Click on the image, above to submit to Pinterest.
Paneer Jalfrezi
Paneer Jalfrezi is a modern British recipe (from British Indian Restaurants) for a classic spicy jalfrezi curry that uses paneer cheese rather than meat as a primary ingredient. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Paneer Jalfrezi.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
30 minutes
Total Time:
50 minutes
Serves:
4
Rating: 
Tags : CurryBIR CurriesChilli RecipesVegetarian RecipesSpice RecipesCheese RecipesBritish Recipes
Ask my wife, and she will confirm that I love my cheeses and I'm also a great fan of paneer-based curries. Paneer is an Indian curd cheese and when fried it makes an excellent base for a curry. As jalfrezi is one of my favourite curry styles. This is the British Indian Restaurant (BIR) version of this classic vegetarian curry but it's made without the base gravy. However, a base gravy equivalent is created in the cooking pot during the process of preparing the curry.
Ingredients:
Oil for deep frying
1 tbsp ghee
3 Indian bay leaves
500g (1 lb) diced paneer cheese
2 medium onions, diced
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp garlic, pounded in a mortar
1 tbsp ghee
400g (14 oz) fresh, ripe, tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp methi (dried fenugreek)
2 Handfuls of coriander (cilantro), coarsely chopped
1 tsp English mustard
For the spices:
¾ tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp curry powder (Madras is good)
½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp chilli powder
For the Tempering:
1 tbsp cumin seeds
½ green bell pepper, sliced
½ red bell pepper, sliced
6 green finger chillies, sliced lengthways
½ tomato, sliced into 4 wedges
Method:
Half fill a kadai or wok with oil. Half fill a large bowl with lukewarm water. When the oil is hot, add in the cubes of paneer and fry, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon, for 4-5 minutes until golden brown on the outside. At this point remove with a slotted spoon and drop into the bowl of cold water. This keeps the paneer soft and stops it from becoming tough and chewy. Note that you may need to deep fry the paneer in two or more batches.
Turn the heat off from underneath the oil. Place a wok or curry pan over high heat. Add 2 tbsp of the oil used to fry the paneer as well as 1 tbsp ghee. As soon as the oil is hot add in the bay leaves and the onion. Stir to coat in the oil then add the salt and stir to combine. Fry for about 5 minutes, until the onions are lightly golden then add 6 tbsp hot water (this prevents the onions from sticking) and cook for 3-4 minutes more.
Add in the ginger-garlic paste and the smashed garlic. Stir to combine with the other ingredients then reduce the heat to low. Add all the spices and stir to form a thick paste. Cook for 40 seconds, until the spices are no longer raw. Immediately stir in the chopped tomatoes (and any juices).
Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down. At this point stir in 250ml (1 cup) boiling water. Increase the heat to medium and cook, covered, for 5 minutes, stirring half way through until you have a nice thick gravy. Add in the paneer cubes (drain the water) and stir to coat in the gravy. Adjust the seasoning to taste by adding more salt and garam masala as needed.
Crumble over the methi (dried fenugreek) and stir to combine. Scatter over a generous handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves then stir to combine.
Place a frying pan over high heat and add 1 tbsp ghee. When hot add the cumin seeds and fry until they begin to splutter then add the bell pepper slices. Stir fry for 1 minute then add the chilli slices. Cook for about 1 minute more until the bell peppers are soft but still al dente. Add in the tomato wedges.
At this point stir a tsp of English mustard into the main curry. Now add the bell pepper and chilli mixture to the main curry. Stir gently to combine then garnish with another handful of chopped coriander (cilantro). Continue cooking over very low heat for 3 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
Transfer to a serving bowl and bring to the table.
