PUNJABI KADHAI PANEER (Stir-Fried Paneer & Peppers in a Kadhai Masala) - p. 30
This is my favorite from the book so far. I veganized it using tofu instead of paneer. I simmered cubes of tofu in heavily salted water, then let them dry on paper towels before using in the dish, so I did have an extra step, but the recipe is still easy. You make the kadhai masala by toasting and then grinding Kashmiri chiles with whole cardamom, cumin, coriander, and black peppercorn. You also make a purée of fresh tomato with tomato paste. To cook, you start by sautéing red onions and bell pepper, you then add the paneer and kadhai masala and cook for a couple minutes. You are to set this aside and then then use a wok for the next step, but I transferred to a plate and used the same pan. You fry cumin with ginger matchsticks, then add diced white onion, and fry until soft. You add the tomato mixture and let it thicken, then the ground spices. I added salt with the ground spices. This author tends to only mention seasoning at the end, and I like to do it earlier. The paneer (tofu) and pepper mixture goes back in and it all cooks for a bit, with the methi and more ginger going in last. Fresh coriander is added to garnish.
We liked this a lot. I also made note of Amandarama’s substitution of green beans for the peppers, which I think would work well. I’ve been getting both green beans and bell peppers in recent CSA boxes, so it’s nice to have options. We served this with leftover “chicken” curry and cabbage.