Indian cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Paneer Pakora

Thick paneer slices deep-fried in spiced chickpea flour batter, crispy outside and softly melting inside.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 400 g paneer
• 150 g chickpea flour
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 bunch mint
• 180 ml water
• 1 l frying oil
• Salt

Instructions

1. Cut the paneer into slices about 1 cm thick and thumb-sized, sprinkle with chaat masala and a pinch of salt and let sit for 10 min.
2. Mix chickpea flour, rice flour, chili powder, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, baking powder and 1 tsp salt and stir with the water into a thick, smooth batter.
3. Finely chop the mint, fold half into the batter and set the rest aside for the chutney; let the batter rest for 10 min.
4. Heat the frying oil to 175 °C – a drop of batter should rise immediately and turn golden yellow without browning.
5. Dip the paneer slices completely in the batter and fry in batches for 3–4 min. until golden brown all over and floating on the surface.
6. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with the remaining mint, chaat masala and mint chutney.