Mutter Paneer with Cauliflower and Eggplant

I guess I go through phases in my cravings because I’ve been eating a lot of Indian lately. Perhaps it’s because the weather’s getting cooler, and I am now able to stand eating hot curries and spicy things. As I mentioned before, anything with paneer makes me happy as the creamy, almost chewy texture has me salivating as I dream of it smothered in tomato gravy. Traditional Mutter Paneer does not usually contain cauliflower and eggplant but as I came across it local at the market, I decided to put it in. I like cauliflower because it adds body to the dish rather than the anorexic version of mutter paneer that you can sometimes come across with a few cubes of paneer and several peas floating in a sea of thick orange liquid.

This version yields a large pot-full that will leave you with enough to share with family, friends and then some more for lunch the next day (which often tastes better because the spices have settled in). Indian Eggplants (the small cute, chubby ones) are used because they are tougher and more fibrous than any other eggplant so that they can stand up to the high heat and longer duration of cooking rather than disintegrating into the abyss.

My mutter paneer is spicy due to the red chilli, earthy because of the clove, cumin and cinnamon, buttery and sweet from the touch of honey. Each cube of paneer is infused with fennel, cumin and peppercorn, so every bite has a lot of veggies and full of tomato-ey creamy flavour. Serve this with brown basmati rice, Spelt Parathas, Naan, or Roti and you will be in Vegetarian Heaven!

Final Product:

 

Ingredients:

200 grams of Paneer, in 1” cubes fried
3-4 Cloves
1 tsp Coriander seed
1 tsp Black Peppercorn,
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Large Onion, pureed
1” Ginger
5 cloves Garlic
2 Bay Leaves
3 Tomatoes, peeled and sectioned
1 spicy chilli pepper
3 small Indian Eggplants, cubed
1/2 head of Cauliflower, cut into florets
1tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 Can Tomato Puree
2 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Turmeric
1 1/2 – 2 cups Green Peas
1 cup Yogurt
1/2 cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
2 Tbsp Honey
3 Tbsp Butter

I know this is a really long ingredient list, but it’s all worth it.

1. Toast the Black Peppercorn, Cumin Seed, Coriander seed and Clove until it starts to smoke. Put it in your mortar and pestle and let it cool.

2. Cut up the cumin fennel black peppercorn paneer into 1” cubes (store bought is fine too)

 
3. Heat some vegetable oil (a couple table spoons) and fry the paneer until golden brown. Do some pan flipping to get as many sides brown as you can, or use a spatula or tongs. Set aside on paper towel.

4. Peel an onion, and cut it into eighth’s and put it in a blender, peel and half the ginger, and add to the blender, then add the cloves of garlic. Add a little bit of water and blitz until ground up. (This might work better in a food processor, but I was too lazy to pull it out. You can also mince everything by hand too)

5. In a large pot, add a little bit of vegetable oil (2 Tbsp or so) and fry 2 bay leaves for 30 seconds. Add onion, ginger, garlic puree

6. Mince one red chilli pepper and add to the onion mixture
 
7. Add crushed spices and sauté all together.

8. Cut up 1/2 cauliflower into florets, and cut up 3 eggplants and add to the pot.

9. Add salt, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and cayenne. Sauté until the vegetables soften a little
 
10. Take the stickers off the tomatoes, cut in half, then into wedges, finally cut the wedges in half. Add to the pot.

11. Stir it all around until the vegetables are almost all the way cooked, but not quite. Add tomato puree. Add about 1 cup of water.

12. Add Turmeric, peas, and yogurt. Stir.

13. Add the fried paneer, and garam masala

14. Chop up cilantro leaves and add.

15. Add honey and I had to add a little more yogurt, but what I said in the recipe is enough. Add butter. And it’s done!