Karahi Paneer

I have a hankering for Karahi Paneer - also known as Kadai Paneer. It's something I discovered while I was in India. Taking a stance I was going to go vegetarian for most of the time I was there, this became a staple. Paneer, a form of hard cottage cheese, is a vegetarian staple over there. And I love paneer. 

So Karahi Paneer is paneer in a spiced sauce of tomatoes and capsicum, with some ginger, fenugreek, cardamom seeds, green and red chilli among other things. 

But every recipe I find wants me to toast up these spices, then put them in a spice mill, before making a gravy, and doing all sorts of weird and wonderful things, before finally putting the paneer in (after it's been soaked for half an hour in water - not sure why you do this). 

So yeah, I want to make Karahi Paneer, I'm not sure if I can go to the Indian grocery story around the corner and just get the spices pre-milled) but that will take away from the experience of doing all this for myself. 

I remember when Raj's mum made us fish curry when she was over. It was lovely - simple. But what she calls lovely and simple I think takes a lot of time (She also made me gulab jamuns - which are just the best things ever, even if they send my gall bladder into spasm). And she got the spice balance right - would I have the touch and the palate to do this. 

Ah the things you ponder as you're walking home from a breakfast date. 

I love where I live. At 8.30 in the morning the street feels clean. The junkies are yet to arrive, looking for their fixes. The roller shutters are down displaying art work and their tags. Some of the bakeries are open. Although fed, the thought of an ultra fresh banh mi comes to my head. It's too early. I might venture out at lunch. $5 for a fresh, crispy white roll, filled with a smear of butter and pate, warm grilled chicken, picked carrot, some hoisin sauce, a sprig of coriander and a hint of red chilli. I'm yet to treat international visitors to the glory of the eponymous Vietnamese roll, from a slightly dodgy looking shop front. Normally the dodgier the bakery, the better the banh mi. 

Of course, there's the dried meat gift shop, which you pass and end up scratching your head. You can get all sorts of sauces, vegetables and meats you'd never see at Coles. Fresh fish with clear eyes, slabs of pork belly, Chicken Marylands, tripe - strange cuts of meat not seen out of these local butcher shops. If the shutters were up, you'd be looking at roasted ducks, hanging from hooks in the front windows. There are restaurants offering different foods. Vegetarian Vietnamese, a halal pizza restaurant, the pho shop which offers all sorts of offal in their pho. It's mind boggling what people will eat. Victoria Street challenges you to be an adventurous eater. 

And as I approach home, I pass the Indian grocery store and ponder whether I should ask if they have Kadai spice pre-toasted and ground - or whether I should try the new Indian restaurant that's started up down the road. 

On their menu is Karahi Paneer. 

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