Easy Indian Cheese (Paneer) Snacks - Cigar Rolls Recipe
This post is long due. I had actually posted this recipe right in my early days of blogging. But it so happened that the enthusiastic me, while trying to migrate to my own domain, managed to delete a bunch of my recipes (59 recipes in fact!!) Among those was this recipe and I would have left it as it is, if not for this gal pal of mine. She has been after me, for AGES, insisting that I post this recipe. Why? There is a sentimental reason and oh well, its a looong story which she might fill you in, if you are interested :) After she blackmailed me (with dire consequences and what not :( !), I decided to post this recipe. And if she was not enough on the plate, my better half took her side too. He teamed up with her insisting that I absolutely had to make it for my best friend. Well truthfully (he will deny it of course), he just wanted to enjoy these goodies and was hoping that all this "for your dear friend" talk will make me fry up them again. Swell - I dunno what else I can do between this friend and husband of mine - so gave in :)
Easy Indian Cheese (Paneer) Snacks - Cigar Rolls Recipe
The recipe is originally from Indian Chef Tarla Dalal and it will def. make you a lover of these rolls. You can make it as easy or as elaborate as needed. I have tried many variations of this dish and all of have come out tasting like restaurant made snacks. If you are a Paneer lover like us, then this is a must try. It would also make a welcoming change for your kids when they return from school in the evening. I have tried baking them (of course) and though they are good, they don't stand anywhere next to the real thing. But, don't listen to me! - Go ahead and try this using your Oven too. Easy Indian Cheese (Paneer) Snacks - Cigar Rolls Recipe You can serve them with ketchup or any chilli sauce of your choice. Now to the recipe.
  • Cook time:
  • Prep time:
  • Serves: 4 people
  • Yields: About 15-20 rolls depending on the size of your rolls
Ingredients
  • For the wrapper
  • 2 cups all purpose flour (or use wheat flour)
  • 1 tbsp ghee/oil (optional)
  • salt to taste
  • For the Stuffing
  • 1 cup crumbled paneer
  • 1/4 cup approx of v finely chopped red onions
  • 1-2 green chillies, chopped finely (or as per taste)
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced (or as per taste)
  • 1/4 cup fresh mozzarella, crumbled (or use grated mozzarella)
  • 1/4 cup tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1-2 drops of rice vinegar (or use regular - optional)
  • few sprigs of cilantro, chopped
  • salt to taste (little since wrapper also has salt)
Tips
Note: Short on time/energy? Use ready made store bought Samosa patties or Wonton Wrappers instead of making your own. They work equally well
Method
1. Add all the ingredients for the wrapper together in a bowl.
2. Add enough water to make it into a pliable dough. Knead well until smooth.
3. Meanwhile prepare the filling. On a stove top in 1 tsp oil, add all the ingredients together except the cheese. Saute until soft. You can do a taste test and change the seasoning according to your taste.
4. Remove from heat and add fresh mozzarella along with cilantro. I find that adding the fresh ones make this so much more tastier. But regular grated one will work just fine. Toss until well mixed.
5. Take the dough (divide into two orĀ  three smaller pieces) and roll it out
6. into a large rectangle.
7. Cut them into smaller rectangles. As you can see, I have not been very precise. Trust me, it doesn't really matter. Makes it look rustic and home made ;) But if you have more patient than I am (read it as - "not as lazy as moi") then use your scales and cut out propah rectangles! The thickness should be medium - not too thin nor too thick (too thin will break after u fill it up with stuffing, too thick will not make a crunchy snack, but will be more soft)
8. Take one piece. Add the stuffing in shorter end of the rectangle making sure to leave few inches near the edges.
9. Roll it twice, bring the edges of the filling together (this is to prevent the filling from seeping out during frying).
10. and then continue rolling until you reach the end. You can use a beaten egg or water mixed with flour mixture to bind the dough. I applied flour water mixture at the end.
11. And continued rolling till it resembled a cigar roll.
12. Now fry these up in hot oil.
13. until crisp and reddish brown.
Serve hot with ketchup or chilli sauce of your choice. Easy Indian Cheese (Paneer) Snacks - Cigar Rolls Recipe

Ideal Accompaniments

Recipe Reference

recipe adapted from tarla dalal

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15 Member Reviews

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By Aakanksha on Aug 28, 2012

I found this recipe yesterday and decided to make it today.  With great enthusiasm I started working on it and result..... Ta....Da.....  A wonderful and awesome Appetizer...

 

Well, had li'l difficulty with rolling the cigar, so I made a bundle shaped 'Kachori' sort of stuff, named 'Bundle of Joy'

By Divya on May 17, 2012

i did this receipe 2day evening....it was the best receipe i have ever made....\"yes\"

 

If u follow the instructions as given then ur panner cigar rolls is ready....

 

Even if u dont have some ingredients no props;u can stuff any vegetables u like.....try out...

 

The picture is stuffed vegetables in a cadai

Read All 15 Reviews →

55 Comments

By Preeti on Mar 20, 2019

So - first thing is that YOU write beautifully and it is so engaging that can not stop reading! And then coming to the recipe, why does it look so easy and so tempting that i have just read it now and can not even wait to go back to my kitchen to try it. Just controlling myself as i need to finish few other things first. but tomorrow is the farthest i am going to wait to try this one out :) Will keep you posted on how it turned out :) thanks

Awee, thanks for making my day. Would love to know how it turned out for you :) --DK

By anamit on Jul 20, 2018

The last step...frying..Can it be substituted by baking? If so, at what temperature and for how long?

I am sure it can be baked. I tried only once with unfavorable results after which I did not try. Will update once I do. --DK

By Delores on Aug 31, 2014

:?: Is paneer similar to dry cottage cheese curds?

By 12 Delicious Paneer Dishes You Need To Try Out Immediately on Aug 22, 2014

[...] of having chapatti and sabji for lunch everyday.Here’s The Recipe. 6. Paneer Cigar RollsImage sourceSpring rolls with a twist. Instead of just adding vegetables in these deep fried rolls, add a little [...]

By RD on Jul 3, 2014

FYI - This originally is a dish from Turkey called 'Cigar Borek'.

By Schul gurl on Jul 3, 2014

Loved it .. Made it for my home science project ... Awesome recipe

By MS on Mar 13, 2014

Is there a substitute that can be bought from the store instead of making the wrapper?

By chhiti rai on Nov 6, 2013

i lick your recipes because my In terse is cooking. So i read Avery recipes, :)

By joan on Aug 30, 2013

hi, tried this recipe it was wonderful.... i love the way uhave illustrated the recipe.

By paulami on May 25, 2013

It's really a nice recipe and also easy to made. It is very tasty. Everyone should try this.

By Dj on Sep 12, 2012

Hi can I make the rolls and leave them aside and fry them after a couple of hours, or will it get spoilt. I have guests tomorrow and want to try this out. Thanks.

I think it should be OK in the fridge for few hours --DK

By Lorna Ilagan Monzales on Jul 6, 2012

will prepare this for my birthday. :lol:

By chocolateluver on Jun 17, 2012

Sorry, didn't realize you had already answered the baking part. But I was just wondering how long it would take in an oven

By Chandni on Jun 17, 2012

Would it be possible to bake these rather than fry them?

By Terri on Jun 15, 2012

is there anyway to make these ahead of time? My daughter's wedding is coming up and we are serving appetizers. Thanks!

By pam on Apr 20, 2012

Made this with dal and jeera rice... turned out fantastic and I just used cheese spread... no mozarella.... a dash of oregano and downed it all afterwards with cold chocolate milk shake.... im on a veg diet.... but i guess i wont be losing much with this.... these rolls were just wonderul....

By N Kumar on Feb 1, 2012

This dish was excellent. I made it yday and it came out wonderfully. I made it exactly the way it was mentioned. Realised tasty dishes are simple to make.

By varsha kundnani on Jan 31, 2012

heyyy very nyc n different receipe........... :)

By Aparna on Jan 19, 2012

Hi... Can I freeze them for frying later or will they get soggy? I have a few filo sheets; was wondering if I can use them instead of rolling out dough- being pretty bad with thickness!

By Sherlock on Jan 10, 2012

I made the dough and just filled them with a vegan onion/bell pepper/textured veg protein mixture with Daiya mozzarella cheese. As the author points out...make sure they're not too thick otherwise, you'll think they're done and still be dough-like in the middle. Thanks for the dough recipe. It's good!

By Saroj KUMAR on Dec 8, 2011

8)

By sharada on Nov 26, 2011

:roll:

By Vegetarian Paneer Spring Rolls | Fun and Food Cafe on Nov 16, 2011

[...] similar to what you’d use in making Samosas or Kachoris in India. Dhivya’s recipe for Paneer Rolls and my craving to make some Vegetarian Thai Spring Rolls led to this culinary inspiration that I [...]

By ng on Oct 2, 2011

hello DK.. instead of making dough from scratch can i use fillo sheets or pepridge farm pastry sheets?

By Johnnie on Aug 29, 2011

The only thing I made was the dough, the cigar part. It was so good! You can roll anything in there!

By Mona on Aug 3, 2011

This is my first visit to ur blog ever.. i just loved d way u explained d recipe wid whole pictures dats grt! m waiting for tomorrow morning to come so that i can try it out :) it would be delicious i know :) Thnx again -_-

By meenu on Jul 1, 2011

Hi, Kids loved the paneer cigars. But they turned soft after a while. How to keep them crisp for long? Thinking of packing them as school lunch...

I havent personally tried to keep them for so long. But I am assuming adding some rice flour and rolling the floor little thin (not too thin) will help to keep them crispy? Also try to pack them in air tight box. It might help. Meanwhile, if I personally try something similar and it works, then will surely let you know about it :) --DK

By Shoba on Apr 25, 2011

pl. give folding photo step by step so its easy to understand how to fold it properly

By neha on Apr 11, 2011

your recipe excites me :-P :roll: lyk nothing else!!!!!!!!!!! thanks a ton !!!!!!!!!!!! 4 kickstarting my mood.. 8)

By kiran singh on Mar 7, 2011

i like paneer cigar rolls. can you send rolls recipes on my mail id...?????

Just below the post, I have a link which says "Email to a friend". You can use that to send this recipe to your email id :)

By Banati on Jan 4, 2011

love this recipe. i have evry1 around me love this recipee. I'm not a vegetarian but I do enjoy my vegetarian meals more often than not. For this recipe I gave a non-vege twist by adding minced meat to my stuffing and it just sent me to heaven. minced meat or not am in love :mrgreen: :wink:

By manpreet on Oct 6, 2010

i like sancks love to hhhhhhhhmmm yammy

By Sunita on Sep 23, 2010

how can i make paneer at home

By hemzee on Aug 1, 2010

wouldn't baking these in oven make the rolls a healthier option???????

I have already written about my thoughts on baking this in the post

By Saffron Marinated Paneer Cheese with Fresh Basil, Cashews and Pomegranate Seeds « the taste space – steam, bake, boil, shake! on Jul 31, 2010

[...] Paneer Kofta (Cheese balls) from KO Rasoi and eCurry Mutter Paneer (Paneer with peas) from What’s For Lunch, Honey? Palak Paneer (Paneer with spinach) from eCurry Paneer Butter Masala (Paneer in a creamy sauce) from Fun and Food Blog Paneer Mushroom Masala (Paneer with mushrooms) from Lisa’s Kitchen Macaroni and Paneer Cheese from Lisa’s Kitchen Paneer Bhurji (Scrambled Paneer) from Chef in You Paneer Cigar Rolls from Chef in You [...]

By An j on Jul 27, 2010

Hey, I made this..... it came out excellent. thank u so much. my kid just loved it.

By sana on Jul 16, 2010

plz post recipe for veg spring rolls.

By CurryLeaf on Jul 15, 2010

Thanks dearie :-P Waiting for the parcel :-D

By Anagha on Jul 14, 2010

Hi, these look nice :) . Can they be refrigerated and stored before frying ? Hopefully that does not affect the crispness when we fry them?

By n33ma on Jul 13, 2010

This is a nice stuffing compared to the regular veggies.

By Sayantani on Jul 13, 2010

Ahha what a recipe. love the crunchy filled cigars. total yum.

By vanamala on Jul 13, 2010

looks nice....

By Indira Deepak on Jul 13, 2010

awesome, is soo simple too.......thanx a ton !!!!!!!!

By Anuradha on Jul 13, 2010

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I am def. gonna try this one out. The step-by-step pictures were very helpful & made it easy to understand. Thank you once again. Regards.

By Forage on Jul 13, 2010

goodness this looks fantastic!

By sunita on Jul 13, 2010

8-O god dk my eyes are jusssssstttt stuck on the rolls and its so simply easy i have to make this for my morning breakfast and you know what my hubby who hates panner loved the paneer kulcha which i made it last week and it simply came out delicioius thanks for the recipe and great blog i must say kudos to you and ur husband bye and take care

By Priya on Jul 13, 2010

I wont bother to pick some, very tempting rolls...

By bergamot on Jul 12, 2010

looks great

By bergamot on Jul 12, 2010

Looks really good...nice & crunchy

By CurryLeaf on Jul 12, 2010

Hey this is cheating ,what about your other friends?I thought I was among them.hmmm,......... This is too bad DK.I can only look at it while you share it with Siri . :twisted: Jokes apart,I too was wondering about some of your recipes from culinary bazaar-like dates bisuits.I tried these from Dilse.. -she had made dates cookies/biscuit from you but the link was not working.Do post that also (it is from 2007 november archives),if possible with wheat flour/pastry flour/gluten free or whatever.The entire recipe is good but I went for a lower temperature and got mine chewy.

How can I forget you :) I will def. parcel some for you next time I get this "for your friend" sentiment from K :) OMG! I am astounded that you even remember those recipes...man! Your memory needs to be shared...I am flicking some def. from you :) Surest, lemme try to post the recipe for it soon..:) Hugs

By Priti on Jul 12, 2010

Looks delicious ...wish to grab some ;)

By viji on Jul 12, 2010

looks yummy. can you tellme how many u made using 2cup flour.

I think around 15-20 rolls

By Siri on Jul 12, 2010

Yeh Yeh! finally here they are, my cutest, littest, sentimentalist, loveliest paneer cigar rolls which gave a best friend for life!!! :D :D :D :D. they look prettier than before... :) :) When are you inviting me to your house and you have to make these for me. :lol: *no sharing with K* please ;) tight hugs!

By Tweets that mention Paneer Cigar Rolls Recipe | Easy Indian Cheese Snacks | Chef In You -- Topsy.com on Jul 12, 2010

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by D_K and D_K, D_K. D_K said: Paneer Cigar Rolls http://goo.gl/fb/exKP2 [...]

By Radhika Vasanth on Jul 12, 2010

Yumm yumm...... I am secretly savoring this tea(any) time snack..virtually thou.. sobs.. Hope my dieting ends soon..