Sirkewala Jhinga

If you are a lover of Paneer and potatoes then this dish is definitely for you. Very few ingredients complement each other well. This combo just happens to fall into that category. I came to know of this recipe roughly some 6 months ago when a neighbor of mine mentioned this after she returned from Uttar Pradesh. Seems this is an old school recipe followed in the Northern parts of UP and Delhi for many generations. Though she raved about how superb the dish she had no idea of a recipe for it.. As I had no idea of how it was supposed to look like and be I totally forgot all about it.

 

Remember the cookbook my SIL lent me from which I cooked this Paneer Gulshan. Surprise when I came upon this recipe in that cookbook. Though I loved the fact that I had the recipe for it now, I was skeptical of the result after going through it and been postponing it from making. And when the boys said that they wanted something different with paneer, I remembered and made this but kept my fingers crossed wondering if they would like it. . I need not have worried as they loved it very much.

 

Sirkewala Jhinga  (Printable Recipe)

You’ll need:

Paneer, cubed	-	1 cup
Potatoes	-	3
Onion	-	2
Ginger	-	1 inch
Garlic	-	6
Green chillies	-	4
Red chilli powder	-	2 tsp
Coriander powder	-	2 tsp
Turmeric powder	-	1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds	-	1 tsp
Cumin seeds	-	1 tsp
Coriander leaves	-	3 tbsp
Vinegar	-	1 tbsp
Salt	-	to taste
Oil	-	3-4 tbsp

 

Method:

Cut the onions into juliennes. Remove the skin of the potatoes and cube them to the size of the paneer cubes. Grind ginger and garlic to a fine paste.

 

In a bowl marinate the paneer and potato cubes by adding 1/2 the amount of ginger garlic paste, a pinch of salt and vinegar and mix well. Let it rest for 1/2 hour.

 

In a skillet heat oil. Add mustard, when it crackles add cumin seeds. Add the onions and sauté for a minute. Add the remaining ginger garlic paste, slit green chillies and cook till the raw smell disappears. Now start adding the turmeric, coriander and red chilli powder one by one.

 

Add the marinated paneer and potato cubes, salt and mix well. Add about 1/4 cup of water and let it cook after closing it with a lid till the potatoes become soft but not mushy.

 

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any Indian bread. This goes well with Pulaos too.

 

Notes:

If you are not comfortable with the smell of vinegar you can always replace it with lemon juice. You can go for readymade ginger garlic paste though the flavor and aroma will differ. Try to cube both potato and paneer into small bite sized pieces. As it is a dry subzi you can also make wraps and rolls from it with rotis and it will make a good lunch box idea for the kids.