Chana Masala with Homemade Paneer

I've been a vegetarian for the past 6 weeks now and coming up with dishes that aren't boring is a task. Yesterday I was craving Paneer so much that I just had to prepare a dish with it today. Because I was lazy and didn't want to go to the store to get more milk, I only made a little block of paneer with the milk I had at home and decided to stretch the dish with garbanzo beans. It was spicy and yummy. :) Here is how I prepared it.





Ingrediants:

1 15 oz can of chickpeas (chana, Garbanzo beans)
1 cup paneer cubed 
2 tablespoons oil
Pinch of asafetida (Hing)
3/4 tsp turmeric (haldi)
2 tsp garam masala
2 large tomatoes pureed or 8 oz can pureed tomatoes
1 bell pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped finely
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp chopped green chilies/ or to taste
1/2 tsp red chily powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
handful of cilantro (optional)

Directions:

Drain and properly wash the chickpeas and set aside. In a non-stick pan, add oil and heat on medium. Add onions, green chilies, chopped bell peppers, ginger and tomato puree. Cook for approximately 3-5 minutes stirring frequently. Add garlic paste, garam masala, tumeric, chili powder and asafetida. Cook for 1 minute. Add chickpeas and paneer. Season with salt. Cook for about 5-7  minutes stirring to make sure it doesn't burn. Add buttermilk and cook until mixture is almost dry, approximately 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat and add fresh cilantro if you prefer. Stir and serve with rice, naan or roti. :)