PANEER TIKKA MASALA GRAVY

PANEER TIKKA MASALA GRAVY

Over the decades, paneer ( Indian cottage cheese) has increasingly become a popular ingredient in Indian vegetarian cooking. In all parts of the country, you will find paneer dishes- at homes and at eateries, big or small.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes such as Chatakedar Paneer, Paneer Methi Chaman, and Paneer Kolhapuri.

Today's recipe is for a dish which goes well with both rotis and rice. I have adapted this from Paneer Tikka Masala Gravy by the popular cookery expert, Nisha Madhulika.

In this dish, paneer is marinated in a masala of spices and later roasted as tikkas. These are then added to a rich gravy. We loved this dish when I made and served it with Jeera Rice.

Ingredients:-

• Paneer ( Indian Cottage Cheese), 250 gms
• Tomatoes, 300 gms
• Besan (Chickpea flour),  2 tbsp 
• Curds, 2 tbsp
• Chilli Powder, 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder, 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida, 1/8 tsp 
• Dry Fenugreek Leaves, 1 tsp
• Ginger Paste, 1/2 tsp
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 2-3 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Sugar, 1/2 tsp 
• Kitchen King Masala, 1/4 tsp
• Butter, 2 tbsp
• Oil, 2-3 tbsp

Method:-

Cut the paneer into pieces of 1 cm 

Roughly chop the tomatoes and in a small mixer jar grind them to a smooth paste and keep aside
Heat 1 tsp of oil in a small pan and on medium heat add 1 tbsp of besan and roast it till it changes colour slightly. Keep aside.
Take a large mixing bowl and place in it the curds, the remaining 1 tbsp of besan, 1/2 tsp of chilli powder, 1/2 tsp of coriander powder, 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and less than 1/2 tsp of salt.
Mix well to make a masala in which the paneer pieces are to be marinated

To this, add the paneer pieces and mix gently so as to coat the paneer pieces with the masala.
Make sure they are evenly and well coated
Marinate the paneer pieces for 20 minutes in the refrigerator 

After 20 minutes, heat a non-stick pan with 2 tsp of oil and roast the marinated paneer pieces till they turn golden brown on both sides. Keep aside
In the same pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil and on medium heat add the cumin seeds; when they sizzle add the asafoetida,  1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tsp of coriander powder, dry fenugreek leaves, and ginger paste

Saute the spice powders on low flame taking care that they don't get burnt
Next add the tomato paste prepared earlier and 1/2 tsp of chilli powder and saute till the oil separates

Add the roasted besan prepared earlier to the masala, mix well and cook for a few minutes
When the oil starts leaving the sides of the masala, add 1/2 cup of water and mix well

Add salt to taste, sugar, Kitchen King Masala and 2 tbsp of the finely chopped coriander leaves
and mix well
Now add the roasted paneer tikkas and mix thoroughly 

Cover and cook on low flame for 4 minutes

After 4 minutes, add butter as desired and and mix well
Lastly, garnish with the remaining 1 tbsp of finely chopped coriander leaves 

Serve with rotis, naans or with plain rice or jeera rice

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: CENTRAL JAIL RESTAURANT

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: CENTRAL JAIL RESTAURANT

Some months ago, friends of ours had visited this restaurant in Jayanagar 4th Block  in South Bengaluru called Central Jail. They had posted a few pictures of it and we were somewhat intrigued by the decor and outfits worn by the staff. This restaurant, as the name suggests, has the theme of being designed like a jail!!The theme, at least for us, was most certainly unique. I am not adding pictures relating to the theme as you must experience it for yourself.

A few days back we happened to be in the area around lunch time and decided to give it a try. We had no reservations but since it was just after 1.00 p.m. we got space quite easily, not in the Main Jail where the dining places are like cells with bars etc but in our more preferred space outside which is more airy, bright, and well ventilated! This restaurant is open from 12 noon to 3.00 p.m. and from 6.30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

In no time the place filled up and by the time we finished our lunch, virtually all the tables were full and we saw a number of people waiting for their turn to get a table.  In retrospect, it may be a good idea to book a table in advance especially on a weekend.

Like most restaurants they offer a wide variety of cuisine ranging from the popular Andhra style to North Indian, Seafood and Chinese. The menu is quite impressive in its spread. There is a lot to choose from by way of beverages, starters, soups, main course, dessert etc in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, though I suspect this is better known for its non-vegetarian food. Since we were here for the first time, we didn't want to be too adventurous and decided to select the more common dishes which we thought would be good.

We started with Paneer Tikkas . I liked the presentation of the dish and they were as yummy ( to beat to death that old cliche) as they looked especially with the mint chutney. For a tikka to be perfect they need to be well- marinated. The ones we got were excellent.

For the next course, we opted for the Chef's Choice of Jail Special Chicken Biryani, described as being their signature dish. This was served with the customary salan and raita. We don't like bland biryanis so this was quite enjoyable as it had just the required amount of spice.

Since we are fond of prawns, we ordered the Prawn Chilli done in the Indian Chinese style which was outstanding. For this dish, as indeed for everything else the quantity was more than adequate.

We were quite full so we skipped the desserts though they had intriguing names such as " Inmate's Special ", "Hijack", "Shootout " etc. May be we should have this the next time. And, of course there will be a next time as we really liked the food.

The service was also very good as was the overall hygiene and we had no complaints whatsoever about our brief sojourn in the Central Jail!!