Salt, to taste

1/4 ts Cayenne pepper 1/2 ts Tumeric, ground 2 lg Tomatoes, chopped coarsely 1 c Peas

1/4 c Water

1/2 ts Garam masala

Fry the paneer chunks in the 1/4 c. Oil until browned. Remove and set aside. Cook the potatoes until tender. Peel and set aside. In the container of a blender or food processor, mince together the onions, garlic and ginger. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the asafoetida (if used) and cumin. When spices darken (1 to 2 seconds) add the minced onion mixture and saute until browned (about 12 minutes). Add the salt, cayenne, tumeric and tomatoes and cook until they soften (about 5 minutes). add the peas and water;reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Halve the cooked potatoes if they seem too large. Add them to the pan and cook covered for another 5 minutes. Mix in the garam masala just before serving. Serves: 4

Paneer Cheese You can substitute farmer's cheese if you don't want to make your own paneer.

Ingredients

1/2 gallon of milk 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice

Preparation

Put the milk in a stainless steel pot and start boiling it. It's best if you stir it with a wooden sppon. You must stir it regularly, to make sure it doesn't burn (if it burns, it will be absolutely unusable).

Once the milk is thoroughly boiling, remove the heat and add the lemon juice. The milk starts curdling right now. Have another pot ready. Also, you'll need a strainer covered with a cheesecloth. Scoop the curds and whey into the strainer, dripping the liquids into the pot. The curds should all have remained in the cheesecloth. Wrap the cheesecloth so as to cover the curds completely. Press the cheesecloth a little bit with your hands or a spoon. The point is to squeeze every last bit of whey out of the paneer. Makes 1 block of paneer cheese.

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