Paneer Jalfreji

Re-Posting this For Pari's FLAVOURS OF PUNJAB Event originally hosted by Nayna at Nayna’s space.

Jalfrezi refers to a dish cooked with peppers and onions. The flavours and color of peppers, onions and the softness of the paneer (cottage cheese) mix with the heady aroma of garam masala to give this unique Mughlai flavour. It's often served with rice, roti, or parathas but my personal favorite is Lachcha paratha. Read on for the recipe:-

100 gms Paneer cubes,

1 large medium chopped (chop them into small square shapes),

3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped,

1/2 inch piece ginger grated or 1 tsp ginger paste,

1 large tomato coarsely pureed,

1 tsp concentrated tomato puree (optional),

1 large green capsicum cut into small square shapes,

4 baby corn (each one cut into 2 to 3 chunky pieces – Optional)

1 tsp Garam Masala,

1 tsp Coriander powder

2 tsp chilly powder,

4 tbsp oil for cooking

salt to taste,

Note:- Before starting the actual cooking immerse the paneer cubes in warm water and leave them in the water until the time you need them. This makes the paneer beautifully soft on cooking and doesn't turn it leathery. I like the paneer cubes fried, but for this recipe you can use them like that only without frying or shallow fry the cubes n that is what I did..

1. Heat the oil in a kadhai and saute the onions ,ginger and garlic for a few mins.

2. Next add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and cook thoroughly on a medium heat. Add small amounts of water if the mixture begins to stick to the pan.

3. Now add garam masala, chilly powder, coriander powder, salt, little sugar and stir it all in.

4. At this stage add the baby corn(if you are using baby corn) and the capsicum and a very little water . The baby corn and capsicum should be cooked but there should also be a bit of crunch in them. So don't overcook them.

5. At the last stage add the paneer and give the whole jalfrezi one last boil on medium heat and switch off the gas.  Serve hot with parathas or rotis.