Creamy Cottage Cheese Curry with Cilantro Pilaf

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Cilantro is one of my favourite herbs n I love to add it to almost most of my dishes as it gives a intense tasty flavor. Cilantro is also know as dhania(hindi) or coriander in India and an all time favourite in Indian households.

The creamy cottage cheese curry is prepared with a base of curd n milk for its creaminess and blended with a rich flavor of cilantro n cardamom. When I saw this cottage cheese recipe on Paris blog, I was immediately hooked to prepare it. And another aromatic dish cilantro pilaf recently shared by Sayantani, this rice is infused with the flavor of cilantro n indian spices with some veggies. I was really tempted to try both these cilantro based dishes.

Thanks to Sayantani n Pari for sharing these wonderful dishes which are very easy to prepare n a superb combination.

Paneer Dhania (Cottage Cheese with Cilantro)

Ingredients

1 cup diced paneer
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup curd
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
3 chopped green chillies
2 tbsp (ghee) clarified butter
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp corn flour
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
salt to taste

Cooking Procedure

Heat butter in a pan, add cardamom powder n stir for 30 sec, now add ginger

garlic

paste n fry till light golden brown, now add onions n green chillies n fry till onion is translucent.

Now add the cottage cheese n fry gently for a min.Then add salt,black pepper,cilantro leaves stir for 2 more min. Now mix the curd with corn flour (this will prevent the curd to break apart) n pour this mixture into the pan n mix nicely. Now add milk, let it boil for a few min on low flame. You paneer dhania is ready.

Garnish with cilantro n serve with rice or roti.

Cilantro Vegetable Pulao

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Ingredients:

1 cup rice
2-3 cup diced vegetables ( carrot, potato, cauliflower, beans, green peas )
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup chopped cilantro
3/4 diced tomato
1/2 inch ginger
3-4 garlic cloves
3-4 green chilli
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp ghee ( clarified butter )
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cardamom
salt to taste

Cooking Procedure

Soak rice with 1.5 cup water for 20 min then cook it in a pressure cooker with the addition of 1/2 tsp oil in the water. ( Tip: Adding oil helps to make the rice less sticky n separate). If it is a rice cooker use 2.5 cup water. And keep aside.

Make a nice paste of cilantro, tomatos, ginger, garlic n green chilli with min water n keep aside.

Heat oil n butter in a pan n add cinnamon stick,cardamom n black pepper n fry for a min. Add onions n fry till it become translucent. Add the above grinded paste to this n fry for another 2-3 min. Now add all the veggies to it n stir nicely to blend all the ingredients. Cover n cook in medium flame till the veggies become soft.