Makhani Paneer (Or close enough)

I went to Bombay Sweets the other day on Hillcroft, and I had this really good dish called Makhani Paneer. After my visit, I stopped by the Patel Brother's grocery store just to browse around. I picked up some shredded coconut and cashews for potential biryani and some ghee and paneer.

Tonight I decided, I'm gonna try to make that Makhani Paneer, so I got on the Internet. I didn't have all the ingredients in the recipes I saw, as they needed fenugreek and more chili powder than I had, so I improvised. I think my "close enough" Makhani Paneer was really good, and my husband gave it a 9.4, and requested another helping about 10 minutes ago (I said "it is too late to eat, baby...so he is eating mango now instead--marriage is about compromise ;)

I served the makhani paneer with a basmati rice with cardamon and cumin seeds and turmeric and a dash of curry. The recipes for the "close enough" makhani paneer and the rice are below.

Cumin and Cardamon Seed Rice (4-6 servings):

1 1/2 c. basmati rice (washed 5 times)

1/8 c. canola oil

1 tblsp. cumin seeds

8 cardamon pods, opened and seeds removed

3 c. water

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp Indian curry powder

salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a rice cooker and let it do it's thang.

"Close Enough" Makhani Paneer (4-6) servings:

1 medium size onion, sliced thin

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 heaping tblsp. ghee or regular butter

28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

14 oz block of paneer, cut in 1/2 inch cubes

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tblsp chili powder

1/2 tsp turmerics

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tblsp garam masala

1 tblsp Indian curry powder

salt to taste

3/4 c. heavy whipping cream

(I didn't really measure the spices, but taste it as you go to see if you want to add more or less of something)

In a medium saucepan fry the onion with the ghee for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for an additional 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Mix in all the spices and saute with the onions for about a minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and cook until simmering. Mix in the cream and let it thicken a bit. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree. Pour puree back into the pot and add the paneer cubes. Let the makhani paneer cook for another 3 minutes. Serve with the rice, and share with friends :) I'll be eating this for lunch tomorrow!