Paneer Shimla Mirch

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 ½ liters whole milk, fat
• 1 lemon(s)
• 40 g ginger
• 40 g garlic
• 4 tbsp oil
• 4 green bell peppers
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 4 onions
• 6 tomatoes
• 6 tbsp tomato paste
• 6 tbsp yogurt
• 4 chili peppers
• 1 tsp cumin, whole
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 bunch of coriander leaves
• some salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

Paneer with bell peppers

1 liter of milk yields approximately 150g of paneer. For the paneer, heat the fresh whole milk (not UHT milk) while stirring. Just before it boils, stir in the juice of half a lemon. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand with the lid closed for 10 minutes. Pour through a coarse cloth placed in a sieve and press out the whey as soon as it is no longer possible to burn your fingers. Open the cloth, add salt to the curd, stir, and then press it out for half an hour using as much pressure as possible, e.g., weigh it down with a full pot. Store in the refrigerator. For the ginger and garlic paste, mix a thumb-thick piece of ginger and about 7 cloves of garlic (each should weigh about 40g). Soak the unpeeled ginger in water for a few hours. Heat the oil and let it cool back to room temperature. Peel the garlic. Finely chop the ginger and garlic and blend in a blender, adding more oil continuously, until the mixture has a mayonnaise-like consistency. To make the Paneer Shimla Mirch, heat the cumin seeds with ghee, oil, or butter in a pan until it crackles. Add the finely chopped green chilies and the not-so-finely chopped onions and wait until the onions start to brown. Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and simmer briefly. Add the tomatoes and wait until they bubble. Remove the pan from the heat, add the yogurt, stir well, and return the pan to the heat. Simmer briefly. Add the remaining spices such as coriander powder, cayenne pepper, and turmeric and continue simmering over low heat. Add a little tomato paste, season with salt, and cook briefly until the sauce thickens. Add the sliced ​​bell pepper (Shimla Mirch). Simmer for 5 minutes. Cut the paneer into small cubes and add it. Simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with rice and/or naan, perhaps with a mango lassi. Personally, I think this dish really tastes good when it’s a decent amount of spice.