Paneer gravy with sweet corn recipe

Me and Mom share a very special relation- We are two giggly people chatting away to glory on insane topics and we always catch up on our special topic- food. If I try out anything special, she is the first one to know about it and she makes me feel special even for a small recipe. In this buzy world, she is the only soul who sincerely wants to know what I ate for the day and I love the bond we share :) - Over the weekend, I made paneer gravy with sweet corn and was explaining all about it to my mom (who as usual made me feel that I am the best cook in the world). She loved the whole concept and here I am blogging all about it....The gravy rocks with paneer and sweet corn and will make you fill up your plates for a generous third serving! Doesn't need too much effort and goes great with rice/rotis.

What goes in??

Sweet corn kernel- 1 cup (boiled and tender)
Paneer (cubed) - 150 gms
Green bell pepper- 1 medium (sliced)
Garlic - crushed & chopped (4-5 cloves)
Ginger- grated (1/2 tsp)
Onions - 2 medium sized (finely chopped)
Tomatoes - 2 medium sized (finely chopped)
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt according to taste
Oil for cooking

For the additional punch-
Coriander leaves (chopped)
Fresh cream (optional)
Kasoori methi leaves / dry fenugreek leaves (1 tsp)

Preparation-

• In a wok/kadai, heat some oil.
• Add cumin seeds and allow them to sputter.
• Add onions and fry till translucent.
• Add garlic and ginger and cook for a couple of minutes.
• Add tomatoes and cook on a medium flame till they become mushy and blend well with onions.
• Now comes the spices- add coriander powder, garam masala powder, red chilli powder.
• Mix all the ingredients and cook till it the oil separates from masala and floats above.
• Add a bit of water (not too much- around 1/4 cup or less).
• Mix in the corn & bell peppers.
• Add Kasoori methi leaves and allow the bell peppers to cook with the gravy.
• Adjust salt according to your taste.
• Add paneer cubes to the gravy and cook it on a low flame for few minutes.
• Mix in the fresh cream (optional).
• Garnish with coriander leaves!

Punjabi cholay

Cholay is a very popular chickpea dish in northern India. Cooked in a rich brown gravy with exotic spices this dish tastes heavenly with roti, rice or bhature. Chickpeas can be cooked in a simple normal gravy with spices but then if you ever had the chance to taste punjabi cholay you will never want to eat anything else! So, take a plunge and get cooking with something exotic and flavorful.

Ingredients

Chickpeas/garbanzo beans -1 cup

For the gravy

2 onions chopped
1 tomato chopped
Ginger - peeled and grated (about 1tsp)
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Spices

Coriander seeds 2tsp
Seeds of wild pomegranate/anardhana (omit if not available)- 1/2tsp
1 piece cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
4 black cardamom
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 dry red chilli piece

Preparation

Soak the chickpeas overnight in water. It will double in size the next day. Rinse it thoroughly and pressure cook it with a tea bag. Yeah, yeah, you read it right- tea bag! Why tea bag? Punjabi cholay is known for it's rich brown color and when you cook it normally it turns out yellow in color. To give it a good brown color you always pressure cook it with a tea bag. The chickpeas should be cooked super soft and should melt in your mouth.

For the spices, roast all the above ingredients in a pan. Keep tossing them and do not allow them to get burnt. Once roasted, grind them to a fine powder.

Now comes the gravy- Heat oil in a wok and add the chopped ginger. Add the onions and sauté them till translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook the mixture till the oil separates (takes around 8 to 10 minutes). Add the fresh ground spices and garam masala with chilli powder. Cook on a medium flame till the masala gets incorporated. Mix the cooked chickpeas and adjust salt according to taste. Add a little bit of water to cook the chickpeas. Allow it to cook on a medium flame for 20 minutes(keep stirring it consistently). Garnish with chopped onions, lemon wedges, split green chilli pieces or coriander leaves. Enjoy!