Happy Birthday: Capsicum, Tomato & Paneer

My mom first made this dish on my 16th(?) birthday. It has been a favorite since. Crunchy capsicum, tangy tomato, and all round amazing cheese. This recipe serves 2.

1. Heat ghee or olive oil on medium heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon of cumin.

2. Add finely chopped 1 in of ginger and 2 cloves of garlic.

3. 1/2 a white onion chopped long – cook till translucent

4. Add 1 teaspoon haldi and 1 teaspoon dhaniya powder

5. Add 1/2 green capsicum cut into 1×1 cm pieces. Add the seeds from the vegetable too – that’s where the spicy capsaicin is! Sauté!

6. Add 1-2 small green Thai chill

7. Add a little chill powder or flakes

8. Once the capsicum starts to soften 5-10 mins (you don’t want it too crunchy), add 1 diced Roma tomato (1-2 cm^3 pieces).

9. Add salt. Cook till tomatoes soften (3-5 mins)

10. Add paneer or tofu diced into cubes and top with garam masala. Don’t let paneer cook for more than 1-2 min. Garam masala should not be cooked.

11. Serve with whole wheat tortilla, store bough naan, or home made roti

Paneer

1. Heat 500 ml milk over a slow fire

2. Add 2 tablespoon of vinegar when it is just about to boil

3. The milk will curdle – gently use a spoon to encourage this

4. Strain through a cloth spread over a strainer

5. Squeeze extra water out of the cloth

6. Press paneer in cloth under a pan filled with water (~800 grams of weight) for 20 mins to help the paneer set

7. Paneer can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days.