Indian at Home

This afternoon at work actually turned out to be rather entertaining. It was pretty quiet around the office - I think a lot of people took off because of the nice weather. After work I grabbed a quick drink with a few coworkers.

I had a Blue Moon with an orange slice. I also had a Sam Adams at work around 5:30. We happened to have a bunch in the mini fridge our department shares, and every time someone opens it we hear them banging around on the door. We decided this was the perfect afternoon to get rid of them.

So, after 2 beers, my planned run around the Charles did not happen. Which is too bad - its perfect running weather and I would have liked to see all the marathoners out there training. I wonder if I could keep up with any of them :)

For dinner tonight, I cleared a little space in our kitchen and made my own take on one of my favorite Indian dishes - Shahi Paneer Korma. I've never made this before, but I love getting it at Indian restaurants. I found some paneer cheese in the grocery store, so I decided to give it a try. Paneer is a great addition to this vegetarian dish. Its a firm, mild cheese, a lot like Greek halloumi cheese. I basically made this recipe up, and added my own twists on the dish. I was surprised at how good it came out and how much it reminded me of the dish I've had in restaurants!


Shahi Paneer Korma

Serves 4

9 oz paneer cheese, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup EVOO

1/2 diced onion

1 tsp grated ginger

3 cloves garlic, grated

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 cinnamon

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp chili powder

1 28 ox can crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup cashew pieces

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/8 cup heavy cream

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 cups spinach

5 cups cooked basmati brown rice

• Heat EVOO in large skillet over medium heat
• Add cheese to oil and sautee until browned
• Remove cheese from pan and set aside
• Turn heat down toe medium-low and add chopped onions
• Sautee until softened, then add ginger and garlic
• Sautee 1 - 2 minutes, then stir in spices
• Sautee 1 -2 minutes until fragrant
• Add tomatoes to pan and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes
• Add cashews and raisins and simmer 4 -5 minutes
• Stir in cream, simmer 1 - 2 minutes
• Add cheese and spinach and cook until spinach is just wilted.
• Spoon brown rice onto 4 plates and top tomato mixture to serve

Now we're onto to our regular Friday night activity - chillin on the couch!