Dhaba Style Paneer Masala

Dhaba is the name given to roadside restaurants in India. They are situated on highways and generally serve local cuisine, and also serve as truck stops. Since many Indian truck drivers are of Punjabi descent, and Punjabi food and music is quite popular throughout India, the word Dhaba has come to represent any restaurant that serves Punjabi food, especially the heavily spiced and fried Punjabi fare preferred by many truck drivers.

I have not visited Dhabas in North Indian, but in Chennai, we can see some Dhabas located on the highway. (If I’m not  wrong, can tell as Dhaba themed restaurants) Dhaba onions are the best to start any meal. Fast cooking with fewer ingredients but amazing taste. This post will carry most famous Dhaba recipe - Paneer Masala 

Paneer masala, cooked in Dhaba style is simple recipe goes well with roti, paratha or any Indian bread, Ghee rice, Jeera rice or fried rice. I tried this recipe with Roomali Roti. This is a thick gravy, so when you are having any roti can stuff in an enormous amount of the masala in the roti pieces. This is damn delicious.  

For Roomali Roti:  

All purpose flour, salt and milk (warm milk) mixed together into a dough. Keep it aside for atlas 20 minutes. Make the dough into thin roti and try to stretch as much as possible. Take a Kadai or Tawa, reverse the Kadai or Tawa. Place the rolled roti and cook on both sides till brown spots appear. 

Ingredients : 

• Chopped onion - 1 no
• Chopped tomato - 1 no 
• Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tsp 
• Green Chilly - 2 nos 
• Paneer Cubes - 1 cup 
• Bay Leaf - 2 nos 
• Star anise - 2 nos 
• Green Cardamom - 1 no 
• Cloves - 2 nos 
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp 
• Chilli Powder - 1 tsp 
• Coriander Powder - 2 tsp 
• Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp 
• Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp 
• Salt for taste 
• Butter / Ghee - 2 tsp 
• Kasturi Methi - a pinch  
• Sugar - 1/4 tsp 

For Paneer Masala: 

1. Pan fry Paneer cubes in 1 tsp of butter and keep aside 
2. In the same pan, add remaining butter 
   
   
   
3. Add green cardamom, star anise, bay leaf and cloves 
4. Add green chilly and chopped onions. 
   
5. Fry onions till soft and add ginger garlic paste 
6. Add chopped tomato and cook till soft 
7. Add turmeric powder, coriander and cumin powder, chilly powder, garam masala and salt for taste 
   
8. Add water required for the masala and bring it to boil 
9. Once the masala starts to boil, add fried paneer. (If you like to add fresh paneer also can add) 
10. Crush dry Kasturi methi leaves and add to the masala
    
11. Just before you remove from heat, add sugar and gentle stir the masala  

Don't add more water to the masala. This need to me a thick masala recipe. Cumin powder will bring a different taste for this recipe. Serve hot with rotis 

Andhra Egg Curry

Andhra cuisine, known for its tangy, hot and spicy taste, the cooking is very diverse due to the vast spread of the people and varied topological regions. Egg gravy takes many forms, this recipe comes with strong tamarind flavour. This recipe can be served with hot phulkas, idli, dosa or white rice. 

I actually don’t like eggs, but cooking eggs are such a pleasure. Hard boiled eggs are easy to handle and for thick gravy it looks perfect. I usually make hard boiled egg in my recipes, but its up to you to select between hard boiled eggs or soft boiled eggs. 

My way of making hard boiled eggs are boil water for 2 minutes and add in some salt. Place the eggs gently in the boiling water using a spatula (water should cover the eggs completely) Boil on high heat for 10-12 minutes, then remove the pan from heat and leave aside to cool in cold water for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, or after the eggs are cool down, start to peal the shell carefully. For any egg recipes its better to pan fry them for a while. The crispy outer skin in the gravy is delicious. Make slits in the eggs and pan fry them in 1 tsp of gingelly oil and keep aside. 

Andhra style egg curry is best thing to cook on a rainy day or lazy day. Easy to cook with less ingredients and tastes delicious. This recipe looks like the usually egg masala we do with onion and tomato as base gravy. The main ingredient which makes the magic is Tamarind. People of Andhra use more tamarind and more spicy powders to bring that bright red colour and spicy taste. If you can't take so much spiciness you can reduce the usage of chilly powder according to your taste 

Ingredients : 

Hard Boiled Eggs - 3 nos 

Chopped Onion - 2 nos

Chopped Tomato - 1 no

Tamarind juice - 1/4 cup 

Chopped Garlic - 3 nos

Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tsp 

Chopped green chilli - 3 nos 

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp 

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp 

Coriander Powder - 2 tsp 

Bay Leaf - 2 nos 

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp 

Urad dal - 1/2 tsp 

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves - 2 strings 

Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tsp 

Gingelly oil - 3 tsp 

Salt for taste 

For Gravy : 

• In the same pan, add 2 tsp of Gingelly oil. Add cumin seeds and urad dal. Wait till the urad dal turns golden brown 
• Add bay leaves and mustard seeds 
  
• Add chopped garlic, greens chilli and curry leaves 
• Fry for couple of minutes in low flame 
• Add chopped onion and cook till the onions turn soft 
  
  
  
• Add ginger garlic paste to the onion and fry in low flame 
• Once the raw smell of ginger and garlic paste vanishes add turmeric powder, chilly powder and coriander powder 
  
• Saute for couple of minutes (Don’t burn it) 
• Add chopped tomato and cook till soft (This takes some time, if you are in hurry use tomato puree) 
  
• Add salt required for the gravy 
• Add tamarind juice and cook the gravy in medium flame 
• Once the gravy starts to boil, add the fried eggs to the gravy and cook 
  
• After 2 - 3 minutes, add coriander leaves and remove from heat 

You can make this gravy and refrigerate overnight. In morning can add in boiled eggs. Easy way to cook for early morning routines. 

If you like to have this gravy as egg drop gravy means add some water and make a medium watery gravy and drop eggs and cook.