Paneer Butter Masala with a hint of fresh Methi Leaves

My friends son is worried these days. He doesn't mind getting late to school if mommy grants him few extra minutes to watch his favorite cartoon show in the morning 'Cat in the Hat'. He fears about growing up to become Daddy and go to office. So he pleads with mommy darling to let him watch his favorite cartoon.

I could not stop laughing when my friend told me about it .... I loved the innocence and the genuine fear of growing up and becoming like Daddy !! I am sure we all would have had similar thoughts during our years of growing up.

When I was of his age and I heard my mom and aunts talk during family reunions or even over the phone, I always used to wonder how these women never got tired talking about the same stuff. Their world revolved around their husband, children,in -laws, maid servant, clothes,jewelry, foot wear,hand bags, food, weight gain/ loss etc. I would make faces and pledge that I would never grow up to talk stuff like that. Per me whatever they spoke was boring. My world was all about Disney Princess, story books, Tom and Jerry, Coloring Books etc.

Unconsciously I have stepped into that phase of life where I am like my mom and aunts. My day starts thinking what I need to cook to feed hubby dear. Then as I begin my daily household chores I complain to the people on the other end of the phone about the difficulties of living in a servant less country. For a moment I refuse to accept the life of luxury I lead here ....... yes, I love being a hypocrite. I look for recipes and discuss about my cooking .... sometimes I brag about my culinary skills. I look for Sale and Offers and rush to the stores to get my hands full. I love to call my friends and cousins and boast about the new dress or footwear I bought and check for updates on the latest fashion trend. I look for any fine lines on my face, look for grey hairs and worry about the 'muffin top' that shows up below the old dress. I can talk for hours about calories and healthy eating. Every damn thing that I would have otherwise ignored hurts my ego. I no longer hang on to the Cartoon Network. It is more about Fashion TV, Food Network and Home Decor Channels. I am confined to the food, cosmetic and clothes aisle of department stores. I no longer venture in the Toys Section. Barbies and Dora's of the world no longer catch my attention.

I am sure the Generation Z would be looking at us as a bunch of boring people, the same way we used to do. And I could so much appreciate the genuine concern of my friend's son about growing up.

Preparation Time - 40 minutes

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Cubed Paneer - 2 cups

Fresh Methi Leaves - 2/3 cups

Chopped Onion - 1.5 cups

Chopped Ginger - 2 tsp

Chopped Garlic - 2 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Chopped Tomatoes - 2 cups

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Cummin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Green Chillies - 3

Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Butter for cooking

Sugar - 1 pinch

Salt per taste

Method of Preparation

1 Bring any store bought paneer. Cut it into medium size cubes.

2 Finely chop onion,tomato,ginger,garlic and green chillies. Keep aside.

3 Heat some butter in a kadhai/ pan. Add cumin seeds to sputter. Add the chopped onion,ginger,garlic and chili and fry till golden brown and soft. Now add salt,chopped tomatoes,turmeric powder, red chillie powder, coriander and cumin powder. Keep stirring the mixture. Do not allow it to stick to the pan. Add about half a cup of water and simmer the masala/ sauce for some time.

4 Remove from heat and allow it to cool. Put the masala into a blender and grind it into a fine puree.

5 Add a little more butter (about 1 tsp) to the same kadhai. Add the ground/ pureed masala to the kadhai. Toss the cubed paneer and peas and stir well.Add one pinch of sugar.

6 Add the fresh chopped methi leaves to the gravy. Stir well.

7 Add little water if the gravy is dry and let the paneer simmer in it for 5 minutes.

Serving Tips

Serve hot with any Indian flat bread like Roti, Paratha or Naan.

Notes

If the paneer is in the refrigerator and hard to cube, place the entire paneer packet into a bowl of warm water. This will soften it.

Make sure that you cool down the masala before grinding it.

Variation

Use 3 tsp of canned tomato puree instead of fresh tomatoes.