
Being from southern part of India, we were introduced to paneer quite late compared to my north Indian friends. Most of my family still do not like this Indian cheese. I have started using it more regularly (once in 15days or so) in recent years to get some protein in our diet. Few days back I had soaked some green moong and I wanted to use up a block of paneer from freezer, so I decided to combine both to make this green moong – paneer masala. I made it a bit tangy and spicy, tasted great with chapatis.

Pictorial: Heat oil and add whole spices. Add onion, ginger-garlic. Add all spices, followed by tomatoes. Add moong, paneer, water and cook till done.
Green Moong - Paneer Masala
Ingredients
- 2 cups sprouted green moong
- 1 cup onion
- 1 tea spn ginger paste
- 1 tea spn garlic paste
- 1/2 cup tomatoes
- 15-20 pieces of paneer
- 2 cloves
- 2 " cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 green cardamom
- 1/2 tea spn amchoor powder
- 1 tea spn chilli powder
- A pinch turmeric
- 1/2 tea spn garam masala or goda masala
- 1/2 tea spn coriander powder
- 1/2 tea spn cumin powder
- Oil
- Salt
Instructions
- In a thick bottomed pan or directly in pressure cooker, heat a little oil and add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf.
- Then add onion, ginger-garlic paste and fry for few mins.
- When the onions are translucent, add chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala(or goda masala), coriander-cumin powder.
- Fry till a nice aroma comes out.
- Add tomatoes and fry till they are mushy.
- Add the moong, paneer, 1 cup water, salt and cook till done.
- I cooked the mixture of 2 whistles. The paneer became quite soft(It was quite hard to begin with). So if you have a soft paneer, I suggest adding it at the end after the moong is cooked.
- Serve hot with roti/chapati or rice.
Green Moong - Paneer Masala
Ingredients
- 2 cups sprouted green moong
- 1 cup onion
- 1 tea spn ginger paste
- 1 tea spn garlic paste
- 1/2 cup tomatoes
- 15-20 pieces of paneer
- 2 cloves
- 2 " cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 green cardamom
- 1/2 tea spn amchoor powder
- 1 tea spn chilli powder
- A pinch turmeric
- 1/2 tea spn garam masala or goda masala
- 1/2 tea spn coriander powder
- 1/2 tea spn cumin powder
- Oil
- Salt
Instructions
- In a thick bottomed pan or directly in pressure cooker, heat a little oil and add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf.
- Then add onion, ginger-garlic paste and fry for few mins.
- When the onions are translucent, add chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala(or goda masala), coriander-cumin powder.
- Fry till a nice aroma comes out.
- Add tomatoes and fry till they are mushy.
- Add the moong, paneer, 1 cup water, salt and cook till done.
- I cooked the mixture of 2 whistles. The paneer became quite soft(It was quite hard to begin with). So if you have a soft paneer, I suggest adding it at the end after the moong is cooked.
- Serve hot with roti/chapati or rice.

Sukke is a classic Konkani dish where some vegetable or sea food is cooked in spicy coconut paste. Mushroom or almbe sukke is one such dish which I prepared after a very long time. As I have mentioned before, the artificially grown mushrooms are no comparison to the wild mushrooms that we get in my hometown . The grated ginger gives an amazing aroma to the dish. Make it as spicy as you can handle. Serve it as a side dish with rice and dal.

Pictorial: Fry coriander seeds, red chillies. Grind with coconut and tamarind. Fry onions and ginger. Add mushrooms and fry. Add the masala and cook.

Mushroom in Coconut Paste (Almbe Sukke)
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped mushrooms
- 1 cup grated/fresh coconut
- 4-5 red chillies
- 1 tea spn tamarind paste or 3-4 pieces of tamarind
- 1 tea spn freshly grated ginger
- 1 tea spn coriander seeds
- 1/2 cup onion
- A pinch turmeric
- Oil
- Salt
Instructions
- Heat oil and fry coriander seeds and red chillies.
- Grind them with coconut, tamarind to a smooth paste with little water.
- Heat oil and fry onions till translucent.
- Add grated ginger and fry for few minutes.
- Now add chopped mushrooms, turmeric, fry and let them cook for few minutes by covering the lid.
- When they are almost half cooked, add the coconut paste, salt.
- Cover the lid and cook till mushrooms and coconut paste is cooked.
- Serve hot as a side dish with rice.