Paneer Masala

We were going to make homemade paneer, but it was Sunday and we were lazy. We used store bought. F.Y.I. Paneer is Indian cottage cheese for those who don't know. I have never made any type of paneer dish before so I was a bit hesitant, but it turned out okay.

200 gm paneer
2 cups water
3 tomatoes
1 onion
1 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp green chilli paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp paneer masala powder
1 tsp Cornstarch as thickening agent
1 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
Chopped cilantro

1. Grate the paneer and set aside.
2. Heat up oil in pan and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add the green chilli-garlic-ginger paste and onions. Sautee onions until they turn golden brown.
3. Next add the tomatoes, red chilli powder, black pepper, turmeric powder, salt, and paneer masala powder. You can also garam masala.
4. Fry for a few minutes and then add water. Let it boil until gravy becomes thick.
5. Next I mixed a little cornflour in some water so no lumps form and added that into the gravy to thicken it up.
6. Finally add the grated paneer and garnish with cilantro. Remove from heat and enjoy with roti or rice.

Next time, though, I will definitely make the paneer in cubes and not grate it. The grated cheese threw me off. I didn't want to deep fry the paneer, so I tried to find another recipe that didn't require fried paneer. Maybe that's the reason the paneer dishes at the restaurants taste so good. Because they are deep fried in tons of oil!