The Versatility of Paneer

Paneer- Some of us might have heard of it, others might not. Very similar to cottage cheese, paneer is created by curdling milk by adding a drop of lemon juice or vinegar to it. It is then strained in a muslin cloth and left overnight. Paneer is considered the best source of protein in India for vegetarians. In fact, until I was 10 years old, I ate paneer in every single meal. I was a very picky eater, but also loved the variety and would get bored very quickly. So, my grandmother experimented and collected a number of unique and nutritious Paneer dishes using the wonders of Indian spices, and these are some of my favorite ones.

Butter Paneer Bhurji

One of the easiest Paneer recipes, this has been my go-to breakfast recipe for years now. It’s the easiest recipe to replicate and you can layer it to your taste and make it colorful with your favorite vegetables.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons oil or ghee, butter or white butter

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ cup onions (finely chopped) - Finely Chopped

3 to 4 small garlic cloves + 1-inch ginger peeled, made to a paste in mortar-pestle or 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste

1 or 2 green chilies - finely chopped or slit

1 cup tomatoes (tightly packed, finely chopped)

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)

½ teaspoon red chilli powder or ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)

¼ to ½ teaspoon Garam Masala

200 to 250 grams Paneer (Indian cottage cheese)Crumbled salt as required

3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

Preparation:

In a pan, heat the oil on a medium-low flame. Add cumin seeds, and continue to let them crackle till they change color. Once nice and brown add the onions.

Mix well and saute the onions. Once translucent add the ginger garlic paste and chopped green chilies.

Continue sauteeing till the aroma of ginger garlic goes away.

Add your tomatoes and saute on medium-low heat till soft. Add a pinch of soft to speed up the process.

Now add all the dry spices- turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, and garam masala powder.

Mix and saute for 5 to 6 seconds.

Then, at this stage, add in your paneer and cook for 1 minute on low heat.

Don’t cook the paneer for too long, as it starts hardening and becoming chewy, losing its soft and fluffy texture.

Lastly, add the coriander leaves and mix. Serve with naan bread, toast, burritos, and roti!