Mathura Shimla Paneer
This recipe is a soothing and flavorful recipe. Mathura Shimla paneer brings back memories of a very simple and satisfying meal enjoyed well over a decade ago. It is something that finally has brought me back to the kitchen again. I cannot stay away for long. The kitchen is where I grieve and celebrate.
My Mathura Shimla Paneer Story
I have returned from India with an even deeper sense of loss. At a surface level I go through all the motions. With two young ones I almost have to. Beyond the surface it is difficult. I fuss and fidget. I stare at the pictures and thoughts I want to organize but it does not work well. It is however, in the solitude of my car, that the sense of loss truly takes over. In that quiet space where I cannot pretend to be busy anymore. It will get there.
The garden and cooking is always my solace. Left with a profusion of peppers for the garden – purple, green and yellow, I developed this recipe. A very simple recipe. Mostly about stir fried bell peppers and a simple and thick sauce and the creamy richness of paneer. This recipe is made on a peaceful sunny early fall morning. Another recipe using loads of bell peppers is this Double Bell Pepper Egg Curry
What is Mathura Shimla Paneer?
This recipe is done without onion and garlic. It is a Saatvik style of cooking found in places like Mathura, which is the birthplace of Lord Krishna, It is based on something I had tried on one of my recent visits to Mathura in North India. Another dish of this style is this Matar Paneer. Shimla Mirch is the Hindi word for Bell Pepper. Sans Onion and Garlic cooking is also called Jain Style cooking.
My mother in law cooks and eats in the Saatvik manner. I do cook this way when she visits. It has however take me a lot of trial and error to muster the confidence to post such recipes on this site.
I use a base of cashew nuts and coconut milk to add some richness, and slow cook the sauce for a good 20 minutes to let the flavors deepen. To keep this dish vegan, you can use tofu. In fact, I use tofu or paneer interchangeably for this recipe.
A little about Paneer
Paneer is a fresh cheese, that is made from milk that is curdled and then pressed. It is easy to make your own paneer, but you can buy it at a store. And Tofu makes for a great substitute. As mentioned earlier, in this dish the tofu substitution makes it vegan.
What to Enjoy with Mathura Shimla Paneer?
As I have established, this dish is from North India, so any kind of flatbreads are a good idea. Serve this with a raita and maybe dal, you will have a meal fit for Lord Krishna.
A simple rustic curry made in the satavik style of Indian cooking, without any onions or garlic.
Ingredients
- 2 fresh ripe tomatoes
- 11/2 inch piece of fresh peeled ginger
- 1/2 cup cashew nuts or melon seeds
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon asafetida
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon red cayenne powder
- 2 tablespoons yogurt
- 2 cups of store bought paneer (cut into 1 inch pieces)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 bell pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Coarsely chop a tomato and place in the base of a blender, add about 1 inch of the ginger into the blender, add in the cashew nuts and coconut milk and gradually blend into a smooth paste. This will need some initial pulsing and scraping down the mixture.
- Heat the oil and add in the cumin seeds and wait until the seeds begin to sizzle, add in the asafetida and turmeric and red cayenne pepper and stir well. Add in the tomato cashew paste and cook low and slow for about five to six minutes, allowing the mixture to dry out. Add in the yogurt and cook until absorbed. Add in 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and cook down again.
- Add in the paneer and the salt and 1/2 cup water and simmer the mixture for five minutes.
- Chop the remaining tomato, into chunks and chop 3/4 of the tomato to match these chunks and add into the sauce with the fenugreek leaves if using and cook for 5 minutes.
- Cut the ginger and the remaining bell pepper into thin strips and add to the mixture and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Turn off the heat, serve garnished with the cilantro.
Tofu in a Roasted Bell Pepper and Coconut Sauce
[…] become more of the norm for me rather than an exception. I have successfully used it dished like palak paneer and mattar panner and these days I have branched out to dishes like the one in this post. Also, […]
Rahul Singh
Nice blog. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe. I have added this in my cooking list and will surely try it.