Kadai Paneer

1. Dry roast coriander seeds and 2 red chilis until the aroma is released; cool and grind to a coarse powder.
2. Heat oil in a large pan over high flame and fry garlic cloves, black peppercorns, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, and the remaining red chillies. Stir for a few seconds until the aromas release.
3. Saute onions until translucent. Turn the flame to low and add green chilies, garlic paste, and ginger paste and continue stirring until the rawness of garlic disappears.
4. Add tomato and tomato puree and stir for another 3 minutes or until the mixture starts separating from the oil. Add ground coriander powder, garam masala, Kashmiri red chili powder, and salt. Add ½ cup water and let simmer for 2 minutes.
5. Gradually add paneer and capsicum and cook for another 3 minutes.
6. To get the smoky flavor, heat oil in a small dish, place a piece of coal and immediately place the pan into the kadai paneer and cover.

Note: the smoke from the coal infuses with the dish and gives that delectable smokiness to the dish.

7. Remove the dish containing oil and coal and enjoy smoky, spicy, and tasty kadai paneer with hot parathas or naan!

Trivia

The word paneer originated from Persia. The word ‘panir’ in Persian, the word ‘peynir’ in Turkish, the word ‘panir’ in Armenian, and the Azerbaijani word ‘panir’ all are derivatives of the word paneer, which refers to any kind of cheese.