Cooking recipes

Beans Cabbage with Paneer

When we dropped Mr. Ferdzys Aunt off at the airport lat week, we took advantage of the fact that we were surrounded by what must be one of Canadas largest Sikh communities to do a little shopping for items not found in our sleepy little community. In short, we got some paneer!

The great thing about paneer is that it can be fried, and gets soft and melty but holds together. (Fried cheese! Two of my favourite things, together!) It was delicious with some beans and cabbage from the garden. We didnt put in too much paneer, as this was a side dish for us, but you could use more and it would make an excellent main dish.

2 to 4 servings
25 minutes - 10 minutes prep time


1 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon rubbed basil
pinch of cayenne

2 cups chopped green beans
3 cups chopped cabbage
1 or 2 teaspoons very finely minced fresh ginger
100 grams (1/4 pound) paneer
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

Grind the fennel seed and mix the seasonings in a small bowl. Set them aside.

Wash, trim and chop the beans, and trim and chop the cabbage. Peel and mince the ginger. Cut the paneer into 1 cm or slightly larger dice.

Heat the oil in a medium sized skillet. Add the beans, along with several tablespoons of water - watch out, it is likely to spatter - and cook for two or three minutes, stirring frequently, until the water is evaporated. Add the cabbage and another tablespoon or so of water, and again cook, stirring frequently, until the water is evaporated. Add the ginger, paneer and seasonings, and continue to cook for 3 or 4 more minutes, until the vegetables are soft and browned in spots, and the much of the cheese is also browned.





Last year at this time I made Chile Garlic Sauce and Monster Zucchini Slaw. The Chile Garlic sauce, by the way, was hot but not as hot as I had expected, considering the quantity of cayenne chiles that went into it. Something about the canning process mellows them considerably. Also, I am working on the last jar of it - time to make some more!