Recipes that use Paneer

 As you may have surmised, I have fun in the kitchen.   And one of my fun activities (mainly because I don't know any better) is to play with new recipe ideas.   I'm part of a group called Sunday Funday, and every week we have a theme we can make food for.  You can participate or not, but a week or so in advance, you tell the organizers what you're making and schedule the recipe to go 'live' at the same time. 

Mayuri Patel of Mayuri Jikoni is our hostess this month and said to create a dish using either cottage cheese, paneer, or tofu.  It should be the star ingredient and could be either sweet or savory.   Personally, I love cottage cheese and paneer, but I cannot stand the texture of tofu.  So I went exploring on the net.

I hope you're not bored yet, cause this week I decided to go ahead and play again. I've missed a couple of weeks, but I'm back and ready to have fun again.

A few years back, I was a member of the Secret Recipe Club, where we posted a recipe once a month that we'd found on our assigned blog and wrote about it. 

My assignment for one month was Camille's blog , and I found a recipe for Palak Paneer on there.    At the time, I wasn't aware of any place in the big city where I could find ready-made Paneer (Indian Cheese), so I made my own.   I've since found it there and keep a block of it in my freezer, ready to use when I'm in the mood to use Paneer in a recipe.   I still make my own, though, cause this stuff is good and is so darn easy to make as well.  

And since it's so easy to make your own Paneer, I decided to make some this week and share some ideas for how to use it.   

I love most of the Indian food I've tried, and decided to make some Paneer Makhani (aka Butter Chicken, if using chicken).    That was until I forgot to buy some tomato paste, so I pivoted.   I made some Paneer Pakora instead.    

But first, I had to make some paneer; well, I didn't have to, but I wanted to.  

I processed a half-gallon of milk into two batches of Paneer. I even borrowed an idea from one of my sisters: rather than using a pot to boil the milk and the risk of scorching it, I put it in a microwave-safe 4-cup measure and zapped it until the milk boiled.     When you have modern conveniences, you should use them.   I had a couple of lemons I juiced up and added to the milk to make the Paneer.   I also decided to fill the bowls with water to press the paneer out.   A gallon of water weighs 8 pounds, so it made sense to do it that way.  

And just cause I could, I also made some Naan to go with the Palak Paneer.   

I borrowed a dictum from Red Green (Canadian) and used my Tortilla press for the Naan.  As Red Green used to say, any tool can be the right tool, and it worked beautifully for the Naan.    Although true confessions time, I used a real shortcut to make the Naan, and they were not as good as my original recipe.   

And now to the Paneer Pakora.  I did a bit of a swivel on here as well.    I had some Chutney in the fridge and decided to use it.  And I'm not sorry I did.  I just had the best meal.  And totally understand why these are a great snack, but I made them into a meal.    In India, these are also sold as street snacks, and are made as after-school snacks as well.    All I know is, I'll be making them again.  

Paneer Pakora

Yield: 2-4

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking - Adapted from many recipes

A fun little appetizer that's a touch different.

Ingredients

Batter for Paneer

• 1 cup Besan Flour (aka Chickpea Flour)
• 2 tablespoon gluten free flour
• 3/4 tsp. Turmeric
• 3/4 tsp. Garam Masala
• 3/4 tsp. chili/paprika spice mixture
• 1/4 tsp. cumin powder
• 1/2 cup water +1 tablespoon + add more if needed by the teaspoonful
• salt if desired, to taste
• Oil for frying, to a depth of around 2 inches
• 8 oz. Paneer, cut into cubes
• Mango Chutney or your favorite chutney.

Instructions

1. Mix the batter ingredients together, adding more water as needed, until it envelops the paneer cubes.
2. Heat the oil to around 335 degrees.
3. Dip the cubes in the batter and add to the oil; cook for a couple of minutes, turning over if needed to ensure they are cooked on all sides. Drain on a paper towel, and serve with some chutney.

 

Did you make this recipe?

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Check out what my fellow Sunday Funday Bloggers came up with: 

• Corn Paneer Parathas from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Cottage Cheese Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cottage Cheese Wraps from Making Miracles
• Cheese Paneer Tikka Open Sandwich in Air Fryer from Cook with Renu
• Firecracker Tofu Broccolini Stir-Fry from Food Lust People Love
• Homemade Paneer Recipe Ideas from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Paneer Tomato Rice With Leftover Rice For One from Sneha's Recipe
• Pasta with Green Beans and Ricotta from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Potato, Cottage Cheese, & Caramelized Onion Pierogi from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Retro Cottage Cheese Jello Salad from A Messy Kitchen