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Top 10 Paneer Recipes we chose to share with your for your weekend meals. Paneer is a vegetarian delight that is a fresh cheese common in the Indian subcontinent. It is an un-aged, non-melting soft cheese made by curdling milk with a fruit- or vegetable-derived acid, such as lemon juice. Its acid-set form is called chhena. In India Paneer happens to be the most popular dish served in Restaurants and Indian homes. For every good reason that calls for a celebration, Paneer is the quintessential dish that remarks joy and happiness. We have enormous recipes made using Paneer or Chenna, be it sweet or savory. Every region, every state has it;s own typical recipe of making paneer. A humble ingredients that goes well into all kind of creamy, spicy curries, rice, desserts, snacks etc.
Paneer is prepared by adding food acid, such as lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid or dahi (yogurt), to hot milk to separate the curds from the whey. The curds are drained in muslin or cheesecloth and the excess water is pressed out. The resulting paneer is dipped in chilled water for 2–3 hours to improve its texture and appearance. From this point, the preparation of paneer diverges based on its use and regional tradition. In most Nepalese cuisines, the curds are wrapped in cloth, placed under a heavy weight such as a stone slab for two to three hours, and then cut into cubes for use in curries. Pressing for a shorter time (approximately 20 minutes) results in a softer, fluffier cheese. In Bengali and other east Indian cuisines, the chhena are beaten or kneaded by hand into a dough-like consistency, heavily salted and hardened to produce paneer (called ponir), which is typically eaten in slices at teatime with biscuits or various types of bread, deep-fried in a light batter or used in cooking.
Matar Paneer
Anything with paneer is a sure win in my house, especially if it’s Matar Paneer. When it comes to cooking for guests , Matar Paneer with Kadak Ajwain Puri if my favorite combination in winters. As the market is flooded with peas everywhere , i just couldn’t resist myself and as i wanted something with a mild gravy for my son as well, so ended up making this delicious Matar Paneer. It went really well with Kadak Ajwain Puris and Mirchi ka Achar that were part of the meal.
Paneer Butter Masala
Paneer Butter Masala is made by cooking soft pieces of Paneer in a rich, creamy and aromatic gravy made of butter, onions & tomatoes. Have you ever sat wondering why restaurant food tastes different from home food. In fact i would say that most of the restaurants serve same curry for most of their dishes hence they all taste the same with little halka fulka difference. Its only the paneer butter masala that tastes different from the other curries.
Paneer Methi Malai / Methi Malai Paneer
Methi Malai Paneer is a succulent dish made with love and patience. Fresh paneer cubes goes into a creamy rich curry with fenugreek leaves. The sweetness of the curry is balanced with the pungent flavor of fenugreek. In this recipe I have used Kasuri methi ( dried fenugreek leaves ) but as winters are approaching the markets will soon be flooded with fresh fenugreek that I’m sure will add more exotic flavor to the dish. In my opinion there are few recipes that cannot be made in a jiffy as it needs some basic skills are eyeballing of the ingredients. Hence to make methi malai paneer you need to be patience with what you’re doing to get rich flavors and an exotic experience. Sharing the recipe below and waiting to hear from you soon.
Palak Paneer
Palak Paneer is one the most popular dishes in North India, a vegetarian dish rich in Iron and Protein. Palak paneer comes with the goodness of spinach and cottage cheese and is considered to be one of the finest paneer dishes in India. Today i’m sharing my fool proof recipe that is certainly a show stopper in my house. The recipe is adapted from my mother and is now going to you. So do try out this creamy luscious Palak Paneer and share your thoughts on it with me in comments below.
Paneer Makhhanwala
Paneer Makhanwala is a slightly sweet creamy dish of paneer that is rich in flavors and texture. It was first originated in the Indian subcontinent, in which the gravy is prepared usually with butter, tomatoes, cashews or cream. Spices such as red chili powder and garam masala are also used to prepare this gravy . Paneer Makhanwala is one of the most common recipes of North India, it’s a perfect combination of spiciness and creaminess of its gravy makes it simply irresistible and versatile. Also known as Paneer Makhani, this delicious paneer dish can be served with chappati , naan or rice.
Paneer Tikka
Paneer Tikka is a very popular appetizer served in Restaurants, Hotels, Marriages, Kitty Parties etc. Succulent Paneer cubes marinated in Indian spices is then skewered with assorted vegetables and grilled to get the charred effect is then served with Mint chutney. An extremely mouth watering appetizer/starter that can easily be mae at home in your regular OTG/Oven. The vegetables that goes best with skewered paneer are Onions, Tomatoes, Capsicum and Red/Yellow Bell Peppers. You can serve paneer tikka as a snack in your High tea parties as well. Soft melt in mouth paneer tikka recipe is certainly a keeper. So if you have a oven at home, try making this hotel style paneer tikka and surprise your friends and family with your culinary skills. If you don’t have an OTG , no worries, as you can use a microwave convection too for making this delectable recipe.
Paneer Chili Wraps
Do you often struggle with left overs and think how to reuse them? Well you are on the right place then … I recently had a get together at home and was left with almost a bog bowl of Paneer Chili. Didn’t wanted to serve it again to my son hence tried reusing it in a fun way that pleases my son and also looks interesting and inviting to have more. Paneer Chili Mustard Wrap that is quick and a great way to reuse your left over paneer chili and even left over paratha or roti. Though you can always make fresh filling and fresh to assemble this wrap but i tried reusing the left overs. There is no particular recipe for this wrap hence you can any day add in your variations and innovate new recipes using your creative mind.
Paneer Makhana
I have friends who are hard core non vegetarians and some vegetarian too. Then i have friends who are vegan. Well those who don’t know what veganism is let me tell you that vegans don’t eat any kind of animal products like Milk, Paneer, Curd etc. They prefer Soy Milk, Almond Milk, Coconut Milk, Tofu etc. So today i’m sharing a recipe that even Vegans can try by just replacing Paneer with Tofu. Rest all the ingredients and method will be the same. Paneer Makhana Curry is one recipe that i loved making recently.
Paneer Ki Kheer
Paneer Badam Kheer is one such exotic dessert that will definitely make you lick your finger and ask for more. It’s been quite a long time i have been making Paneer Badam Kheer at home for my guests and it has never let me down. It’s certainly a show stopper at my place and now i’m finally sharing the recipe here and would strongly recommend everyone to give it a try once and i’m sure you won’t regret ever.
Paneer Tacos
I recently received a box by El Sabor Tacos and since then i was curious to try out the tacos in my own desi version. El Sabor makes a proper dinner kit that contains 25 corn taco shells along with a special taco spice mix and a pouch of sauce. You can add the sauce while cooking the filling both veg and non veg and also use it as a dip for your snack. It’s hot and full of flavors that definitely gives a kick on your palate. In this recipe as we are using ready made shells, spices and sauce hence we need to prepare the filling only which itself is too easy.
Hope you liked our selected 10 recipes that we chose for your weekend meals. Apart from these 10 you can also find many more interesting Indian Paneer Recipes in my blog. Try making these recipes at home to get that restaurant feel and collect praises from family and friends.
Share your feedback with me in comments below. Would love to read your cooking stories too.
Love : Shaheen
