Jalfrezi(e)s are anglo-Indian curries. They were developed in Indian restaurants predominantly serving English customers. Although there's a lot of variability in what, exactly, constitutes a jalfrezie, they generally involve onions and bell peppers (usually large chunks of both) in a spicy sauce. The protein can be pretty much anything: lamb, beef, goat... even chicken, shrimp, or -- as Iyer has done here -- cheese. For a vegan option, you could even try it with cubes of extra-firm tofu.

Paneer Jalfrezie

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, cut into 1-2cm dice
• 1 bell pepper, cut into 1-2cm pieces
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger¹
• 1/2 c. tomato sauce²
• 1 Tbsp. balti masala
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. water³
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 225g paneer, cut into 1-2cm cubes

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry until onion begins to brown (3-5 minutes).
3. Add the tomato sauce, masala, and salt and reduce heat to medium.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the oil begins to separate slightly (5-8 minutes).
5. Add the water and cilantro.
6. Add the paneer and gently stir to coat the cheese in sauce.
7. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly (10-12 minutes).
8. Serve with rice and/or your favourite flatbread.

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¹ I was running low on fresh ginger, so I just substituted 2 Tbsp. of ginger paste here. The paste doesn't stir-fry as well as the minced fresh ginger though, so use the fresh if you have it. ^Back
2 I didn't have any ready-made tomato sauce on hand, so I quickly tossed something together based on the spiced tomato sauce recipe in 660 Curries. I've posted the recipe separately here. ^Back
3 If making this curry with meat rather than cheese, reduce the water to 1/2 c. as the meat will tend to release some liquid as it cooks. ^Back