Vegetarian Paneer Tikka Masala at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget
I tried vegetarian paneer tikka masala from Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California for lunch. I liked it and think the Indians also consider food as medicine like the Chinese do.
I used the recipe from www.indianhealthyrecipes.com to find basic information about paneer tikka masala. Paneer is Indian cheese. Tikka means “grilled.” In this recipe, marinated and cubed Indian cheese is grilled before bein added to the masala gravy. Paneer Tikka Masala is a Northern Indian dish that was originally made with chicken.
Restaurants grill the paneer cheese after marinating it. The marinade is made with yogurt, ginger garlic paste, red chile powder, garam masala (curry powder), turmeric oil, salt, and lemon juice. Avatar Indian Grill may not use this exact recipe, but it is probably a close approximation when you taste Avatar’s paneer.
The masala gravy is made by sautéing onions, tomatoes, and cashews with turmeric, garam masala (curry powder), and red chile pepper flakes. This cooked mixture is added to a blender and mixed till smooth. This mixture is cooked again with the addition of onions, green pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, garlic ginger paste, and water. The masala is allowed to cook until thickened.
While the masala gravy cooks, you grill the marinated paneer cheese. You add the grilled tikka cheese to the masala gravy along with cream before serving it with basmati rice and naan flatbread seasoned with black nigella seeds.
The spices in paneer tikka masala are especially good for you along with the vegetables and the cheese (with the exception of people with allergies). I used information from Johns Hopkins Medical School, Rochester University, and BBC Good Food websites to put together the nutrition information for ingredients as they appear above:
-ginger – eases morning sickness, cuts down on constipation and bloating, and contains antioxidants that remove free radicals that can cause cancer
-garlic – reduces heart attack risk -red chile flakes – contain Vitamin C which is an antioxidant that removes free radicals from the body that can cause cancer
-turmeric – is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory that also helps prevent degenerative eye diseases
-lemon juice – is a an antioxidant
-onions – contain vitamin C, antioxidants and B vitamins for the metabolism
-tomatoes – contain vitamin C, an antioxidant
-cashews – contain protein and antioxidants
-bell peppers – contain vitamin C, vitamin B6 which forms red blood cells, and promotes bone health
-cardamom – aids digestion, balances blood sugar levels, and lowers blood pressure
-cinnamon – is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
-cloves – contain antioxidants
-paneer cheese – contains protein and calcium
The delicious vegetarian paneer tikka masala at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California is a community asset for flavor as well as health.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
