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Le Meridien's Chef Tanveer Kwatra Gives Us No Ordinary Paneer for {The Recipe Project}

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Chef Tanveer Kwatra is responsible for the culinary division of Le Meridien, Gurgaon. Previously, he was associated with Crown Casino and Grand Hyatt, Melbourne. He has worked with Starwood Hotel Complex in Fiji, where he was in charge of all Western cuisine restaurants in the Westin and Sheraton resorts. He has been an integral part of Wine and Food festivals in Melbourne till 2009, which included his work with Michelin star chefs Dieter Muller, Fergus Henderson and April Bloomfield. His philosophy is to create food with emphasis on the textures and flavours of the produce; food that tastes beautiful and that takes you on a journey of different sensations.

Here is his step-by-step guide to jazzing up paneer for LBB's {The Recipe Project}

INGREDIENTS

  • Paneer - 500 gms
  • Lijjat {or other brand} Papad  - 1 packet
  • Oil - 2 litres

For the batter

  • Degi Mirch - 20 gms
  • Tumeric - 2 gms
  • Lemon Juice - 30ml
  • Kasuri Methi - 5 gms
  • Besan - 150 gms
  • Rice Flour - 100 gms
  • Amchoor - 5 gms
  • Salt - To taste

For Kair Ki Launji

  • Raw Mango  - 900 gms
  • Mustard Oil  - 225 ml
  • Fenugreek Seeds - 3 gms
  • Fennel Seeds - 10 gms
  • Kalonji - 2 gms
  • Coriander Powder - 5 gms
  • Red Chilly Powder - 5 gms
  • Turmeric - 3 gms
  • Jaggery - 250 gms
  • Salt - To taste

METHOD

  1. Peel the mangoes and cut lengthwise in quarters and remove the core.
  2. Pound jaggery with a mortar and pestle
  3. Heat oil in a kadhai to smoking point, reduce to medium heat, add fenugreek and sauté until it begins to change colour {approx 15 seconds}
  4. Add fennel, kalonji, coriander, red chillies, turmeric and salt. Then stir, add mangoes and stir for 5 minutes.
  5. Add jaggery and water {approx 120ml}, bring to boil, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes. Remove and cool. Set aside.
  6. Cut the paneer into thick batons and keep aside.

For the batter

Mix besan, rice flour, red chilli, turmeric, salt, lemon juice, kasoori methi and amchoor, and add water to reach a thick batter consistency.

To assemble and fry 

  1. Heat the oil in a kadhai.
  2. Slit the paneer from the center. Stuff it with launji.
  3. Now dip it in batter and crumb the papad choorma around it.
  4. Once it is crumbed nicely in papad, deep fry it until crispy texture.
  5. Pat dry on paper and sprinkle chaat masala; serve it with dhaniya chutney.

N.B. All recipes belong to the chef and are published with permission by Little Black Book. Reproduction of this recipe for print and circulation is not permitted.