Paneer Pakoda w/ Ketchup Chutney

Paneer Pakoda w/ Ketchup Chutney by DK on Mar 9, 2015

Indian Snacks Recipe | Paneer Pakora Recipe

My family is a tea time lover. We love our snacks especially the crunchy types. Indian snacks are the most requested kind. Om podi, Onion Pakoras, Ribbon Pakoda, Khaman Dhokla, Sabudana Vada, Idli finger fries...I guess you get the idea. The list goes on with few other non Indian snacks as well. But I think hands down Paneer Pakoras is number 1 on both my husband's and boy's list. Well, they love their Paneer!

Homemade or store bought Indian unaged Farmer's Cheese (Paneer) are sliced into bite sized pieces and dipped in a seasoned chickpea flour batter to make these golden brown goodies. These are addictive to put it mildly. This is also among those snacks that finds favor with meat eaters as well. I haven't yet met a kid who has said "No" to some paneer pakoras.

You can eat them as they or with any sauce/chutney of your choice (like a green chutney) , but I love to serve these with Ketchup chutney that I found at Sophisticated Gourmet website. Regular ketchup combined with Chaat masala is sublime :) Enjoy the pakoras hot since once cold they tend to become rubbery and hard - a total waste of the delicious paneer if you ask me. So make it as close to the serving time.

Cook time: Under 15 min
Prep time: Under 15 min
Serves: 4 people
Yields: Makes around 115 grams.

Ingredients

For the Pakoras

1/2 cup Chickpea Flour (Besan)
2 tbsp Brown Rice Flour (or Rice Flour), see Tips
115 grams (abt 4 oz) Paneer, see Tips
1/2 tsp dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasoori Methi)
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
Pinch of Kashmiri Chilli powder (or to taste)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pinch of Baking Soda (optional)

For the Ketchup Chutney

1/2 cup Ketchup
1 tbsp Water
1/2 tbsp Chaat Masala
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Sea Salt, or to taste

Tips

1. Rice Flour: I use Brown rice flour but you can use regular rice flour instead. The amount of rice flour will depend on how crispy you like your paneer pakoras. Increase the amount (and reduce Besan accordingly) to make this crispier.

2. Paneer: If using store bought Paneer, bring the required amount to room temperature before frying them up.

Method

1. Heat enough oil for deep frying (med-high). Mix all the dry ingredients (except paneer) in a bowl and combine well.

2. Add some water just enough to make a thick batter when mixed. It should be flowy but thick enough to coat the paneer when dipped.

3. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if it seems too thick.

4. Cut the paneer into bite sized pieces. The shape and size is up to you. I simply chopped them into small cubes this time around.

5. Drop the paneer into the batter. If you are a more patient kind, you can dip each paneer slices (or if you have a large paneer slice) individually into the batter , coat it with batter, before dropping them in the oil. Mine were small, hence I added them all to the batter itself.

6. Drop few at a time, depending on the size of the paneer (and your deep fryer).

7. Fry on each side for about 2 to 3 minutes

8. until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

9. For the Chutney: Mix all the ingredients together until well combined. You can adjust seasoning as per your requirement.

Serve hot paneer pakoras (they taste best right out of the pan) with Ketchup chutney. Quick to put together for a sudden get together or for a lazy weekend evening snack.