While we love to indulge in our curries and gravies at the lunch table, it is only one of the rare days that one gets to taste the food of the royals. Oftentimes, we wonder what they ate and how the food was prepared during their time. From meaty dishes to creamy and rich lentil preparations, the vegetarian fare of the royals was no less than the non-veg cuisine. One such dish from the Rajasthani lunch table is Rajwada Paneer.
The soft and moist cubes of cottage cheese, drowning in a thick tomato-based gravy is what best describes this dish. Chef Kum Singh - Executive Chef at Ghoomar’s newest outlet located in Signature Global Mall, in Ghaziabad - prepares delicious Rajasthani delicacies and rajwada paneer seems to be quite the hit. We’ve fetched a recipe for this classic dish from the chef that oozes royalty.
Ingredients:
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 packet cream
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 cumin seeds
• 5 fennel seeds
• 4 melon seeds
• 3 cardamoms
• 3 mace
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1½ tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp kashmiri mirch powder
• Salt, to taste
• 2 green chillies
• 10 cashews
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 onions
• Chopped fresh coriander
• 1 packet paneer (cut into cubes)
Rajwada Paneer
• Soak melon seeds and cashews overnight and make a fine paste.
• Prepare the purée of onion, tomato, and green chilli separately and place them in bowls.
• Heat some oil in a pan and add a pinch of cumin seeds, fennel seeds and bay leaf.
• Soon after the seeds pop, add green chilli paste, ginger paste and garlic paste.
• After a minute, add onion purée to the mixture and stir fry till it turns golden-brown.
• Add tomato puree and melon seed paste and cashew paste to the mixture and mix well.
• Add one tablespoon turmeric powder, one tablespoon Kashmiri mirch, two tablespoons coriander powder and one tablespoon garam masala powder and a little water and mix well.
• Add salt to taste.
• Add whole cashews to the mix with some cream and butter and stir well on medium flame for 5-7 minutes.
• Add paneer cubes and cook for a minute.
• Finally, add some cream and freshly chopped coriander for garnishing and serve hot.