Say Cheese: Try These Under-20 Minutes Delish Paneer Recipes

One of the most popular foods in north India, cottage cheese or paneer is a favourite with the young and the old. It’s creamy, it’s versatile and it’s packed with nutrients. Be it butter paneer masala, kathi roll, tikka, chilli paneer or sizzler, there is no end to the number of delicious dishes you can make with this dairy product.

Here are two scrumptious cottage cheese recipes—a salad and a starter—that can be made in less than 20 minutes and are absolute crowd-pleasers.

Cottage Cheese and Corn Cold Salad

Ingredients

Cottage cheese (paneer) ½ cup with 1-inch cubes

Sweet corn 1 cup boiled or defrosted frozen corn

Lettuce 1 cup, roughly torn

Onion 1 small, chopped

Tomato 1 small, chopped

Olives sliced into rounds, 2 tablespoons

Spring onion greens finely chopped, 2 tablespoons

Olive oil 1 ½ tablespoons

Apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons

Low-fat mayonnaise 2 teaspoons

Honey 1 tablespoon

Mixed herbs 1 teaspoon

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Pre-heat the air fryer at 220 degrees. Lightly brush some oil on the paneer pieces and grease the air fryer mesh with some oil too. Place the paneer in the air fryer and fry until it becomes light golden (this will take less than 10 minutes).

To make the salad dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of olive oil with mayo, vinegar, honey, herbs, salt and pepper until the mixture becomes a creamy vinaigrette. In a salad bowl, take cooled cottage cheese, sweet corn, lettuce, onion, tomato and olives. Add the dressing and toss them well. Serve it garnished with spring onion greens.

Tandoori Paneer in a Pan

Ingredients

Paneer cubes cut into 1-inch cubes, 2 cups

1 big onion cut into 1-inch cubes

1 Capsicum deseeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

Coriander chopped

Lemon juice for topping

Oil 2 tablespoons

Garlic-garlic paste 1 tablespoon

Curd 1/2 cup

Kashmiri red chilli powder (or paprika) 2 teaspoons

Coriander powder 1 tablespoon

Tandoori masala 1 tablespoon

Chaat masala 1 teaspoon

Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon

Kasuri methi (crushed) 1 teaspoon

Honey 1 teaspoon

Ketchup 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Method

To make the marinade, in a mixing bowl, add 1 tablespoon of oil, ginger-garlic paste, curd, paprika or red chilli powder, coriander powder, tandoori masala, chaat masala, garam masala, kasuri methi, honey, ketchup and salt. Whisk well. Add the paneer, capsicum and onion and gently mix them so that they are coated with the marinade. Cover and leave it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

In a non-stick pan or non-stick grill pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and place the marinated paneer. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the lid and cook the paneer on medium-high flame, turning it over often so that the marinade dries up and the paneer turns crispy. Serve it garnished with lemon juice and chopped coriander. You can also use this paneer as a filling for rolls, sandwiches or have it with parathas.