Niramish Aloo Paneer er Dalna (Bengali Style No Onion No Garlic Aloo Paneer Curry)

This is a very popular dish at a Bengali home. Bongs do not consume onions or garlic when the meal is a vegetarian one. It is ideally a satvik food we consume in that case. I was not at all in a mood to eat rich and spicy food for dinner and hence thought of making this niramish aloo paneer er dalna. I had fresh paneer at home and though initially I thought of making paneer pulao for us, I was tempted enough to cook this light and super tasty curry for dinner. We typically eat plain whole wheat roti with this curry, but it goes well with plain paratha or even one can have it with peas rice or jeera rice. It is a very versatile kind of dish we have in our cuisine. The ingredients required are minimal and are easily available at every home. It takes very less time to cook and one can prepare a great dish for guests also within a short span of time. I am sure the guests will love this as well!😊

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 3 small, cut in small cubes
Paneer - 200 gms, cut in cubes (or diamond shape as per choice)
Tomato - 1 big size, finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Chillies - 2 (or as per taste), slit longitudinally
Salt - as per taste
Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1.5 teaspoon
Ghee - 2 teaspoon
Garam masala powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds/ jeera - 1 teaspoon
Bay leaves - 1 or 2
Dried red chillies - 1 or 2
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Atta/ whole wheat flour  - 1 tablespoon
Water - 300ml (or as per requirement)

Procedure:

Sprinkle some atta on the cubed paneer just enough to coat them properly. This is for ensuring that the paneer cubes do not stick to the kadai during sauteing. Heat oil in the kadai and put the paneer cubes for sauteing on a low flame. This should take a minute or so. Do not fry them for long else it will turn chewy. Once you see light brown color on the paneer cubes, remove them from the oil and put them separately on a plate. Add the cubed potatoes and fry them similarly on medium low heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir occasionally so that it does not burn. Once it starts to get the brown color, remove and keep them aside. Now, and add bay leaves to the oil. Fry it for few seconds and then add the cumin seeds to it. Once it starts to splutter, add the finely chopped tomatoes to it. Now, stir the tomatoes and fry it till it turns mushy. Add the grated ginger to it and mix well for a minute. Add salt and sugar to it followed by the fried potatoes. Give it a nice mix. Add the turmeric powder now and mix nicely so that the potatoes get a proper coating. Now add water to it, and when it comes to a boil, add the paneer cubes and green chillies. Cover and cook till done. Finally add the ghee and the garam masala to it and mix everything lightly. Keep it covered for 2-3 minutes for the flavour to get absorbed into the curry. Serve hot with roti or paratha!😊