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

Mirchi Paneer (Chilli Cheese)

I don't make paneer curries too often because, unless I'm making my own paneer from scratch, they are not very TF-friendly. But we do usually keep a package of frozen paneer cubes on hand, just in case the fancy strikes. So every once in a while, I flip through the paneer chapter of the cookbook to see what catches my eye.

On this occasuion, I went for one of the last recipes in the section (which really seems like it should be called "aloo paneer" or something similar, not mirchi paneer based on the contents of the dish). Personally, I would describe this as a potato curry. The paneer is there (and it's lovely), but it's not the star of the show. This is a curry of cubed potatoes, cooked in a mildly spicy tomato cream sauce, with a little bit of paneer to add some extra texture and protein.

I made a slightly modified version of this in order to cut back the calories a bit. I've included the full-fat version first with my reduced calories/Points variation below that.

Mirchi Paneer

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 12 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves
• 3-4 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, thinly sliced
• 125g paneer, cubed
• 1 1/2-2 c. water
• 450g russet (or other floury) potatoes, cubed
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. half-and-half (10% MF)

Directions

1. Melt ghee over medium-high heat.
2. Add the tomato paste, cilantro, curry leaves, chilies, and paneer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomato paste starts to darken (3-5 minutes).
3. Add the water and scrape the bottom of the pan. Use the lesser amount of water if you like a thicker curry, the higher amount for thinner curry.
4. Add the potatoes and salt and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender (15-20 minutes).
6. Stir in half-and-half and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes.

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Variations

Reduced-Fat Version

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 12 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves
• 4 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, thinly sliced
• 125g paneer or extra-firm tofu, cubed
• 1 1/2-2 c. water
• 450g russet (or other floury) potatoes, cubed
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. light (5%) cream

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 12 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves
• 4 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, thinly sliced
• 125g extra-firm tofu, cubed
• 1 1/2-2 c. water
• 450g russet (or other floury) potatoes, cubed
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. oat milk or blended silken tofu

Phool Gobhi Paneer (Cauliflower Paneer)

This relatively dry curry is easy to make and offers a pleasing contrast of textures. It is especially good served over rice with a bit of pigeon pea broth on the side (or just poured over top). I also cooked up a simple corn curry to accompany it which made for a very nice vegetarian dinner.

Phool Gobhi Paneer

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small or 1/2 a large cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2-4 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies, minced
• 225g paneer, cubed and fried¹
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the cauliflower and turmeric and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the water, cilantro, and chilies and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for ~10 minutes.
6. Add the paneer, tomato, salt, and garam masala, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Serve with rice, flatbread, and/or dal of your choice.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small or 1/2 a large cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2-4 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies, minced
• 225g extra-firm tofu, cubed and fried or extra delicious tofu
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala

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¹ The Indian grocery near me sells bags of cubed fried paneer in the frozen food section. I often like to keep a package on hand as it makes curries like this super quick and easy. ^Back

Aloo Methi Paneer (Potato-Fenugreek Paneer)

The original plan for dinner tonight involved a chicken curry. I was going to place a grocery order, pick it up around lunchtime, and have delicious curry for dinner. Except that I couldn't pick up the groceries today. Because the grocery store is closed. Because it's Easter. That left me with no plan and missing a lot of key curry ingredients. No onions, no cilantro, no yogurt, no garlic... what am I supposed to cook if I don't even have the basics?!

But, it turns out that you can still make a pretty good curry without any of those! (I did end up running out to the Indian grocery store to get a bit more paneer and picked up some onions while I was there, but the point still stands.)

Aloo Methi Paneer

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp. asafetida
• 450g russet (or other floury) potatoes, cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 c. chopped fresh or frozen fenugreek leaves (methi)
• 2 c. water
• 225g fried paneer cubes

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they stop popping (30-60 seconds).
3. Add cumin seeds and sizzle for 5-10 seconds.
4. Remove from heat and add sugar, salt, coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, and asafetida.
5. Stir the spices briefly, then add potatoes, fenugreek leaves, and water.
6. Return to heat and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ~30 minutes.
8. Stir in fried paneer, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes.
9. Serve with your favourite pulao and/or flatbreads.

Masala Pudhina Paneer (Spiced Minty Paneer)

I would've sworn we'd already written this recipe up, but I can't find it anywhere, so I guess it got missed. It's been ages since we last made it, so the details are a little fuzzy, but I do remember this being the recipe that introduced me to the idea of mixing seasonings into the curds before pressing homemade paneer.

Masala Pudhina Paneer

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 4L whole (3.25%) or 2L half-and-half (10% cream)
• 1/4 c. vinegar
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 2 tsp. Balti Masala
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 6 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 1/4 c. mint leaves, chopped
• 1-2 fresh green Thai chilies, thinly sliced
• 1 c. water
• 1 c. half-and-half (10% cream)

Directions

1. Bring milk to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
2. Stir in vinegar and remove from heat.
3. If the whey still looks milky (rather than watery) after 30-60 seconds, stir in another Tbsp. or two of vinegar.
4. Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and pour the curds and whey into it to separate them and allow to drain for 5-10 minutes. The whey can be saved for baking or making soup stocks or discarded.
5. Add cilantro, balti masala, and 1 tsp. of salt to the curds and mix well.
6. Fold over the edges of the cheesecloth to cover the cheese.
7. Place a water-filled pot or other heavy object on top and press the cheese for 3-5 hours.
8. Remove the weight and the cheesecloth and cut the paneer into cubes.
9. Heat 1/4 c. of oil over medium heat.
10. Fry the paneer for 7-10 minutes, doing your best to get the cubes brown and crispy on all sides. Transfer to paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
11. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil over medium-high heat.
12. Add the onion and cook for 5-8 minutes.
13. Stir in tomato paste, remaining 1/4 c. cilantro, remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, mint, and chilies.
14. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for ~5 minutes.
15. Stir in water.
16. Add the paneer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally for ~10 minutes.
17. Stir in the half-and-half and increase heat to medium.
18. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
19. Serve with rice and your favourite flatbread.

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.

Paneer Hariyali (Green Paneer)

Green from the peas, mint, cilantro, and chilies, this makes a really flavourful and pleasantly easy dish to round out a meal. It could be the protein component of a vegetarian dinner. I ended up serving it as an accompaniment alongside gosht poshto and elambuchambu shaadum. It definitely held its own against the lamb and I'd be hard-pressed to say which was my favourite. Definitely a recipe worth hanging on to!

This recipe worked out particularly well since I had a bunch of expired whole milk that needed to be used up. (It wasn't bad, it was just past its "best before" and I wanted to use it up quickly before it actually spoiled.) I figured that a direct-acidified cheese like paneer was a shoe-in for the job of using up a large quantity of old milk. And picking a recipe that specifically called for crumbled paneer meant that I didn't have to worry about pressing it; I just drained the curds and left them in a container in the fridge until I was ready to make the curry. Very convenient!

Paneer Hariyali

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, cracked
• 2 c. frozen green peas
• 225g paneer, crumbled
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh mint
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala
• 2-6 fresh green Thai chilies, minced
• 1 c. water

Directions

1. Heat ghee over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and cracked cumin and cook until onion is transluscent (2-3 minutes).
3. Add the peas (it's fine if they're still frozen), cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender (~5 minutes).
4. Add paneer, cilantro, mint, salt, garam masala, chilies, and water and bring to a boil.
5. Serve with rice or flatbread of choice. (Iyer suggests rotis.)

Navratan Korma (Nine-Jeweled Korma)

I love kormas! I've had many renditions of navratan korma from various Indian restaurants in the area. It's always delicious and creamy and luxurious. Iyer's version is just as rich and wonderful as the restaurant curries I've had -- perhaps a little leaner without quite so much ghee and a little sweeter (from the raisins). I enjoyed the inclusion of paneer as well, although I would be tempted to double the quantity next time!

This is meant to be a nine-vegetable korma that, according to the recipe as written, inclues cauliflower, peas, green beans, yard-long beans, bottle gourd squash, carrot, potato, bell pepper, and paneer. (Paneer is not a vegetable, I know, but it's the ninth chunky component you'll find mingling in the sauce.) I made a few substitutions for mine. I didn't have any yard-long beans on hand, so I doubled the quantity of green beans instead. I also substituted a yellow summer squash/zucchini for the bottle gourd squash. Both of these substitutions worked quite well and I still got a lovely, bright, colourful mix in the pot.

Navratan Korma

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. cut up cauliflower florets (1cm pieces)
• 1/4 c. frozen green peas
• 1/4 c. cut up green beans (1cm pieces)
• 1/4 c. cut up yard-long beans (1cm pieces)
• 1/4 c. cut up bottle gourd squash or yellow summer squash/zucchini (1cm cubes)
• 1 carrot, cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 russet (or other floury) potato, but into 1cm cubes
• 1 bell pepper, cut into 1cm pieces
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1/4 c. raw cashews
• 1/4 c. sultanas
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 tsp. garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp. whole cloves
• 1/4 tsp. cardamom seeds (from green pods)
• 1-2 (Indian) bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala
• 100-200g paneer, cubed and pan-fried
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine cauliflower, peas, green beans, yard-long beans, squash, carrot, potato, and bell pepper in a pot and cover with water.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and drain reserving vegetable cooking water.
5. Melt ghee over medium heat.
6. Add onion, cashews, sultanas, ginger paste, garlic paste, cloves, cardamom, and bay leaves, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes.
7. Add 1/2 c. of the reserved vegetable cooking water and deglaze the pan.
8. Add tomato paste, salt, cayenne, turmeric, and garam masala and remove from heat.
9. Using an upright or immersion blender, purée the sauce mixture.
10. Add up to an additional 1 1/2 c. of the vegetable cooking water to achieve the desired consistency and volume.
11. Combine sauce, paneer, and cooked vegetables and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes.
12. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Mutter Paneer (Fried Cheese with Green Peas)

I had been intending to make some black bean enchiladas for dinner last night, but was suddenly hit by a desire for cheese. I didn't want beans for dinner, I just wanted a giant bowl of cheese! And one of the nice things about being an adult is that if I want a huge pile of cheese for dinner, I can have a huge pile of cheese for dinner. And one of the nice things about owning a copy of 660 Curries is that I can even find a delicious cheese-for-dinner recipe that lets me feel... well, maybe not exactly virtuous, but at least not excessively guilty about my casein craving.

Mutter paneer served over palak pulao.

Mutter Paneer

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredeints

• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 (Indian) bay leaf
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 fresh green Thai chilies, minced
• 1 c. tomato sauce¹
• 2 tsp. bin bhuna hua garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 1/2 c. frozen peas
• 250g paneer, cubed and pan-fried
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat ghee over medium-high heat.
2. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf and cook for 10-15 seconds.
3. Add onion, ginger paste, garlic, and chilies and stir-fry until light brown (5-7 minutes).
4. Add tomato sauce, garam masala, and salt and reduce heat to medium.
5. Simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
6. Add water and peas. (If using frozen fried paneer, add it now as well.) Cover and simmer until peas (and paneer) are thawed and warmed through.
7. Fold in paneer (if not already present), cream, and cilantro. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes.
8. Serve with rice/pulao and/or naan.

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¹ I didn't have any ready-made tomato sauce on hand, so I whipped up a quick batch of sauce before starting the curry. I basically just emptied a can of diced tomatoes into a pot and then added spices and let it simmer for a few minutes. You can season it however you like. Here's what I put in mine (to the best of my recollection): 800mL diced tomatoes, 1 tsp. coriander seeds, 1 tsp. jaggery, 1 tsp. dehydrated minced onion, 1/2 tsp. dehydrated minced garlic, 2 Indian bay leaves, 1 (3") cinnamon stick, 2 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies (although 1 probably would've been sufficient), 3 green cardamom pods, 1 tsp. chopped basil, 1 tsp. chopped cilantro, 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, 1/2 Tbsp. ghee. ^Back

TF and I ordered Hakka noodles from one of the local Indian restaurants recently. They were alright. I found the flavour alright, but they were mostly noodles with very little in the way of sauce or inclusions. A thin sheen of fairly oily tomato-based sauce and a few small pieces of cabbage and not much else. I mean, I still ate them and enjoyed them, but I do wish that they'd been a little more balanced and interesting than just a big ol' pile of starch. When I spotted Iyer's recipe for Hakka noodles in 660 Curries I was intrigued. It looked a lot more interesting than the restaurant version we'd gotten.

The sauce was definitely more flavourful and a lot less oily. And there was a pleasant amount of veg an protein to it as well, although I wouldn't've turned my nose up at even more inclusions! TF really liked this one. I enjoyed it, but I wasn't head-over-heels for it the way she was. Still, worth keeping in mind and worth making again.

I feel like this is an especially good recipe to have in my back pocket because it seems like it couple be pretty flexible. I did it by the book this time (mostly), using cauliflower, carrots, and bean sprouts as the veg. The one change I made was to swap out the paneer for some lovely extra firm, tomato-marinated tofu. That said, I think you could change the veggies up depending on what you had on hand and still get great results. I could see broccoli, green beans, and/or cabbage all working extremely well here. Bell peppers, mushrooms, or snow peas might also be good choices. Really, there are so many possibilities!

Hakka Noodles

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries

Ingredeints

• 240g fresh fettuccini
• 1/4 c. ketchup
• 3 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. malt vinegar
• 2 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies¹
• 2 Tbsp. corn or peanut oil
• 150g paneer or extra-firm tofu
• 1 c. cauliflower pieces
• 1 large carrot, sliced into thin coins
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 4 scallions/green onions, cut into 1-2cm lengths
• 2 (6cm x 2.5cm x 3mm) slices of ginger, julienned
• 125g bean sprouts

Directions

1. Boil the pasta until al dente. This took ~3 minutes for the fresh noodles I had. Drain and immediately plunge noodles into cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, whisk ketchup, soy sauces, vinegar, and chilies together to make sauce. Set aside.
3. Heat wok over medium high heat.
4. Drizzle oil down the sides of the wok and allow it to pool at the bottom.
5. Add paneer (or tofu), cauliflower, carrot, garlic, and 1/4 c. of the cilantro and stir-fry for ~5 minutes.
6. Drain noodles and add them to the wok. Stir fry for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Add sauce and stir to coat noodles and veggies.
8. Add tomato, green onions, and ginger and stir-fry for another 2-4 minutes.
9. Stir in bean sprouts.
10. Remove from heat, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c. of cilantro, and serve.

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¹ If Kashmiri chilies are not available, you can substitute 1 part ground cayenne to 3 parts sweet paprika. ^Back

Aloo Paneer Pulao (Potato and Paneer Pulao)

This pulao caught my eye because the inclusion of paneer adds a bit of protein and means that I don't feel the need to come up with a super substantial curry to serve it with. I had planned on following Iyer's recommendation to serve it with a vegetable curry, a raita, and papads. ToxicFrog made the raita to go with it the night before and I cooked the pulao and the papads the next morning. I ran out of time and energy to make the curry though. Still... as a light lunch, the pulao, papads, and raita went over really well! Maybe I can make that veggie curry to go with the leftovers tomorrow.

The original recipe is written for white rice. I prefer brown these days, so I had to adjust the recipe slightly to compensate for the longer cooking time of the brown rice. I thin my adjustments worked out reasonably well. Where I ran into problems, however, was with the size of pot I used. Really, I shouldn't've been using a pot at all. What this recipe really wants is a large frying pan/skillet with a tightly fitting lid. (Or possibly a large Dutch oven, but I think a good, large frying pan would be my first choice.) It fit in the pot just fine, but required too much stirring which broke the paneer up more than I would've liked. I think a larger surface area would've worked much better for this one. Still tasty, just not quite optimal.

Raita-topped pulao with a flame-toasted papad on the side. Yum!

Aloo Paneer Pulao

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. long-grain brown rice
• 3 1/2 c. water, divided
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 russet (or other floury) potato, cut into 5-6mm cubes
• 150g Paneer, cut into 5-6mm cubes
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 4 fresh green Thai or cayenne chilies, sliced thin
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Combine rice with 2 c. water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes.
3. Cover and set aside. (Rice will not be fully cooked. This is okay.)
4. In a large frying pan with a tightly fitting lid, melt ghee over medium-high heat.
5. Add cumin seeds and sizzle for 15-20 seconds.
6. Add potato, paneer, onion, and chilies and stir-fry for ~10 minutes.
7. Add rice and salt and give it a brief, gentle stir.
8. Add remaining water.
9. Boil uncovered and without stirring for until water is gone from surface and craters start to form in the rice mixture (~5-8 minutes).
10. Carefully stir to move the contents from the bottom to the top.
11. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for another 10 minutes (8 minutes for electric range).
12. Remove from heat and allow to sit covered and undisturbed for a further 10 minutes.
13. Uncover and fluff with fork.
14. Serve with raita, papads, and/or a vegetable curry of your choice.

Paneer Makhani (Butter Paneer)

I can't believe we never wrote this up when we initially made it! This is one of my all-time favourite curries. It is incredibly delicious. It's also one of the easiest curries in the book. You really shouldn't make this curry every day. But once you try it, you'll want to!

Paneer Makhani

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 1 c. tomato sauce
• 1/2 c. fresh or frozen fenugreek leaves
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 250g Paneer, cubed and fried
• 1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted and ground

Directions

1. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter over medium heat.
2. Add tomato sauce followed by fenugreek leaves, cayenne, sugar, and salt.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and partially cover the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~15 minutes.
4. Fold in paneer, cream, and cumin.
5. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~8 minutes.
6. Add remaining butter and carefully fold it in once melted.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. raw cashews
• 1/2 c. water
• 3 Tbsp. vegan butter, divided
• 1 c. tomato sauce
• 1/2 c. fresh or frozen fenugreek leaves
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 250g extra firm tofu, cubed and fried
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted and ground

Directions

1. Purée the cashews with the water and set aside.
2. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter over medium heat.
3. Add tomato sauce followed by fenugreek leaves, cayenne, sugar, and salt.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and partially cover the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~15 minutes.
5. Fold in tofu, cashew cream, and cumin.
6. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~8 minutes.
7. Add remaining butter and carefully fold it in once melted.

Kutchi Paneer (Kutch-Style Paneer)

I don't actually remember how this curry came out. That's what I get for not doing the write-up immediately. I remember making it. But it's been... months, maybe longer. I don't remember how we liked it. The fact that I don't remember probably says something in itself. I don't think this one was particularly noteworthy in either direction. It wasn't bad. But it also didn't wow me. Probably.

Kutchi Paneer

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground asafetida
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 large tomato, cored and chopped,/li>
• 2 c. water
• 250g spinach, chopped
• 250g Paneer, cubed and pan-fried
• 2 Tbsp. Bhuna Hua Besan

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add whole cumin seeds and sizzle for 10-15 seconds.
3. Remove from heat and sprinkle in sugar, salt, ground cumin, coriander, cayenne, turmeric, and asafetida.
4. Add bell pepper and tomato and return to medium-high heat.
5. Cook, uncovered, stirring, for ~2 minutes.
6. Add water and bring to a boil.
7. Pile the spinach on top, stirring occasionally to uniformly wilt the leaves.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~12 minutes.
9. Stir in the fried paneer and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.
10. Sprinkle in the flour and quickly stir it in.
11. Bring to a boil and coo, uncovered, stirring once or twice, until sauce thickens (~5 minutes).
12. Serve over rice and/or with rotis.

Haree Phool Gobhi Paneer (Broccoli and Paneer)

While I'm reasonably used to seeing cauliflower curries, broccoli curries are much less common. Apparently broccoli was not traditionally grown in India nor part of the local cuisine. It is now found in Western-style supermarkets and Iyer features a few broccoli recipes in his book. This is one of them.

Haree Phool Gobhi Paneer

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 450g broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 Tbsp. amchur (mango powder)
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric¹
• 1 c. water
• 100g paneer, crumbled
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add cumin and sizzle for 10-15 seconds.
3. Add broccoli, amchur, and turmeric and stir-fry for ~1 minute.
4. Add water, paneer, salt, and tomato and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.
6. Stir in cilantro and garam masala and serve.

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¹ Substitute fresh turmeric for dried if available. Peel a 1cm long piece of turmeric and slice it wafer thin. ^Back

This is basically a paneer curry. It's just that instead of pressing the curds into a solid block and then cutting it into cubes as you'd see for most paneer curries, you make little cheese dumplings (chenna) instead. Once the curds are drained, you mix in some flour and a tiny bit of water and shape them into little balls. These dumplings are then simmered in a savoury tomato-spinach sauce.

Chenna Saag

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Chenna

• 1L half-and-half (10% cream) or 2L whole (3.25%) milk
• 3-4 Tbsp. vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. rice flour

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground Deggi chilies¹
• 1 tsp. Dhania-Jeera Masala
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 450g frozen chopped spinach
• 1 c. water

Directions

Chenna

1. Bring the cream/milk to a boil.
2. Immediately remove from heat and stir in vinegar 1 Tbsp. at a time. Keep adding vinegar until the curds have completely separated from the whey. The whey should be clear, not cloudy.
3. Line a colander with butter muslin or a triple layer of cheesecloth. Pour the curds and whey into the lined colander to drain the curds. Set aside to drain for an hour.
4. Dump the curds out of the cheesecloth and sprinkle with the rice flour.
5. Wet your hands and mix the curds to form a crumbly "dough".
6. Form the dough into walnut-sized balls and set aside.

Sauce

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for 10-15 seconds.
3. Add onion, ginger paste, and garlic and stiry-fry for ~5 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, salt, ground chilies, dhania-jeera masala, and turmeric and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes.
5. Add the spinach and cool until fully thawed.
6. Add water.
7. Place chenna in the sauce.
8. Carefully spoon some sauce over the chenna.
9. Lower heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, basting the chenna without stirring, for 15-20 minutes.

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¹ If Deggi chilies aren't available, then a 1:1 ratio of ground cayenne and sweet paprika makes a reasonable substitute. ^Back

Mulayam Paneer Bhurjee (Crumbled Paneer with Scallions and Tomatoes)

Aside from the need to chop thousands of scallions, this is an extremely easy recipe to put together. You can start by making the paneer and then let it drain while you prep everything else. Once you've got everything chopped and ready to go, it's just a matter of sizzling the cumin for a few seconds before jumbling everything into the pot to cook. Five minutes and it's done! Seriously, probably one of the easiest curries you'll ever make.

Mulayam Paneer Bhurjee

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 250g Malai Paneer¹, crumbled²
• 250g scallions, chopped
• 250g tomatoes, cored and chopped
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. Balti Masala
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2-4 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
3. Add remaining ingredients and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
4. Serve with roti and Katchumber.

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¹ If making your paneer fresh (recommended), 1L of half-and-half (10% cream) and 30-35mL of vinegar should produce just the right amount of cheese for this recipe. ^Back
2 Since this recipe calls for crumbled paneer anyway, I just didn't bother pressing it in the first place. If you're using store-bought paneer, then go ahead and crumble it. But I think this recipe really does benefit from a fresh, creamy homemade paneer. And skipping the pressing step makes it extra easy. ^Back

Chana Paneer

Another 660 Curries recipe, this mixes fried paneer and spicy chickpeas. Iyer recommends serving it with a starch, and particularly commends the practice of making up some toast and dipping it in the curry.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. (32mL) canola oil
• 1 tsp. (5mL) cumin seeds
• 1 finely chopped red onion
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chilis, stems removed
• 1 large tomato, cored and finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp. (1mL) coarse salt
• 1 tsp. (5mL) balti masala
• 1/2 tsp. (2.5mL) turmeric
• 1 c. (256mL) cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 c. (256mL) water
• 250g paneer, cut into 2cm cubes and pan-fried
• 1/4 c. (64mL) whipping (35%) cream
• finely chopped fresh cilantro for garnishing

Procedure

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they turn reddish-brown and fragrant, ~10 seconds.
2. Add the onion and chilis and stir-fry until the onion is starting to brown, 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomato, salt, masala, and turmeric. Lower the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomato softens, ~3 minutes.
4. Add the chickpeas and 1 c. (256mL) of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the sauce thickens, ~10 minutes.
5. Stir in the paneer and the cream, and continue simmering, uncovered, until the cheese is warmed through.
6. Top with cilantro and serve.

Saag Paneer

Often described as a spinach and cheese curry, the version in 660 Curries uses both spinach and mustard greens; personally, I like mustard greens so much that I think it's even better if you omit the spinach entirely and double the amount of mustard greens.

Ingredients

• canola oil
• 1 medium-size red onion, bisected and thinly sliced
• 6 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
• 4 5x2cm slices of fresh ginger, coarsely chopped (or 64mL of ginger paste if you don't have fresh ginger on hand)
• 10mL Bin bhuna hua garam masala
• 2.5mL ground turmeric
• 32mL tomato paste
• 512g mixed spinach and mustard greens in any proportion you like, coarsely chopped
• 5mL coarse salt
• 550g paneer, sliced into 2cm cubes and fried
• 128mL whipping (35%) cream
• 2.5mL Punjabi garam masala

Procedure

1. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry until the onion browns, ~10 minutes.
2. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the Bin bhuna hua garam masala; the residual heat will be enough to cook the spices without burning them.
3. Transfer the mixture to a blender jar. Add the tomato paste and 64mL water. Puree, scraping the inside of the jar as needed, to form a smooth paste. Return it to the skillet. Rinse out the blender jar with 192mL of water and add that to the skillet too.
4. Return the skillet to medium heat. Pile some greens into it and cover until they're wilted enough that you can stir them into the sauce and add more. Repeat until all the greens are in.
5. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens break down and merge with the sauce, turning it dark green, 10-15 minutes.
6. Stir in the salt, cream, paneer, and Punjabi garam masala. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the cheese is warmed through, 5-8 minutes.
7. Eat.

Paneer Pasanda

The creamy, nutty pasanda is a favourite curry of ours; there's a local curry house that makes chicken pasanda, and we always order it when eating there. This is our first attempt at making a pasanda at home. It lived up to our expectations.

The recipe as written expects you to prepare this as a side dish or appetizer, cutting long "fingers" of paneer, grilling them, and then serving them soaked in pasanda sauce. We made it as a main course, pan-frying smaller cubes of paneer and serving it over rice.

Ingredients

• 400mL coconut milk
• 64mL slivered blanched almonds, ground
• 5mL coarsely cracked black pepper
• 2.5mL coarse salt
• 10-20 fresh curry leaves
• 6 whole cloves
• 4 green or white cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Malai paneer from 2L of cream, cubed
• 30mL canola oil
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped

Procedure

1. Pour the coconut milk, almonds, pepper, salt, curry leaves, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon into a pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from the heat and add the paneer cubes, ideally covering them all completely with the sauce. Set aside for ~30 minutes so the paneer can soak up the sauce and absorb the flavours.
3. Remove the paneer cubes from the pot using a slotted spoon. Transfer them to a bowl to drain further.
4. Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens and browns around the edges, 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the sauce, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce heats through and thickens, another 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
6. Meanwhile, heat a generous amount of oil in a skillet and pan-fry the paneer cubes until golden brown. Add any additional sauce that drained off to the onion/sauce skillet.
7. Heat the sauce back up (if necessary) and mix in the fried paneer.
8. Eat.

Malai Paneer

Paneer is India's sole cheese. It's firm, slightly crumbly, and doesn't melt but does grill or fry quite nicely. It's a heat-acid curdle, so it's easy to make at home but is not at all safe for the lactose-intolerant (like myself and my sister); if that's a concern, use lactose-free milk or cream in its preparation.

660 Curries has two paneer recipes, one made with whole milk and one made with cream. It's the cream version that we usually make, and that I've reproduced here.

This recipe is for a plain paneer, but you can easily mix in spices during the cheesemaking process, to complement whatever curry you'll be using it in or just enhance its appeal as a snack -- as we did with the paneer below.

Ingredients

• 2L 10% cream
• 64mL white vinegar

Procedure

1. Bring the cream to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent it from scorching or suddenly boiling over.
2. Stir in the vinegar and remove from the heat. Wait for the curds and whey to separate, ~30 seconds.
3. Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth, making sure you have some extra hanging over the edge. Pour the cheese and whey into the colander, and let it drain.
4. Wait until the cheese is cool enough to handle, 5-10 minutes.
1. If you're going to add seasonings, now is the time; mix them well into the curds.
5. Fold the cheesecloth over the curds and squish them to squeeze more moisture out.
6. Once you aren't getting any more moisture out, return the wrapped curds to the colander and place a heavy weight on top of them, such as a pot filled with water. Leave them for 3-6 hours (or in the fridge overnight) while the remaining liquid is squeezed out.
7. Unwrap the cheese, and re-wrap in plastic wrap; keep in the fridge for up to a week.

If you don't get enough liquid out during the squeezing-and-pressing phase, the paneer won't hold its shape very well; you get a very soft, crumbly "cottage paneer" that disintegrates into something resembling scrambled eggs when heated. It's still very tasty, but a completely different texture, and it can't really be sliced or pan-fried.