Ghugni ( Yellow Peas Curry )

Today I will share the recipe of a street food from Calcutta. Known as the cultural capital of India, Kolkata can also be named as capital of street foods in India. Life in Kolkata would be quite boring if you don’t indulge yourself into its street food. You will miss that extra flavor to life added by these delicious foods like Jhal Muri, Kathi Roll, Mughlai Paratha and many others. I am sure these names itself made your mouth water.

The one I will present today is called Ghugni, one of the best street foods in Kolkata and rest of the Bengal. It would be difficult to find a school in Bengal with no temporary shop selling Ghugni during the lunch break. Students gathered around the shopkeeper desperately trying to get a plate of Ghugni is a very common picture outside the schools. I think all of us can still smell the taste of Ghugni from that particular shop and have interesting stories centered around  that shop. Even though it’s popular as street food, this recipe can easily be replicated at home. Every Bengali home enjoys their own home-made Ghugni as an evening snack or during breakfast on a special weekend. Most of the times it’s served with Poori, Luchi or puffed rice. But sometimes people like just a bowl of Ghugni sprinkled with finely chopped onions, green chilies with lime juice.

For my non-Bengali friends, you can think Ghugni as yellow chickpeas curry. Dried white or yellow peas is cooked with a spicy gravy. Ghugni has different versions, some include meat such as lamb and goat. In Bengali we call that “Mangsher Ghugni”.  Today what I made is vegetarian version but has onion and garlic in it.  Sometimes it is cooked without onion and garlic too. Whether it’s vegetarian or non-vegetarian , Ghugni is yummy both way . Making Ghugni is not a huge deal, but tricky part is boiling the peas. You shouldn’t over-boil it so that thin skin of the peas floats over. Cooking the yellow peas to perfection is the main key of making Ghugni. So when you make Ghugni follow my instructions religiously :) 

Recipe of Bengali Ghugni , serves 4

Ingredients :

Yellow Peas : 1 cup 
Potato : 1 potato, diced in cubes 
Onion : 1, medium sized, finely chopped 
Ginger paste : 1 teaspoon 
Garlic : 1 tablespoon 
Tomato : 1, chopped 

Oil : 2 + 3 tablespoons
Dry Red Chili : 1 
Green Cardamoms : 3
Cinnamon Stick : 1 inch 
Cloves : 3 
Turmeric powder : 1 teaspoon 
Cumin powder : 1 teaspoon 
Coriander powder : 1 teaspoon 
Kashmiri Red Chili Powder : 1 teaspoon 
Red chili powder : 1 teaspoon 
Salt : 

For Bhaja Masla :

Dry Red Chili : 1
Whole cumin seeds : 1 tablespoon 

For garnishing :
Chopped Onion- chopped green chilies- chopped cilantro, wedges of lemon and bhaja masla ( optional ) 

Method :

To make Bhaja Masla (roasted spice powder) : Take a pan, heat it up, add 1 tbsp of whole cumin seeds and a whole dry red chili and dry roast them until they are fragrant. Let it cool down at room-temperature, then grind them to a powder. 

1. Wash the yellow peas and soak it for at least 3 to 4 hours, preferably overnight. Then pressure cook the peas with salt and turmeric powder on medium flame, wait for 2 whistles, turn off the gas and let the steam release automatically on its own, then Open the lid. The peas should be well cooked but not mushy.

2. In a big pan put 2 tbsp oil, once oil is hot, add the potato pieces. When the color of potato starts to change into golden yellow, remove it from the heat and set it aside. 

 3. In the same pan, add oil. When oil is ready, put whole dry garam masala (cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves) and add the whole dry red chili.

4. Once they are aromatic and start to spatter, add the chopped onions. Stir it and add little salt. In few minutes, onion changes its color to golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger paste.

5. Stir and cook it, until the raw smell goes off. In a small bowl, take turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, kashmiri red chili powder, 1/2 tsp sugar add 2 -3 tbsp water into it and make a paste.

6. Add the mixture into the pan. Keep stirring until the oil starts to come out from the side of the pan. Add the tomato pieces and little salt. 

7. Once the tomato gets soft, Add the potato and peas, again give some stirs and mix it well at medium flame.

 8. Add salt and one or two cups of water ( in which the peas are boiled ). Cover it with lid and let it simmer. Once everything is well cooked (yet peas and potato cubes hold their shape ), check the seasoning, check consistency, adjust accordingly. Add 1 tablespoon of bhaja Masla and mix it well.

9. The consistency of Ghugni should not be too dry or too runny. Turn off the gas, pour it on a serving bowl, sprinkle some chopped onions, chopped green chilies, chopped cilantro and few drops of lemon juice or Tentul jol ( tamarind water ) and bhajamasla.

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Panchmel Dal / Pancharatna Dal ( Mix of Five Lentils )

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Lentils/Dal form an important part of any Indian meal. Different variety and styles are used in different parts of the country. It means that you can try a different one every day.J Usually served as a side dish, it’s a tasty way to get your protein for the day.

Panchkuti / Panchmel Dal is a traditional lentil dish that was originated in Rajasthan. This tasty and nutritious dish of Rajasthan is a staple in almost every household in Rajasthani cuisine. Though it is generally served with famous Dal Batti, but also goes well with hot steamed rice or with Indian flat bread. Considered as extremely nutritious, a protein packed dish as it contains the goodness and nutritive qualities of 5 different lentils/dals. Panchamel dal is also known as panchratna dal. The word Panch means five and Ratna means jewels.J 

So as the name suggests, it is prepared from five different lentils. Split Urad dal, chana dal, whole masoor dal, split moong dal and toor / arhar dal are commonly used. Other ingredients that make this dish richer in taste and flavor are chopped tomato, cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds, chopped green chilies, turmeric powder, grated ginger, lemon juice and some chopped cilantro. The lentils are first cooked in a pressure cooker till they are soft and then simmered together with other ingredients. 

First time I made this dal when I had small quantity of different dals in my kitchen. I was trying to use all of those together and so was searching for the recipe. I found the following one and tried out. The result was so delicious and aromatic that it has now become a favorite at my home. I have made few alterations, used onion and garlic, though it is delectable even without them. I have used pink lentil / Masoor dal in the place of whole masoor.

If you are in India, then you will get 5 different dals in one packet in most of the popular retail stores. Or you can also try with whatever variety you already have in your pantry. You would love the final product anyway J

Recipe of Panchmel Dal / Pancharatna Dal ( Mix of Five Lentils ) : serves 5 

Ingredients:

Mixed Dal / Lentils : 1 cup ( equal amounts of chana dal, green moong dal, masoor dal, Toor / arhar dal, urad dal)

Oil : 3 tablespoons
Asafoetida (hing) : 1/4 teaspoon
Cumin seeds : 1/2 teaspoon 
Red Chilies : 1 ( broken )
Green Cardamom : 3
Cinnamon stick : 1/2 inch
Cloves : 2 

Onion : 1 small one, finely chopped 
Garlic : 1 tablespoon, finely chopped or paste ( you can skip onion and garlic )
Ginger :1 teaspoon, grated 

Turmeric powder : 1/2 teaspoon
Red chili powder : 1/2 teaspoon ( as per your tolerance )
Coriander powder : 1 teaspoon 

Tomato : 1 medium, chopped 

Salt : to taste 
Cilantro : a handful, chopped 

Method :

1. Wash and soak all the lentils in water for half an hour. Now take the dal in a pressure cooker, add 3 to 4 cups of water. Close the lid and let it cook until 3 whistles come. You may cook the dal in a pot or a sauce pan, but it will take lot of time. Once dal is well-cooked, set it aside.

2. Take a big pan, add oil and heat it up. Add cumin seeds, green cardamoms, cinnamon stick, cloves and broken red chili to the pan, wait until they are fragrant. Now add asafoetida. 

3. (If you are using onion and garlic) Add chopped onion, stir it until it is translucent. Add the garlic, cook till the raw smell goes off. 

4. Add ginger, stir and mix it. Now add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Stir it until oil starts coming out from the sides of the pan. Add the chopped tomato, add salt and cook it until tomato becomes soft. 

5. Once the spices are well cooked, add the cooked dal. Add salt, add water to get the right consistency. Simmer the dal for another 8 to 10 minutes.

6. Check the consistency, check seasoning. Add a handful of chopped cilantro and switch off the gas. Serve hot with rice or Indian flat bread.

Related Recipes, you also might like :

Yellow Mung with Bell Pepper

Bengali Style Cholar Dal

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Malai Kofta ( Cheese Balls in a Creamy Tomato Sauce )

I am going to share a traditional North-Indian dish, which I learnt from one of virtual friends, like many other dishes. Cooking was not really fun for me until I moved to a new place after getting married and started missing home-made food. So I started following recipes from my friends or sometimes I used to visit different blogs or communities in social networking sites. Those were the days of Orkut before Facebook was born and took over the reins.  Most of the recipes in my blog except few baking one were not successful at first trial but learnt them through trial and error method. I always face difficulties when I cook Indian curry to get the perfect texture and taste. Today's recipe is Malai Kofta Curry, one of our favorite North Indian vegetarian dishes. Whenever we don’t feel like having non-veg anymore, we order this dish. This can easily compete with similar non-veg curry like chicken Tikka or butter masala. In any birthday or anniversary party, it can join as the signature vegetarian dish along with your common chicken or mutton preparation and goes well with naan, paratha, pulao or simply with steamed rice.

Kofta is meatball or meatloaf, originated from Iran or other Middle Eastern countries. Probably it came to India during the rules by Muslim Kings. Usually kofta is made of minced or ground meat mixed with spices. But in India, you will find many vegetarian version of this kofta. Apart from Malai kofta, Lauki Kofta and Shahi Aloo Kofta are very popular. They are shaped like balls and are served with a rich and delicious sauce. The dry versions of koftas are considered to be kebabs. This delicious dish is made of Paneer / Indian cottage cheese, stuffed with nuts and raisins and finally cooked in a buttery, creamy sauce. Malai that is cream in English is the secret of richness for this royal dish. Apart from cream, sauce is made of tomatoes and cashew nuts.

 There is numerous ways to cook this rich yet elegant dish. Some sauces use onions while some other recipes use only vegetable dumplings for the kofta, excluding paneer. The sauce can be kept little whitish or spicy red colored. I tried both ways different times and I must say that they both come equally good.

Recipe of Malai Kofta Curry ( Cheese balls in a creamy tomato sauce ) : serves 5 to 6 

Ingredients :

For Kofta ( Cheese dumplings ), for 16 to 18 pieces

Paneer ( Homemade Indian cheese ) : 2 cups

Potato : 1 medium sized, boiled, peeled and mashed

Salt :

Dry Red chili : 1

Whole cumin seeds : 1 tablespoon

Flour : 1 spoon ( if required for binding the koftas )

Stuffing : 

Cashew : 1 tablespoon, chopped

Golden raisins : 1 tablespoon

Oil - for deep fry

For the Sauce :

Butter or Oil  : 5 to 6 tablespoons ( use 1-2 tablespoons more if you want your Malai kofta little oily ) 

Black Cardamom : 1 

Green Cardamom : 3

Cinnamon stick : 1.5 inch 

Cloves : 3 

Methi / Fenugreek seeds : 1 teaspoon 

Ginger paste : 1 tablespoon 

Garlic paste : 1 tablespoon 

Fresh Tomato puree : 3 cups 

Red chili powder : 1 teaspoon or to taste 

Cashew nuts : 2 tablespoon, (1 tablespoon paste + 1 tablespoon chopped )

Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves ) : 1 teaspoon 

Sugar : 1/2 tablespoon or to taste 

Garam Masala : 1 teaspoon 

Salt :

Milk : 1 cup 

Heavy Cream : 1/2 cup 

Method :

1. Dry roast the red chili and cumin seeds until the aroma comes up. Take it off and let it cool down first, then grind it to a coarse powder. Dry roasted spice powder is ready, set it aside. 

2. Take a small bowl, add chopped cashews and raisins. Mix it and keep it aside. 

3.Grate or scramble the fresh paneer, and add salt, dry roasted spice powder and the boiled potato. Mash them, till there is no lumps. The mixture should be tight but smooth. 

4. Add the flour,( if required ) and again combine well. Divide it into 16 to 18 portions and roll them into balls. 

5. Now dig the center of the ball, fill it with little bit of chopped cashew and 1 or 2 raisins. Gently roll it back into a ball and make sure the stuffing is well inside and there is no crack on the surface of the cheese ball. Otherwise, it will be broken or splutter when you deep fry them. 

6. Deep fry the cheese balls, over medium high heat till the color changes to golden brown. Drain it and place on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Cheese ball is ready, set it aside. ( Don't forget to taste it, they are yummy! You can serve the fried cheese balls as an appetizer too ) 

7. For The sauce : Take a big thick bottomed pan, add the oil and heat it up. Add black cardamom, green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Saute for a couple of minutes or until they get aromatic and the sugar melts and changes the color.  

8. Add the fenugreek seeds, once they sizzle add ginger-garlic paste. Saute until they get browned and fragrant. 

9. Add  red chili powder and keep stirring till oil starts to separate from the spice. Add the tomato puree and salt. Cook the mixture over medium heat until it becomes thick and oil again starts separating from the all sides of the pan. 

10. Now, if you want a smooth and creamy sauce, then switch off the gas. Let the sauce cool down, then blend the cooked sauce in a blender. Otherwise keep this stage. Now in the same pan, add 1 tablespoon oil and add the smooth sauce. 

11. Add the cashew paste. Mix it well and add 1 cup of milk. Add the crushed cashew nuts, kasoori methi, and sugar.  Add the fresh cream, mix it well. Cover the pan and simmer it over low flame for 10 to 15 minutes. 

12. Add the Koftas in the sauce in a single layer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. Malai Kofta is ready to serve. Check seasoning, add salt or sugar if needed. Garnish with grated paneer / fresh cream and serve immediately with Pulav or Indian Flat bread. 

Related Recipes : 
1.Dum Aloo
2.Butter Chicken
3.Homemade Naan

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Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Today’s recipe is a soup with vegetables. In general, soups with non-veg items like chicken are very popular. Not many people prefer vegetables soups. Probably you will change your mind after having this one. I never liked vegetables when I were growing up as a kid, no matter how well it was cooked and how yummy they were. Most of the time, I refused to eat anything vegetable with the meal. Rather I loved all kind of crabs and proteins. My son got the same habit from me. He loves all kinds of non-veg dishes but doesn’t like any green stuff on his plate. Though I have changed my choice off late because of my husband who loves all kind of green vegetables and fruits, I am struggling to change my son’s hatred towards anything green. To our surprise, only veg thing he likes is soup.

 He is a big fan of Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup, but won’t touch the same vegetable while served with the meal. This Broccoli Soup is top of my son’s favorite list. Whenever we go to Subway or Panera Bread, he used order this soup and wants me to make the same at home. Recently I found some wonderful recipes for this soup and could make a yummy home-made version of the same. The recipe is quick and simple. This delicious recipe will keep you warm in this cold season. It has addictive cheesy flavor that will tempt you to have more. The soup is creamy and pieces of broccoli are so small that you hardly notice them. It goes perfect with crusty bread. For the rich texture of the soup, I used half and half, you can use whole milk too, and I used sharp cheddar cheese for extra flavor, you may use mild cheddar cheese. But don't forget to use freshly cracked black pepper to spice it up!

Recipe of Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup : Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

Butter : 4 tbsp
Onion ( yellow ) : 1 medium sized ( finely chopped )
Flour : 4 tbsp 
Whole milk : 2 cups
Half-and-half : 1 cup
Vegetable Stock : 1 cup 
Chopped Broccoli : 1 lb (stems removed and discarded, florets cut into bite-size pieces.) 
Shredded Cheddar Cheese : 1 cup, and more for garnish
Salt : a dash
Pepper : ( freshly ground )
Nutmeg : pinch 

Method :

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are soften. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and mix well. Cook for another 1 minute. 

2. Add the milk and half-and-half to the pan and whisk slowly. Add the broccoli, nutmeg, a pinch of salt and the ground pepper. Cover and reduce the heat. Let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Once Broccoli is tender, add the cheese and stir it well. 

3. Now take a blender, add the mixture and keep the blender on low and blend it up, still it will have a good amount of texture. You can puree it completely or use potato masher to break up the broccoli.

4. Finally whisk in the vegetable broth, re-warm it over low heat. Garnish with additional cheese and extra broccoli and serve hot!

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Phulkopir Rezala : Cauliflower in Yogurt Sauce

Here is best time of the year slowly approaching - the festive season. We Bongs already started counting the days before Durgapuja. As soon as those grand four days are over, we start waiting for Diwali, the most celebrated festival in India.  Then the east meets the west. Nowadays Thanks-giving has become so special to us, especially for that longer weekend and mega shopping deals. The festive season ends with Christmas trees, lights, cakes and probably with a short trip to your hometown.

Last week too, we celebrated couple of pujas, Janmastami (birthday of Lord Krishna) and Ganesha chaturthi. Sometimes on these auspicious days, we avoid non-veg food. So I tried couple of good vegetarian dishes. Today I will share one of them - Phulkopi r rezala or Cauliflower Rezala. Pulkopi is the Bengali name for cauliflower and Rezala is a yogurt-based dish with very flavorful, delectable and light gravy. The dish is simply awesome and definitely worth trying.  You can have it either with bread or steamed rice. 

Rezala, introduced in Bengali cuisine by the Nawabs, when they ruled Bengal and its popularity expanded slowly among people. During this Islamic rule, the Influence on the food was top-down, where the common started trying the dishes of the royal court, such as biryani, korma or Rezala. Rezala was mainly used to cook with mutton or chicken. Probably in the modern days, chefs have experimented with vegetable dishes like Cauliflower or Paneer. But the outcome is equally good, no less than any non-vegetarian dishes. Interestingly Rezala has confined itself within Bengal. You won’t find it in rest of the India. So whenever you go to Kolkata, must visit one of those legendary food joints who serve rezala to get its magical aroma.

I have read couple of recipes, but many thanks to my friend Tanaya. I liked her idea of adding charmagaz (melon seeds) paste to the gravy. Here is the recipe, which is very simple and easy to cook. 

Recipe of Cauliflower Rezala : Cauliflower in Yogurt Sauce : Yield 4 servings 

Ingredients :

Cauliflower : 1 medium sized ( cut into medium sized florets )

Cashew nuts ( halved ) : a handful 

Oil :  4 to 6 tbsp

Dry Whole Red Chili : 2 or 3 

Pepper corn : 1/2 tsp

Bay leaves : 2 

Green Cardamom : 2

Cinnamon stick : 1 inch

Cloves : 2

Onion : 1 small ( finely chopped )

Ginger paste : 1 tbsp

Garlic : 1 tbsp 

Poppy seeds : 2 tbsp

Melon seeds ( charmagaz ) : 2 tbsp

Green chili : 1 

Yogurt / curd : 2 tbsp 

All purpose flour ( maida ) - 1/2 tsp 

Salt : 

Sugar :

Garam masala / spice mixture : Take two green cardamoms and a half inch cinnamon stick grind it to a coarse powder.

Clarified butter ( ghee) : 1 tbsp ( optional )  

 Method :

1.  Add poppy seeds, melon seeds ( charmagaz ), a green chili and half cup of water in a blender and make a paste.

 2. Take a wok or a deep pan, add 3 tbsp of oil and heat it up. Once oil is ready, add the cauliflower florets to the pan. Fry it till they are light brown. Once cauliflower is almost done add the cashew nuts and give some stirs. Take both cauliflower and cashew nuts out of the pan and set it aside.

3. Add 1 or 2 tbsp of oil to the same pan, add dry whole red chilies, add bay leaves, pepper corns, green cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves.

4. Once they are fragrant, add the chopped onion, stir it until it becomes light pink. Add ginger and garlic paste, mix it well and cook it until raw smell goes off.

5. Add the poppy seeds - watermelon seeds - green chili paste to the pan, stir everything and mix well, till oil starts coming up from the sides of the pan.

6. Take a bowl, add the yogurt and all purpose flour to it. Whisk the yogurt nicely.

7. Add the yogurt mixture to the pan, add salt and sugar. Stir it and cook the gravy until all are well mixed and oil comes up from the spice mixture.

8. Add cauliflower and cashew nuts to the pan, again give some good stirs.

9. Add half a cup to 1 cup water to the pan and add salt. Put the lid on and let it cook over medium flame. Once cauliflower is well cooked, check the seasoning and desired consistency.  Add sugar or salt if needed.

10. Add the garam masala ( spice mixture ) and a tbsp of clarified butter ( optional ).

11. Cauliflower Rezala is ready to serve, goes well with any kind of bread or rice.

Note : You may try this recipe with Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese ) too.  

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Chhanar Dalna ( Indian Cottage Cheese Curry )

Last week I made Chhanar Dalna after a long gap and I must say that it came out so good, I felt like blessed that day! The taste was so pleasing, so delectable, no other non-vegetarian dish could give the same taste. Chhanar Dalna is a Bengali delicacy, very well-known vegetarian dish of Bengali Cuisine. Chhana is Indian Cottage Cheese and Dalna in Bengali cuisine is a gravy dish where the gravy is thicker. It’s not so runny and sometimes you would find small pieces of potato in most of the dalnas. In Chhanar Dalna, home-made cottage cheese is cooked in very light gravy. It is a pure vegetarian dish that means no onion and garlic is used here. So even my Jain friends too can have this dish J. This dish is perfect on the days of Puja or festival, when you are not supposed to have any non-veg food. 

In chhanar dalna, first you have to make fresh home-made cottage cheese and then make some dumplings with the cheese. Fry them first and then make a curry with some pieces of cubed potatoes with minimal spices. Though it’s a very common dish in West Bengal, still almost every household has their own recipe. Today I will follow the version that I have seen in our family for years. Chhanar Dalna could be made with paneer too, the one you generally buy from stores. If you get bored of making Palak Paneer or Matar Panner, try this Dalna.  But Paneer lacks the softness or same taste that homemade chhana has. Let's come to the recipe.

 Recipe of Chhanar Dalna ( Indian Home-made Cottage Cheese Curry ) Serves - 4 

Ingredients :

For Cheese dumplings / Cheese Balls :

Whole / full fat Milk - 2 liters 

Lemon juice of a big lime or vinegar - 2-3 tbsp or as needed

All purpose flour : 1 tbsp

Sugar - 1 tbsp or as per taste 

Salt - as per taste

Golden raisins - 2 tbsp ( optional ) 

Roasted Spice Powder ( bhaja masla ): 1 tbsp ( For Roasted Spice Powder - Take a tablespoon of cumin seeds, and a whole ( or half as per tolerance) dry red chili. First dry roast it till it becomes fragrant, then grind them into a powder.)

Oil - 4-5 tbsp 

For curry :

Oil - 3- 4 tbsp

Bay leaves - 2 

Nigella seeds ( kalo jeera ) - 1/2 tsp

Whole Dry Red Chili - 1/2 or 1 as per taste

Potato - 2 medium to big sized cut into medium cubes 

Kashmiri Red chili powder - 1 tbsp as per tolerance 

Turmeric powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp

Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

Ginger paste - 1 tbsp

Tomato - a small one ( chopped )

Salt -

Sugar -

Green Cardamom - 1 or 2 crushed 

Method : 

To make Chhana : 

1. Boil the milk in a pan and stir continuously. Once the milk starts boiling, lower the flame. Pour the lemon juice and stir it again. Once the milk starts curdling, and it changes into chhana(cottage cheese) and greenish water, remove the pan from oven.

2. Leave the chhana in this condition for 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Put it over a soft cotton cloth or a cheese cloth. Let all the water drain away.

4. Now put this cloth along with the chhana under running cold water for 2-3 minutes. This will help to remove the smell of lemon.

5. Hang the chhana along with the cloth on the kitchen tap / faucet for 30 minutes. Please note that the Chhana should not get too dry. 

6. Now in a big bowl, take the chhana out. Add sugar, salt, 1 tbsp all purpose flour, 1 tbsp of oil and the roasted spice powder. Mix it nicely and knead them together with your palm.

7. Once you feel oily on your palm, make 10 to 15 balls out of this kneaded Chhana and put a raisin inside each ball, 

8. Add 3 to 4 tbsp oil to a non-stick pan, once oil is hot and ready, lower the flame and add the
cheese balls, shallow fry it until they get nice brown color on both sides. Take out them from pan and set it aside.

9. Add oil to the same pan, once oil is ready, add bay leaves, nigella seeds and add the whole dry red chili ( cracked). 

10. When it starts to spatter, add the cubed potatoes and stir it. Add salt and keep stirring, until the potatoes are light brown.

11. Take a small bowl, add kashmiri red chili powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder and ginger paste. Add 2 tbsp of water, mix it well and make a paste.

12. Add the paste to the pan, mix it well with the potatoes and keep stirring, until oil starts to come up from the side of pan.

13. Add the tomato, add salt and stir it till tomato becomes soft and cooked.

14. Once spices are well cooked, potatoes get a nice coat of spice mix, add 1 and half cup of water, add salt and cover the pan with lid. Let the curry bring to a boil.

15. Once potatoes are cooked, and the gravy starts thickening, add the cheese balls and again cover the pan with lid. Let it cook for 5 to 7 minutes more.

16. Add sugar ( optional ), check seasoning and add the crushed green cardamom.

17. Channar Dalna ( Indian Cottage Cheese Curry ) is ready! Serve hot with a bowl of steamed rice or  Pulao ( click here for recipe of Pulao ).

Note : You can use store-bought Paneer in the place of Cheese balls.

Related recipes that you might like :

Shukto 

Holud Mishti Pulao

Karaishuntir Kochuri o Hing diye aloor dom

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