Luxurious Delights

As I made my way back from class my mind was on the bare essentials - the aromatics on which the curry base is build: onions, ginger, garlic and chillies and making a nice masala out of it. After all I had to celebrate publishing my first post and joining the ranks of bloggers. That is when the mind started playing tussle - do I go the simple route or do I celebrate? It wasn't really a difficult choice. The idea of making Paneer Butter Masala was really appealing.
Luxurious in Indian cuisine is certainly embodied by this dish. Marinated chunks of paneer fried and then mixed in a rich, creamy gravy - eaten hot with rotis, naan or pulao it brings to mind special occasions celebrated in posh restaurants with family where you would be dressed to indulge and all the thought of nutrition goes out of the window. Of course making it is an entirely different story. Intense minutes were spent researching the internet followed by rifling through the pages of cookbooks on hand. Forgot the cashew so had to go back and buy again. Then was called to attend a birthday party of a dear friend. So by the time the cooking was done we all gathered together for a midnight meal. But it was delicious and not at all bad for a first timer.
The recipe I have listed here is a mellow version with less oil and minus cream[as I do care about diet and stuff but by all means go all out and celebrate if you feel like it].

For the spice paste:

1 medium onion
6 cloves of garlic
1 inch ginger
1 stick cinnamon
1 dried red chilly
4 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 bay leaf
4 tbsp water
Chop onion and ginger coarsely. Crumble the dried red chilly, bay leaf and cinnamon. Blend all the ingredients together till smooth.
For the cashew paste:
7 cashew nuts
1 tbsp of milk
2 tbsp of water
Blend all the ingredients together.
For the paneer marinade:
1 block of paneer cut to bite size squares
1 tbsp red chilly powder
1 tsp turmeric
Marinade the paneer cubes in the spice powders and leave it for a couple of minutes.
And finally for the curry:
3 tbsp oil
the spice paste prepared above
3 tbsp tomato puree
3 tbsp yoghurt
salt to taste
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp garam masala powder
salt to taste
cashew paste prepared above
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp water
Butter and coriander sprig for garnish
Heat oil. Fry the marinated cubes of paneer. Remove.
Sizzle a bay leaf. Add the spice paste and fry for five minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and mix in with the paste. Cook stirring continuously for ten minutes till the raw smell leaves. Remove from heat and stir in the yoghurt. Stir. Add in the salt and the red chilly and coriander powder.
Mix in the cashew paste, garam masala and the milk. Fold into the curry to achieve a creamy consistency with no lumps. This will take about fifteen more minutes. Add in the paneer cubes and the water if the curry is dry at this point. Simmer for five more minutes.
Serve with a dollop of butter and a sprig of coriander along with naan or roti and a bottle of Coco-Cola.