Paneer Vegetable Masala
This dish is a favourite that I grew up with, and one I can not live without! It is a vegetarian based dish full of flavour and spices.The paneer I'm using comes from a local water buffalo farm that sets up a shop at my neighbourhood farmers market. While I strive to find most of the exact ingredients, I also enjoy the creative process of substituting some with locally grown alternatives. For instance, in this dish, I've opted for exquisite Romano Beans from the university farm in lieu of the traditional peas.
Equipment
- 1 bottomed pot
- 1 Stove Top
Ingredients
Paneer
- 250-300 g Fresh paneer 250-300g
- 1 tsp Oil/ ghee
- ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
- ½ tsp Salt
Tempering Spices
- 2 tbsp Ghee / Oil
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 3 Small Indian Bay Leaves
- Dry Red Chili
Sauté
- 1.5 Cups Red Onion Diced Small
- 2 tsp Ginger, Grated
- 2 tsp Garlic, Grated
- ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric
- 1 tbsp Ground Coriander
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- ½ tsp Ground Pepper
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
- 2 Cups Tomatoes Finely Chopped
- 1 ½ tsp Salt
- 2 Seasonal vegetables mix of beans, soft greens, corn, peppers, etc.
- 500 ml Shorba Bone Broth
- ¼ Cup Cilantro Finely Chopped
Instructions
- Cut paneer into big cubes and toss with all marinade ingredients for 1-6 hours.
- Heat a heavy bottomed pot on medium heat and add oil/ghee, waiting for it to turn hot and shiny.
- Add tempering spices.
- Once they start popping, add onions and sauté, stirring frequently, till browned.
- Add the ginger and garlic pastes along with the remaining spices and sauté for 1-2 minutes, making sure they don’t burn.
- Toss in the tomatoes and a splash of bone broth.
- Cook this mixture partially covered, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes till the tomatoes are well cooked and the sauce thickens.
- Add the remaining bone broth along with the vegetables and cover partially, cooking till the vegetables are cooked.
- Heat a pan on medium-low, add the ghee/ oil.
- Once heated, tip in the marinated paneer.
- Once they start browning on one side, flip over and brown the other side. This should only take a couple of minutes. Overcooking the paneer turns the texture rubbery.
- Gently add the shallow fried paneer to the pot and stir to combine.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with roti or rice!
Notes
This dish is a favourite that I grew up with, and one I can not live without! It is a vegetarian based dish full of flavour and spices.
The paneer I'm using comes from a local water buffalo farm that sets up a shop at my neighbourhood farmers market.
While I strive to find most of the exact ingredients, I also enjoy the creative process of substituting some with locally grown alternatives. For instance, in this dish, I've opted for exquisite Romano Beans from the university farm in lieu of the traditional peas.