Chhanar Dalna(cottage Cheese curry)

 Our Moms and grand moms spent a large part of the day in cooking , preparing elaborate, time consuming and delicious dishes, but today full-time working mothers have turned to simpler and healthier style of cooking. Today, the menus in Bengali home like ours, range from simple to elaborate ones. Bengali Cuisine traditionally requires a lot of ingredients, but now days elaborate Bengali meals are drawn up only for the special occasions. Cottage Cheese is made fresh for this in homes and unlike Paneer of north India the cottage cheese is not too dry. It is made by  boiling milk and adding lemon juice to curdle the milk.Then the cheese is strained well and used. Sometimes  the cottage cheese cubes are dipped in batter and fried and then used where as sometimes the are rolled into balls with spices and fried and then used.

Chanar Dalna

Ingredients :

Cottage cheese(chana/paneer)                                                           250 grams,cut into 1inch cubes

Peas                                                                                                  1/2 cup,shelled

Potato                                                                                                1 large,cut in 1/2 inch cubes

Tomato Puree                                                                                    2 tbsp

Ginger Paste                                                                                       1 tbsp

Clove                                                                                                 2

Green Cardamom                                                                               4

Cinnamon                                                                                          1 inch

Turmeric Powder                                                                               1/4 tsp

Chilli Powder                                                                                     1/2 tsp

Cumin Powder                                                                                   1 tsp

Raisins                                                                                               10 grams

Cashews                                                                                            19 grams

Oil                                                                                                      2 tbsp

Ghee(optional)                                                                                    2 tsp

Salt                                                                                                    as per taste

Sugar                                                                                                 2 tsp

Water                                                                                                1/2 cup

Cornflour                                                                                            6-8 tbsp

Baking Powder                                                                                   a pinch or two

Method :

Wash the potato,apply 1/4 tsp salt and keep aside for ten minutes.

Wash the cashews and grind to paste.Keep aside.

Make a medium consistency batter with cornflour,salt,a pinch of sugar ,a pinch of baking powder and water. Dip the cottage cheese cubes in the batter and deep fry till golden. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a wok and saute the potato till light golden brown in colour and keep aside.

Lower the flame and  add the cloves,cardamom and cinnamon in the same oil.

Add  the ginger paste, turmeric paste, chilli and cumin powders. Fry till the oil separates. Add the tomato puree and cashew paste and fry for a minute more.

Add the water, potato, peas and raisins.

Bring the gravy to a boil. Lower the flame, add the fried cottage cheese pieces, and allow to simmer till the potato pieces are tender.

Check and adjust the seasoning and quantity of gravy.

Pour the ghee over it just before serving.

Serve with  luchi.

Chanar Dalna

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