Achaari Paneer

Hello dear friends am glad to be back after a long break :) Thanks for all the good wishes you've sent my way. I missed blogging and blog hopping though I would peep into some blogs here and there. Even in obvious absence many blogger friends have graciously passed on many beautiful awards to me for which I am greatful and humbled :) I'll soon dedicate a post to flaunt the awards :)!!

The past few days were rather tough for me as I was down with renal stone, it was a painful period in which I had to frequent the doctor almost every second day :( Had to undergo series of tests and was on strong doses of medicines. Though I was on a normal diet, didn't have the appetite to eat even simple food. I was off to Amma's place for rest and came home recently.

Now that alls well and happy I've started making dishes from blogger friends recipes and my recipe books.

Today's recipe is " Achaari Paneer" which I picked from Nita Mehta's book 'More Paneer'

This one of the easiest and quickest recipes one could ever prepare with paneer.

This dish tastes typically like that of North Indian pickle :) so all the pickle and paneer lovers here's a real treat! Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

300 gms- paneer

2tsp- saunf (aniseeds)

1 tsp- mustard seeds

a pinch of fenugreek seeds( methi)

1/2 tsp- kalonji (onion seeds)

1 tsp- jeera ( cumin seeds)

5-6 flakes of crushed garlic (opt)

1" piece ginger-crushed

1/2 cup curd/milk

4 tbsp-oil

3 onions- finely chopped

3-4 green chillies- chopped

1 tsp- haldi

1& 1/2 tsp- amchoor ( dry mango powder)

2-3 slit green chillies

salt to taste

Method:

1. Cut paneer into rectangular pieces

2. In a vessel warm some water and add a pinch of haldi and mix well, dunk the cut paneer pieces in it till it is required in cooking.

3.Collect all the seeds in a bowl- saunf, jeera, mustard, methi, kalonji.

4. Heat oil in a kadhai/wok and add the collected seeds to it. Let them crackle for about a minute.

5. Add onions and chopped green chillies. Cook till onions turn golden brown.

Add haldi and crushed ginger and garlic. Cook for half a minute

6. Beat curd (if using milk instead of curd pour directly) till smooth. Add to the kadhai and keep stirring.

7. Add amchoor and salt as per taste. Cook till the gravy thickens( dries up a bit)

8.Add paneer cubes and slit green chillies mix well. stir for 1-2 minutes on low flame.

Serve hot.