Bhindi aur Paneer

Bhindi is the Hindi word for okra.  While okra is commonly eaten in India, it is a vegetable that is underused in the American diet, except in the South.  Due to my Caribbean parents, I grew up eating okra on a weekly basis.  Haitian calalloo is okra stewed with meat and was one of my favorite dishes, as a child.

Whenever I eat at vegetarian Indian restaurants, my go-to dish is Bhindi Masala with Aloo Paratha.  This is a version I made with paneer, to add to my Blogging Marathon theme. I created a spinach paratha recipe to go with it.

Spinach Paratha
3 cups Chapatti Flour
2 teaspoons ghee
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups water (This will vary, depending on humidity and other variables.  Add a little water at a time, until the dough comes together.)

To put together the dough, combine flour, ghee and salt.

 Add water a little at a time, until the dough comes together.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.  While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.

Filling:
2 teaspoons ghee or oil
4 cups spinach leaves, thinly sliced

1 onion, chopped
4 chiles, finely chopped
1/4 cup mint, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
Extra ghee, for frying
Extra flour, for frying.

Make sure you wash spinach thoroughly.  Spinach and basil are the two vegetables that I hate to wash.  They are usually filled with so much dirt, it is necessary to wash it several times.  The last thing you want is gritty tasting paratha!
Heat ghee in a skillet.  Add onion and chili and saute, until onions are translucent.  Add garam masala and turmeric.

Add spinach and cook until wilted.

Add herbs.  Stir to combine and let rest for 10 minutes.

The dough should have rested enough by now.  Divide dough into 14 portions, rolling each portion into a ball.

Now the stuffing and the rolling of the parathas is the most difficult part of this recipe.  Eventhough I have been making Caribbean style rotis for a long time (see recipe here), stuffing parathas was a new experience.  I tried a few procedures (two ended up in the garbage) until I found one that worked.
Using your palm and your fist, press dough on one of the balls of a dough until you have a circle.  Place on a lightly floured surface.    Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the middle and spread on the circle a little bit.

Then place another flattened circle of dough on top.

Using a rolling pin, roll as thin as you can without breaking.

This was my first time making stuffed parathas, so I have not yet mastered the skill of making perfectly round shaped parathas.  Too bad, I don't have an Indian mausi to teach me this technique.  This is something I am just going to have to practice, but it still all tastes good!!

We use a roti iron in the Caribbean and in India, they use a tawa.  Whatever flat instrument you have can be used to fry these flatbreads.  If you have a double sided griddle, use the flat side.

Coat tawa or whatever you are using with a little ghee. Place rolled paratha and cook for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Bhindi Masala with Paneer
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon mustard oil
1 teaspoon dhana-jeera powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder (cayenne)
7 ounces paneer, cubed
14 ounces okra
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/8 teaspoon asoefetida
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 black cardamom pods
1/4 teaspoon green cardamom seeds
salt, to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Sprinkle turmeric, dhana-jeera powder, chili and salt over paneer cubes and toss. 

Heat 2 teaspoons of mustard oil and brown paneer on all sides.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

In a large skiller, heat 1 tablespoon of mustard oil.  Add mustard seeds.  As soon as mustard seeds start to pop, add ginger and garlic.  Fry for 1-2 minutes. Do not let the garlic burn.
Add okra, tomatoes, black pepper, asoefetida and cardamom. 

Submitted to Susan's  Black and White Wednesdays

Cook for about 15 minutes, until okra is cooked through.
Add cilantro, cooked paneer and salt, to taste. 

Stir to combine and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with Spinach Paratha and a cold refreshing Indian ale.  I also had some leftover dahl from when I made the Indo-Mex tacos, which completed this Indian meal.

If you want to really create an authentic, Indian experience at home.  Go to an Indian market and get a thali, which is a traditional round plate, where food is usually served on in South India and places like Nepal and Tibet.  The individual food components are served in small bowls on the thali.  In the NY area, you can get these at Patel Brothers supermarket or Bhutala Emporium (2 locations - one on 74th Street in the heart of Jackson  Heights' Little India across the street from Patel Brothers. The other location is on 28th Street, right off of Park Avenue in Manhattan).

Many assume all Indian food is spicy and are afraid to try it, however, not all Indian food is loaded with chile. India has many states and these states vary in their regional cuisines. There are tea or coffee drinking states and rice or paratha eating states.  Similarly, not all Indian food is loaded with chile.  Indian food can have the complex flavors of mustard, cardamom, coriander and others, without being loaded with chile, so that it can be enjoyed by those with lower pepper tolerance.  This meal I created is a great marriage of the flavors of Indian cuisine, however the chile is kept to a minimum, so that it can be enjoyed by anyone.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#12


3/14/2012 Update: this archived recipe being contributed to
Chef Al Dente's

Chef Mireille
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