Paneer Lababdar

Ingredients: (1 cup = 250 ml)

For the tomato-cashew paste:

• 250 grams ripe red tomatoes - chopped or 1.5 cups chopped tomatoes
• 10 to 12 cashews (kaju)
• ½ inch ginger (adrak) - chopped
• 2 to 3 garlic (lahsun) - chopped
• ½ cup water
• 1 green cardamom (chotti elachi)
• 2 cloves (lavang)

Remaining ingredients for Paneer Lababdar:

• 200 grams paneer (cottage cheese)
• 2 tablespoon grated paneer
• 100 grams onion Or ½ cup finely chopped onions
• 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
• 1 or 2 green chilies (hari mirch) - slit
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder (jeera)
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder(dhania powder)
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder) or deghi mirch or kashmiri red chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
• ¼ cup low fat cream - 25% to 35% fat
• 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) - crushed
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon butter to be added later (optional)
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon sugar or add as required
• 1 or 1.25 cups water
• salt as required

Method:

preparing tomato-cashew-spices paste:

1. take 1.5 cups chopped tomatoes, 10 to 12 cashews, 1/2 inch chopped ginger, 2 to 3 garlic (chopped), 1 green cardamom, 2 cloves and 1/2 cup water in a small pan. use tomatoes which are not too tangy or sour.
2. switch on flame and simmer this mixture on a low flame.
3. cook till the tomatoes are softened. if the water dries up and the tomatoes are not softened, then add about 2 to 3 tbsp water and continue to cook.
4. allow this mixture to become warm or cool completely and add to a grinder or blender jar.
5. grind to a smooth paste without any cahsews or tomato chunks or pieces. you may add some water if required while grinding. keep this ground tomato-cashew-spices paste aside.

Making Paneer Lababdar gravy:

1. heat 2 tbsp butter in pan or kadai/wok. add 1 tej patta and saute for a couple of seconds.
2. add 1/2 cup finely chopped onions. stir well.
3. then continue to saute as well as stir and cook till the onions become light golden or golden.
4. then add the tomato-cashew-spices paste. the mixture will splutter if there is water in it, so be careful. stir very well.
5. add 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder and 1/2 tsp red chili powder.
6. stir and saute this masala. you will see the masala clumping and gathering around itself.
7. saute till you see fat leaving the sides of the masala paste.
8. then add 1 cup water. stir very well.
9. add 1 or 2 slit green chilies.
10. stir and allow the gravy to come to a simmer. then season with salt and sugar.
11. add 200 grams paneer which have been cubed. also add 2 tbsp grated paneer.
12. stir and simmer the paneer lababdar gravy for about a minute.
13. then sprinkle 1 tsp kasuri methi which has been crushed along with 1/4 tsp garam masala. stir very well again and simmer for a minute
14. lastly add the low fat cream. switch off the flame & stir very well. you can also add 1 tbsp butter at this step. this is optional.
15. garnish paneer lababdar with chopped coriander leaves and ginger julienne. serve with chapatis, tandoori rotis or naan. paneer lababdar also goes well with jeera rice or veg pulao.