"This is a lip smacking dish made with paneer, lots of vegetables and a ton of spices. The list of ingredients seems long. However in an Indian kitchen it’s practically raiding the pantry as all the ingredients used here are usually used in many other Indian recipes.One alternative to the spices would be using a readymade spice mix called garam masala. Bhaji means the vegetables that go with the ‘pau’ the bread. But here I’ve added paneer to the mix. It not only elevates the dish, it helps bind the vegetables really well and also stores very well for the next day. When all the ‘pau’ is finished how about making a sandwich or a Paratha kathi roll with the mixture? So it’s like a meal prep dish for next day’s lunch wrap or dinner too. Making it in a big portion definitely pays off. A shortcut for the vegetables would be using a couple of frozen packets of mixed vegetables and adding some potatoes to the mix."
Paneer Bhaji
5
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- Recipe Card
Prep time 15mins
Cook time 30mins
Serves or Makes: 4-5
Recipe Card
ingredients
- 2 cups grated paneer
- 2 large cut into small chunks carrots
- 1 cup frozen or fresh sweetcorn
- 1 cup beans
- 1 cup peas
- 2 cut into cubes potatoes
- salt
- 2 teaspoon black salt
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 finely chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoons ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 2 medium chopped onions
- 4 cloves
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/4 nutmeg
- 1/2 star anise
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 teaspooon white pepper
- Pinch of Asafetida
- 3 green cardamom
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 red chilies
- 2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon dry mango powder
- juice of one lemon
- 3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
Method
Step 1
Masala Mix: Dry roast bay leaf, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, red chilies, white pepper, cinnamon, green cardamom, nutmeg, caraway seeds, star anise, black cardamom and cloves in a pan till aromatic. This should take about 3 mins. Take care to not burn the spices. Cool the mixture. Grind and add dry mango powder and black salt. Keep aside.
Step 2
Vegetables: Add all the vegetables in a pot and cover it with water. Let it come to a boil, lower the heat and cook covered on low till it is done. Mash the vegetables slightly (I like mine to not be too mushy so go ahead and do it the way you like it). Keep aside.
Step 3
Heat 3 tbsp oil. Add asafetida, ginger and garlic paste. Add the chopped onions. Cook till translucent. Add tomatoes. Let it cook for a couple of minutes. Add the roasted spice mix, coriander powder and turmeric. Add the mashed vegetables. Cook for 4-5 minutes before adding grated paneer. Check seasoning and adjust accordingly. Add butter. Turn the heat off.
Step 4
Let the mixture cool a bit before adding the lemon juice. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro.