Recipe- Get The Weekend Mood On With Tawa Paneer

Tawa Paneer is a spicy semi-dry paneer dish which is made on a flat griddle (tawa), hence the name tawa paneer.

It has small cubes of paneer cooked with onions, tomatoes and lots of spices. Makes a great accompaniment to naan and paratha.We seem to have a love affair with paneer (me and you guys) and so the new recipes involving paneer will just continue to appear on the blog.

Today’s recipe happens to be one of my favorite paneer recipes. This tawa paneer is inspired from a paneer dish that my house help in India used to make all the time.

We were big fans of that recipe, and I couldn’t be happier to re-create the same dish in my kitchen. I had to share this with you guys as soon as I made it.

Usually I work on the blog in advance but this recipe I made just last week and it was so good that I had to share it this week itself.

Ingredients

225 grams paneer cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons plain yogurt thick yogurt
1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder this chili powder is used mainly for color and is not hot
1 teaspoon kasuri methi
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil divided
1 tablespoon butter unsalted
1 medium red onion chopped
1 inch ginger chopped
1-2 green chilies chopped, adjust to taste
2 medium tomatoes pureed using a blender
2 tablespoons tomato puree store bought
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder this chili powder is used mainly for color and is not hot
1/2 teaspoon amchur
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 cup water 4 oz
1 teaspoon kasuri methi
1 tablespoon cream
2-3 stalks green onions chopped
pinch cardamom powder

Method

* Before you begin, when using store bought paneer, soak it in warm water for 20 minutes. Then drain the water, pat dry the paneer and cut it into small cubes.

* To a bowl add yogurt (make sure it's thick yogurt, if you don't have thick yogurt, drain yogurt using a strainer for few hours and then use in the recipe) and mix until smooth using a whisk.

* Add 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder, 1 teaspoon kasuri methi and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix everything.

* Add the small paneer cubes to the marinade and mix until all the paneer pieces are coated with the marinade.

* Cover and refrigerate the bowl for 15 to 20 minutes.
paneer cubes marinated with yogurt and spices in a bowl.

* After 15-20 minutes, heat 1 tablespoon oil on a tawa/flat griddle on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the marinated paneer pieces in a single layer.

* Cook for around 5 minutes until very lightly browned, you don't want to make the paneer hard so don't over- brown it. Remove on a plate.

* To the same tawa, now add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and then 1 tablespoon unsalted butter.

* Once the butter melts, add the onion and cook for around 5 to 6 minutes until onion starts becoming golden brown.

* Then add the ginger and green chili and cook for 2 minutes.
onion, ginger and green chili being cooked on a griddle.

* Add the pureed tomato and store bought tomato puree and mix. Cook for around 5 to 6 minutes until the tomatoes cook completely.

* Since we are cooking on a flat tawa, the masala flows to the side, keep scrapping the masala with a spatula from the sides and pushing it to the center.

* Once tomatoes are done, add the spices- coriander powder, garam masala, kashmiri red chili powder and amchur. Also add the salt. Stir and cook for 30 seconds.

* Then add 1/2 cup water, mix it with the masala. Push the water towards the center using a spatula if it flows towards the sides.

* Then add kasuri methi, cream and cook for 1 minute.

* Add the pan-fried paneer and green onions. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not over-cook the paneer at this point, else it will turn chewy.

* Garnish with more green onions and serve tawa paneer hot with paratha or puri.