Damm Paneer Kali Mirch

I got this recipe from a fellow food blogger on Facebook.  ‘Damm’  is when you cover something and gently simmer or steam on low heat, ‘paneer’ is a type of indian cottage cheese and ‘kali mirch is black pepper’.  So the name of this recipe roughly translates to Slow-cooked cheese in black pepper.  The amount of black pepper was too strong for me so I’ve reduced it in this recipe.  You may notice that the paneer in the picture below looks crumbly- that`s because its home made.  Paneer from the store is generally much smoother.    

Brown the onions in some oil.

Add the yogurt and the remainder of the spices and cook for a few minutes.  

Add the paneer and some water, cover and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes.  

Garnish with coriander and garam masala.  

Ingredients:
1 inch ginger 
2-3 cloves garlic 
4 green chilies
1 onion, chopped 
1 tbsp oil
4 cloves
4 green cardamoms 
1 inch piece cinnamon
3 tbsp yogurt
1 tsp coriander powder
3/4 tsp cumin powder
1 flat tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
250-300 g paneer
2 tbsp cream
1/4 tsp garam masala


Method:

1. Blend the ginger,garlic, and chilies into a paste and set aside.
2. Fry onions till brown and blend with a little bit of water to make a paste, then set aside
3. Heat the oil and add the cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon and stir until till it’s nice and fragrant (only a minute or two).
4. Now add the onion paste and cook well.
5. Add ginger, garlic and green chili paste then stir constantly for a minute or so.
6. Add yogurt, let it warm up then add the coriander, cumin, pepper, turmeric and paprika.
7. Add salt along with the paneer cubes, cream, and 1/2 cup water
8. Seal the pan with foil and put a lid on top.
9. Reduce flame to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
10. Now open it up and cook further if you want a drier curry.
11. Add more salt if needed, garnish with coriander and garam masala

    Serve with steamed rice or chapattis