Simla Mirch Paneer (Bell Pepper and Paneer Curry)

I don't remember when we made this one. I don't really remember what it was like. But it's checked off in the book, so we definitely made it at some point. Sorry I don't have a more detailed and interesting post for it.

This is a very easy (and relatively quick) curry to prepare if you can buy a bag of frozen fried paneer cubes from your local Indian grocery store. It's a bit more time-consuming if you have the fry the paneer yourself. And moreso if, like us, you tend to make your paneer from scratch so that it can be made lactose-free. I highly recommend making use of the pre-fried paneer if you can tolerate the lactose.

Simla Mirch Paneer

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 c. water
• 1/4 c. raw cashews
• 2 large red bell peppers (~450g), cut into 2cm pieces
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 1-4 fresh green Thai chilies, chopped
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2-1 tsp. cayenne powder
• 250g fried paneer cubes
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine water, cashews, bell peppers, cardamom pods, and chilies and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally for 20-25 minutes.
3. Puree the mixture (either in batches in a jar blender or directly in the pot with an immersion blender).
4. Return the pureed mixture to the pot (if it was removed).
5. Stir in salt, cayenne, and paneer.
6. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for ~5 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.