Party recipes: Quick and easy paneer starters

These yummy recipes are excellent for a New Year house party. You can share yours too!

Winter's here and so is the craving for good food.

And if you are inviting your friends over, you'll need to serve them something warm and spicy.

Reshma Aslam shares some interesting recipes you can cook at home using paneer.

Paneer Chilli

Photograph: Courtesy Mdsmds0/Creative Commons

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg paneer
• 8 to 10 green chillies (cut into small slanting pieces)
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• 1 tbsp ajinomoto
• 3 tbsp soya sauce
• 2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tsp garlic and green chilli paste
• 2 inch piece of ginger finely chopped
• 1/4 kg capsicum (cut into square pieces)
• 3 tbsp of chopped garlic
• Oil for frying
• Salt to taste

Method

• Cut paneer into small chunks.
• In a mixing bowl, add paneer, salt, pepper, soya sauce, vinegar, garlic and green chilli paste, ajinomoto and ginger.
• Mix it well and keep it to marinate for half an hour.
• In a pan add oil, and let it become hot.
• Add corn flour to the paneer pieces and mix it well.
• Insert the paneer pieces in the oil and deep fry till they turn golden on both the sides.
• Remove paneer pieces from the oil and keep it aside.
• In another pan, add 2 tbsp of oil and add the chopped garlic. When they turn brown, add slit green chillies and fry.
• Add capsicum and toss well.
• Add paneer pieces and garnish it with spring onions. Serve hot.

Stuffed Paneer Pakora

Photograph: Courtesy Vidurmayor/ Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg paneer
• 1 tbsp chat masala powder
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 1/2  tbsp turmeric powder
• 1/2  tbsp garam masala powder
• 1/2 cup gram flour
• A pinch of soda bicarb
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves chopped
• 1 green chilli
• 1/2  tsp cumin seeds
• Oil for deep frying
• Salt for taste

Method

• Wash chopped coriander leaves and finely chop them.
• Grind it with green chilli and cumin seeds to chutney-like consistency. Add salt. Keep aside.
• In a mixing bowl add gram flour, chat masala powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt and a pinch of soda bicarb.
• Add water and make a nice batter. See that there are no lumps formed.
• Cut paneer into big chunks.
• Slit paneer chunks and apply coriander chutney and keep it aside.
• In a pan add oil and let it become hot.
• Dip each stuffed paneer piece in gram flour batter and fry on both sides till nice and golden.
• Serve stuffed paneer pakoras with chutney or sauce of choice.

Crispy and Spicy Paneer

Photograph: Courtesy Ramesh NG/ Creative Commons

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg paneer
• 4 tbsp corn flour
• 6 tbsp maida (all purpose flour)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ajinomoto
• 1 egg (optional)
• 4 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
• 3 tbsp Schezwan chutney
• 2 tbsp spring onions (the green part)
• 1/2 cup of capsicum cut into squares
• 3 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• Oil for deep frying

Method

• Cut paneer into 1/2 inch breadth and long strips. Put it in a mixing bowl.
• Add corn flour, maida, salt, ajinomoto -- if you are using egg, add it too -- and two tbsp Schezwan chutney.
• Add water and mix it well. The mixture should coat paneer pieces well.
• In another pan, take oil and let it become hot.
• Add paneer pieces one by one and fry it till they turn nice and crisp on both the sides.
• Remove it from the pan and keep it aside.
• In another pan, add some oil, chopped garlic and fry well.
• Add capsicum and stir well.
• Add tomato sauce and the remaining Schezwan chutney.
• Add fried paneer pieces and toss it well.
• Garnish with spring onions. Serve hot.

Pan Fried Paneer

Photograph: Courtesy Christopher Paquette/ Creative Commons

Ingredients

• 250 gm of paneer
• 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp ajinomoto
• 1/2  tbsp soya sauce
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp chopped ginger 
• 1 tsp chopped green chilli 
• 2 tbsp chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• Few florets of broccoli chopped
• 1/2 cup red and yellow bell peppers chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped baby corn 
• 7 to 8 pieces of zucchini (optional)
• 1/2 tsp corn flour
• 1 tsp spring onions
• Salt to taste

Method

• Cut paneer into small chunks. Put it in a mixing bowl.
• Add 1/4 tsp of white pepper powder, 1/4 tsp ajinomoto, 1/2 tsp soya sauce and salt. Mix it well and marinate for around half an hour.
• After half an hour, add 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the paneer chunks till they turn nice and golden on both the sides.
• Remove it and keep it aside in a plate.
• In another pan, take 1 tbsp of oil, add the chopped garlic and fry it well.
• Add ginger, green chillies and stir it well. Add chilli sauce, tomato sauce and oyster sauce. Add 1/4 cup of water and bring it to boil.
• Add the chopped broccoli, red and yellow bell peppers, baby corn, zucchini, salt, remaining white pepper, remaining ajinomoto and stir it well.
• Dissolve 1/2 tsp of corn flour in 1/4 cup of water, stir it and add it to the above dressing.
• The dressing should become nice and thick. Remove from gas and add spring onions.
• Take a big plate, arrange paneer pieces on it and pour the dressing on the top.
• Add toothpicks to each piece of paneer. Serve hot.

Paneer Tikka Sticks

Photograph: Courtesy s4's world/Creative Commons

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg paneer
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 tbsp red chilli powder
• 2 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1 and 1/2  tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3 tbsp vinegar
• Few toothpicks
• Salt to taste

Method

• Cut paneer pieces into small chunks. Add the pieces into a mixing bowl.
• Add salt, vinegar, ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, garam masala powder and cumin powder. Mix well. Keep aside for two hours.
• In a pan, heat some oil.
• Add paneer pieces and shallow fry it well from both sides till they turn nice and golden.
• Remove it on a serving plate and insert toothpicks. Serve hot.

Note: All images used for representation purposes only. 

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