Paneer Mattar Masala

Well, I had to get off my ass and start cooking something, otherwise we would have had to survive on love and fresh air..with love not doing that good a job...hmpfff! All the lethargy and sickness made me very bitchy and made Ro very pushy or whatever he was then. We started off this decent discussion on why i didn't want to vote at the General Elections, and then it somehow took off on a different tangent and ended in a fight...and now I'm not talking to him.

On a nice note, I finally "woke" up yesterday, did my laundry, cleaned up..well to an extent and also went out and shopped...grocery obviously..but still..and picked up lots of shit like Nutella and mini toffee yumyums and crisps. I also had this longing for paneer and so picked up a slab and made this paneer mattar masala which turned out quite nice (Well anything after 1 week of eating leftovers would have tasted heavenly).

Because i am an awesome, loving wife, i shared it with Ro who was mean and didn't even say it tasted good. Now the mean bitchy me wouldn't have packed him lunch today, but i did and then in the afternoon he sends me a mail (well because my phone's conked that's why!) saying some nice things and so I've decided to forgive him.

Paneer- 225 gms, cut into medium size cubes

To marinate:

Yogurt- 1 tbsp

Kashmiri chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek powder- 1/4 tsp

Lime juice- 1/2 tsp

Salt- to taste

White onion- 1 large, thinly sliced

Tomatoes- 2, medium, thinly sliced

Green Peas- 1/4 cup (I used frozen peas)

Ginger paste- 1 tbsp

Garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Jeera seeds- 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder1/4 tsp

Kashmiri Chilli powder- 1/4 tsp (if required)

Salt- to taste

Garam masala- 1/4 tsp

Oil- 2 tbsp

Coriander leaves- to garnish

Marinate the paneer cubes with all the ingredients in the 'to marinate' section. Keep aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

(You can get the onions and tomatoes ready during this time)

In a non-stick frying pan, heat the oil and shallow fry the marinated paneer, in batches if required, till lightly brown on all sides...don't over cook. Drain on kitchen towels, keep aside.

Pour the remaining oil from frying the paneer into a wok and once hot, throw in the jeera seeds.

Once they start to sizzle, add the onions, ginger paste and garlic paste and sauté on low heat till they turn golden brown.

Throw in all the powders, except garam masala and sauté well till you get rid of the raw smell.

Add the chopped tomatoes, stirring in between till the oil separates.

Add the frozen peas and mix well into the masala.

In goes the fried paneer. Mix it all together, making sure the paneer slices are well coated with the masala.

Sprinkle the garam masala, give it one final stir, sprinkle the coriander leaves, turn off the heatand cover and leave for about 5 minutes.

Serve hot with rotis.

Notes: You can loosen up the mixture a bit with some water or cream.

The oil was a tad too much, I'll definitely reduce it the next time.

PS: This post is dedicated to my cousin in ND with whom i caught up after so long and we yapped for about 2 hrs. Even though we keep chatting on FB and the like, I miss her terribly. She loves paneer so so much and so here S, I'm virtually treating you. Muah!