A friend and I decided to have an impromptu girls night in on Tuesday evening. So when I started thinking about what I could make, I realised it was more, what did I have time to make, as my friend was turning up at 6:30pm and I only finish work at 5:30pm!
I have a cheats recipe for Paneer Jalfrezi which takes less than 30 minutes to prep and cook. The dish combines the paneer with a mixture of bell peppers, onions and fresh tomatoe, so for my friend who is vegetarian, it makes the perfect dish.
A Jalfrezi is a type of Indian Chinese dish that consists of marinated pieces of meat, fish or vegetables and spices which are shallow-fried. Other main ingredients include bell pepper, onion, cabbage and tomato.
Paneer is fresh cheese curd made by boiling milk and then adding a form of acid (vinegar or lemon juice) to curdle it. Once this process is done, the water is drained and the white cheese curds are retained and placed in a mould. Paneer is usually found in the form of small cubes and is used in various snacks and main dishes in South Asian cuisine. It can be found in frozen form in any Indian supermarket.
Ingredients
1 cup Paneer (if, like me, you're lazy, you can buy paneer frozen in small squares from any Indian supermarket)
2 tbsp. Oil (I use clarified butter, but oil works too!)
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp. Ginger Garlic paste (fresh or from a jar works, just depends how you're feeling on the day!)
1 Onion (julienne)
1/2 Green bell pepper (chopped in to chunks)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp. Turmeric powder
3/4 tsp. Coriander powder
1 Tomato (chopped in to chunks)
1 tsp Lemon or Lime juice
Directions
Heat clarified butter or oil in a pan. Once hot, add cumin seeds and ginger-garlic paste to flavour the oil (hint: the cumin seeds should sizzle in the hot oil)
After a minute or so, add the onion, bell peppers and salt and cook until softened
Then add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder, continuing to stir for about 5 minutes until the spices are cooked, and ensuring all the vegetables are thoroughly coated
Add the paneer and tomato and stir until the spices coat the paneer
If the paneer is frozen, cover the pan to allow the steam to soften the paneer
If you like the paneer with a toasted exterior, remove the lid and allow the paneer to gently toast on the flame (around 5 - 6 minutes), making sure you gently stir so as not to burn it
Once the paneer has reached your desired toasting (or not at all, if you prefer it soft), add 1 tsp lime or lemon juice before removing from flame
Tip: If, like me, you don't have the time to make chapatti dough from scratch, serve the paneer with whole wheat tortilla wraps which you can gently toast in a dry frying pan. Rub butter over the top if you wish, but I didn't.