Lata’s Green Masala with Paneer

Lata’s Green Masala with Paneer is a rich paneer dish built around slow-cooked onion, green chili, ginger, garlic, whole spices, cilantro, and sour cream.

The onion mixture and paneer are prepared in separate pans. Mustard seeds and turmeric season the paneer before it is folded into the caramelized onion and whole-spice masala.

Sour cream is tempered with a small spoonful of the hot mixture before being stirred into the pan, a step the source uses to reduce the risk of curdling. Whole spices are removed before serving.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ghee, or 1 tablespoon ghee or butter plus 1 tablespoon light oil
• 1 1/2 cups onions, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh green chilies, chopped
• 5 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• 3 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 12 whole peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves
• 5 cloves
• 2 teaspoons olive oil or ghee
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 3 cups paneer, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 2 cups fresh cilantro leaves, packed and roughly chopped
• 1 cup sour cream

Method

Melt the ghee in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and sauté until caramelized, about 8–10 minutes. Add the chilies, ginger, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, and cloves. In a second small frying pan, heat the olive oil or ghee over medium-high heat, add the mustard seeds, cover, and let them pop for 30 seconds. Reduce to medium, stir in the turmeric for 30 seconds, then add the paneer and sauté for 1 minute. Transfer the paneer to the onion mixture, remove from the heat, add the cilantro, and mix. Remove the peppercorns, bay leaves, and cloves. Stir 2 tablespoons of the hot mixture into the sour cream, then fold that tempered sour cream back into the pan. Serve with rice.