Ledir Chhaman

Paneer (cheese) plays an important role in the vegetarian saal. It is prepared either yellow or red. The various steps of yellow paneer are as under.


Ingredients

1. 1 kg paneer (cheese).
2. 1 table spoon salt or to taste.
3. 2 table spoons saunf powder (fennel powder).
4. 1 table spoon haldi powder (turmeric powder).
5. 1 tea spoon saunth powder (ginger powder).
6. 1 tea spoon zeera (cumin).
7. 5 crushed moti elaichi (black cardamom).
8. 3 crushed elaichi (cardamom).
9. 1/2 tea spoon kala zeera (black cumin).
10. 1/4 tea spoon hing (asafoetida).
11. 3 ladles of mustard oil.
12. 2 tej patte bay leaves.
13. 1/2 cup milk. 

Method

1. Cut the cheese into pieces of any shape like cubes, rectanglar etc. as shape has to do nothing with the taste.
2. Put three glasses of water in a vessel in which the cheese is to be cooked.
3. Add saunf, saunth, haldi, salt, hing and bay leaves in it and keep it aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan and start frying the cheese till brown and put it into the vessel containing spices and water and cook it on low flame till only one glass of liquid remains there.
5. Crush kala zeera between your palms and add into the cheese along with elaichi, moti elaichi and milk.
6. Cook for another five minutes on low flame and serve with rice. 

Note: It is advised to fry the cheese one day before and put it in a patila containing salt, turmeric powder along with ice cold water and ice cubes and put in a fridge overnight. Cheese swells when put in ice cold water after frying. At the time of cooking remaining spices mentioned in step 3 should be added and further steps followed.