In 2006, I learned how to make Mutter Paneer, a popular North Indian dish. Someone commented on a related post that they had successfully attempted the recipe, and had substituted tofu in place of paneer. That comment has stuck with me the past few years, and when I finally decided to try this recipe myself, I decided to use tofu as well instead of the traditional paneer. I also adapted the recipe to what I had in my kitchen -- which slightly deviates from the original recipe. Below the picture, I detail what I did to make the dish, what I would change in the future, and how this more simple approach differs from the original recipe -- which I still think is probably the gold standard for mutter paneer.
Ingredients (for approximately 4 servings)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom (I would reduce this to 1/2 tsp. moving forward, especially because I freshly ground cardamon seeds)
Vegetable cooking oil
2 teaspoons store-bought ginger garlic paste (in place of homemade paste)
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (in place of dry fenugreek)
1 medium onion chopped
1 ½ medium tomatoes, chopped and microwaved for 2-3 minutes
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon roasted ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon roasted ground coriander (in place of 1 tsp. in original recipe -- I may decrease in the future)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 green chile, sliced
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon store-bought masala (in place of homemade masala)
1 block extra firm tofu, squeezed dry and cut into 3/4 inch square pieces (I would recommend making them 1/2 inch square pieces instead)
3/4 cup frozen peas
Directions (I basically followed the original recipe, except for separate cooking of the tofu)
-Heat oil in saucepan (medium heat, depending on quality of pan)
-Add ground cardamom
-Add garlic/ginger paste, let simmer for a few minutes
-Add dried fenugreek and chopped onion
-Let simmer 5-10 minutes, or until the onions don’t smell raw
- At the same time, heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in another pan on medium-high heat. Add tofu, and saute, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is lightly browned on all sides or the desired consistency is reached.
-Cut the tomatoes, and then put in microwave for 2-3 minutes
-Add paprika, cayenne, cumin, and coriander
-Add water if the ingredients are sticking to the pan (I would add about 1/4 - 3/4 cup of water)
-Add cilantro
-Add chopped tomatoes, and lower the heat a bit
-Let simmer so flavors blend (few minutes)
-Then put in a food processor, until consistency is like gravy
-Put back in pan, and add salt to taste
-Add 2 tablespoons of sour cream. Turn up heat and stir vigorously until mixture bubbles
-Keep stirring after bubbling and add homemade masala
-Then add peas, stir and cover, lower heat to medium/low.
-Stir periodically and add water if looks dry (maybe another 1/4 cup). Let simmer for 10 minutes.
-Uncover and stir in tofu, and let simmer for 3-4 minutes for flavor to set in paneer.
Potential Further Alterations
The recipe turned out incredibly well, though I think that there are three key changes I would consider making. First, as I describe above in the ingredients section, I would reduce the cardamon to 1/2 teaspoon instead of 1 teaspoon. I think the end result had a little too much cardamon flavor -- potentially because I freshly ground the cardamon -- and that made the dish a bit sweet. Second, I would recommend cutting the tofu into smaller pieces. I usually cut my tofu to about 3/4 inch square pieces when I stir fry them with vegetables, but I would that size is too big to get the tofu properly flavored in this gravy dish. I think that a 1/2 inch square size would probably work better for this recipe. Finally, I would add more water to the recipe as I detail in the directions section. I added perhaps only 1/4 cup of water through the cooking process, and the leftovers were somewhat dry, so I would probably add approximately 1/2 - 3/4 cup through the cooking process. I don't think that extra water would undesirably dilute the flavor.
I'll report back if I try these alterations in the future!
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