Recipe: Taruna's Paneer Bites

Taruna Deepak's Paneer Bites are soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. They can be prepped in advance and refrigerated. But make sure you keep a huge batch ready, as they will be polished off in no time.

Vegans can use tofu instead of paneer, and if you are really worried about the calories, then air fry them.

This dish is great for movie nights at home and can be served with a mayo dip (please check the recipe given below) or a green chutney.

Taruna believes in trying to 'retain the flavors and nutrition value of the dishes while tweaking and experimenting in my kitchen'. Her flavours are mainly North Indian but she experiments with recipes from different states and countries.

Paneer Bites

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 200 gm paneer or tofu, cubed
• Oil for deep frying

For the crumb coating

• ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs

For the dry flour coating

• 3 tbsp maida or all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp corn flour
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ¾ tsp black pepper powder
• ¾ tsp red chilly powder
• 1 tsp salt

For the slurry

• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh green dhania or coriander or cilantro
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 70-75 ml water

For the mayonnaise dip

• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 2-3 tbsp sriracha sauce

To garnish

• Chaat masala
• Chopped fresh green dhania or coriander or cilantro
• Lemon wedges

Method

For the mayo dip

• In a small serving bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and the sriracha sauce. 
  Keep aside.

For the crumb coating

• Fill a large bowl with the panko breadcrumbs.
  Keep aside.

For the dry flour coating + slurry

• In another bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dry flour coating.
  Add the paneer cubes and toss gently so the pieces are well-coated with the mixture.
  Take out the paneer pieces from the mixture and place onto a plate.
  Keep aside.
• Add the chopped coriander and the oregano to the remaining flour mixture.
  Add the water to make the slurry.
  Dip a few pieces of the paneer into the slurry and then transfer to the panko crumbs bowl.
  Roll the cubes in the panko -- each piece needs to be well-coated.
  And transfer the coated paneer onto a plate.
  Keep aside.
  Repeat the process with the remaining paneer.

Frying the paneer bites

• Heat sufficient oil in a frying pan or kadhai.
  Fry the paneer in batches, while continuously flipping, over high heat till the coating turns golden brown.
  Drain from the oil and transfer onto a paper towel or tissue-lined plate.
  Sprinkle some chaat masala and garnish with the chopped coriander.
  Serve hot with lemon wedges and the mayonnaise dip.

Taruna's Note: If you want to prep and freeze the paneer bites beforehand, lay them out on a tray in a single layer and freeze.

Once frozen, transfer into a zip-lock bag and store in the freezer.

Editor's Note: To air fry the paneer bites, preheat the air fryer for a few minutes at 200°C. Brush the bites with a little oil and cook in the air fryer for 4-5 minutes and flip and cook again for 4-5 minutes till evenly browned.

Taruna Deepak lives in Mumbai and is the creator of the food blog Easyfoodsmith.

• REDIFF RECIPES