Paneer Bhurji/ Scrambled Eggs with Paneer

This is one of my favorite recipes with paneer. Paneer is a kind of homemade cottage cheese made from cow's milk. It is made by boiling milk and then adding vinegar or lemon juice to the simmering milk which seperates the cheese in the milk from the whey. Then the cheese is drained and weighed down to remove as much of the water as possible. This cheese was made at home all the time, but I usually just buy it from the Indian store. It doesn't taste as good as the homemade one but making it at home needs constant attention. So for those who want to try it at home, here is an excellent recipe.

So about this recipe. No, it does not have a rich and creamy sauce such as Paneer Makhani or Shahi Paneer that paneer is more commonly reputed for. It's just a simple stirfry of scrambled paneer and eggs in such a way that you wouldn't be able to distinguish where one ends and the other starts.

Now since paneer is an acknowledged warehouse of cholesterol, it is no longer is welcome in my house(except on special occasions). So we modified and switched to Tofu (paneer made out of Soybean Milk)and instead of whole eggs, you could even use one egg and then egg whites. If you are not a fan of tofu, you won't appreciate the substituted taste and will miss the richness of the paneer. But it is a good way to get your family to eat tofu.

So try it with paneer first and then do your substitutions. Do try it with roti for a simple side dish for dinner and add any peppers/capsicum you like to add more veggies into it.

You will need:
Paneer or Tofu- 100 gm
Onions – 1
Green Onions (Scallions)- 3 stalks
Eggs- 2
Green chilies-5-6
Ginger Paste-1/2 tsp
Garlic Paste-1/2 tsp
Tomatoes-2 medium ones
Red Chili Powder-3/4 tsp (less as per taste)
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder-1/2 tsp
Garam Masala- 1/4 tsp
Cilantro Leaves- ½ cup washed and chopped.
Salt to taste or ½ tsp
Oil- 3 tbsp
Preparation:
1. Crumble the paneer into small pieces by hand and keep aside. Finely chop all the ingredients. Mix the eggs and keep aside.
2. Heat the oil in a non stick sauté pan and stir and fry the onions, green chilies and the chopped white part of the scallions on medium heat for about 5 minutes till it turns lightly golden. If you are using the cumin seeds instead of the powder, that should be sizzled in the oil before adding the onions. Add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and sauté till the raw smell disappears. Add 1 tbsp of water if it is sticking to the pan. This should take about 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and let it cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat till the tomatoes start breaking down. Cover the pan to speed up the cooking but then reduce the heat. Open and adjust seasoning. Add 1 cup water if it is too dry. Cover and cook until the oil separates in the pan.
4. Add the salt and crumbled paneer pieces, and sauté for a minute or two till everything blends well. Adjust the seasoning at this point.
5. Now add the egg mixture with one hand, stirring all the while with the other hand to avoid setting in a piece. The egg will evenly coat the paneer or tofu pieces. Keep stirring for just one minute more and then turn off the flame. Add the chopped green part of the scallions, sprinkle garam masala powder and add fresh chopped cilantro. Serve hot with Rotis.