Kadai Paneer, Manchurian Style!

Ingredients

1. Big Red Onion - 1
2. Bell (Green/Red/Orange/Yellow) Peppers - 2
3. Panneer - 1/2 cup
4. Serrano Chilli - 2
5. Garlic - 5 cloves
6. Ginger - 1 tbsp
7. Green Onions - 8 stems
8. Fresh Basil - 4 leaves
9. Salt - To Taste
10. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Oil - 2 tbsp (Olive/Vegetable/Canola)
12. Soy Sauce - 3 tbsp
13. Chilli Sauce - 2 tbsp (or based on your spicy level, you can reduce/increase it)
14. Sweet & Sour Sauce - 4 tbsp
15. Salt - To Taste
    

Procedure

1. Cut Onions, Bell Peppers & Serrano Chilli length wise and sauté them for a while in a pan with 2 tbsp of Oil
2. Add finely chopped ginger & garlic to the pan along with some turmeric powder and mix it well for a few minutes
3. Once the fresh smell of garlic is gone, add the length wise cut panneer to the pan and mix it well
4. Now, add all the sauces (Soy, Chilli, Sweet & Sour) & salt to the pan and stir the whole mixture properly
5. Add half of the chopped green onions & fresh basil leaves to the above mixture and close the pan
6. Keep your stove in medium flame, open and stir the contents every 2-3 minutes. You have to leave this in the pan for nearly 10-15 minutes so that the panneer gets marinated well with the sauces and juices from onions & peppers
7. Now, garnish the kadai panneer with the rest of the chopped green onions & fresh basil leaves. Turn off the flame and keep the pan closed for atleast 1 hour. Basically, this dish will taste better when its marinated well for a long time. Just before you serve, heat it in medium flame for a few minutes
8. That's it! Enjoy with your Roti's and/or Rice!

Note (சூது வாது...)

• If you don't have fresh basil leaves, use dry basil leaves (duh!)
• If you're so diet conscious (or) a vegan (or) lactose intolerant, replace panneer with Extra-Firm Tofu
• To marinate well and keep it warm, once you've made the kadai panneer, preheat the oven to 300-400F and turn it off. Now, transfer the kadai panneer to a baking dish and shove it in the oven and leave it for an hour or so. This way, you don't even have to heat it just before you serve (சித்தப்பு, நாங்கல்லாம் யாரு...)