Chilli Paneer

Chilli paneer is one of my favourite appetizers. I am not fond of Chinese cuisine but this is definitely an exception :D Well, this is an 'Indo - Chinese' dish...not quite Chinese so probably that is why I can digest it! It is also so easy to make. I normally don't opt for anything that requires deep frying but here frying the paneer gives it a wonderful texture that takes the dish to another level, I think (have tried not frying the paneer couple of times before but it doesn't taste half as good).

In my opinion, it is hard to script a perfect recipe for Chilli paneer as people like it in different ways -some like it garlicky, some like a stronger soya flavour, some like it more sweet... So if you have a basic idea of the ingredients that go into making this dish you can easily adjust the flavours to please your palette. Don't stick to the recipe. Experiment and come out with your own preferred version of Chilli paneer :)  Serve it as a finger licking appetizer for your next dinner party or just give yourself a little Indo - Chinese treat, when you feel like it!

Chilli Paneer: Recipe

Ingredients:

• Fresh paneer (cottage cheese) - 250 gm cubed
• Green capsicum - 1 medium diced
• Onion - 1 small diced
• Green chillies - 2 roughly chopped
• Spring onion - 1 to 2 sprigs finely chopped
• Garlic - 5 cloves minced
• Corn flour - 1 tbsp
• Light soya sauce - 2 to 3 tbsp or to taste
• Tomato ketchup - 1 tbsp or to taste
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp and for deep frying

Method:

1. Add few teaspoons of water to the corn flour and make a smooth light batter. Dip the paneer cubes to coat them with this mixture. Heat oil for deep frying and then fry these paneer cubes till they are golden brown on the sides. Drain the excess oil using a paper towel and set aside.
2. Heat some oil in a wok and add the onion, green chillies and minced garlic. Saute it for few seconds till the onion starts to get translucent. 
3. Then add the cubed capsicum and saute for few more minutes.
4. Add the tomato ketchup and soya sauce. Season with salt (be careful as the soya sauce has salt) and pepper. Do a taste test and adjust the flavours to your liking.
5. Add the fried paneer cubes and give it a gentle toss to coat it well with the sauce. Serve hot.