Paneer & Mixed Veg in Creamy Gravy & a MeMe

I'm so excited since I saw my recipe mentioned in one of the most beautiful websites, The Travellers LunchBox, just wanted to share this exciting news with my blogger buddies!

It made my day :) After all it is all about me, me, me... believe me when I say I was never so vain ;)
If you have not yet checked out this website, please do so, even if only to ogle at the luscious pictures!!

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I've been tagged by my buddy Sig of Live To Eat fame for 7 random facts MeMe. Though I can never figure out what to write in these meme's, here are some random facts about me that I could think of real quick :)
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1. I'm very fond of stand up comedy. Have spent many a late night watching stand up comedy on HBO and can never get enough of it. Such is my obsession with it that I've setup my morning alarm to one of the funny comedians, eddie izzard, I wake up to the sound of 'cake or death...', if you know what i mean ;) ......
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2. I've always been very fond of the stage! Loved to watch all the different plays back home and was lucky to get to watch some well known artists perform. This fondness continues and one of my summer hangouts is watching musicals, be it Broadway or local theaters.

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3. A couple of winters back, it took me SIX hours to drive back home from work during a snow storm, usually it's a 35 minute drive! I was scared and frustrated, I think it has put me off snow for good :(
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4. Love to read, non-fiction only, please! I believe in mind over matter and am amazed at the inspiration drawn by current authors from our ancient books. I also love to read & re-read books on nutrition & food pairing/combination, not sure how much I incorporate though :) Got the reading habit from my dad, the only thing he buys when he travels anywhere in the world are books! He has a huge library back home and currently he is writing a book. I also have a fascination with learning different languages.
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5. I like to observe people. When waiting for food in a restaurant I'll be busy observing people and drawing my own conclusions, while others on the table are getting impatient for food ;) I've to be reminded to finish my food and stop gazing at the other tables :)
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6. I'm very fond of coriander chutney and mint chutney :) Though it takes me a minute to grind the chutney, it takes me a long long time to clean the greens! I'm embarrassed at the water wastage when making this chutney. Somehow I never seem to get them clean enough, luckily for me, this OCD is limited to the greens only :)
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7. I'm very protective of my kid sis (who is not a kid anymore, but..). She laughs it off saying that in spite of being so far away I manage to keep a tab on her every moment ;)
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I now tag Archana, The Cooker, Sia, Tee , Shilpa and Sunita. Please feel free to play only if you have the time & the inclination, no pressure there :)
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And now for the Recipe Of The Day - Paneer & Mixed Vegetables in Creamy Gravy!

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I make this delicious dish when I'm looking for a change from the usual tomato gravy. This is a quick dish, no grinding of any kind involved :)

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2 cups chopped vegetables ( I use carrots, red bell pepper, peas, beans, cauliflower)

1/2 cup paneer, chopped

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 cup milk/cream/half n' half/evaporated milk (adjust as per gravy requirement)

(use any ONE of the above as per your diet constraints, needless to say cream tastes the best)

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp minced green chili

2 tbsp oil

Tadka: 1/2 tsp jeera(cumin seeds), hing(asafoetida), 1 bay leaf, 1 small piece cinnamon

1 tbsp coriander seed powder,

pinch turmeric,

1/2 tsp garam masala,

1/2 tsp chili powder(optional)

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1. Heat oil, add jeera, hing, bay leaf, cinnamon. Add onion & fry a few minutes. Add ginger paste, chili paste, coriander seed powder, turmeric, red chili powder (if using) and fry for a few seconds, add a few tbsp water if the powders starts sticking to the pan.

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2. Add chopped vegetables and salt, cover and cook till done, but still crunchy. You might need to add some water to cook the vegetables.

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3. Add paneer. (You can fry the paneer and add, I do not). Add milk/cream and garam masala. Simmer a few minutes and garnish with coriander leaves.

A quick delicious dish is ready in a hurry!!

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Enjoy Paneer & Mixed Veg with Paratha/naan or Pulav.

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NOTES:

Cashew and raisins can be added to the tadka to make it richer :)

To save time you can steam the vegetables and add to the tadka.

If using just milk, a thickener like cashew powder, khus khus powder, maida etc may be used as per taste.

You can pretty much use any combination of vegetables, just carrot, peas & paneer tastes good as well!

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