick bottomed tawa, heat ghee and oil, add the onion paste and cook well until raw smell goes off.
4. Add finely chopped tomato, a slit green chilly, a pinch of salt and stir well.
5. Add the paste and cook on medium flame till oil leaves the sides.
6. Add chopped Paneer cubes, onion stock (water used for blanching onion), mix well and lower the flame and close the lid. Allow to cook for 5 minutes.

7. When the gravy is fully cooked, add whipped yogurt, sugar and kasuri methi, stir well and switch off the flame. Add coriander leaves if preferred.
8. Tasty and Semi sweetened Shahi Paneer is ready to be served with Naan, Chappathi, Roti, Rice, Pulav etc.

Note: 

• Instead of green chillies, red chilly powder can be used.
• If tangy taste of tomato is preferred, yogurt can be avoided and a whole tomato can be used.
• Tomato puree can be used along with onion paste, here chopped tomato is used to avoid colouration due to tomato, resulting a white gravy.