Paneer Korma / Paneer Kurma

There are a tonne of paneer recipes that involve simmering pan-fried paneer in a spicy Punjabi style gravy or a spinach-based gravy. Last month, when I was thinking of what to cook with paneer, the lack of South-Indian based paneer dishes suddenly struck me. South India has its own versions of spicy gravies and kurma that incorporate tamarind, fennel, and coconut milk, along with other common spices. So, I thought of making a tamarind based gravy with paneer and finishing it off with coconut milk. 

This is the recipe I put together. The gravy was mildly tart, fragrant and quite flavorful! It was also a welcome change from the usual paneer dishes.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1. 1 inch ball of tamarind soaked in 1.5 cups of hot water until water is cool to touch
2. To grind:
• 1 teaspoon jeera / cumin
• 1 teaspoon sombu / fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds / dhania
• 6 cloves
• 5 pods of cardamom
• 2 pieces of mace / javetri / jathi pathri
• 2 inch piece of cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 dry red chillies
• 1/2 cup coconut
3. 4 pods of garlic
4. 2 inch block of ginger
5. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
6. 1 big red onion, finely chopped
7. 2 tablespoons oil
8. 200 grams paneer, cubed
9. 1/2 cup cilantro / coriander leaves
10. 1 cup coconut milk
11. 1 teaspoon salt or as required

Preparation:

1. Place all the ingredients (whole spices except coconut) mentioned under "to grind" in a pan. Keep the pan in a warm oven (at the lowest setting) for 15 minutes until spices are fragrant. When cool, grind everything along with coconut, ginger and garlic to from a paste by adding a little water as required. Keep aside
2. Heat oil in a sauce pan on medium heat. When hot, saute onion until pink and translucent. Add turmeric powder and mix well.
3. Add the ground masala paste and salt and fry for 7 minutes until the masala doesn't smell raw. 
4. Extract the tamarind juice and add it (discard the pulp). Add 1/2 cup water (if you prefer a slightly runny gravy) and boil for 20 minutes on medium heat. 
5. Now add coconut milk, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. 
6. Remove from heat, add the paneer and cilantro and mix well. 

Let the gravy rest for 10 minutes. Serve with roti or rice.