Tickling Palates: Chettinad Paneer Pirattal / Curry

Pirattal is nothing but an equivalent of curry in chettinad slang. This particular paneer pirattal is a coming together of the spices, north and south and a burst of flavors. Though my family loves the usual Paneer Butter Masala and Paneer Makhanwala for side dishes they have become a fan of this ever since I served them. Try this version and you will want to make it again and again and enjoy it to your heart’s content.

You’ll Need:

Paneer – 200 gms

Onion – 2

Tomato – 3

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Coriander leaves, chopped – 4 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Oil – 3 tbsp

For Chettinad Masala (To be ground to a paste):

Freshy grated coconut – ½ cup

Red chilli powder – 2 tsp

Coriander powder – 3 tsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Cardamom – 2

Cloves – 2

Cinnamon – 2

Fennel seeds – ½ tsp

Garlic – 5 pods

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Method:

Cube the paneer. Grind the ingredients of the chettinad masala to a fine paste using little water and keep aside. Chop the onion and tomatoes finely.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seed and let it pop. Add the chopped onions and a pinch of salt. Sauté till the onion turns pink. Now add the tomatoes, 2 pinch salt and cook till the tomatoes soften and turn mushy.

Add the ground chettinad masala paste, salt and mix well. Close with a lid and cook for 5 minutes over a low flame. Do not add water. Mix every 2 min to prevent the masala from burning. Cook till the raw smell goes off.

Add the panner cubes, chopped coriander leaves and mix well. At this stage if the gravy is very thick sprinkle little water and cook for another 5 min so that the entire flavor merge well and the paneer gets coated beautifully with the masalas.

Serve hot with rotis. This is off to the CBB Series ~ Chettinad Cuisine.

Enjoy your Weekend.