Paneer Achari / Cottage Cheese in spicy Indian Pickle

This dish came in to existence in my kitchen when i first saw a ready to eat pack of the same sold at Indian Store in US by the versatile chef Sanjeev Kapoor. It was way back in 2007. We were newly wed then and it was first time in Connecticut, as any new bride i was so anxious and excited about starting a new life. My kitchen expertise too were limited. I used to buy ready to eat stuffs and cook em. Today i was just thinking of my fond memories and remembered my initial cooking days filled with loads of trial and error, hehe...This is one such dish i tried today by just thinking of its name, had no clue of the ingredients, i used my own way to make it and it tasted amazing. Simple yet sizzling dish, tastes heaven with pita or roti. Now straight to the ingredients and the method :)

Ingredients :

Cottage Cheese / Paneer - 150 gms - Cubed

Indian Mango Pickle - 2 teaspoons ( I used Mango thokku pickle)

Thick Yoghurt - 2.5 tablespoons

Onion - 1 Medium Sized - Finely Chopped

Tomato - 1 Medium Sized - Finely Chopped

Coriander Leaves - 1 tablespoon - Finely chopped

Turmeric Powder - a pinch

Asafoedita - a pinch

Salt 

Oil.

Method:

Mix yoghurt , pickle and paneer thoroughly, marinate for 3 hours. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan, fry onions until golden brown, add tomatoes. cook for 2 minutes. Now add marinated paneer along with youghurt mixture. Add turmeric powder and salt. Cook until the gravy thickens. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti or pita.

Tip : Be careful while adding salt, as pickle itself has lot of salt, so just a pinch or two should do. You can add another teaspoon of pickle if you want it more spicy :)

This dish goes to Flavours of Punjab event hosted by Pari of Cooking Good Food and Nayna of Simply.Food .