Kadai Paneer

Ingredients

For the basic kadai gravy:

• Coriander seeds - 1 tblspn
• Kashmiri dry red chillies -  5 or 6 nos
• Green chillies - 2 nos
• Tomatoes - 5 nos, finely chopped
• Garlic cloves - 2 tblspn, finely chopped
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Dry fenugreek leaves - 2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste

Other ingredients:

• Paneer - 1 cup , cubed
• oil - 2 tsp
• Butter - 1 tsp
• Capsicum - 1 no
• Green peas frozen - 1 tblspn (Optional)
• Onion - 1 cup, finely chopped
• Ginger - 1 tsp finely chopped 
• Sugar - 1 tsp (Optional)
• Coriander leaves - to garnish
• Cream / Milk - 1 tblspn
• Salt - to taste

Method

For the basic kadai gravy:

• In a pan, dry roast coriander seeds and kashmiri dry red chillies. When it cools down, make it into a fine powder. Keep it aside
• In another pan, heat some oil and add finely chopped garlic and the prepared powder in step 1. Fry them for a minute.
• Add in the tomatoes, salt and green chillies. Keep stirring until the tomatoes are nicely cooked. It is very important to cook the tomatoes completely, as the raw flavor might spoil your dish. So cook till tomatoes are mushy.
• Add dried fenugreek leaves and garam masala. Switch off the flame after a minute. With a potato masher or back of your spoon, mash the gravy well. Your basic kadai gravy is now ready.

How to Proceed?:

• Heat oil in a pan and saute the chopped onions and ginger. Add salt and sugar in order to make it cook faster. Cook the onions till it is brown. If the onions are cooked well, your gravy will have a smooth and silky texture.
• Now add the prepared kadai gravy, frozen green peas and capsicum and cook it for 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in another pan, heat some butter and fry the paneer until it is slightly brown. You can even deep fry the paneer. 
• Add the fried paneer to the gravy and mix well. Check for salt and adjust it. Add the cream / milk and cook it for 1 minute. 
• Transfer the kadai paneer gravy in to your serving dish. Garnish with coriander leaves. You can serve this with Roti, Naan, Jeera rice, etc

Notes

• You can use the basic kadai gravy in any kind of curries. 
• It can be prepared immediately or even before few days. 
• Make sure to pack it well using the zip lock bag / air tight containers and freeze it, if you are not using it immediately.
•  It can be stored in a freezer for about a week.