November 21, 2017
Favourite amongst North Indians and eastern parts of the Indian subcontinent that made this dish famous, Paneer is a type of fresh cheese that works brilliantly as the heart of a vegetarian curry.
Paneer is a simply made cheese; all that is required is milk, lemon juice or vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Mixing lemon juice and milk separates the curds and whey, straining these curds gives you fresh Paneer.
The smooth milky flavour of Paneer makes it a wonder ingredient in curries as well as a grilled side dish like the famous Paneer Tikkas. The cheese is also used to make some desserts.
If you’re choosing to buy Paneer from a market, remember it comes in two separate varieties; hard and soft. The soft ‘cottage’ cheese is great for salads, but it is the hard variety that is best used for curries.
Here is a selection of some favourite Paneer recipes for you to try:
Marinated in an exciting flavour combination including garlic, ginger, black pepper and coriander in a yoghurt based sauce, then topped with sesame seeds and baked until crispy. A must-have side to any meal.
Black pepper is the key ingredient in this luscious creamy gravy dish. Paneer cubes suck up all that spicy pepper flavour.
Koftas always go down well with friends and family. Small rounds made with Paneer and doused in a deep, rich gravy go perfectly with hot crisp naan or roti.
This is the dish you need if you’re feeding a crowd. Desi flavours of cottage cheese, tomatoes, dried fenugreek and cashew nuts create a tasty dish that everyone can help themselves to.
This traditional recipe takes Paneer cubes and fries them in mustard oil and tosses them with mild spices for a hearty side full of mouth-watering mustard heat.
Biryani works wonders with fried cottage cream cubes; time allows the cheese and the rice to take on all the flavours of the spices and the creamy gravy.
Paneer is definitely one to try next time you are at your local Indian and Pakistani restaurant. Manchester based Royal Nawaab’s buffet is your best place to try a great host of Paneer dishes.
