Broccoli and Paneer Masala

One of my new favorites! An India recipe that uses broccoli, has fried paneer and a delicious sauce of coconut milk and tamarind!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, Pure Veg, Vegetarian

Keyword Broccoli, Coconut, Paneer, Tamarind

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Soak 1

Servings

Calories 447kcal

Equipment

Kadai pan or large fry pan
Food blender

Ingredients

3-4 pods Tamarind Pods Enough to make 1 tbsp of thick sauce
1/3 cup Boiling water
1 tsp Jaggery Or honey, sugar or dhaga Mishri
2 tbsp Ghee
15-20 Curry leaves, dried Crushed
2 tsp Black mustard seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp Ginger Fresh, grated
2-3 Mathania Lal dried Chilis
2 -3 Tomatoes Chopped
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Garam masala
2 tsp Coriander powder
1.5 cups Coconut milk
1 cup Paneer Cubed
1 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt
½ tsp Black pepper Fresh ground
1/4 cup Coriander (cilantro) fresh leaves
2 cups Broccoli florets Fresh, cut into florets

Instructions

Vegetable Prep

Chopped the broccoli into bite-size flowerettes; blanche in boiling, salted water for about two minutes to take off the rawness. (Blanche - bring salted water to a boil, add the broccoli, bring to boil and cook at a slow boil for about two minutes. Remove with a strainer and immediately dunk into cold water - you can even add ice cubes - to stop the cooking and maintain the bright green color.)
Coursely chop the tomatoes; set aside.
Peel and grate the ginger; set aside
Peel the tamarind pods (about 3-4 pods); remove the veins from the outside of the fruit. Put in a bowl and cover with about ¼ cup boiling water. Set aside. When you are ready to use, remove the pit/seed from the fruit; mushing with your fingers. Strain through a small strainer to get about 1 tbsp of liquidy brown tamarind paste. Alternatively, use store bought tamarind concentrate paste.
If you use tamarind paste concentrate, you may want to add a bit of honey, jaggery, sugar or even dhaga mishri (2 tsp) to counter a very sour or tangy taste. I find that the pods are usually more sweet and don't need any added sweeteners.
Chop the cilantro and set aside

Masala Curry

Add the ghee to a kadai or large fry pan. Heat and then add the curry leaves (crumble between your fingers to release flavor), black mustard seed, cumin seeds, grated fresh ginger, and dried chilis. Cook and stir to release flavors and the seeds will beginning to pop and crackle.
Add the chopped tomatoes, and over medium/low heat, cook and stir until the tomatoes are soft, about 8 - 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it so they don't burn, stirring frequently.
Add the turmeric, garam masala and coriander powder, stirring and cooking for about 1 -2 minutes to cook rawness off the spices. Add salt and pepper, and maybe a tablespoon of water or coconut milk if the mixture is too dry. Stir to mix and remove from heat.
When the tomato paste mixture has cooled a bit, add to food blender and blend to a smooth paste, adding a little more coconut milk to get a good paste. You can grind the dried chilis if you want the curry very hot and spicy, or remove from the mixture before blending.
Chop the paneer to bit-size pieces; add butter to the empty kadai pan (no need to wash, though) heat and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Remove sautéed paneer with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add more ghee, butter or oil to the kadai pan and add the drained, blanched broccoli, stirring to heat.
Add the tomato paste and coconut milk or coconut cream to the broccoli and stir to mix well. Cover and turn heat low and cook for about 5 minutes or until the broccoli reaches a desired consistency, i.e. soft or crunchy.
Add the sauteed paneer in to the broccoli curry masala, stir to mix well. Remove from heat
Add the tamarind paste and chopped cilantro. Ready to serve!

Notes

Notes about the sweeteners you may choose to use:

Honey is my favorite, if it is raw and natural. Super Ayurvedic Sattvic food. However, you only get the real benefits by adding raw honey after removing from heat. Heat will destroy the good gut bacteria. And this doesn't qualify as vegan, of course.
Jaggery or gur is a natural cane "brown sugar" with minerals, i.e. molasses still in it. Use in the winter because it warms the body.
Dhaga mishri is also cane sugar that has been specifically made according to an ancient Ayurvedic process. Use in the summer because it has a cooling effect on the body. Looks like "rock candy" and has a string in it as a way to seed the sugar crystals.
Stevia - if this is your choice, go for it! Or any other similar sweetener.
Sugar - white refined sugar is my last choice.

As with so many things, how the sweetener is grown, processed and handling in general, can have a huge impact on the bottom line relating to your health. Always choose organic, local and fresh as possible.

Nutrition