CHOLE PANEER

Choley Paneer.... if you are on a low carbohydrate diet, a bowl of this is just perfect for you. Ever since I was caught with diabetes and started on a restricted diet, I look for a bowl full of fulfilling meals that would not easily add to my existing amount of body fat. As a Bengali, my love for rice and luchi / porota / luchi is perhaps by default, hence a restriction on them always leaves me in a "hungry kya?" state. I try to cook for myself something that fills my big tummy and is nutritious too. This choley / garbanzo beans / chick peas are a good source of protein and keep us off those hunger pangs for a long time. 

Though until few years back dried yellow / green peas / matar were more common in a Bengali home than chick peas / garbanzo beans / kabuli chana, it is now common among us. Tagore's Kabuliwala had been more famous to us than kabuli chana. Tears still roll down thinking of the classic piece or the movie seen a number of times. Chobi Biswas was / is unbeatable in that role.

I was thinking of preparing a curry with my two favourite things.... chickpeas and paneer. Hence, I made a hearty curry with chickpea and Indian Cottage Cheese, which we call Choley Paneer. There must be a number of recipes on this but I did it my own way. You can make your own paneer at home but I used the store bought one this time. We usually have it with Indian breads, I had a bowl full of just like that. Let us do this Choley Paneer together.

INGREDIENTS :

Chick Pea : 250gm
Paneer : 100gm
Tomato : 1big [chopped]
Onion : 1big [sliced]
Garlic Paste : 1 tbsp
Ginger Paste : 1tsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Garam Masala Powder : 2tsp

Dry Mango Powder : 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As Required
Cumin Seed : 2pinches
Bayleaf : 1
Coriander Leaves : 2 tbsp [chopped]
Green Chilli : 2-3 [slitted]

Lemon Juice : 1 tbsp
Oil : 2 tbsp

METHOD :

Wash and soak the chick peas in hot water for 5-6 hours. Pressure cook up to 2-3 whistles adding a little od salt. Let cool.

Marinate the paneer cubes with a little of salt.

Heat the oil in a wok. Temper with the cumin seeds, bayleaf. 

Add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown. Add the garlic & ginger paste and fry for a minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir fry until they melt.

Add the coriander, cumin, chilli and turmeric powders, slitted green chillies and stir well. Add the boiled chick peas and fold in well.

Add a big cup of water and cover cook at low heat for about 10 minutes. Remove the cover, add the paneer, fold in well.

Add the garam masala powder, dry mango powder and the chopped coriander leaves. Fold in well and let cook for a minute.

It is done. Transfer to a serving bowl, add the lemon juice & give a stir.

Serve with breads or have it just like that.