Paneer is an Indian cottage cheese made by curdling fresh fat-milk with some citrus ingredients like lemon juice or vinegar. Unlike other aged cheese, this is fresh and used as an ingredient in many Indian dishes to make your meal tasty and delicious.
It doesn’t have its own taste, but when you add flavors, it becomes a delight for you. The taste, aroma, and delicacy of your meal are enhanced when you fry Paneer first and add some flavors and spices to make it soft and chewy before using it in your final recipe.
How to Defrost Frozen Paneer?
I always prepare Paneer at home because stored Paneer that you get from the shops/markets is hard and sometimes and is inferior in quality. You will need to make cubes/pieces of frozen Paneer once you take it out from the refrigerator (allow it to soften at room temperature first. If the room temperature is low, you can boil it on low flame in water in a thin foil sheet to make it soft).
These cubes can be made tasty and delightful by adding different sauces or spices, or you can simply pan fry it to give it a brownish texture. After doing so, you should use it as early as possible in the recipe/dish you want to eat because it will get hard soon and lose its texture and chewiness quickly.
Related Reading: How to Soften Frozen Paneer
How to fry Paneer?
Let’s discuss how to make your paneer fry and make it ready for your diet. There is a choice between frying it in a saucepan without adding any extra ingredient to give it color and make it a little soft, or you can add flavor by adding some ingredients while frying it. For the latter one, we will discuss a unique recipe for frying our Paneer.
Ingredients:
- A bunch of paneer cubes (6 to 8)
- Olive oil (divided) (1.5 oz.)
- Turmeric (1/4 tsp.)
- Ground coriander (1/2 tsp.)
- Ground cumin (1/2 tsp.)
- Paprika (1/2 tsp.)
- Salt (1/2 tsp.)
Optional Toppings:
- Paprika
- Chopped Chives
- Flaky Sea Salt
Instructions:
- Take out frozen Paneer from the refrigerator and wait for it to get soft at room temperature or boil it in water if in a hurry. Once the frozen Paneer gets soft, cut it into pieces with a sharp knife. Make sure that cubes are perfect in shape and do not get too soft. Otherwise, the desired texture can’t be achieved. Take a mixing bowl and put the paneer cubes in it.
- In a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp. Of olive oil, coriander, cumin, paprika, and salt together. Transfer this paste onto the cubes of Paneer. You may need to use your hands here to rub this sauce evenly on the cubes.
- Heat the other 11/2 tbsp. Of olive oil in a saucepan on medium to high flame for a minute. Put paneer cubes in the pan and fry for about 3-4 minutes until brownish color appears. Flip the pieces over the pan to fry the other sides for 2-3 minutes until color turns golden brown. Place the cubes on a plate.
- Sprinkle over paprika, chopped chives, and a little flaky sea salt (if desired). Paneer is ready to serve with your meal, or you can add it to several dishes.
Dishes/Recipes that Paneer goes best with
There are several Indian and South Asian cuisines in which when you add simply fried or fried spicy Paneer. It boosts the taste and texture of those dishes.
Paneer is considered a vital ingredient in many recipes, as it not only adds taste but is also healthy and easy to digest. People who love cheese but are afraid of getting their belly fat and are sensitive about their health, Paneer is the best choice for them to consume but in little amount.
Paneer kofta, paneer bhurji, paneer malpua, Paneer makhani biryani, Multani paneer tikka, Roomali paneer and chutney butter, paneer kadhai masala with roti, paneer butter masala, palak paneer are some famous dishes ate widely in India and other South Asian countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Nutritional Value
Amount of 1/4 of recipe:
- Calories – 157
- Total Fat – 15.2g
- Saturated Fat – 1.3g
- Cholesterol – 0mg
- Sodium – 437mg
- Total Carbohydrates – 0.4g
- Dietary Fiber – 0 g
- Sugar – 0 g
- Protein – 5.6 g
