Schezwan Sauce

Oil - 3 tbsp.

Garlic - 20 cloves, minced

Shallot - 1, minced

Red Chili - 24 (preferably Bedgi), soaked for 2 hours and ground to a coarse paste

Vinegar - 2 tbsp.

Brown Sugar - 2 tbsp.

Soy Sauce - 2 tsp

Salt - 1 tbsp.

Heat oil in a medium pan.

Add in garlic and sauté for 30 sec.

Stir in shallot and cook until translucent.

Add the ground chili paste and keep stirring for 3 min until the raw smell goes away.

Stir in vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and salt. Keep on stirring and cooking until oil oozes out from the masala.

Transfer to a clean glass jar and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Paneer

Milk - 4 cups

Lemon Juice or Vinegar - 1 to 2 tsp

Salt

Bring the milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently so that it does not boil over. Reduce heat and add lemon juice and a pinch of salt; mix well. The milk begins to curdle. Once the milk has curdled completely, turn off the heat.

Sieve the mixture using cheesecloth placed in a large colander, reserving whey water if needed. Squeeze gently to remove excess moisture.

Place this paneer bundle on a slotted tray, followed by placing a bowl filled with water on top of the paneer bundle. This is to squeeze out any leftover moisture. Leave this setup for about 20 minutes to set the paneer.

Cut the paneer into small cubes before using them in your favorite recipes.

Ginger Garlic Paste

Ginger - 1 cup, skin peeled off and diced into small cubes

Garlic - 1 cup, skin removed

Green Chilli - 1/4 cup (optional)

Oil - 2 tbsp (optional)

In a blender, add the ginger and garlic along with green chilli and oil if using them. Blend this mixture with very little water until ground to a coarse paste.

Transfer this mixture to an airtight container.

Keep refrigerated until ready to use in your curry preparations.