CAULIFLOWER AND PANEER DALNA
When Dibs and I cook together it becomes a fun filled and exciting activity. We learn from each other and try out new recipes which luckily turn out palatable! We visit restaurants and taste the latest delicacies and critically analyse them before trying them out at home. In short our kitchen becomes a heavily cluttered laboratory whenever she is around. She had just visited us during Christmas when she taught me to cook one more Bengali dish called Dalna. It is an easy and simple curry with no onion or garlic. Today I prepared Dalna using Cauliflower and Paneer and it turned out delicious.
INGREDIENTS
Cauliflower - 1 medium size
Paneer - 200 gm slab
Juicy red Tomatoes - 5 (Finely chopped)
Sesame oil - 4 tbsps
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp (I used my versatile sambar powder)
Salt - 1 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SPICE POWDER
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon stick - 1'' piece
Grind the spices into a fine powder and keep aside.
METHOD
1. Chop cauliflower into big florets, boil them for four or five minutes adding a pinch of salt, drain, and dry them.
2. Heat two table spoons of oil and shallow fry the drained cauliflower florets till dark golden patches appear on them.
3. Cut the Paneer into cubes and fry them till golden in colour in the same oil.
4. Drain the fried Paneer cubes and immerse them in warm water so that the oil is removed, and then drain.
5. Mix the spice powder, turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and sugar into a watery paste adding little water.
6. Heat the remaining oil in the same kadai and splutter the cumin seeds.
7. Stir in the spice paste followed by the chopped tomatoes and stir well. Let the tomatoes cook in its own juice.
8. Cover and cook till the tomatoes become slushy emanating a pleasant aroma stirring now and then.
9. When the tomato becomes like sauce and the oil starts showing up stir in the fried cauliflower and the prepared Paneer and cook for a few more minutes.
Enjoy the delicious Cauliflower and Paneer Dalna with steaming hot rice or rotis.
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