Paneer Baingan

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One of the most common dish to think of North India is none other than Paneer. It's a fresh cottage cheese which varies from curries, rice, gravys to desserts. It's finely delicate and delicious milk dish. Homemade Paneer tastes better and is much softer than the store bought ones. For the one's who doesn't have enough time to make the Paneer, the best alternative is the store bought one. One of my favorite dishes to count on is anything made with Paneer. It's an absolute delicacy. In this recipe, I combined eggplants with paneer and goes well with phulka or chapathi.



Ingredients
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Eggplants                 3 long cut into bite size cubes, washed and soaked in salted water for 5 mins.
Salt                             to taste
Paneer                       1 1/2 cups cut into small cubes
Coriander Leaves   to garnish
Oil                               1 tbsp.
Butter                        1 tbsp.
Cumin Seeds           1/2 tsp. grind to a coarse powder
Black Salt                  pinch
Coriander Seeds    1/2 tsp. grind to a coarse powder
Turmeric Powder   1/4 tsp.
Amchur Powder     1/4 tsp.
Red Chilli Powder   1/4 tsp.
Sugar                         pinch

Method
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• Heat oil in a frying pan. Add paneer and cook till golden brown on low heat. Keep stirring to avoid paneer sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once done remove and keep aside.
• In the same pan, add butter and let melt. Add cubed eggplants and cook covered on low-medium flame.
• Stir occasionally to avoid burning and cover the lid again. Cook till the eggplants are soft and tender.
• When they are soft, add fried paneer and cook over low heat for 5 mins.
• Now add ground cumin powder, black salt, ground coriander powder, turmeric powder, amchur powder, red chilli powder and pinch of sugar. Mix well.
• After a min. add salt and combine all the spices well with eggplant paneer mixture. Adjust seasonings accordingly.
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and turn off the heat.
• Serve hot Paneer Baingan along with phulkas and chapathi.