Cottage Cheese in yogurt gravy

Soft cottage cheese cubes ( aka paneer)- in an aromatic light yogurt gravy.

Super quick and easy and comes together in less than 20 mins.

Paneer is a staple in many households in India. Its a vegetarian source of protein made out of curdling milk. Kinda like cheese...well is it cheese!!:) From the famous paneer tikkas to paneer butter masala, that all time famous Indian dishes among others, the beauty of paneer is , that it takes on flavors really well. This dish, is something that I have made a number times. There is one more noteworthy feature of this dish- its without any onions and garlic. Again , lots of cultures in India tend to stay away from onion and garlic and this dish fits perfectly well , without compromising on flavor. So here you go.

Paneer- aka Cottage Cheese in Yogurt Gravy

Ingredients

Everything is pretty customizable and you can adjust flavorings according to the your own taste preferences.

12 oz. of Paneer, diced
2 tomatoes- chopped
1 tbsp of chopped ginger
1 green chilly chopped (optional)
1 cup of yogurt
1 tbsp. ghee or olive oil

Spices:

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4th tsp Red chilly powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Kasoori meethi or dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 tbsp. Cumin seeds (jeera)

Directions

in a bowl whip the yogurt with all the spices except the Kasoori Meethi and the cumin seeds. Set aside.
Heat oil/ghee in a pan.
Add the cumin seeds and wait for it to sizzle and crackle.
Add the diced tomatoes along with the ginger and green chilies.
To this add the yogurt and spice mix.
Note the gravy will sizzle and you might see the yogurt separate out a bit. That is totally ok and adds to the flavor of the gravy.
Reduce the heat and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
Now add the diced paneer pieces, along with a little water.
Cover and cook for 5 mins.
Sprinkle the kasoori meethi, and simmer for an additional minute or so, till the gravy is of a desired thickness.
Turn of heat and garnish with cilantro.