Tikka Masala Sauce with Paneer Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PANEER

• 1
  Prepare a large pot and clean it by boiling 2 liters of water in it. Boil for 5 minutes and then pour out the water. Once the pot is perfectly clean, you can start preparing the paneer.
• 2
  Pour 1 liter of milk into the pot and heat over medium flame. Stir the milk occasionally to prevent it from burning.
• 3
  Bring the milk to a boil and cook until a continuous foam forms on the surface. At this point, it's time to add the lemon juice.
• 4
  The amount of juice depends on the fat content of the milk used. The richer the milk, the more juice will be needed. Start by adding 2 tablespoons of juice. The milk should start to curdle immediately.
• 5
  Continue heating the milk and let it fully curdle, as shown in the picture below. If it seems that the milk is not curdling sufficiently, you can add another 1 or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
• 6
  Meanwhile, prepare a second pot and place a sieve or colander over it. Drape a cloth or cotton towel over the colander.
• 7
  Once all the milk has curdled, pour the mixture onto the cloth. The remaining liquid will drain through the colander into the pot. Gather the ends of the cloth or towel together and squeeze out the remaining liquid from the mixture. Be very careful, as the mixture is very hot.
• 8
  Let the mixture drain completely in the cloth. Once the cloth is dry, rinse it along with the cheese under cold water (hold the edges of the cloth so that water does not get inside onto the cheese, just rinse the cloth from the outside).
• 9
  Place the washed cheese in the cloth back into the colander and place it over a clean bowl. The cheese needs to be weighted down - use a mortar, weight, or heavy mug for this. Let the weighted cheese rest for about 40 minutes, and then it is ready.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR TIKKA MASALA

• 1
  First, prepare the garlic-ginger paste. Place 3 cloves of garlic, 5 cm of peeled ginger, 1 tablespoon of oil, and a pinch of salt into a chopper, blender, or mortar. Blend everything together into a paste consistency. This mixture will last for several weeks in a closed jar in the refrigerator, so you can prepare more in advance.
• 2
  Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan, add 2 tablespoons of ginger-garlic paste and 200 g of chopped onion. Sauté together over medium flame until golden brown.
• 3
  Add chopped tomatoes and sauté until the tomatoes are done (the oil will start to separate from the tomato juice).
• 4
  Add tikka paste and 100 ml of water. Cook until the water reduces and the mixture thickens.
• 5
  Wait for the mixture to cool and mix it well with Greek yogurt to create a smooth puree (tikka masala mixture).
• 6
  Cut the paneer into approximately 2-3 cm cubes and fry in a pan with a little oil until lightly browned. Once done, set aside.
• 7
  Pour the cooled tikka masala mixture into the pan and season with salt. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water to achieve the desired consistency.
• 8
  Add the fried paneer, 100 g of onion, and chopped pepper into small pieces to the mixture and simmer.
• 9
  Garnish with coriander and serve with basmati rice or naan bread.