Adam and I decided to relive our favourite Indian meal from our favourite Indian restaurant, in our very own home! We slightly adapted the recipes on the Dal Roti blog using ingredients we already had, to make two simple, delicious curries. There was a lot of food – enough for us to have it for dinner one night and lunch the next day!

Our Dal Roti Feast in Kochi

Paneer Butter Masala (Paneer Makhani) – serves 4

250 g paneer, cubes
1 onion (very finely chopped)
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
½ tsp dried fenugreek leaves
2 tsp fresh cream (we used natural yoghurt)
2 tsp ghee (we used butter)
½ tsp butter
½ tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Heat butter in a pan until melted, fry onion, ginger and garlic paste until it turns golden brown.

Add all the masala powders and sauté until the raw smell is gone. Add tomato paste and sauté for 5 mins.

Fold in the sugar and fenugreek. Add cream/yoghurt. Cook on low flame and add the paneer cubes and salt.

Stir in 1/2 a cup of water and cover the pan. Cook for 3 mins. Once the sauce thickens, add 1/2 tsp of butter and remove from heat.

Garnish with cashew nuts and mint leaves, serve hot with naan or chapati.

Meanwhile we also cooked a simple dal.

Dal – serves 4

225g lentils
½ tsp turmeric powder
75 g butter
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium onion (sliced)
2 tomatoes (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (sliced finely)
1 green chilli (chopped)
1 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
Salt to taste

Rinse the lentils under running water and then put into a pan with the turmeric, salt to taste and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil.

Add chopped tomatoes Turn down the heat and simmer, stirring from time to time, until they are soft.

Meanwhile, make a spiced butter by heating the butter in shallow pan.
Add the cumin seeds and cook for a few seconds, then add the onion and garlic.

Cook until both are golden brown, stirring so they do not burn. Add the chilli and cook for another 2-3 mins.

Pour the butter over the top and serve garnished with coriander leaves.

Serve warm with rice or roti.

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We recently cooked the Paneer Butter Masala dish for our family and they seemed to really like it!

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