Paneer Kali Mirch Recipe
Paneer Kalimirch stands as a lesser-acknowledged yet equally flavorsome, curry-based creation that incorporates paneer, also known as Indian cottage cheese. The defining feature of this dish lies in the prominence of Kalimirch, or black pepper.
Ingredients
For Onion Paste
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2 green cardamoms
- 2 cloves
- 1 or 2 single and thin mace strands
- ½ cup chopped onions or 1 medium to large onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon chopped ginger or ½ inch ginger, chopped
- ½ teaspoon chopped garlic or 2 to 3 small to medium garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 green chili chopped or 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies
- 10 to 12 cashews – whole
- ⅓ to ½ cup water – for grinding
For Crushed Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
Other Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil or ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 tej patta (small-sized)
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds (shahi jeera)
- ¼ cup Curd (yogurt)- beaten, use full fat fresh curd
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder or cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- ½ cup water or add as required
- salt as required
- 200 grams Paneer cubed
- 2 tablespoons cream – optional
- 1 teaspoon kewra water (pandanus water) – can also use rose water
- some mint leaves or coriander leaves for garnish
Instructions
Preparation
- Take ½ teaspoon black pepper in a mortar-pestle.
- Crush black pepper to a coarse powder. Set aside.
- Take ¼ cup fresh curd in a bowl and whisk it till smooth. Keep aside. Use full fat fresh curd or yogurt made from whole milk.Curd made from toned milk or skimmed milk can curdle in the gravy.
Making Onion Paste
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil or ghee in a a heavy pan or kadai. Add the cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, cloves and mace strands.
- Sauté for a few seconds till the spices crackle.
- Then add the chopped onions.
- Mix and begin to sauté the onion on a low to medium heat till they become light golden.
- When the onions become light golden, then add chopped ginger, garlic, green chilies. Also add cashews.
- Mix and stirring often sauté till the onions turn golden.
- Let this onion mixture become warm or cool down.
- Then add the onion mixture in a grinder jar or a small blender.
- Add ⅓ to ½ cup water and grind to a smooth and fine paste. Keep the onion paste aside.
Making Paneer Kali Mirch
- Now in the same pan in which the onions were sautéed, heat 2 tablespoon oil or ghee. Add 1 tej patta and ½ teaspoon shahi jeera (caraway seeds).
- Sauté for a few seconds till the caraway seeds crackle and become fragrant.
- Now add the onion paste.
- Mix very well and on a low heat sauté the onion paste for 4 to 5 minutes.
- In the jar in which the onion paste was ground, add ½ cup water. Swirl and rotate the jar so that the onion paste sticking to the bottom and sides of the jar gets mixed with the water.This onion paste mixed water we will add later in the paneer kalimirch gravy. So keep it ready.
- Sauté onion paste till you see the oil or ghee separating from the sides of the paste.
- Then add the crushed black pepper.
- Mix very well and sauté for 1 minute.
- Next add the following spice powders – red chilli powder, garam masala powder and coriander powder.
- Mix very well and sauté again for a minute.
- Switch off the heat. Keep the pan on the kitchen countertop and then add the beaten or whisked curd (yogurt).
- As soon as you add curd then quickly stir and mix it very well with the onion paste.
- Add ½ cup water from the grinder jar. Mix again very well.
- Now light the stove-top. Keep the heat to a low and then keep the pan on it.
- Bring the kali mirch gravy to a simmer.
- Then add salt as per taste. Mix again.
- Continue to simmer the gravy for a few minutes till you see a few oil or ghee specks on the top. If the kali mirch gravy becomes thick, then you can add some water.
- Then add paneer cubes.
- Mix well and switch off the heat. At this step you can add 2 tablespoons cream if you want.
- Lastly add 1 teaspoon kewra water. Mix again.
- Serve Paneer Kali Mirch with roti, chapati, phulka, naan or jeera rice. While serving garnish paneer kalimirch with some crushed black pepper, mint leaves or coriander leaves.
Nutrition
Calories: 375kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 12gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 477mgPotassium: 162mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gCalcium: 383mgIron: 1mg
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