Aloo Mutter Butter Paneer (Potato, Peas and Cheese)

Note: this entry is linked to the Real Food Holidays Blog Carnival – Shavuot 2011 blog carnival. It's certainly not a traditional Jewish dish (unless you're one of my Jewish friends from India, in which case, this dish isn't breaking news), but it does highlight a different and tasty way to eat your Shavuot cheese outside of the more traditional European blintzes and cheesecake.

At the wedding of two very good friends of ours, we were treated to some very, very good Indian food. Our favourite dish was basically deep-fried cheese and potato balls in a very yummy sauce. I found the recipe quite quickly, however, balked on actually cooking it up because of the deep-frying involved.

Shortly after, I found some paneer at the local grocery store and it was sitting in the fridge for a few weeks - quietly waiting. The opportunity came up at the end of March and I decided to use it in a butter-chickeny-kinda sauce with some other vegetables.

I winged the recipe and it tasted great.

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Aloo Mutter Butter Paneer (Potato, Peas and Cheese)

by Daniel Saraga May-27-2011

A great alternative to butter chicken, this dish uses soft Indian cheese as the main protein source.

Ingredients

• 2+2 tbsp butter
• 2 onions, minced
• dash salt (if butter is not salted)
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds, crushed
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 28oz can tomatoes
• 400g paneer, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 2-3 potatoes, boiled and cut into 3/4" cubes
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a dutch oven on medium and fry onions with salt until translucent.2. Add garlic and ginger and stir for another 1-2 minutes.3. Add fenugreek, garam masala and tomatoes, stir and bring to a boil.4. Reduce to medium-low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.5. Puree mixture with an immersion blender and let simmer for another five minutes.6. Add paneer, potatoes and peas and let simmer for up to five minutes.7. Stir in remaining butter, cream and cilantro, and let simmer for 1-2 minutes until warm again.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 6 servings

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Potato, Cauliflower and Peas Curry

Late last year, I put two and two together when I clued in that an Indian take-out-slash-caterer a friend frequently spoke of is actually walking distance from our (now not so) new place.

Mistaan is a fairly big operation with a small store front that offers a take-out menu, some packaged foods and Indian movies. I started dropping by occasionally for samosas (3 for $1) and eventually started taking home vegetable parokas as well. It's becoming a problem, being so close.

Anyway, with some friends coming over for dinner, I had a few dishes prepared but I decided I needed something else. A quick trip to Mistaan resulted in samosas, parokas, a container of saag paneer (spinach and cheese - OMG so good), a bottle of mango chutney for the deep-fried goodies, and a bottle of lime pickle (limes packed with chili peppers) to add some zip to the meal.

The rest of the meal included my kofta curry, spiced rice and a variation of something new I saw at Niya's World, Aloo Gobi Mutter Ki Subzi (potato cauliflower and peas). It turned out way better than I thought it would. The recipe also called for Amchur powder (mango powder) that I had bought some time ago and had yet to use. Overall, we stuffed ourselves stupid and still had leftovers for the following evening (since our guests were leaving town and couldn't bring it with them).

That's what I call a Friday night dinner.

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Potato, Cauliflower and Peas Curry

by Daniel Saraga May 4, 2011

This tasty vegetable curry uses mango powder and compliments any Indian-themed dinner.

Ingredients

1 tbsp water1 tsp chili powder1/2 tsp turmeric6-8 potatoes, cubed1 small cauliflower3 tbsp oil2 onions, thinly sliced1 cup peas1/2 tsp mango powder (amchur) 1 tsp garam masala1/4 tsp salt3 tbsp water1-2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. In a small glass, combine water, chili powder and turmeric, stir and set aside.2. Boil potatoes until soft.3. Cut flortes from cauliflower, discarding centre.4. In a deep pot, fry onions in oil over medium heat until translucent.5. Add water and spice mixture and continue to stir for 2-3 minutes.6. Add potatoes, cauliflower, peas, mango powder, garam masala and salt and stir for 2-3 minutes.7. Add 3 tbsp water, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes on low, until cauliflower is soft. Add additional water if necessary.8. Stir in cilantro before serving.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 10 servings

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