Paneer Tikka Masala (with some korma flare)

I said I was gonna stick with this blog. I meant it. Then winter came. Days got short. Natural light for taking pictures of food became scarce. Finals took hold. I went away for break. I came back. I got super busy covering for a rabbi on sabbatical in Maryland. Second semester began. And suddenly it was nearly March and my most recent post was just after Thanksgiving. Oops.

Today I had some time, so I decided to experiment with paneer, which my wonderful co-op happens to carry. Whenever I order Indian food, paneer is my go-to.  My favorite dish at Tiffin, the Indian restaurant around the corner from my house, is paneer tikka masala-- cubes of paneer simmered with some onions and peas in a creamy tomato sauce. It being me, I decided to go off-book and not just try to replicate the dish.



Spices in this are approximate. As with anything spicy, it's all up to personal taste. Experiment and see what you like. Also, the veggies were what I had on hand. I imagine any combo of relatively quick-cooking vegetables would do well with this.


Ingredients

Paneer Skewers

• 1/2 pound of paneer, cubed (you could probably sub meat here)
• 1/2 red pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
• a few large slices of onion
• 3 TBS half-and-half or yogurt
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1.5 inch ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (please use your own tastebuds/spice tolerance as a guide here!!)

Sauce

• 2 TBS oil or ghee
• 1/2 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger
• 3 TBS cashews
• 1 14 oz can tomatoes
• water as needed
• a small handful of mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne 
• 1/2 cup milk, half-and-half, or cream
• cashews to garnish

Procedure

Paneer Skewers

• Stir half-and-half, ginger, garlic, and all spices together in a large bowl
• Add paneer, peppers, and onions and stir until everything is well-coated-- if there's not enough liquid for this, add a touch more half-and-half.

• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge for 90 minutes.

• After the paneer has marinated, preheat the oven to 400°F, thread the paneer and veggies onto skewers, and bake for about 15 minutes, until the edges are beginning to brown. Save the leftover marinade for the sauce. 

Sauce

• Roughly chop the onion, place in a food processor, and turn into an onion mush. 

• Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, and cook for about 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until the onion begins to turn golden.

• While the onion is cooking, roughly chop the garlic and ginger, add to the food processor with the cashews, and blend. 
• Stir the cashew mix into the onion mix, adding a little water if everything gets sticky, and cook for a few minutes more. Meanwhile, place the tomatoes in the food processor and puree. 

• Add the tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Stir over medium heat for a minute or two until blended. 
• Stir in the mushrooms and peas, bring to a simmer, and let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often and letting the sauce reduce. 

• Add the spices and taste for flavor. Since you'll be adding dairy, it should be slightly stronger than you want the final dish to be. 
• Remember the leftover marinade? Stir it slowly into the sauce.

• Remove the sauce from the heat, give a moment to cool slightly, and then slowly stir in the milk or cream. 

• Slide the paneer and veggies off the skewers and into the sauce, stirring well to incorporate. 
• Serve with rice, naan, or both, with some cashews on top.