Fulkopir Malaikari with Paneer - Cauliflower & Cottage Cheese stewed in Creamy Coconut Milk Sauce
January 30
As a child I had mostly seen my mom refer to one single cook book - Lila Mazumdar. It was like a bible to her. In those days, we didn't have either the internet or the luxury to plethora of cook books from the finest chefs around the world. Recipes were handed down the generations by the grandmas and moms and carried forward by their children. Maybe an occasional recipe exchange between the neighboring ladies, or a few recipe cutouts from the Sunday Supplementary section in the paper - but that was all. 'Gourmet' was a word unknown to most homechefs. For us gourmet dishes were what mom made on Sunday - like the finger licking mutton curry (Robibarer mangshor jhol) or the thick and flavorful lentil made with fish heads ( matha die muger daal) or the amazing assortment of pithe puli (steamed rice pancakes) during the winter days. We were happy with so little and it meant the world to us.
While now we have access to amazing restaurants serving dishes from across the world but still when we have a home cooked meal, it feels as if this is what makes the heart truly happy. This is what belongs to our roots and what we grew up eating. the memory laden dishes seem far more surreal than an expensive five-star meal. Like today, when we had gone out to Barbeque Nation to celebrate a very special occasion on the work front - starting a brand new venture. We ate an assortment of food but nothing seemed like something I want to try again. Over the period I think BBQ Nation is just loosing its charm for me. Unless its mere quantity I am looking at, every time I go there I feel like - I am not going to visit this place anytime soon. And then again after months when I forget the experience and think about some money worthy buffet, BBQ Nation somehow features in that list and in a moment of weakness, I decide to dine there again. And the entire cycle keeps repeating all over again, me ending with a facepalm at the end.
So after all that when I come home and need some real comfort food to wash over the experience, I feel like making something very traditional , very soothing and which doesn't have any experimental touch. The dish I am going to talk about today is one of them. Malai literally translates to cream. So malaikari or Malai curry is basically a dish which has a creamy base made usually with coconut milk. It is a velvety sweet curry, flavored with whole garam masala, green chilies and a dollop of ghee. Malaikari is mainly made with prawns or scampi. But I wanted to make a malaikari with one of the winter season favourites - the cauliflower. Cauliflowers taste the best during winters when they are harvested and thus making them into something more tantalizing was an effort worth taking. I also added some fresh paneer to the curry which took it a notch up and made the final outcome super dreamy.
And if you are still wondering which recipe I had as a reference - it was none other than Lila Majumdar's cook book! That's right, even when I have access to all the recipes across the internet, I still prefer to go back to a few recipes from these age old cook books, handed to me by my mom.
- Fulkopi / Cauliflower - 1 medium sized, cut into florets
- Potato (Optional) - 2 medium, diced
- Fresh Paneer - 100 gm
- Dry Red Chilli - 3-4
- Ginger Paste - 1/2 tsp
- Onion Paste - 1 and 1/2 medium sized onion
- Manaka/ Raisin - 1/2 cup
- Cardamom- 3, bruised
- Cinnamon - 2" stick
- Clove - 2
- Red Chilli Powder
- Everest Shahi Garam Masala Powder* - a pinch
- Thick Coconut Milk
- Sugar - as per taste
- Salt - 1/2 tsp or as per taste
- Refined Oil -
- Ghee
- Mixing Bowl
- Wok & Spatula
- Knife
4 comments
I'm hungry after reading this recipe..💕💕 cauliflower with paneer is again a new thing for me.. 😊😊 the curry looks yummy 👌👌
ReplyDeleteThankkk youuu :) Im all smiles now. My first comment from a friend! :D Amar bhishon bhalo legeche combo ta. By chance I made this, plan was to only use Cauliflowers, but then I had some fresh paneer also so I thought chalo why not :P And the combo became so so delicious!
DeleteIt's awesome.. it's on my list now from the day I read this recipe..
ReplyDeleteHope you make it and love it as much as I do :)
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