Tikka Masala Sauce with Paneer Cheese

PANEER PROCEDURE

• 1
  Prepare a large pot and clean it of all impurities by bringing 2 liters of water to a boil in it. Boil for 5 minutes, 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 heat. 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 fattier the milk, the more juice will be needed. First, add 2 tablespoons of juice. The milk should immediately start to curdle.
• 5
  Continue heating the milk and let it curdle completely, as shown in the image below. If it seems that the milk is not curdling enough, you can add another 1 or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
• 6
  Meanwhile, prepare a second pot, over which you will place a sieve or colander. Drape a cheesecloth or cotton towel over the colander.
• 7
  After all the milk has curdled, pour the mixture onto the cheesecloth. The remaining liquid will drain through the colander into the pot. Gather the ends of the cheesecloth or towel together and squeeze out the remaining liquid from the mixture. Do everything very carefully, as the mixture is very hot.
• 8
  Let the mixture drain completely in the cheesecloth. Once the cheesecloth is dry, rinse it along with the cheese under cold water (hold the edges of the cheesecloth so that water does not get inside onto the cheese, only rinse the cheesecloth from the outside).
• 9
  Place the rinsed cheese in the cheesecloth back into the colander and position it over a clean bowl. The cheese needs to be pressed – use a mortar, weight, or heavy mug for this. Let the cheese rest under this weight for approximately 40 minutes, and then it is ready.

TIKKA MASALA PROCEDURE

• 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 until it forms a paste. This mixture will last several weeks in a sealed 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 heat until golden.
• 3
  Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté until the tomatoes are cooked (oil will start to separate from the tomato juice).
• 4
  Add tikka paste and 100 ml of water. Cook until the water is reduced 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 ready, set it 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 bell pepper cut into small pieces to the mixture and simmer.
• 9
  Garnish with coriander and serve with basmati rice or naan bread.