|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The creamy texture of paneer korma should not be frittered away by over cooking, writes Pushpesh Pant Let us be honest. We are not exactly enamoured by paneer. To begin with, we think to list this dairy produce along with vegetables is a bit thick. Then, to overburden the poor thing by making it don the ‘special’ hat is not quite fair. The carnivores have fish or fowl, mutton or more exotic meats but the shakahaari must be happy with paneer — shahi, karahi or luabdar. True enough, the Kashmiri repertoire has interesting variations on the chaman theme like methi chaman, tamatar chaman etc and we have been bowled over, at times, by a lean and mean bhurji concocted with cottage cheese more than once — most recently at the Punjab Bhavan in Delhi but given the choice we would like to devour fresh seasonal subzi any day giving a miss to paneer. Let dashavatar be the exclusive realm of Kamal Hassan. But we digress. What has constrained us to reconsider our, what many friends say, prejudiced views on the subject is the delectable paneer korma we tasted recently at a friend’s house. The gravy was of the hue of burnished gold and a few green cardamoms floating in it added to the lustre. The roghan was quite clearly contributed by the yoghurt and was not by unhealthy fats. Aroma and appearance both were appetising and we were easily persuaded to stray from the path of virtue. One small morsel led to another and we ended up eating not much else. We think that the recipe is worth trying at all homes. The korma is deeply satisfying and the only caveat needed is that the quality of paneer used must be top class. The creamy texture should not be fretted away by over cooking and should provide a pleasant contrast to the ‘gritty’ gravy that brings to mind memories of the khade masale ka korma. The recipe is not difficult to master and make your own. Paneer Korma
Paneer (cut in large cubes or squares) 500 gm Method
Heat oil in a thick-bottomed or non-stick pan. When hot add the bay leaf along with cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms. When these change colour add garlic cloves and onion. Stir-fry continuously for about a minute over medium heat sprinkling very little water if required to avoid burning. Now put in the ginger and turmeric. After 30 seconds, add paneer. Sprinkle yellow mirch powder. Reduce heat and slowly stir in the curds in a steady stream stirring continuously to avoid curdling. Cook on simmer for two minutes and serve with rice or phulka.
|
||
|
|
||
Ingredients
