Step 1

Rinse the kidney beans and soak overnight in several inches of water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added.

Step 2

Drain and rinse, then transfer to a large saucepan and cover with 6 cups of fresh water.

Step 3

Add the bay leaf, turmeric, cayenne, paprika and ghee or butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender.

Step 4

Remove the cooked beans from the cooking liquid with a slotted spoon, roughly mash about 3/4 cup of the beans with the back of a fork and set aside. Continue to gently simmer the broth until quite thick, until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups.

Step 5

Remove from heat, discard the bay leaf, and set aside.Meanwhile, combine the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and ajwain seeds in a spice or coffee grinder and reduce to a powder.

Step 6

Transfer to a small bowl.

Step 7

Place the ginger, chilies and 1/2 cup of water in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Stir in the powdered spices and add the garam masala, turmeric, asafetida, salt and lemon or lime juice. The mixture should have the consistency of a thin cream.

Step 8

Add a little more water if it is too thick.If using fresh paneer, heat the ghee or butter and oil mixture in a large frying pan or wok over medium heat. When hot, add the paneer and stir for 5 to 8 minutes, constantly turning the cubes to brown them evenly on all sides. As they turn golden, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a dish lined with kitchen towel. (If using pre-fried paneer there is no reason to fry them twice.)

Step 9

Add the ginger and spice paste to the pan and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 8 minutes or until the tomatoes are reduced to a thick paste.

Step 10

Pour the tomato mixture into the reduced broth, add the cooked beans, mashed beans, fried cheese cubes and stir well to combine. Gently simmer over low heat for 15 minutes to heat throughout.

Step 11

Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley, alongside some cooked rice such as Cracked Black Pepper Rice or Yellow Rice with Fried Cashews.