Shahi Paneer and a side of Basmati Rice with Green Beans and Dill

Tonight fellow foodies I'm taking you to the exotic land of India!  Some of you might be wondering what the heck is paneer?  I was first introduced to paneer thanks to Trader Joe's.  There's a frozen meal called paneer tikka masala.  I thought it was chicken, lol, turns out it is a type of cheese very similar to tofu in texture but very tasty.  I was hooked!  We have a vegetarian guest staying with us this week so I thought this would be a good time to try out this recipe. It's a great dish made of simple fresh ingredients.

Shahi Paneer (prep time- 10 min, cook time-30 min)

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• 4 tomatoes, pureed
• 14 oz package of paneer, cubed
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the hot oil until the onions are soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes. 

2. Sprinkle the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and chili powder over the onion and garlic; continue cooking until the seasonings are fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Pour the pureed tomatoes into the skillet; cook until the excess liquid evaporates and the oil separates, 10 minutes. Add the paneer, water, sugar, and salt to the mixture; stir gently so the paneer does not break apart. 

4. Cook until the paneer begins to absorb some of the liquid, about 10 minutes. Stir the cream into the mixture and simmer another 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro to serve.

Basmati Rice with Green Beans and Dill (cook time-15-20 min)

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 (14.5 oz) can vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (14.5 oz) can green beans, cut 
• 1 tbsp dill
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Melt butter in a medium pot and add in rice.  Saute for a couple minutes until rice is covered in butter.

2. Pour in can of vegetable broth, water, dill and salt.  

3. Bring to a boil then put on medium heat and simmer.  After about 5 minutes add green beans and continue simmering until rice is tender.