I have been resisting the temptation to make these Pakodas for a long time now. Monsoon brings with it cravings for hot,spicy,fried food.
I am not a great fan of fried foods, but during the rainy season it is difficult for me too,to resist the temptation of these delicious minty Paneer Pudina Pakodas– PPP J (Cottage cheese-Mint fritters).
This Friday for the Monsoon Magic seriesI have a recipe for spicy Paneer Pudina Pakoda.
This is one of the recipes I would list under my ‘Culinary Accidents’. This accident sure was rewarding. See if you like it.
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Paneer Pudina Pakoda recipe
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250 gms firm, fresh Paneer (you can substitute this with Tofu if you like. I have tried that too.)
For marinating:
- 2 - 3 tbsp curd whisked ,(yoghurt)
- xbd tsp Red chilli powder
- 1 tsp masala Tandoori .(I am a strict eggetarian but I keep this Masala in my pantry. It goes well with Tikkas and some curries. You can add Chaat Masala if you donu2019t have the Tandoori Masala.)
- Pinch of salt.
- xbd cup Pudina leaves, destemmed and washed
- xbc cup fresh coriander leaves, destemmed and washed
- 2-3 Green chillies, chopped
- xbd tsp lemon juice.
- Pinch of salt.
- ~ xbe cup besan (Gram Flour)
- xbd tsp turmeric powder
- xbd tsp red chilli powder
- Salt as per taste
- Oil for frying
- Cut the Paneer into small pieces (~ xbdu201c x 2u201d).If you donu2019t have the patience or the time you can make bigger pieces.
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and put the paneer pieces in it. Mix delicately, taking care not to break the pieces.
- Coat all the pieces with the marinade and keep aside for about 20 mins.
- Blend together all the ingredients for the Pudina Filling.Do not add water. It is ok if the mixture gets coarsely ground, but donu2019t add water.
- Mix all the ingredients for the batter except oil.
- Add 1 tbsp of hot oil to the mixture
- Add water to this till it forms a smooth,thick batter.
- Take 2 pieces of the marinated paneer.
- Add as much Pudina filling as you can between the two pieces like a sandwich.
- Repeat this for all the paneer pieces. (See photo)
- Heat oil in a wok/ Kadai. Check the temperature by putting a drop of the batter in it. It should immediately rise and sizzle.
- Dip each paneer sandwich in the batter and coat the batter on all sides. Be careful here so as not to break the sandwich. You can dip the sandwich in the batter and use a spoon to coat it from all sides.
- Drop each batter coated paneer sandwich in the hot oil and fry till golden brown.
This Paneer Pudina Pakoda does not need any chutney or sauce. It can be served hot as it is.
Note: If you like you can add ginger-garlic paste to the batter. I did not want too many flavours clashing in my Pakoda and jut wanted to savour the fresh mint flavour.
Indira was raving about some minty paneer pakoras. I think she was talking abt this. Never say no to paneer 😀
hmmmmm…paneer pakodas….hmmmm….!
Are you in Delhi? Can I invite myself over?
@ Not in Delhi but you can come over anytime Raaga 🙂
Oh I love paneer. Those slices with mint are looking so nice.
This can be a nice entry for RCI Punjab.
that sounds yummy and delicious. very nice and tempting pics.
monsoon makes you do naughty things, eh? have you tried adding a touch of rice flour to thee batter? it makes it crisper.
@ 🙂 Thanks bee for that tip,will try rice flour next time
Looks awesome, It’s been long. I will try those this weekend.
Looks mouthwatering,specially the last photo with layered Paneer.YUM!
They look amazing….love the second pic
Oh! It looks so good, especially the pudina filling b/w the paneer pieces. It is hot here but I am so tempted to make it right now!
Its terribly hot here but we are ready to have those pakodas anytime!! Excellent recipe and pictures!
Heard about paneer pakodas but not these ones. Such a novel idea. Thx for sharing.
I love these. Thanks for the recipe! The pictures look so good.
Kanchana
this looks absolutely delicious….
@ Thanks everyone for all those lovely comments
I’ve tried panir pakodas from a restaurant once or thrice- they fill theirs with a mashed-up alu-mattar subzi- probably leftover from samosas- but I really like your idea of using pudina chatni, because I end up drowning any deep-fried savories in hari chatnis anyway as I so love the flavour- really nice idea- and pic- so I can see why it was plagiarized! 😉