Shahi Paneer with Naan

It's my b'day today, so thought of cooking something which is hot favourite of the family and all could enjoy. My husband loves this recipe but most of all my son who is just 1 yr old is a huge fan of this. Don't believe this right ...... but you have to see the joy on his face when he sees either rice or chapatti server with shahi paneer :-) . So let me have the pleasure of sharing this recipe with you all.

Shahi Paneer Ingredients :-

• 2 Onion - thinly sliced


• 2 Tomatoes - chopped


• 2 Green chilies


• Ginger roughly chopped -  1 tbsp


• Garlic roughly chopped - 1 tbsp


• Salt as per taste


• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp


• Coriander powder - 1 tbsp


• Garam masala - 1 tsp


• "Degi" mirch - 1/2 tsp


• Cumin - 1 tsp


• Cashews 8-10 cloves


• Green cardamom powder  - 1/2 tsp


• Kasoori methi roasted and crushed - 1 tbsp


• Oil - 2 tbsp


• Milk - 2 cups


• Cream or fresh malai - 2 tbsp

Method:-

1. Take oil in a pan and add cumin seeds when they start spluttering add onions and fry till they are pinkish brown also add the cashews when the onions are half done otherwise the cashews will burn. Take out the fried onions and cashews into a mixie jar and keep aside.



2. In the same pan add tomatoes , chillies, ginger and garlic and cook for 5 mins. When tomatoes turn mushy take out this mixture into the same mixie jar in which we had earlier put onion.



3. Let the mixture cool and blend onions and tomatoes together . Add this mixture to the pan and cook for 2 minutes or till the oil separates and then add salt, turmeric, coriander powder , deggie mirch and mix everything well.



4. Now add milk and let it come to a boil . After that lower the flame and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes . Now add the cream and let it mix well.Turn off the heat.



5. Let the mixture cool and then blend the curry using either a hand blender or in a mixie .It will turn very smooth.

6. Again add the curry into pan and place on low heat. Now add paneer cubes, cardamom powder garam masala and kasoori methi. Cook for 2 minutes and turn off the heat.





Delicious Shahi Paneer is ready.



Tips :-

1. Fry the cashews only for 1-2 minutes and take care that they are not burnt it will impart a very bad taste to the dish.

2. Kasoori methi should be well roasted and crushed before adding to the curry.

3. For perfect results strain the puree made in step 5 through a wired strainer it would give a very creamy feel to the recipe.

Naan Recipe:-

This is a tried and tested recipe which I got while going through Radhika's blog TicklingPalates (a must read) and it has never failed .

All purpose flour – 2 cups (approx.)
Fresh Bread slices – 4 nos
Yogurt / curd – 1/2 cup
Baking soda – 2 pinch
Milk – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste
Oil – 2 to 3 tsp
Butter – 4 tbsp
Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp (optional)

Method:
1. Trim the brown edges of the bread and roughly tear them into pieces.
2. Put the torn bread pieces in a mixie and pulse it till resembles bread crumbs and transfer to a bowl in which you are going to knead the dough.
3. To the bread crumbs add sugar, baking soda, yogurt and milk. Mix well and keep aside to let it rest for 1/2 hour.


4. After half an hour add flour and salt and bring about everything together into a dough. If the dough is sticky add more flour. Grease your palm with oil and knead lightly. Repeat again with another spoon of oil. Finally apply oil to the surface of the dough and close with a lid. Let it rest for at least 3 hours.


5. Use a wire mesh to cook the naan directly over flame.
6. Pull an orange size of dough. Sprinkle flour on the rolling board.Use a rolling pin and form any shape you prefer. I have an oval shape here.
7. Sprinkle water onto the hot tawa and immediately place the naan over the sizzling water and close with a lid. The water will make the naan to stick to the tawa thereby giving it a smoky flavor as there is no way for the steam to escape. The flame should be high. Do not cook over low flame.

8. Give it a few seconds and insert a spatula under the naan to release it and flip it on to the mesh to cook it directly over the flame. The uncooked part should be facing the flame.




9. The Naan cooked directly over the fire will look like this. Transfer it to a plate and serve hot.

Variations:
1.To make Butter Naan: Replace the oil with melted butter in Step 4 and continue to the end. Finally brush the side that got directly cooked over the fire with more melted butter and serve.
2.To make Garlic Naan: In step 4 along with flour add a tbsp of garlic powder to make the dough and continue cooking. Mix another tbsp of garlic powder to the melted butter and coriander leaves if you are adding and brush the naan before serving.
* Replacement for Garlic Powder: In case you do not get garlic powder, you can use finely chopped garlic cloves instead. But if you do not like the pieces in your mouth, you can pound a few garlic cloves or use homemade garlic paste and let it steep in the milk that you use for kneading. Remember to filter the milk to use before kneading.

Tips:-

1.We can wheat flour also but use it in the ratio of 3 : 1 i.e., 3 parts all purpose flour and 1 part whole wheat flour. All purpose flour gives the dough more elasticity than the whole wheat flour and does not become sour too quickly if you let it rest for longer duration.

2.The general rule of thumb to get softer Naans that do not turn into plastic Frisbees is to use 50% of liquid to the quantity of flour we use. If you note the ingredients, I have used 1 cup of liquid (yogurt and milk together) for 2 cups of flour. Use milk instead of water for a good taste.

And after all the hard work enjoy a sumptous meal..............