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 g	42 %
Saturated Fat 16 g	82 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 67 mg	22 %
Sodium 144 mg	6 %
Potassium 73 mg	2 %
Total Carbohydrate 5 g	2 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	5 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 14 g	29 %
Vitamin A	20 %
Vitamin C	15 %
Calcium	35 %
Iron	16 %
* 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.