Transforming milk into fresh, squeaky Indian cheese is simple, yet it feels like kitchen alchemy. Here’s how.
Sarina Kamini
The word “masala” often translates simply to “spice” or “spice blend,” but its true meaning in the context of traditional Indian cuisine runs far deeper. Masala is the aromatic foundation of a dish, the very soul that defines its regional identity.
Of course, spices are central to this. However, masala also encompasses the fats used, the type of heat applied, and the unique ways produce is prepared. Each of these elements contributes to the thali, or plate, telling a distinct regional story.
Consider the incredible diversity of India: 22 official languages, as distinct from each other as Spanish is from Afrikaans, plus thousands of dialects. To put that in perspective, the European Union has only 24 official languages. This linguistic diversity is mirrored in India’s kitchens, and masala is the language that expresses these regional differences.
What We Call Masala aims to make this cultural understanding of masala accessible to everyone, regardless of their background. Think of it as a “choose your own adventure” into Indian flavours, where you can follow whatever thread of information sparks your curiosity and best suits your cooking style.
Take paneer, for example. Seeing fresh Indian cheese used in different recipes illustrates perfectly why masala is about so much more than just spices.
While each of the recipes below uses a distinct blend of spices, it’s primarily the fats and cooking techniques that define the dishes’ unique characters and flavour profiles.
In matar paneer, for example, the gentle sweetness of ghee and the low-heat cooking create a warm, softening effect that’s key to its signature mellow flavour. In contrast, turmeric chaaman gets its bold edge from using water as a tempering vessel alongside high heat. Then there’s lal paneer, where mustard oil combined with a playful interplay of high and low heat imparts a deep, shadowed floral note.
Masala is rich with these fascinating and intricate codes. It’s what makes engaging with it so endlessly captivating and wonderfully welcoming. No matter your cooking skill or kitchen background, you’ll always find a way to discover your own connection within the world of masala.
How to make paneer (chaaman) at home
Paneer, or chaaman in the Kashmiri language, is a fresh cheese made by adding acidity to milk. It is simple to make at home.
Before you start making the paneer, line a colander with a piece of muslin or cheesecloth, a clean, thin old tea towel or a clean Chux, then balance the colander over a pot to catch the whey for use in other dishes, including matar paneer (see below).
Once made, paneer will keep for up to a week in the fridge. Submerge in water in an airtight container and change the water every day or two.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 litres (12 cups) full-cream milk
- 1 tbsp plain yoghurt
- juice of 2 lemons
METHOD
- Bring the milk to the boil in a large saucepan over high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom and burning. Keep the yoghurt and lemon juice handy.
- When the milk starts to bubble up, remove from the heat, add the yoghurt and stir through, then add the lemon juice 2–3 tablespoons at a time, stirring after each addition to see how much more acidity is needed to properly split the milk and create the curds and whey. (Curds are the white lumpy bits, whey the yellow liquid that remains.) Adding too much lemon juice at once can split the actual curd, making it less plump and rich.
- Once the curds and whey have split, strain them through the cloth-lined colander, catching the whey in the pot.
- Tie up the muslin or cheesecloth and hang it over the sink or a container. When the paneer has been hung for 24 hours, unwrap it from the muslin, flatten it, then cut it into cubes or slices for the dishes below.
Makes 600g of paneer
Turmeric chaaman
Cooking turmeric and chaaman in water is a traditional Kashmiri Hindu cooking technique that alters the effect of turmeric powder. Most of the time, turmeric powder comes through in masala as a soft and round bitter taste. But boiling water gives this spice a square edge.
If you’re finding it hard to envisage the idea of the same spice tasting square or round, try this: temper salt, ginger powder, fennel powder and turmeric powder in a small frying pan with ghee, and simultaneously temper the same spices in the same quantities in another small frying pan with water. Taste the two masalas side by side. Ghee makes it soft; water makes it angular.
You’ll need to make your paneer the day before cooking this dish.
INGREDIENTS
- 500ml (2 cups) vegetable oil
- pinch of turmeric powder
- pinch of salt (any kind)
- 400g paneer, diced or sliced
- 250ml (1 cup) water, plus extra as needed
MASALA
- 2 tsp aniseed powder
- 1-1½ tsp fine white salt
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- pinch of hing (asafoetida) powder
FINISHING SPICES
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 3-5 green cardamom pods, husks cracked
- 4 cloves, split with a mortar and pestle
METHOD
- Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a kadai (a deep, round, flat-bottomed Indian cooking pan), stable cast-iron wok or heavy-based saucepan large enough that the oil comes up no more than halfway. Prepare a bowl of cold water while the oil is heating and keep it beside your stovetop. This is where you’ll put the chaaman after frying – floating it in water straight from deep-frying removes excess oil. It also keeps the fried chaaman soft.
- Once the oil is hot, add the turmeric powder and salt. (A pinch each of turmeric and salt when deep-frying anything will magically prevent it from sticking to the pan.) Working in batches so the oil stays hot, gently fry the paneer until it is just browned, then transfer from the oil to the bowl of water using a slotted spoon.
- Once you’ve browned all the chaaman, drain it and transfer it to a large frying pan. Place on the stovetop with the heat off and add 1 cup of water – the chaaman should be almost completely covered, with just the top visible above the waterline; I call it the iceberg effect. Add more water if needed to achieve this.
- Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Keep simmering until the water level has reduced by half. You shouldn’t need to stir the paneer at this point – just check that it’s not sticking to the pan. Once the water has reduced by half, add the masala and stir through gently. Reduce the heat to bring the water to a slow simmer. (The idea is that the heat is tempered to match the evaporation intensity of the water. When these two elements are in balance, you won’t have to stir the pan, and so will avoid breaking up the delicate chunks of chaaman.)
- Keep simmering gently until the water has almost evaporated, about 20 minutes – don’t panic if it’s longer. There should be just enough liquid to produce a thin gravy and prevent the chaaman sticking.
- In a separate pan over medium heat, melt the ghee (see note) and add the cracked cardamom pods and cloves until the ghee is sizzling and the spices are fragrant. Add the ghee and cracked spices to the chaaman. Allow 2-3 more minutes of simmering before serving.
Serves 4 as part of a shared meal
NOTE
Boiling the paneer is the start of building a particular type of structure, creating a certain tension that strings the paneer proteins “tight” and prepares them for communicating a steelier view of masala. Using structural spices such as cardamom and cloves to finish further reinforces the square and strong iteration of turmeric powder in this chaaman. The ghee is a nod to softness, and reiterates the dairy base of the dish.
Lal paneer
Kashmiri chilli powder is used here for colour rather than heat. Lal means “red” in Hindi, and the red of this dish really is beautiful, as is the creamy end texture. Serve this simple dish with dhal and steamed basmati rice.
It’s best to make the paneer the day before so that it has plenty of time to hang.
INGREDIENTS
- 500ml (2 cups) mustard oil
- 500g paneer (see recipe above)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp fine white salt
MAIN MASALA
- 6 small tomatoes
- 1 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp fennel powder
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 125ml (½ cup) paneer water, from frying (see below)
- 2 tsp fine white sea salt
TADKA
- ⅓ cinnamon stick
- 4 green cardamom pods, husks cracked
METHOD
- Heat the mustard oil in a kadai, stable cast-iron wok or heavy-based saucepan large enough that the oil comes up no more than halfway. Heat the oil to smoking point, then remove from the heat and let it cool. This reduces the pungency of the mustard oil, which is vital for a subtle dish like lal paneer.
- Meanwhile, cut the paneer into 2cm cubes. Fill a large bowl with cold water and set it beside the stovetop.
- Reheat the mustard oil over high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the turmeric powder and salt to prevent the paneer from sticking to the pot. Fry the paneer in small batches until just browned, then remove it from the oil with a slotted spoon. Place the paneer in the bowl of water, taking care that your cooking implement doesn’t touch the water, so it won’t spatter when you return it to the oil. The water keeps the paneer soft and helps it to slip out from beneath the oil.
- To begin the masala, remove the tomato cores and score the bases with a cross. Place them in a bowl of boiling water until the skin starts to split and lift. Remove them from the water and remove the skin. Puree the tomatoes in a small food processor or with a hand-held blender. The tomatoes need a smooth texture, to provide a silken carriage for the masala.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of mustard oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the Kashmiri chilli powder and stir through for 2-3 minutes, keeping the heat high. Add the pureed tomatoes and stir them through for another 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the coriander powder, fennel powder, ginger powder and cumin seeds. Stir through for 1-2 minutes, then add the drained paneer and the paneer water. Add the salt, stir it through, then continue cooking for a further 10 minutes.
- To finish, add the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods and stir them through. Keep at a low simmer for 10 minutes, then serve immediately.
Serves 4 as part of a shared meal
Matar paneer
No one in my family ever gets tired of this dish. Part of what makes it so sweet and warm to eat is the diced tomato tossed in to thicken the masala and bring a fresh and bright character. Make the paneer the day before and remember to save the whey.
INGREDIENTS
- 750ml (3 cups) vegetable oil
- 150g (2 cups) fresh or frozen peas
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 600g paneer (see recipe above), whey reserved, cut into 5cm pieces
MAIN MASALA
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 3 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1½ tsp fennel powder
- 1 tsp fine pink salt
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon powder
- scant ½ tsp amchur powder (see note)
- scant ½ tsp fine white salt
- generous ¼ tsp mace powder (see note)
- 4 green cardamom pods, husks cracked
- 3 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 × 2cm piece of jaggery (see note)
METHOD
- Heat the vegetable oil over high heat in a kadai, stable cast-iron wok or heavy-based saucepan large enough that the oil comes up no more than halfway.
- While the oil is heating, parboil the peas for 3–4 minutes and dice the tomatoes. Set both beside the stovetop, along with 3 cups (750 ml) of the reserved whey.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water and set it beside the stovetop. Once the oil is hot, fry the paneer in small batches. When slightly browned, carefully remove it from the hot oil and drop directly it into the cold water. Once all the paneer is fried, drain it and set it beside the stovetop.
- Combine the ghee and all of the spices except the jaggery in a large frying pan off the heat – if you add the spices while the heat is on, you won’t be able to work quickly enough and they will burn.
- Place the frying pan over medium heat and allow the ghee to melt and the spices start to warm before adding the jaggery. Stir until aromatic and tempered. Taste the masala – it will be delicious, a little salty, with woody, tangy spice.
- Add the tomato and taste again – it freshens the masala, lifting the complexity with a bright and sweet acidity. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the oil begins to split and the tomatoes form a rich and spicy slurry. Add the peas and the fried paneer, then gently stir them through the spices. Immediately add enough of the whey to not quite cover the paneer cubes – think of them like icebergs, with 70 per cent of their surface area below the waterline.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce begins to bubble. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, without stirring, for 45-60 minutes, until the paneer is fluffy and a small amount of richly spiced sauce remains in the pan. If the simmer gets too strong during cooking, reduce the heat to low.
- Serve with basmati rice and a simple dhal.
Serves 6 as part of a shared meal
NOTE
Amchur powder, made from dried green mangoes, is used to add acidity to a dish. Mace powder is made from the ground outer web surrounding the nutmeg seed. It has an orange rind quality that makes it prettier and more floral than nutmeg. Jaggery is an unrefined sugar product made from sugarcane juice. It is sold in blocks, cakes, or as a powder. All of these ingredients are available in Indian or Asian grocers and some supermarkets.
This is an edited extract from What We Call Masala by Sarina Kamini, photography by Patricia Niven. Murdoch Books RRP $49.99.
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