Deepa Mehrotra adventurously experiments with paneer in the air fryer and comes up with a sumptuous meal for two.
After a bit of pre-prep, the entire meal is cooked in the air fryer, with minimum oil, saving on washing and time. And it can be kept warm in the air fryer till you are ready to dine.
Her Air Fryer Herb Paneer Patties With Sauteed Broccoli And Peppers is lightly cooked and healthy, while scoring tops in the taste department. It's a wonderful Indian take on a Western meal.
She and her husband Ashish adore trying out new recipes, tweaking the ingredients or cooking method, and feeding their delightful concoctions to guests. Plating is key, they feel, and plan meals that are visually appealing. And love taking pics of their creations.
Photograph: Deepa Mehrotra and Ashish Mehrotra
Air Fryer Herb Paneer Patties with Sauteed Broccoli and Peppers
Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the paneer patties:
- 1 litre heavy-cream milk
- 1-2 tsp dried herbs, like roasted garlic, oregano, parsley
- A few pinches salt
- 3 tsp lemon juice
For the broccoli:
- 250 gm broccoli florets
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp crushed fresh garlic
- 2 tsp peanut butter
- Pinch salt, if required (the soy has salt too)
For the peppers:
- 1 red Shimla mirchi or bell pepper or capsicum
- 1 yellow Shimla mirchi or bell pepper or capsicum
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp crushed fresh garlic
- Pinch black pepper powder
- Pinch salt
Method
For the paneer patties:
- In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat with the dried herbs and salt.
Once it begins to boil, add the lemon juice, stir, and let stand to allow the milk to split into paneer (curds) and whey.
Pour off the whey using as strainer, and place half of the paneer to drain in a traditional steel Indian coffee percolator/steamer for two hours.
- Repeat for the second half of the paneer.
The paneer will take the shape of the coffee steamer and become like a patty.
Keep aside.
For the broccoli:
- Steam the broccoli florets, till ¾ cooked in a sieve over boiling water, covered, or in a steamer.
Take off heat and toss lightly with the olive oil, garlic, peanut butter.
Keep aside.
For the peppers:
- Core and deseed the peppers and remove the stems.
Cut into strips and then chop into 1-cm cubes.
Toss with olive oil, garlic and the black pepper.
Keep aside.
For the air fryer sauteing:
- Place half a portion of the peppers, half a portion of the steamed broccoli and one paneer patty in different quadrants of the air fryer container/basket.
Cook on 180 °C for about 15 minutes till the broccoli and the patty brown a little.
Plate.
- Repeat for the second portion and plate.
- Serve with warm rolls, pav or avocado toast.
Deepa Mehrotra hails from Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, but has been living in Mumbai for over two decades. In the family, she is known for her expert cooking skills, especially a unique carrots and beans paneer dish. And her Chole Bhatura and Dahi Baingan.