Panir Tikka Masala

I'd just roasted and blended the spices for a fragrant curry powder when, sapped of energy at the end of the day, I couldn't quite face making the beautiful but rather complex Indian recipe I'd planned to cook for dinner.

So I quickly improvised and spiced up Marcella Hazan's famous Italian Tomato Sauce ( which is a real gem and a model of simplicity ), I gently simmered the cubes of panir in this. A dish was born which I will happily eat again.

It is essential to make a curry powder from scratch for this recipe so have posted Ani's again .

Serves one generously. For 2-3 people double the recipe.

Ingredients:

Half a packet of Gopala Panir cut into smallish cubes (150 gm)
1 can of Italian tomatoes in their juice ( 400 gm) I used Chantal Organic which has no added salt.
1/2 medium onion (peeled) and chopped into quarters.
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tbsp of grated ginger
1 teaspoon of Anis's freshly made curry powder ( or more to taste)

Method:

Empty the can of tomatoes and their juice into a saucepan.
Add all the other ingredients except the panir cubes.
Let simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, then add the panir.
Continue gently simmering for another 20-30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to your liking.
From time to time stir and  crush the tomatoes with the back of a spoon.
Keep the heat low to prevent burning, If the mixture dries out too much add a little water.
Lift the onion out before serving (optional)
Pour into a bowl.
Garnish generously with coriander leaves.


Nick sent me this great recipe which he learnt at a cooking class in Mysore, India recently.

Ani's Curry Powder
Ingredients:

Dry red chillies       50 gm

Coriander Seeds    4 Tbsp

Cumin Seeds          1 Tbsp

Fenugreek seeds     1 Tbsp

Cloves                     5 

Cinnamon                1 incl piece

Cardamom               3 pods whole

Curry leaves (optional)  2 sprigs

Dry roast all the ingredients in a wok on medium flame stirring constantly.  Cool the mixture and blend into a rough powder in a dry coffee grinder. Store in an airtight box.

I made two small alterations to this recipe . I used 50 gm of red chilli powder from Kerala, instead of the dried red chillies , which is not so hot.

And I also, after roasting, ground the spices more finely and sieved them once blended. Then I stirred them into the Kerala chili powder.

If you make Ani's original recipe go easy on the amount of curry, start small and adjust to your taste.

The Gopal Panir I used is quite firm, If I was using softer home made panir I'd add it towards the end of cooking.

The Chantal canned tomatoes I used had no added salt. This recipe did not need it.

Nick suggested I could have added some sliced red peppers. good idea!

If you have never tried panir before do try it, starting with this uncomplicated recipe. As it said in the Sunday Star Times this weekend:

"Forget haloumi, It's Indian cousin is more delicious, less squeaky, more affordable, and easier to cook"