Devour the royal delicacy of paneer pakora with your kids on a rainy day from your terrace garden...
Paneer Pakora are deep fried fritters made of paneer cubes dipped in spicy gram flour batter that comes with a crispy fluffy combination which would seduce our taste buds in the very first bite.
An Introduction On Paneer:
Paneer is the protein rich cottage cheese which originated from the Indian subcontinent and it is an indispensable ingredient in the Indian Cuisine, especially the North. It is prepared by curdling boiled milk with lemon juice or vinegar and it is unsalted unlike other cheese varieties. Much adored for its versatility, this power packed paneer is one of the essential staples in any Indian kitchen undoubtedly. It is an excellent source of vegetarian protein, chosen by many for its mild taste and cheesy texture. Being the most popular starter, paneer always rules the monopoly in any party or wedding in India, taking various forms, structures and names.
If we take a look into the culinary history of India, paneer has been widely used in the traditional South Asian Cuisines during the 16th and the 17th centuries. If we dig into the food history of paneer, its exact origin is yet to be unfolded as there are three different histories that relate to its origin in India including the vedic origin all of which are quite interesting. Since ancient times, we have a host of dishes with paneer as the key ingredient in various cuisines starting from plain paneer tikka to paneer jalfrezi. Whether it is a sweet, a starter, a kebab, a gravy or a delicacy this paneer would make is predominant presence everywhere starting from famous iconic establishments to home parties. We have umpteen number of starters that would allure you in an instant and one such recipe is this paneer pakora, the easiest paneer fritter anyone would fall for. A simple dip would make this paneer pakora exotic and you can prepare it in a jiffy.
With just a few ingredients at home, this paneer pakora can be made without much ado. A simple yet nutritious dish, this paneer pakora is sure to make you filling and energetic. Indulging yourself in deep fried pakoras once is a while is necessary to handle the insatiable food cravings. Being very tasty is yet another lucrative aspect of paneer pakora and therefore this dish would be the best choice for your cheat day after a whole week of heavy workout and severe diet. Just dice the paneer into even sized cubes and dip them in gram flour spruced up with regular spice powders and deep fry them to get hot fluffy crispy paneer pakoras. Just follow one nuance of making the consistency of the batter right. That will give you fantastic paneer pakoras and you can pair it up with any dip you have in your pantry.
Here comes the recipe of perky paneer pakoras that is sure to become an alluring addiction for you.
Contents Included:
* A Summary of Paneer Pakora
* Ingredients & Directions
* Tips to Follow
* Nutritional Value
* Excerpt Of The Recipe
Ingredients Required To Make Paneer Pakora Recipe :
How To Make Paneer Pakora Recipe :
Soak the paneer in lukewarm water with a pinch of salt for about five to ten minutes and after some time take it out and place over a paper towel. Then dice them into even sized cubes and keep aside.
Take one and a half cups of gram flour in a large bowl and sprinkle a few pinches of salt as required for making the pakora. Splash in a little water to make a paste out of it. Add the measured quantities of red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, ginger garlic paste and whisk altogether with some more drops of water. Finally tip in a pinch of baking soda and whisk gently for a few seconds. Let the batter be neither too thick nor too thin. Let it rest for a while and in the meantime make things ready for frying.
Take each panner cube and hold it diagnolly inbetween your fingers. Slit through the paneer using a sharp knife and fill it up with a teaspoon of coriander chutney and just press it up with your fingers and keep aside. Similarly, fill up all the paneer cubes and place it over a plate.
Heat a kadai and pour sufficient cooking oil required for deep frying. When the oil is heated, take a paneer cube and dip it in the batter and drop it in the oil. Maintain the flame in medium high mode so that both the paneer and the batter gets cooked up well. Just after a few seconds, flip the paneer cubes gently and allow the other side to get fried up. When both the sides are done you will get a golden brown color all over evenly and you will sense the aroma of the fried paneer pakora. This is the stage to take it out and gently fish out the fried paneer pakoras one by one using a slotted spoon and place it over a plate covered with a paper towel.
Squeeze out a dash of lemon over the panner pakoras and serve while it is still hot accompanied by the lush green coriander chutney.
Things To Remember:
* You can use both home made and store bought paneer to make this pakora. If it is home made just make cubes a day ahead and keep it in the refrigerator so that it stays intact when you deep fry.
* You can use any cooking oil which you usually use for deep frying.
* Other than frying the paneer plain or stuffing it up with coriander chutney, you can also fill it up with mint chutney, leshun ka chutney or onion chutney depending upon you choice and availability. If you make it for kids, do so with a little chaat masala powder or ketch up. Similarly, you can make any other innovations like pepper and cumin powders, crushed garlic and green chili mixture etc.as fillings. For example, I always love to fill up the paneer with dhahi and red chili flakes mixture.
* You can add a little bit of ajwain (carom seeds) while making the batter and it is optional.
* Fry all of the panner cubes in medium high flame and do not fry it in low flame as it may make the paneer cubes soggy and half cooked.
* Tomato ketch up and mayonnaise are lovely accompaniments next to mint and coriander chutney.
* If you prepare for kids, you can create any other shape other than cubes to make it all the more interesting. For instance, you can make triangles or cylindrical shapes either tiny or large as per you wish.
* If you serve it as a starter for parties, arrange it along with onion rings, cucumber and carrot slices along with lemon wedges all placed over a large lettuce. You can also scatter some finely chopped spring onions over the crunchy paneer pakoras if you are a lover of greens. And be mindful of serving it sizzling hot to get an applauding smile from you guest.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak the paneer in lukewarm water with a pinch of salt for about five to ten minutes and after some time take it out and place over a paper towel. Then dice them into even sized cubes and keep aside.
Take one and a half cups of gram flour in a large bowl and sprinkle a few pinches of salt as required for making the pakora. Splash in a little water to make a paste out of it. Add the measured quantities of red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, ginger garlic paste and whisk altogether with some more drops of water. Finally tip in a pinch of baking soda and whisk gently for a few seconds. Let the batter be neither too thick nor too thin. Let it rest for a while and in the meantime make things ready for frying.
Take each panner cube and hold it diagnolly inbetween your fingers. Slit through the paneer using a sharp knife and fill it up with a teaspoon of coriander chutney and just press it up with your fingers and keep aside. Similarly, fill up all the paneer cubes and place it over a plate.
Heat a kadai and pour sufficient cooking oil required for deep frying. When the oil is heated, take a paneer cube and dip it in the batter and drop it in the oil. Maintain the flame in medium high mode so that both the paneer and the batter gets cooked up well. Just after a few seconds, flip the paneer cubes gently and allow the other side to get fried up. When both the sides are done you will get a golden brown color all over evenly and you will sense the aroma of the fried paneer pakora. This is the stage to take it out and gently fish out the fried paneer pakoras one by one using a slotted spoon and place it over a plate covered with a paper towel.
Squeeze out a dash of lemon over the panner pakoras and serve while it is still hot accompanied by the lush green coriander chutney.
