On 1st Jan, having just come back from my India holiday, I wanted to make something different for lunch. After browsing the internet, I came across a paneer kali mirch recipe which I decided to modify. Since S is not too fond of Paneer, I decided not to make it the star of the recipe, instead relegating it to a supporting role.

The kick that kali mirch or black pepper gave, added a nice punch to this recipe and the pot was wiped clean at lunch itself!

Kali Mirch Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mixed vegetables (I used potatoes, beans, carrots and cauliflower) chopped into large bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup frozen paneer, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and then drained
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 bulb garlic
• 1 inch piece ginger
• 5-6 green chillies
• 4 cloves
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 inch piece cinammon
• 1/2 cup whisked yoghurt
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp pepper powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tbsp oil or ghee
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

• Heat 1 tbsp ghee or oil and fry the onion pieces until they turn brown, but do not let them burn. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and blend with a little water into a smooth paste and keep aside.
• Make a paste of the garlic, ginger and green chillies and keep aside.
• In the same pan, add the chopped vegetables and cook until they are around 80% cooked. Remove and keep aside.
• Heat the balance oil or ghee and add the cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon one by one, stirring for a couple of seconds before adding the next ingredient. Stir till it’s nice and fragrant.
• Then add onion paste and cook well. Once the onion paste starts to bubble, add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste and saute well.
• Add the whisked yoghurt and keep stirring to ensure the yoghurt does not curdle.
• Now add the powdered spices – coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder and pepper powder. At this point, you can also add some red chilli powder if you like it spicier, but I didn’t add it to this recipe.
• Add the cooked vegetables and salt and let the semi cooked vegetables absorb the sauce. You may also add some water or more yoghurt if the gravy seems dry at this point.
• When the vegetables are cooked, add the paneer pieces and stir well to coat the paneer. If you are making this dish for a party, you can also add cooking cream at this point.
• Cover and it it simmer for around 10 minutes. Add some water if the gravy starts to dry.
• Check the seasoning and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with rice or any Indian bread.