Kadai Paneer

My first year of college was in the United States, far away from Bombay, where I grew up. As exciting as the experience of leaving home, discovering a new country and culture while studying art, was, I was terribly home sick. The walk to the Indian grocery store was long, so I would stock my pantry up with all the spices and my freezer up with as much as I could carry back home— especially paneer. Paneer is a fresh cheese, made in India, made by curdling heated milk and yogurt, with the help of an acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar. Once the fats of the dairy seperates, it is strained through a cheese cloth and left to set. It can be eaten plain, but is mostly cooked in different gravies or spices. Today it is easily available, even at Whole Foods. 

Kadai is the name of the pot in which the paneer is cooked in. It is similar to a wok, a deep round bottomed pan. Traditionally the kadai is made of cast iron, but I used my stainless steel Al Clad pot. 

One of the first, and most frequent paneer dishes I made in college, was Kadai Paneer— only because the Madhur Jaffrey cookbook I owned then had an easy recipe. Years later I broadened my paneer cooking skills and didn't make Kadai Paneer as often. But last night, that's all I craved. The kids went to bed, and I cooked this for dinner— filled with spices and heat. 

Tone down the heat level if that doesn't appeal to you, but do not skimp on the rest of the aromatics— such as the ginger and garlic, coriander seeds or even the dried fenukgreek (kasuri methi). 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

7–8 cloves garlic, crushed

1/5-inch piece of ginger, half crushed, and half julienned

5–6 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds, roasted

5–6 Kashmiri red chilies

1 large green pepper, julienned

1–2 green chilies, chopped (or more, to taste)

Salt, to taste

250 grams paneer, cubed

1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder

2 teaspoons crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Method

1. In a kadai or round bottomed pan, heat the oil. Add the crushed garlic and ginger. Sauté until the raw smell disappears.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes. Sauté till the tomatoes and oil separate, and the tomato thickens.
3. In a mortar, pound the coriander seeds and red chili peppers to a powder. Add this to the tomato mixture.
4. Add the green pepper and chopped green chillies, and cook for another 5–7 minutes.
5. Follow by adding salt and garam masala powder. Mix these with the rest of the tomato mixture until well incorporated.
6. Add the paneer in the masala and cook for 2–3 minutes. 
7. Lastly, add the kasuri methi, julienned ginger, and cilantro leaves. Sauté for another 2–3 minutes. Serve hot.