Chickpeas and Paneer in a Spicy Creamy Gravy

I was browsing through starred items in my google reader the other day and came across this mouthwatering creamy chickpea and paneer dish from Sunita's Kitchen that I have been meaning to make for a while now. I usually visit my friend Basil on Saturday night and as he loves paneer as much as I do, I decided it was time to make this delicious dish. As usual, I have modified the original recipe somewhat to suit my own preferences. Thanks for the idea Sunita!

If the winter blues are getting you down, this dish is certain to cheer you up. The only positive thing I can say about the snow is that it gives me a chance to get some exercise with all of the shoveling that needs to be done lately. I am especially eager for spring this year. Let the global warming begin!

This is my entry to My Legume Love Affair, a popular monthly event started by Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by Mirch Masala.
Chickpeas and Paneer in a Spicy Creamy Cashew Gravy

1 1/2 cups of dried chickpeas
400 grams of paneer, cut into cubes and fried in oil and evenly browned
1 cup of cashews
2/3 cup of cream or milk
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon of saffron
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
3 - 4 green chilies, chopped
2 tablespoons of ghee, or a mixture of butter and oil
1 teaspoon of sugar
a small handful of dried curry leaves or a bay leaf
2 - 3 whole red dried chilies
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
3 black cardamon pods, split in the middle
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of garam masala
1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
1 2/3 - 2 cups of water
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt

Soak the chickpeas overnight in enough water to cover. Drain, transfer to a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and then cover and simmer until the chickpeas are buttery soft - roughly 1 hour. Drain and set aside.

Using a blender or a large mortar and pestle, make a paste of the onions, garlic, ginger and hot chilies. Add a bit of water if necessary to blend.

Soak the cashews in the cream with the saffron for 30 minutes or so. Transfer to a blender or mortar and pestle, along with the tomato and process until the mixture is turned into a paste.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, curry leaves, sugar, whole red chilies and cardamon pods. Stir and fry until the mustard seeds turn grey and begin to pop. Add the ground cumin, cayenne, crushed red chilies and turmeric to the pan, stir and then add the onion / garlic paste. Stir and fry until most of the liquid is evaporated.

Add the chickpeas to the pan and stir and fry for another 5 minutes or so. Now add the cashew / tomato paste, fried paneer, along with the water, parsley, garam masala and salt, and simmer until the gravy is thickened. You may need to adjust the amount of water to achieve your desired consistency.

Serve with rice or an Indian flatbread such as roti or naan.

Serves roughly 6.



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Light and Creamy Ricotta Pancakes

Ricotta cheese lends delicious warmth and creaminess to make these pancakes a perfect way to greet a cool early spring morning. Light and fluffy besides, a thorough and patient beating of the egg whites with an electric hand mixer is essential … I still can't quite believe that I used to beat egg whites by hand with a whisk, but it is good exercise for the arm.



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Creamy Mung Dal Curry

Craving mung beans, I happened across this post for Methi Moong Daal from Red Chilies that inspired me to come up with a creamy mung bean curry that I served with Lemon Brown Rice. My sweetie came home from work and was delighted with the aroma of the ingredients. A perfect meal, especially when served with some roti if you are particularly hungry.


1 cup of mung beans (moong daal)
1/2 cup of split mung beans
a few teaspoons of oil or ghee
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon of asafetida
1 small onion, chopped
3 green chilies, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced or grated
a small handful of dried curry leaves
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1 can of coconut milk (400 ml)
a small handful of dried fenugreek leaves (methi)
juice from one small lemon
salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Soak the whole mung beans overnight in enough water to cover. Soak the split mung beans for a few hours in enough water to cover. Drain the whole mung and split mung, transfer to a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover and simmer until the beans are tender - roughly 40 - 60 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Stir and fry until the mustard seeds turn grey and begin to pop. Now add the turmeric, cayenne, ground cumin, ground coriander and asafetida. Stir and then add the onion, green chilies, curry leaves and ginger. Stir and fry for a few minutes.

Now add the tomato and cook for another few minutes.

Add the cooked mung beans to the pot, along with the coconut milk, methi leaves, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and roughly 1 cup of water. Bring to a partial boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 5 - 10 minutes.

Serves 6

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