“Paneer dishes are probably the most common choices in the vegetarian menu while ordering food or cooking something special at home. There are many Paneer options to choose from like Paneer Butter Masala, Paneer Tikka Masala, Kadai Paneer etc. Although all these dishes are great in taste yet it gets repetitive and boring once you have tried all of them with their traditional style. Therefore, I keep exploring new dishes to avoid monotonous cooking process and enjoy new flavors. I posted one such non-typical Paneer recipe, Lehsuni Palak-Paneer sometime ago (I hope you liked it). With the same idea, today I am presenting this very unique recipe which gives you a refreshing tangy-cum-spicy taste with a pinch of sweet (Jaggery). Try this distinguished method for a change and I am sure you will make it more often.”

Ingredients:

• 400 gms- Diced Cottage cheese (chokor kate huye Paneer ke tukde)
• 1 cup- Yogurt/Curd (Dahi)
• 6 to 8- Garlic cloves (Lehsun)
• 1 inch- Ginger (Adrak)
• 1 cup- Finely chopped Onion (Barik Kati hui Pyaaz)
• 1 tablespoon- Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 1 tablespoon- Coriander seeds (Khada dhaniya)
• 1 tablespoon- Fenugreek seeds (Methi Dana)
• ½ tablespoon- Black pepper whole (Khadi kaali mirch)
• 8 to 10- Dry red chilli whole (Sukhi Lal Mirch khadi)
• 1 teaspoon- Red chilli powder (Lal Mirch powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 3-4 tablespoons- Tamarind paste (Imli ka paste)
• 1 tablespoon- Powdered jaggery (Gud powder)
• 4 tablespoons- Clarified butter (Ghee)
• Finely chopped coriander for garnishing (Bareek kata hara Dhaniya)
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Take yogurt/curd in a big bowl; add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well to form a paste.
• Marinate diced cottage cheese (Paneer) with the paste (as shown in the Picture-1) made in the previous step.
• Keep the bowl in the fridge to rest for 25- 30 minutes.
• Take cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, black pepper whole, dry red chillies (whole) in a pan and dry-roast these whole spices on low- medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until they splutter (as shown in the Picture-2).
• Now transfer these whole spices in a grinding jar. Add garlic cloves, ginger and tamarind paste. Grind these spices into a fine paste.
• Heat ghee in a pan, add chopped onion and sauté till they turn golden brown (as shown in Picture-3). Now add spice paste which was prepared in previous step, mix and cook for 3-4 minutes on low-medium heat.
• Add marinated cottage cheese (Paneer) along with all the marinating paste left, mix gently with spices and cook covered for 3-4 minutes. Add 1 table spoon jaggery powder and salt as required, give it a gentle mix.
• Cover the pan again and let it cook for another 2 minutes on low heat.
• Transfer in a serving bowl and garnish it with chopped fresh coriander.
• Serve hot with Naan/Chapati/Phulka/ Rice.

“Palak-Paneer” is one of the most common dishes made from Paneer (Cottage Cheese). When you think of “Palak-Paneer”, you generally imagine a dark green gravy with Paneer cubes in it. However, this recipe “Lehsuni Palak Paneer” is quite different from the traditional form. Unlike its green cousin, this variation of palak-paneer has yellow gravy with the tang of garlic. The cooking process is easy and the result is well worth the effort. Try this experimental (but successful) recipe for a change and give your loved ones a palatable surprise.

For another interesting dish made from Spinach (Palak), please check our post “Spinach Pasta“.

Ingredients:

• Ingredients:
• 200 gm- Diced cottage cheese cubes (Paneer ke chhote chokor tukde)
• ½ Cup- Milk (Doodh)
• ½ Cup- Curd (Dahi)
• 1 Cup- Spinach (Palak) washed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons- Garlic-Ginger paste (Adrak-Lehsun paste)
• 5 to 6- finely chopped garlic cloves (bareek kate hue Lehsun)
• ½ Cup- Onion paste (Pyaz ka paste)
• 2 teaspoons- Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 2 teaspoons- Red Chilli powder (Lal Mirch powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 2 teaspoons- Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Black pepper powder (Kali Mirch powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Kitchen King Masala
• 2 teaspoons- Pav bhaji Masala
• Salt (as per taste)
• 1½ tablespoons- Oil
• 1½ tablespoon- Gram flour (Besan)
• 1 tablespoon- Kasoori methi
• 1 tablespoon- Tomato Ketchup (Optional, for a sweeter taste)

Method :

• Take curd in a big bowl, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, pav bhaji masala, sabji masala, black pepper powder, besan, garlic-ginger paste and salt. Mix well to form a paste. Marinate diced Paneer with paste. Now add milk, mix gently and keep the bowl in the fridge to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan and splutter cumin seeds. Add chopped garlic, saute for a minute and add onion paste again saute until the onion’s colour changes to golden brown. Now add chopped spinach and some salt, mix well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add marinated cottage cheese then cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes on low-medium flame. Finally, add crushed kasoori methi and tomato ketchup (if you prefer a sweeter taste), mix it gently and cook for another minute.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish it with cream. Your ‘Lehsuni Palak Paneer’ is ready, serve hot with Naan/Chapati/ Phulka/Poori/Rice.