Paneer Tikka masala

Paneer dishes are one of those things that no one can get enough of. My family is no different. I have come to liking it after quite a while. I still do not like or order paneer dishes in the restaurant. I do not like the way it is smothere in cream and has that pale orange look which sends me to the exits.

The trick to making any paneer gravy is not make it overly rich. Since paneer is alredy milk based there is no reason to add more by way of cream. Adding yogurt for me seems to hit the right spot.

Paneer Tikka masala is derived I am guessing from its popular cousing the Chicken Tikka Masala. While chicken tikka masala seems to a be good way for most restaurants to repurpose their grilled or tandoori chicken into a new dish and that is precisely why I have developed an aversion to it. Paneer tikka masala on the other hand seems to be just the vehicle for smartly using the grilled paneer or tandoor paneer. Reason being paneer can be softened and it absorbs all the spices while chicken on the other hand gets drier and when it is dunked in a wet gravy only gets progressively worse. Well at least that is my take on it.

I never have to worry aboug grilled panner or pan roasted paneer because it usually disappears in no time. So to make this paneer tikka masala I make the tandoori paneer just before making the masala. While it is easy to make the paneer fresh I don't do that often enough :(

I boil the onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies to reduce the cooking time and oil needed to cook if blended raw.

Recipe in pictures,

In a sauce pan, boil the onions, ginger, garlic and red/green chilies for about 10-15 minutes. Cool and blend to a paste and set aside.
Cut the paneer piece into 1 inch pieces and in a bowl mix the paneer pieces with the spices, so they are well coated. Heat oil in a wide mouthed.
Saute the paneer pieces till the spices on the paneer turn color. Set aside.
In the same pan add a bit more oil and add chopped onion and saute till it turns brown. Add the bell peppers and saute for about 4-5 minutes.
Add the blended onion paste and saute for about 6-8 minutes or till the oil starts to bubble on top. Now add all the spice powders and give a good mix.
Blend the tomatoes to a paste.
Mix in the blended tomato paste and let it come to a boil.
Add beaten yogurt and gently mix it in. Add salt and let cook till you see bubbles on top.
Add in the paneer pieces, cook for 2-3 minutes and add coriander leaves and turn off the heat.

Paneer Tikka Masala
Preparation Time:20 minutes
Cooking Time:45 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 blocks of paneer (I used 12 oz block) cut into 1 inch pieces
2. 2 cups of bell pepper chopped into 1 inch pieces
3. 1 1/2 cup roughly chopped + 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
4. 4 garlic cloves + 2 inch piece of ginger
5. 4 green or red chilies
6. 1/2 cup of yogurt
7. 1/2 tbsp chili powder or to taste
8. 1 tsp turmeric powder
9. 1 tbsp coriander powder
10. 2 tsp cumin powder
11. 2 cups of tomatoes pureed
12. handful of coriander leaves
13. for the paneer - turmeric powder(2 tsp), garlic powder (3 tsp), ginger powder (3 tsp), chili powder(3 tsp), pepper powder(2 tsp), cumin powder(1 tsp) and salt
14. 2-3 tbsp oil
15. salt to taste

Method

1. Mix all the powders for the paneer with a bit of oil and toss the paneer in it, till the paneer is well coated.
2. In a saute pan, add 1/2 cup of water and add the onion, garlic, ginger and the chilies. Let it boil for about 8-10 minutes. Cool and make a smooth paste.
3. In a wide mouthed pan, add oil and saute the paneer pieces and set them aside.
4. In the same pan, add a bit more oil and add the finely chopped onion and saute till the colors starts to turn color.
5. Add in the cubed bell pepper and saute for 4-5 minutes.
6. Add in the blended onion paste and saute till the oil starts to separate.
7. Now add in all the spice powder and mix well. Add the blended tomato paste and if required a cup of water and let it cook for another 6-8 minutes till the oil starts to show on top.
8. Add in the cup of whisked yogurt and let it cook for another 5-6 minutes.
9. Add the sauteed paneer pieces and salt. Let it cook for a minute more. Add coriander leaves and turn off the heat.

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How to make dried red chilies - Dried Red Chilies - Farm grown

Chilies are easy to grow. The biggest problem is harvesting them. I sometimes delay harvesting them because of lack of time. So they start to ripen. I had no idea how dried red chilies are made until one year DH's cousin was visiting from India. She suggested that we make dried chilies with the ripened ones. I wasn't too confident since we were already in late September and thought how it is ever going to dry but decided to give it a shot anyway to not disappoint her :)

I needn't have worried. The chilies just need to be air dried. In about 30-40 days they dried up pretty nicely and were ready to be packed to be used throughout the year. I am thankful to her to this day.

I live in a country where we finish harvest in September when it is Fall, the temperatures falls and the sun is not as hot so completely sun drying is not possible. If you are able to sun dry, dried chillies should be ready in about 2 weeks. Make sure it is nice and dry before packing it up.

There was a time in the not too distant past, US has banned imports of green chilies due to pesticide residue beyond acceptable levels. Why would you want to risk that for something that can be easily grown? 2-3 plants should provide you with enough chilies to last a year.

It is easy to freeze green chilies and I learned another method of preserving green chilies which is to steam and dry. This is good for areas where it is not possible to keep things frozen without interruption.

Fresh harvested Red Chilies

Spread the harvested red chilies in a wide tray or carboard box in a single layer.

The chilies will start to shrivel up in a few days.

Dried Red Chilies

Depending on the intensity of the sun the red chilies should be ready in 2- 4 weeks depending on the intensity of the sun and where you are drying it.
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Mutton Chukka - Mutton Varuval - Dry mutton curry

We all make the assumption that cooking techniques, spices the way of cooking - all make a dish taste good. IMHO these are all just secondary reasons. The first and foremost is the quality of the ingredients. If you source good ingredients, that should pretty much take care of the taste mostly. Everything else you do is just icing on the cake :)

If you don't do anything specific for the earth and sustainability but decide that you are going to be particular about where you source your meat and don't eat meat or chicken from factory farms, that should make big enough a difference and will be your greatest contribution.

The quality of meat from small farms is always much better than something that is shipped from overseas or bought from huge grocery chains. If the quality of the meat is high just a few spices and cooking technique should bring about the great taste. Like this recipe with very few ingredients and the cooking method is very simple but the taste is huge.

As for this recipe, cooking the meat on a slow flame till it is nice and dry brings out the taste of the spices and also of the mutton. I chanced on this recipe on YouTube and used it as guide to make this recipe with a few slight modifications. Recipe Source

Recipe in pictures,

Wash and clean the mutton pieces. In a pressure cooker heat oil and add grated garlic and ginger, saute, add turmeric and chili powders and add the mutton pieces.
Add 1/2 cup of water and add onion and let it cook for 3 whistles.
In a saute pan, roast the spices - coriander seeds, cumin seeds, pepper corns and red chilies. Cool and powder.
Let cool and set it aside. In a wide mouthed mud pot, add oil and when hot add the seasonings - cumin and curry leaves.
Now add the onions and saute till translucent.
Add in the chopped tomatoes and let it get mushy. Add in the mutton pieces and let it cook for a few minutes. Add the coriander leaves.
Add the powdered spices and saute till it becomes nice and dry.

Mutton Chukka
Preparation Time:20 minutes
Cooking Time:25 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1 lbs of Mutton
2. 1/2 cup of shallots (or red onion) finely chopped
3. 2 tbsp of garlic finely chopped
4. 1/2 tbsp of finely grated ginger
5. 2 medium sized tomatoes chopped (optional)
6. seasonings: cumin seeds and curry leave
7. salt to taste
8. 2 tbsp oil
9. 2 tsp chili powder
10. 2 tsp turmeric powder
11. 2 tsp of garam masala
To Powder
12. 1 tbsp of coriander seeds
13. 1 tsp of cumin seeds
14. 6 red chilies
15. 1 tsp of black peppercorns

Method

1. In a pressure cooker add a tsp of oil and add in half the ginger and garlic and saute.
2. Add in the mutton pieces and saute for a minute or two. Add 1/2 cup of water, some chopped onion, turmeric powder and chili powder and close the lid. Let it cook for a the desired amount of time about 2 whistles for it to be 3/4th cooked. I left it for 3 whistles.
3. In the meantime in a saute pan add all the spices and saute till they turn brown. Cool and powder.
4. In a wide mouthed pan (I used a clay pot) add the rest of the oil and when hot add the seasonings, followed by the chopped shallots/onions. Saute till it turns translucent. Add in the tomatoes and let it cook till it is completely mushy and then saute some more to remove most of the moisture.
5. Open the pressure cooker and give the mutton a good mix and it to the tomato mixture. Add the chopped coriander leaves. Mix it well, put a lid and cook for about 5-6 minutes.
6. Add in the powdered spice and salt, mix it and saute till the moisture completely evaporates and the spices coat nicely on the meat pieces.

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