PANEER GHEE ROAST

I had been to Little India three days back and sourced some Malai Paneer from Moghul Sweet shop at Little India Arcade. I had not exactly decided what to do with the Paneer,  but was sure not to prepare the usual Matar Paneer or Paneer Butter Masala. While brainstorming on what to cook I got to see Paneer Ghee Roast on Raji's space and went on to experiment.  

Result: I really liked it a lot is a lesser adjective. That said, I will make this again when I want to go Paneer snacking. This recipe, what I felt is very close in taste to Mushroom Pepper Fry - a delicacy served at Sree Annnapoorna Group of Hotels @ Coimbatore. And that makes me like this even more. Kindly note that the recipe is quite heavy on the tummy. I couldn't eat more than 4-5 cubes. So, a 1/2 kg Paneer block should definitely serve 4 to 5 people on a lunch date.Paneer Ghee roast seems to have a Mangalorean recipe root ( courtesy Google) and is apparently inspired by a Chicken dish. 

While I post this...... it is also interesting to note that Paneer Ghee Roast was part of the dinner menu served to the Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping at the India - China summit held at  Mahabalipuram on Oct 11th and 12th 2019 hosted by our Honorable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi. That was a coincidence and I was amused. Click here   to have a look at the dinner menu for the event. 
Read on now....  

Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 20 min
Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mangalore
Spice Level: Medium/ Spicy
Source : Raks Kitchen
Serves : 2-3 or more 
Nutrition Facts
Servings 4.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 325
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 27 g42 %
Saturated Fat 16 g82 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 67 mg22 %
Sodium 144 mg6 %
Potassium 73 mg2 %
Total Carbohydrate 5 g2 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g5 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 14 g29 %
Vitamin A20 %
Vitamin C15 %
Calcium35 %
Iron16 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.
INGREDIENTS
  • 250 - 300 gm Paneer ( Regular or Malai, but use fresh Paneer)
  • 2 tbsp ghee plus 1 tsp
  • 3-4 tbsp of thick Yoghurt 
  • 2-3 flakes garlic
  • 4-5 Red Chillies ( Kahsmiri red chillies or equivalent) 
  • 1.5 tsp Coriander seeds
  • 3/4th tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper corns
  • 4-5 granules Carom seeds ( Ajwain/ Omam - totally optional)
  • 1 tsp Besan flour (optional - see notes)
  •  1/2 tsp Raw sugar / Pounded Jaggery
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric
  • Tamarind ( size of a small gooseberry)
  • Half a lemon
  • Salt to taste
  • A sprig of Curry leaves 
METHOD
  • Roast all the spices ( coriander, cumin, fenugreek, pepper, chillies) leaving tamarind and garlic in 1 tsp ghee and turn off heat.
  • Once done add tamarind and garlic into the hot pan and let it sizzle and cool down.
  • Meanwhile, cut Paneer into cubes and set aside.
  • Whisk Yogurt with turmeric, besan and salt and set this aside as well.
  • Grind the cooled spice along with tamarind, garlic and jaggery/ sugar into an almost fine powder and mix into the prepared yoghurt paste. 
  • Mix well to make it lump free. Squeeze in the lemon. 
  • Dunk the Paneer cubes into the above mixture and gently stir to coat well. Let it sit for about 30 to 45 min. 
  • Heat a seasoned  iron pan or a non stick pan and heat 2 tbsp homemade ghee. Throw in the torn curry leaves when hot. 
  • Gently transfer the Paneer cubes and mixture into the hot ghee and cook until the spice paste condenses and coats all side to become a semi dry curry. 
  • Use a pair of tongs to turn cubes now and then to ensure even cooking. 
  • Once done transfer to a plate or bowl and serve immediately with a fork or toothpick.
NOTES
  • The recipe calls for Kashmiri chillies. if you have a higher spice tolerance add regular chillies along .
  • Use real thick yoghurt. Hung curd should also work. If you have curds with higher whey water content, add besan to thicken it ( while this will impart a mild nutty flavour to the recipe,I don't think it would change the recipe outcome  to a great extent. Besan and Carom seeds are however not added in the original recipe.
  • Always use fresh Paneer for Paneer recipes. Frozen paneer tends to lose lot of whey and disintegrate during cooking( my experience) and resembles scrambled eggs while cooking.Fundamentally, loses texture.
  • Marinate the Paneer : Whilst this step is optional, I recommend to do so as I feel the masala seeps in better. 
  • Use a well seasoned iron pan or a good grade non stick pan. Else , the Paneer tends to stick to the cooking surface. So, do not move around until you finish cooking.

Comments

  1. Sowmya, I wonder why you added tamarind when lemon juice is good enough for the sourness?? Well, this recipe is very close to my Panner Capsicum Roast, hence clearing my doubts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tamarind imparts that specific Southern flavour to this dish Ammu. My recipe research says that majority of them add tamarind to the Masala blend. I used a very small lemon.

      Delete

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Sowmya

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