Paneer/cottage cheese – 200 gms, cut into small cubes
Tomato – 2, large, cut into 4 pieces each
Chat masala – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – 1 & ½ tsp
Kashmiri chili powder – 2 tsp
Pav bhaji masala – 1 & ½ tsp
Garlic – 4 to 6 cloves
Sugar – ¾ tsp
Onion – 1 large (about ¾ cup finely chopped)
Capsicum / green bell pepper – 1, medium, finely chopped
Paneer – 400 gms
Heavy/double cream – ¼ cup
Butter – 2 tbsp (preferably unsalted)
Lemon – ½
Fresh coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
Kasoori methi – 1 tsp, crushed
Fresh mint leaves – 6 to 8
Green chili – 2, slit lengthwise
Ajwain/carom seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Instructions
Heat a tawa on medium heat. If you don’t have a tawa, simply use a frying pan. Add the butter to the hot tawa and let it melt.
Add ajwain/carom seeds and cumin seeds. Sauté them for few seconds until they are fragrant.
After about half a minute, add the chopped onion and saute it on medium heat until they turn golden brown. This would take about 10 to 15 minutes on low-medium heat.
While the onions are sautéing, prepare a spice paste. Add the chopped tomatoes into a blender jar and add the coriander powder, salt, sugar, pav bhaji masala, chat masala, Kashmiri red chili powder and the garlic cloves. Blend them together until you get a smooth paste. You won’t need to add any water as the tomatoes themselves have a high water content. Keep the spice paste aside until needed.
After the onions turn golden brown, add the chopped capsicum to the tawa and sauté them for just a minute and not too long.
Next add the prepared tomato-spice paste to the tawa and sauté it for 5 minutes on medium heat or until the oil starts to separate and the spice paste turns almost dry. Add about half a cup of water at this stage to deglaze the tawa and continue stir frying them for couple of minutes more.
Then add the slit green chilies, crushed kasoori methi and the paneer cubes. Mix everything thoroughly to coat each paneer pieces with the masala.
Add the chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and squeeze the juice of half a lemon to the paneer.
Finally drizzle the heavy cream on top and mix well. Check and adjust for seasoning if needed. Cook it for another 2 minutes and then it is ready to serve. Adjust the consistency of the dish as per your liking, but ideally the paneer tawa masala does not have a thin gravy; it has a thick masala which clings to the paneer pieces.
Serve the hot and spicy paneer tawa masala with roti, paratha or naan. Enjoy!
Recipe by Everyday Indian Recipes at http://everydayindianrecipes.flavorquotient.com/hot-spicy-tawa-paneer/