Kadai Paneer
Charred peppers and onion in a coarse, freshly-pounded coriander masala. The dish the kadai was made for.
Method
Amounts inside the steps follow the servings dial, so you never have to hold the arithmetic in your head.
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Pound the kadai masala
Dry-roast the 2 tbsp coriander seeds, 3 dried red chillies and 1 tsp cumin seeds in the empty kadai over a low flame for two to three minutes, until the coriander smells nutty and the chillies darken a shade. Tip onto a plate to cool, then crush coarsely in a mortar.
Coarse is the whole idea. You want visible flecks, not powder.
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Sear the paneer
Warm 1 tbsp of the ghee over medium-high heat and lay the 250 g paneer in a single layer. Brown two faces only, about ninety seconds each, and lift out before it tightens.
Leave it in longer and it turns rubbery. Pale gold is done.
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Char the vegetables
Turn the heat to high, add another 1 tbsp of ghee, and throw in the 1½ bell peppers and 2 onions. Leave them alone for a minute at a time so they blister, three or four minutes in total. They should still snap. Remove.
Cooking them with the gravy later would turn them olive and soft.
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Build the base
Same pan, remaining ghee. Fry the 5 garlic cloves and 15 g ginger for thirty seconds, then pour in the 3 tomatoes with the ¼ tsp turmeric and salt to taste. Cook eight to nine minutes until it darkens, pulls away from the sides, and you see ghee separating at the edges.
That separating fat is the signal the tomato is properly cooked. Rushing here is the most common way this dish goes wrong.
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In goes the masala
Stir in two thirds of your crushed kadai masala and fry for a minute. Hold the rest back.
The reserved third goes in raw at the end, which keeps the aroma sharp.
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Bring it together
Return the vegetables and paneer, add a splash of hot water to loosen, and toss for two minutes until everything is coated. Keep the movement gentle so the paneer stays whole.
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Finish off the heat
Take the pan off the flame. Fold through the 2 tbsp cream, ½ tsp garam masala, the 1 tsp kasuri methi and the last of the kadai masala. Scatter the a handful of coriander leaves over and let it sit five minutes before serving.
Adding cream over a live flame splits it. Off the heat it stays glossy.
Cook’s notes
Coarse, not powder. If you grind the kadai masala smooth it behaves like garam masala and the dish loses the point. You want gritty flecks you can see in the gravy.
Soak shop-bought paneer. Ten minutes in hot salted water before cubing softens the edges and stops them squeaking.
Peppers go in and out. Cooking them through with the gravy turns them olive and floppy. Char them hard, remove, return at the end.
Skip the cream. Finish with two tablespoons of thick yogurt whisked smooth, off the heat, for a sharper version closer to a dhaba.
Leftovers thicken overnight. Loosen with a splash of hot water, not milk, or the masala goes flat.
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