Kashmiri Paneer recipe

To make home-made paneer

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• ¼ tsp asafoetida
• 5 tbsp. oil (mustard oil if desired)
• 500 gms. Paneer, cut into chunks or thick slices

For garam masala (If you don’t have ready powder)

• 5 cloves
• ½ tbsp. cumin
• ½ tbsp. black peppercorns
• ½ tbsp. coriander seeds
• 3 green cardamoms
• 1 brown cardamom
• 1” cinnamon
• ¼ tbsp. dry ginger powder

For the gravy

• 2 tbsp. oil
• ½ tbsp. cumin seeds
• 1” cinnamon
• 5 cloves
• ½ tsp. turmeric powder
• ½ tsp. red chilli powder (optional)
• 1 ½ tbsp. Kashmiri chilli powder
• 2 tsp. dry ginger powder
• 1 cup yogurt (whisked)
• Salt to taste
• 3 brown cardamoms
• 3 green cardamom
• 3 tsp.  fennel powder
• 1 ½ tsp. of garam masala powder (as above)

1. Boil the water and add asafoetida to it.  In a pan, heat oil and fry paneer on both sides.
2. Transfer fried paneer  into the asafetida hot water mix.
3. Roast the garam masala ingredients in another pan and grind to a powder. Skip this step if you have ready garam masala powder.
4. In a pan, add the oil in which the paneer was fried.
5. Add to that the cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, kashmiri chilli powder, dry ginger powder. Mix them well. 
6. Add half of the asafoetida water to the spices and cook on low heat till oil separates. 
7. Add yogurt, brown cardamom, green cardamom, fennel powder and mix well.  Add fried paneer and garam masala and mix. 
8. Cover and let it simmer for a while.
9. Serve hot with rotis or Kashmiri pulao.