I love paneer but only ever use it in curries. What else should I do with it?
Claire, Sheffield
One of the advantages of paneer, whether it’s homemade or shop-bought, is that it doesn’t melt, so you get that satisfying, almost meaty texture. Meera Sodha, in Fresh India, uses the cheese to stuff romano peppers, but it is her skewers that are “one of the finest ways to eat paneer”. She starts by heating rapeseed oil in a small pan, then adds chickpea flour, cooking until “nutty brown”. She puts this in a bowl and combines with cubed paneer, grated ginger, crushed garlic, chilli powder, mango chutney, turmeric, tomato puree, chopped coriander, seasons, and marinates. The paneer is then threaded onto skewers with red pepper chunks and grilled on each side.
Chef Maunika Gowardhan, author of Thali, is simpatico with you, Claire; her love affair with the stuff began when she started making her own (with added spinach and herbs) in her 20s. If you do likewise, then there’s a very simple solution: “Chop the paneer into small pieces, sprinkle with coarsely crushed cumin, a pinch of chaat masala, and top with pickled onions.” Alternatively, adds Romy Gill, whose latest book, On the Himalayan trail, is released in April, go sweet. She crushes cardamom and fennel seeds, adds these to crumbled (homemade) paneer then parcels the mix up in filo pastry. “A minute before you take them out of the oven, layer honey and crushed cardamom on top - or dried fruit, if you want.”
Meanwhile, Dom Fernando, founder of contemporary Sri-Lankan restaurant Paradise in London, suggests searing it. He does this for a few minutes on each side before “applying a glaze of chervil, coriander, green chillies and ghee on top”. And, let’s face it, paneer is bland, so this hit of flavour is important. “It soaks up anything you add to it,” says Gowardhan, who suggests swapping out scrambled eggs for paneer in a spice-laden bhurji. “Add cumin, ginger and turmeric to a frying pan [with vegetable oil], maybe some red or green chilli peppers, and fry.” Coarsely grate in your paneer and once cooked, add fresh coriander, and eat with flatbread.
Alternatively, your flatbread could be stuffed. Gowardhan’s favoured filling is a mix of grated paneer, ginger, cumin, garam masala, fresh coriander, green chillies, and green peas – “make it slightly mushy”. She adds “about a tablespoon” to rolled-out paratha dough, then pulls the edges together to seal, and flattens. Once cooked in a drizzle of ghee (“ghee is life”), serve with pickle or raita for something “perfect, perfect, perfect”. That same stuffing is also prime for samosas. “You could make a mint chutney and mix that with the paneer,” adds Gowardhan. Encase all this in filo pastry and deep-fry for crispy, golden delights.
“Claire could also make paneer koftas,” says Gill, who mixes the grated cheese with vegetables, spices (cumin, ground coriander), chillies and cornflour, then rolls into balls. “I grate in carrots, onions, courgettes (when in season), or squash – just make sure you squeeze out all the water.” Or channel Gill’s mum with paneer pakoras: add the cheese, grated potatoes, onions and “any vegetables you have” to the batter. After all, adds Gill, “she was the queen of variation”.
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