PANEER CURRY SOUTH INDIAN STYLE

Hi all, so wanted to make a paneer side dish for roti's and I wanted it to be different than the usual tomato based curry. This recipe ,I found it on the internet but made some changes based on the ingredients I had in my pantry at the time. In the end, it came out well and the verdict was a thumbs up from my family so here it goes

PANEER CURRY (SOUTH INDIAN STYLE)

INGREDIENTS

PANEER : 2 CUPS CHOPPED INTO SMALL_MEDIUM CUBES
ONION : 1 MEDIUM CHOPPED
BAY LEAVES : 1 TSP CRUSHED
GREEN CHILLI'S : 2 SLIT
GINGER : 2 TSP CHOPPED
GARLIC : 2 TSP CHOPPED 
GHEE/OIL : 1 TBSP
SALT AS REQUIRED
CURRY LEAVES : 10-12
CILANTRO ( Coriander leaves/ Kothamalli) : 2 TBSP CHOPPED

FOR THE CURRY PASTE

COCONUT : 1/2 CUP GRATED
CLOVES : 3-4
CINNAMON STICK : 1 MEDIUM
CARDAMOM : 2 
JEERA : 1 TSP
DHANIA (CORIANDER) : 1 TSP
RED CHILLI : 1-2 MEDIUM
PEPPER CORNS: 2-3
FENNEL SEEDS: 1 TSP

PANEER CURRY SOUTH INDIAN STYLE

MAKING

Take a pan, pour 1 TBSP of Ghee/Oil, once heated, add the slit green chilli's, crushed bay leaves, chopped ginger and garlic, curry leaves, finally add the chopped onions. Saute for about 5 minutes in low to medium flame until the onion turns golden brown. Grind the above mentioned curry ingredients with a bit of water into a nice paste.  Now add it to the sauteed onions and cook for an additional 3 minutes in low flame before adding the paneer cubes. Mix it up well, add a cup of water , salt and allow it cook for about 5 minutes ( low flame) until the paneer is soft and the gravy thickens. Garnish it with freshly chopped cilantro and that's it, delicious paneer curry is ready. Serve it hot with Roti's.

TIPS

You could add chopped tomatoes to make it a bit tangy. I did not. You could also add dessicated coconut instead of normal grated coconut. This was a nice change from the usual tomato based paneer curry. Try it 

PEPPER GARLIC RASAM

Hi all, this recipe comes from searching the refrigerator and trying to make something quick with minimal ingredients. So I decided to make a combo and it was delicious, aromatic and perfect to have in cold weather or even otherwise. Here it goes, its called

PEPPER GARLIC RASAM

Rasam is a traditional south Indian dish using tamarind juice as its base.It can also be presented as an appetizing soup.

INGREDIENTS

TAMARIND JUICE with WATER ADDED : 1 cup tamarind juice with 2 cups water

TOOR DAL : 1/4th cup boiled and cooked in a pressure cooker 

SALT as required

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4th TSP

GHEE: 1 TSP

ASAFOETIDA : 1/4th TSP

MUSTARD SEEDS and JEERA for TADKA (tempering)

FOR RASAM PASTE

DHANIA : 1 TSP

TOOR DAL : 2 TSP

DRY RED CHILLI'S : 2-3 medium

JEERA : 1/2 TSP

PEPPER : 1/2 TSP

GARLIC : 2-3 Pods medium

PEPPER GARLIC RASAM

MAKING

Take the Tamarind Juice with water, add turmeric powder, salt and asafoetida and allow it to boil it for about 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, grind the above mentioned ingredients into a coarse paste like consistency, you could add a few sprinkles of water if needed or could grind it into a dry powder. Both works. Add the paste to the boiling tamarind juice. Boil it for an additional 5-7 minutes. You can smell the aroma of the garlic and pepper coming together. take a small tempering kadai, add the ghee, once heated, add the mustard seeds and jeera. Once the mustard seeds splutter , pour the tadka into the Rasam. Garnish it with fresh curry leaves and delicious hot pepper garlic rasam is ready. Serve it with rice or as a soup. 

TIPS/VARIATIONS

You could add vegetables, like I added pieces of Yam to it. You could even dry roast the spice ingredients before grinding. This dish is perfect on a cold day or days when your not feeling well or enjoy it as a soup on any day. The aroma in itself will make your mouth water, believe me. Enjoy !