Spicy Paneer with Coriander

This was another husband challenge, they’re my favorite because they challenge me and have me step outside my comfort zone. We really miss our local Indian food restaurant “Yuva Eats”. They have the best Indian food I’ve ever had, and we used to frequent curry hill in NYC mind you! We love their chili paneer, it’s crispy and super super spicy. This dish is not crispy, but it’s definitely got some heat and it’s a complex make you want to keep eating more type of heat. I went through many different recipes for “spicy paneer” online, but this one really caught my eye because of the availability of most, if not all, of the ingredients.

This one will definitely be going into rotation at our house, and I hope it will become a favorite of yours too!

Resource: Cook with Malali

Adapted by: Tierney Larson -I swapped out some of the ingredients and just compressed the recipe a bit for easier reading. Check out a more in depth recipe if you’d like on Malali’s site, it’s great!

Servings: Small servings for 4 people, a healthy serving for 2 people

Ingredients:

Masala:

2-7 Dried red chilies or to taste, we used 7 and it was spicy but not unbearable

2 tbl of coriander seeds if you don’t have coriander seeds use 2 1/2 tbl of ground coriander

1 tsp fennel seeds

4 green cardamon pods

3 cloves

Paneer:

1 tbl unsalted butter

1 tbl (15ml) of neutral oil such as canola

1 (150g) medium red onion, finely diced

Kosher Salt

1 green thai chile or jalapeño, thinly sliced

1 tsp of grated garlic (about 1 large clove)

1 tsp of grated ginger, plus 1 inch of ginger sliced into thin strips

1 tbl tomato paste

3-4 (450g) medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1/2 tsp garam masala

3/4 tsp kashmiri red chili powder or red pepper flakes

1/2 cup (120ml) water

2 tbl (30ml) heavy cream

1 tsp sugar

1 large green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

225g of paneer, room temperature, cubed

1 tsp Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) optional

1/4 cup of cilantro, leaves and tender stems chopped

To make the masala:

In a medium sauté pan or skillet with high, add the spices and toast over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally until fragrant. (if using ground coriander instead of whole, add it after 2 minutes and toast for a further 30 seconds)

Pour the spices and peppers into a spice grinder or mortar and grind, or pummel until finely ground. Set to the side.

For the paneer:

In the same medium sauté pan or skillet, add the oil and butter and heat over medium heat. When the butter has melted add the onions and a pinch of salt and stir. Cook for about 6 minutes stirring occasionally until onions are tender.

Add the red chile (or jalapeño) garlic and grated ginger and cook stirring for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Next add the tomato paste and cook stirring occasionally until it turns a brick red color, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and a good pinch of kosher salt and cook until very soft, about 6 minutes.

Next add half of the julienned ginger, 3-4 tsp of the masala you toasted earlier (or all of it if you want it really spicy, that’s what I did), the garam masala and the Kashmiri chili powder or red pepper flakes, and let cook for about 30 seconds.

Next add 1/2 cup of water, cream, sugar and another pinch of kosher salt and stir. Cook for 1 minute and then taste, add more salt if necessary to bring out all the flavors.

Add the paneer and bell peppers and cook covered over medium heat until the peppers are slightly softened, about 5-6 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and the rest of the ginger and serve with naan.