Paneer is a versatile ingredient and does well in both savory and sweet avatars. There are numerous Indian snacks recipes that can be prepared using paneer and one such classic appetizing tea time snack or a rainy day treat is Paneer Pakora. Just a handful of ingredients go into its making with minimal work. Soft, melt in the mouth cottage cheese is dipped in spiced chick pea batter and deep fried to a golden brown shade. Its a good idea to blanch paneer pieces for a few minutes so that they soften and then prepare paneer pakora.
A popular variation of paneer pakora is to sandwich two pieces of paneer with green chutney before dipping them in the pakora batter.
Paneer Pakora Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 5
Main Ingredients: paneer besan
Ingredients
Paneer – 1/4 kg, wash and slice into 1″ pieces (1/4″ thickness)
Besan – 1 cup,
Rice flour – 2 tbsps
Corn flour – 1 tbsp
Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Ajwain – 1/2 tsp (carrom seeds)
Baking soda – pinch
Salt to taste
Cooking oil for deep frying
Method
1. Mix a cup of besan, rice flour, corn four, ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, baking soda and salt and enough water to make a thick paste.
2. Blanch paneer pieces for 5 mts in hot water and drain.
3. Heat oil for deep frying in a heavy bottomed vessel, dip each paneer piece in the prepared pakoda batter such that it is coated on all sides and place in the hot oil. Deep fry on medium flame to a golden brown shade and remove onto absorbent paper.
4. Place on a serving plate and serve with tomato ketchup or green chutney and a cup of masala chai
