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Paneer Makhani with Khaman Dhokla

January 26, 2015 by Katie Bryson 15 Comments

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Paneer Curry with Khaman Dhokla on feedingboys.co.uk

Matthew and I tasted the BEST vegetarian curry we’d ever had at our neighbours’ pot luck party back in December. It was brought along by a colleague of Nisia’s called Zeenat who was really modest about her cooking, but I was determined to get the recipe out of her so we could recreate the experience at home.

The intensely flavoured sauce is warmly spiced and creamy, concealing little chunks of paneer cheese that you could easily mistake for tofu until one pops in your mouth and the flavour of mild cream cheese makes for a pleasant contrast. It’s not a super sweet curry like a korma or passanda, so doesn’t leave you feeling bloated.

Instead of rice it’s incredible served with squares of Khaman Dhokla, which is like corn bread in texture, kind of cakey and made from chickpea flour. On its own it’s quite claggy, but once dunked in the divine Makhani sauce, it’s a pretty special experience.

So I was hugely excited when my neighbour Nisia said that Zeenat had offered to come over to show us first hand how to make the Gujurati dish.

A lesson in Gujarati cooking

So on a chilly afternoon while the boys ran riot around the house, Zeenat took us through step by step how to make her family’s version of Paneer Makhani with Khaman Dhokla. I snapped away with my iPhone and scribbled down notes, so I hope i’m doing Zeenat’s recipe justice. You’ll have to try it and let me know how it works out!

Making the Dhokla part 1

Khaman Dhokla isn’t a bread that you bake, but instead you steam it. Zeenat has perfected this art by finding a very wide pan which she fills the base of with water, and in it sits a couple of half size tins which she also fills with water. You then sit the thali tray on top of these tins, place the lid on top and allow the Dhokla to gently steam until it’s cooked.

It uses a mixture of fruit salt, bicarbonate of soda and citric acid to thicken and rise. It’s amazing the difference it makes to the batter once you’ve added these ingredients. The contents of the bowl doubled and bubbled!

Making the Dhokla part 2

Khaman Dhokla

Makes 2 tins – Serves 8
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 45 mins – 60 mins

Ingredients
3 cups chick pea flour
9-10 tsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
Water
2 tsp fruit salt
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp citric acid

For the dressing
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1.5 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
water

Method

1. Prepare a large lidded pan to act as the steamer for the thali tray. Fill to about 2 inches deep with water and sit 2 empty half size baked bean tins filled with water. Your thali tray will sit on top so make sure it all fits with the lid on.

2. Put the flour, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl and pour in enough water to form a pancake-like batter. You can use your whisk or do it more traditionally by hand, just make sure there are no lumps. Pour half of the mixture into a jug for the second batch.

3. Grease the thali tray with oil, place it in the steamer and turn the hob on under the steamer to heat the water. You don’t want it to be boiling, just simmering.

4. Add a teaspoon each of fruit salt, bicarbonate of soda and citric acid to the batter and whisk quickly as it starts to thicken. Then pour the mixture into the thali tray, put the lid back on, turn the heat up to full and steam for 15 minutes. Turn it down to a medium heat for a further 30-45 minutes. Check with a knife periodically – once cooked the blade should come out clean when you poke it in.

5. Take it out and allow to cool and make the next batch in the same way. Then slice into squares and prepare the dressing.

6. For the dressing: heat a tablespoon of sunflower oil in a small frying pan, then add the mustard seeds until they start popping. Stir in the asafoetida and then turn of the heat. Pour in approx 200ml of water and then spoon over the bread, tossing it to coat.

Cook’s tip: Get ahead and make the bread in advance, then simply wrap in foil and re-heat in the oven, making the dressing when you’re ready to serve.

Making the Paneer Curry

Paneer Makhani 

Serves 8
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 25 mins

Ingredients
300g double concentrate tomato puree
water
50g butter
2-3 bayleaves
5 cardamom pods
10 cloves
8-10 black peppercorns
1 medium cinnamon stick
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp salt (to taste)
1 tbsp chilli powder (to taste)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp sugar
500g cubed paneer
1-2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves, crumbled and stalks removed
284ml pot single cream
chopped coriander, to garnish

Method

1. Mix the tomato puree in a bowl with enough water to make a soup like consistency.

2. In a large lidded pan melt the butter over a medium heat and then add the bay leaves, cardamom pods, cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon, garlic and ginger pastes and stir, cooking for around 3 minutes.

3. Add in the puree and mix in with the chilli powder, garam masala, salt and sugar and taste to get the right balance of flavour and spice. Add half a pint of water, and simmer with the lid on for 8-10 minutes. If it tastes too salty at the end of this time, add some more water.

4. Add the paneer, breaking it up along with the fenugreek. Stir it all together and simmer for a further 15 minutes until the cheese softens and absorbs the flavours from the sauce. Just before you’re ready to serve, stir in the cream heating gently and then transfer the curry to a serving dish, garnishing both the curry and the bread with plenty of freshly chopped coriander.

Cook’s tip: Paneer cheese is pretty widely available in supermarkets, if you can’t find it get yourself to an Asian supermarket or why not try and make some. There’s an easy guide over on Maunika Gowardhan’s fabulous blog Cook In A Curry.

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Filed Under: 1 Featured Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Vegetarian

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Comments

  1. Camilla @FabFood4All says

    January 26, 2015 at 1:58 pm

    Oh wow these sounds delicious, we all love curry here so I’m sure my family would love these:-)

    Reply
    • Katie Bryson says

      January 28, 2015 at 10:06 am

      You should def try it out on your family if they love curry Camilla 🙂

      Reply
  2. Kavey says

    January 26, 2015 at 2:16 pm

    I adore paneer makhani, it’s just so comforting and tasty. Love that you cooked it together after asking your friend for her recipe.

    Reply
    • Katie Bryson says

      January 28, 2015 at 10:06 am

      Thanks Kavey… it’s my new favourite curry!

      Reply
  3. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says

    January 26, 2015 at 4:19 pm

    This sounds delicious, although I have still never tried paneer. I really need to change that!

    Reply
    • Katie Bryson says

      January 28, 2015 at 10:06 am

      Thanks Dannii… Paneer is really delicious. I wasn’t sure about cheese in a curry, but it works beautifully.

      Reply
  4. Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says

    January 26, 2015 at 4:28 pm

    This recipe sound so good! Such creative ingredients. I’ll definitely be trying this!

    Reply
    • Katie Bryson says

      January 28, 2015 at 10:05 am

      Thanks Liz… it’s a bit different to what i’d normally write about so I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply
  5. laura@howtocookgoodfood says

    January 27, 2015 at 12:09 pm

    I a doe Paneer so would love this I know. I think learning from other people is often the best way, it just seems so much more authentic and a far more sociable experience. I will try this out on my kids too, they are starting to enjoy curries now, luckily!

    Reply
    • Katie Bryson says

      January 28, 2015 at 10:04 am

      It is great learning from someone first hand.. especially when it’s a technique you’ve not done before. You’re lucky your kids will eat curry… Arlo like the chunks of cheese in this curry so ate far more of it than I expected!

      Reply
  6. Sally - My Custard Pie says

    January 28, 2015 at 11:46 am

    Citric acid? Could you use lemon juice?

    Reply
    • Katie Bryson says

      January 29, 2015 at 4:03 pm

      I’ll have to check that Sally!

      Reply
  7. Emily @amummytoo says

    January 28, 2015 at 5:50 pm

    Wow, that looks amazing and I haven’t served up anything quite like this before so I think it would go down a storm.

    Reply
    • Katie Bryson says

      January 29, 2015 at 4:02 pm

      It’s a bit different eh… and definitely a taste sensation!

      Reply
  8. Jacqueline Meldrum says

    January 28, 2015 at 6:04 pm

    Inside tips nice! Good going getting the recipe. Those are always the best. Bet it tasted great.

    Reply

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About Katie

I’m Katie Bryson – Freelance Food Writer, wife of a strapping vegetarian and mum of two boisterous boys – keeping them all fuelled and trying to stay sane is a daily challenge so I thought I’d share my experiences. Read More...

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