Paneer Lababdar (Creamy Paneer Dish)

 Paneer Lababdar is a rich, creamy Mughal dish. It is similar to Paneer Butter Masala, yet a little different. Here the base of the gravy, onion, tomatoes and spices are cooked before blending into a puree, which is then cooked. Also, in this dish, big paneer cubes are sautéed in spices before adding to the creamy gravy. This enhances the flavor of the paneer. 

Ingredients:

For the gravy:

2 Tablespoons neutral oil

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorn

1 bay leaf

1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)

1 inch cinnamon

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled

1 onion, sliced (2 cups)

2 tomatoes, sliced (2 cups)

2 dried red chili 

2 Tablespoons cashew nuts

2 Tablespoons melon seeds (char magaz)

1 teaspoon salt

                                                             

For the Curry:

2 Tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1 onion, finely chopped (1 cup)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder or Cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

2 cups hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoon Paneer or Khoya, grated 

2 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

2 Tablespoons Kasuri Methi, crushed

2 Tablespoons heavy cream

For Masala Paneer:

1 Tablespoon butter

20-24 cubes of paneer

1/2 cup green pepper, cubed

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon kasuri methi

1 pinch salt 

                                  

Method:

Preparing the Base:

1. Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a saucepan on medium flame. Add the dry spices and sauté for 1 minute.

                                                             

2. Add sliced onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes.

                                                           

3. Add sliced tomatoes, dried chili, cashew, and melon seeds. Cook for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft. Remove from stove and allow to cool completely.

                                     

                                     

4. Place cooked vegetable mixture in a blender puree, adding little water.

                                                       

5. Strain the puree to get a smooth base. Set aside.

                                                        

Preparing Masala Paneer:

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon butter in the same skillet on medium heat. Add cubed paneer and green pepper. 

                                                         

  

2. Reduce the heat to low. Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder, kasuri methi and a pinch of salt. Cook on medium heat for 4 minutes, until well coated and paneer is slightly golden. Remove from stove and set aside.

                                 

Preparing the Curry:

1. Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a large saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon cumin. cook for 30 seconds.

                                                        

2. Add chopped onion, and cook until translucent, 4-5 minutes.

                                                         

3. Lower the heat. Add red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt. Turn the heat up to medium, and cook for 2-3 minutes.

                                    

4. Add masala base to the saucepan. Cook until oil separates, 5 minutes.

                                   

5. Add 2 cups of hot water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook. Adjust water to desired consistency.

                                                          

6. Gently add the masala paneer. Sprinkle grated paneer or khoya. Gently mix everything together. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on low medium flame.

                                   

                                                           

7. Gently stir in 2 Tablespoons cream. Garnish with chopped cilantro, and crushed kasuri methi. Remove from stove.

                                      

8. Serve hot with your choice of flat bread or naan or rice. I paired it with Lachha Parantha.

                

This recipe yields 6 servings.

Tiffin Sambar

       

We make different kinds of sambar in Tamil Nadu. Typically, I only use one vegetable in the sambar that we eat with rice. I do not add onion or tomato in my sambar. That is how I learned from my mother. But, for Idly, Dosa or Pongal, I add lots of vegetables along with onion. Sambar for rice is usually made with toor dal. For Idly, I use mixture of dals, toor, masoor, and mung dals. This particular sambar is an easy one pot dish that has lots of vegetables and is made with mung dal without tamarind, unlike the usual Sambar. Idly, Dosa, Pongal, Poori are called tiffin items in Tamil, hence the name Tiffin Sambar.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon sesame oil or olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 green chili, slit

1 tomato, diced

1/2 carrot, peeled and diced

5-6 pieces of drumsticks /moringa (optional)

1 purple Indian eggplant, diced

2 Tablespoons peeled and diced potato

6-7 pieces of diced pumpkin (yellow)

1 Tablespoon Sambar Powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

                                     

For Tempering:

1 Tablespoon ghee

1 teaspoon mustard

5-6 curry leaves

1 pinch asafetida

Method:

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in the pressure cooker. Add slit green chili, and chopped onion. Sauté for a couple minutes.

                                                          

2. Add Sambar Powder and turmeric. Sauté well for a minute, without burning. 
 

                                                         

3. Add the chopped vegetables. 

                                                         

4. Add washed mung dal. Add enough water to cover the vegetables, 2 cups or adjust.

                                

5. Cover the pressure cooker. Cook for 4 whistles on medium flame. Let the pressure release naturally.

                                                            

6. Open the lid. Add some water as the sambar will be thick. Turn the stove on to medium heat. Check for salt and add if required. Simmer for a minute. Turn the stove off.

                                     

7. Temper mustard, curry leaves, and a pinch of asafetida in 2 teaspoons of ghee. Stir this into the sambar. Tiffin Sambar is ready to be served with Idly or Dosa.

                  

Notes:

You can find sambar powder in Indian markets.

Sambar in Instant Pot:

1. Set IP in sauté mode. Follow steps 1 to 4. 

2. Cover the IP. Press cancel button. Now turn on the pressure cook mode.

3. Allow pressure to be released naturally.

4. Follow steps 6 and 7. 

Green Biriyani

My sister is the Biriyani queen of our family. She makes different types of rice dishes. This particular dish is a signature dish of her mother in law. She uses all the Indian country vegetables (naatu pachai kaigarigal), like Indian eggplant, cluster beans, broad beans, green peas, carrots etc. and lots of cilantro and mint. The biriyani looks green, hence the name.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup basmati rice or jeeraga samba rice, washed and soaked in water

2-3 Tablespoons peanut oil or ghee

1 bay leaf

1 inch cinammon

1 small carrot, peeled and diced into 1 inch pieces

1 small potato, peeled and diced into 1 inch pieces

10 cluster beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

10 broad beans, stringed and cut into 1 inch pieces

10 string beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

1-2 Indian purple eggplants, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 Tablespoons green peas

To be ground as paste (masala):

2 Tablespoons fennel seeds

1 inch cinnamon

2 cloves

1-2 cardamom

1 inch ginger

5 pods of garlic

4-5 green chili (adjust to taste)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small tomato

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

                                     

                                      

Method:

1. Take the ingredients for masala in a blender or mortar and blend to a coarse paste. Set aside.

                                                       

2. Heat oil or ghee in a large pot (uruli) on medium flame. Add bay leaf and cinnamon. Add the chopped vegetables. Sauté for a couple minutes.

                                                       

3. Stir in the ground masala. Add salt. Sauté for a couple minutes. Cover and cook for 6-7 minutes, until the vegetables are almost cooked. 

                                 

4. Add 1 cup coconut milk and 2 cups water to the pot. Bring to a boil.

                          

5. Drain the rice and gently stir into the pot. Lower the heat to low medium. Cover the pot and allow to cook for 10 minutes. 

                                   

6. Open the lid, fluff the biriyani and enjoy with onion raita.

Notes:

I always make biriyani in a pot. My sister makes in pressure cooker. Here's her method.

 Pressure cooker method:

Follow the steps 2 and 3 in a pressure cooker. Add coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Cover the pressure cooker. Place the weight. Lower the heat to low medium. Cook for 2 whistles. Turn the stove off. Allow pressure to release naturally. Enjoy!