PANEER AMRITSARI

PANEER AMRITSARI


For vegetarians in India, paneer or Indian cottage cheese is a much liked ingredient in many dishes. At my home too, we make paneer dishes quite frequently. Naturally, elsewhere in this blog you will find recipes for dishes with paneer as diverse as Paneer Korma, Achari Paneer, and  Paneer Tikka Kathi Rolls. 

I made Paneer Amritsari recently and want to share my experience. It came out really well and was greatly enjoyed as a starter by my family and friends. This recipe is adapted from Paneer Amritsari by Chef Sanjay Thumma of VahChef.

Ingredients:

• Paneer, 200 gms
• Ajwain ( Carom Seeds), 1/4 tsp
• Red Chilli Flakes, 1 tsp
• Ginger, coarsely ground, 1 tsp 
• Garlic, coarsely ground, 1 tsp 
• Besan ( Gram Flour), 1/2 cup
• Chili Powder, 1/2 tsp or to taste 
• Kitchen King Masala, 1/4 tsp
• Kasuri Methi ( Dry Fenugreek Leaves) Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 2 tsp
• Sugar, 1/2 tsp
• Lemon Juice, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 3 tbsp

Method:

Cut the paneer into long pieces. They should not be too thin as they may crumble. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadhai, when it gets hot on medium heat add the carom seeds, when they sizzle lower the flame and add the chilli flakes followed by the coarsely ground ginger and garlic

Saute for a minute till the raw smell goes

To this add the besan and roast on medium-low flame till the besan changes colour and gives off a nice aroma 

Switch off the flame and allow it to cool
Once it is cooled, transfer the contents to a bowl

Add salt, chilli powder, Kitchen King Masala, kasuri methi powder, finely chopped coriander leaves and 1/2 tsp of sugar
Next add the lemon juice then add a little water and mix well to make a pasty batter (to marinate the paneer ) which should not be too thick or too thin
Now, add the paneer pieces and individually coat them with the marinade ( the prepared batter)

Keep aside for  at least 30 -45 minutes for the paneer to get well marinated
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the marinated pieces of paneer in batches

Shallow fry the paneer one side at a time, flipping them to cook the other side till they get evenly done
Serve hot as a starter or snack with mint chutney or ketchup