Paneer Pasanda

Fried paneer cubes and pureed onion, tomato and cashew nut paste to make delicious curry with rich creamy gravy.

Extremely tempting dish, sure to satisfy all cravings!

INGREDIENTS

For Stuffed Cottage Cheese:
250 grams cottage cheese
2.5 tbsp grated cottage cheese
6-8 raisins, chopped or add per your taste
8 cashews, finely chopped
2 green chilies, chopped
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
½ tbsp chopped mint leaves
¼ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp cumin powder
Salt  as required
4 tbsp oil for frying

For corn flour paste:
6 tbsp corn flour
4 tbsp water

For Tomato paste:
3 medium, roughly chopped
12 cashews
½ inch cinnamon
2 green cardamoms
2 single thin strands of mace
2 cloves
1 cup water

For Onion paste:
2 large onions chopped onions
2 tbsp oil
4 tbsp water

For gravy:
2 tbsp of the fried oil or fresh oil
½ tsp caraway seeds (substitution: cumin seeds)
1 Indian bay leaf
1.5 tsp ginger garlic paste
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp kashmiri red chili powder or 2 green chilies, slit
½ tsp coriander powder
1 tsp Garam masala
¼ tsp sugar or as per taste (You can skip it if you don't want)
1 tsp dry fenugreek leaves, crushed
1 cup water
2 tbsp low fat cream
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves for garnish
Salt as required

METHOD

Preparing onion paste:

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add chopped onions.
2. Add pinch of salt. Stir and saute the onions on a low flame till it turns golden brown.
3. Switch off the flame. Let the onions cool.
4. Blend the fried onions along with 4 to 5 tbsp water to a smooth paste. Keep this paste aside.

Preparing tomato paste:

1. In same pan, take tomatoes, cashews, cinnamon, green cardamoms, single thin strands of mace, cloves and 1 cup water. Cook it in medium flame.
2. Stir this mixture till the tomatoes start melting.
3. Switch off the flame. Let this mixture cool. 
4. Blend the cooked tomatoes-cashews-spices mixture to a paste. Keep this paste aside.

Preparing Stuffing :

1. In a bowl, take grated cottage cheese, raisins, cashews, green chilies, coriander leaves and mint leaves.
2. Add red chili powder, cumin powder and salt. You can add few Lemon juice drops to make it tangy.
3. Mix everything and keep aside.

Preparing Stuffed Cottage Cheese :

1. Slice the Cottage Cheese in triangles/squares/rectangles. 
2. Again slice each triangles/squares/rectangles into two halves gently.
3. Repeat above two steps for all cottage cheese.
4. Place some of the stuffing on the cottage Cheese triangle.
5. Top it with its other half slice gently. Don't press. 
6. Make all cottage cheese triangles stuffed with the filling this way.
7. In a bowl, make a batter of corn starch with water with medium consistency. Add little salt.
8. Dip the stuffed cottage cheese slice in the batter.
9. Use a spoon to coat the slices as the stuffing may come out while turning to coat it using hand.
10. Place the cottage cheese slices in a medium hot oil for shallow frying.
11. Shallow fry till the base is golden, turn over and continue to shallow fry. 
12. Drain the fried cottage cheese slices on paper towels. keep aside.

Preparing the gravy:

1. In the same pan, in which the tomatoes were cooked, add oil. 
2. Add  tej patta and shahjeera/cumin seeds. Saute till the seeds crackles. 
3. Add ginger garlic paste. Stir and saute till raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
4. Add the tomato-cashew-spice paste. Stir and saute for 5 minutes on a medium flame.
5. Add the fried onion paste. Stir and saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and kashmiri red chili powder. Mix well.
7. Add 1 cup water. Mix well.
8. Simmer the gravy on a low flame and cover the pan with a lid.
9. Saute the gravy for 5 minutes. The gravy should also thicken. 
10. Add salt as required.
11. Add sugar as required.
12. Stir and then add garam masala, kasuri methi and 2 tbsp low fat cream.
13. Stir very well.
14. Place the stuffed cottage cheese in the gravy. 
15. Coat the paneer pasanda in the gravy.

Serve paneer pasanda hot garnished with some coriander leaves.

It tastes good with all varieties of Indian breads and jeera rice or veg pulao.