Paneer Wraps

Hello boys and girls,

Welcome to cooking with Varun! Back in 2005, when I first started working, I was (along with a bunch of others) relocated to Bangalore for 3 months for training before we were ready to face the real world. This was the first time that I, the baby bird, was leaving the nest for any length of time so there was a lot of anxiety and fear as to what might lie ahead. Thankfully, since I was a campus recruit, I wasn't alone and I had a few friends going with me which made the transition a little less harrowing.

After a 17 hour long train journey, we stepped off the train and on to the platform in Bangalore where we all split up to go our temporary sleeping arrangements (my place was actually really good since I was crashing with my best friend's brother for a bit). A few days later, I moved into a (very crowded) paying guest accommodation at the National Games Village where I was pleasantly surprised to find among all the South Indian tenants, 2 guys from Punjab and a Delhiite, and we immediately hit it off. Of the boys from Punjab, one was long and lanky and the other was buff and hairy; the Delhiite, my roommate, was tall, broad and a fervent admirer of the Indian armed forces. One evening, a few weeks in, after I had grudgingly finished yet another mystery dinner that the cook had made, I found the boys in the kitchen attempting to boil milk. I'm not entirely sure what events transpired (perhaps the milk was old) but they had managed to get the milk to start curdling. Long & Lanky was looking frustrated while Buff & Hairy was giving him a dressing down (Army Lover was watching with an amused expression). With a pained expression Long & Lanky turned the gas off to pour the curdled milk down the drain when inspiration struck me. I instructed Long & Lanky to put the milk patila (saucepan) on the shelf and told Buff & Hairy to find his cleanest handkerchief. I then boiled a fresh packet of milk and squeezed in a lemon to curdle it and poured the curdled milk through the hanky to make paneer. Then using a recipé I had seen my mum use countless times, I proceeded to cook my first ever dish (instant noodles don't count), paneer bhurji. Army Lover then assisted the others in making parathas that the 3 of them wolfed down in record time and all was well with the world again.

This recipé, is also a paneer recipé and while it takes a little more effort, it makes for a pretty nifty alternative to regular dinner. Plus the kids love it! (I'm assuming. I don't have kids yet but I'll be sure to ask them when I do.)

For Paneer Wraps, you will need the following:

Paneer                                    300 gms
Onion                                      1 1/2 large
Tomato                                   1 medium
Green pepper (capsicum)            1/2 of a large one
Red chilli powder                       2-3 tsp
Dhaniya (coriander) powder         2-3 tsp
Jeera (cumin) powder                1 tsp
Amchoor (dry mango) powder     1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste                    1 tsp
Green chillies                            1-2 
Lemon                                     1
Salt                                         to taste
Oil

Prep:

1. Cut your store bought paneer into cubes.
2. Grab a bowl.
3. Dump the cubed paneer in.
4. Fill with hot water until the paneer is submerged.
5. Leave to soften.
6. Mince one onion.
7. Slice the remaining onion.
8. Blitz the tomato.
9. Chop the chillies.
10. Cube the green pepper.

Method:

Filling:

1. Turn on the gas.
2. Bung a pan on.
3. Splash in some oil.
4. Count to 20.
5. Add in the minced onion.
6. Duck.
7. Straighten up.
8. Cook the onion until light brown.
9. Pop in the ginger garlic paste.
10. Cook until the onion gets a nice dark brown (don't burn it!).
11. Sprinkle in the red chilli, dhaniya, jeera, and amchoor powders.
12. Mix well.
13. Pour in the tomato. (You can stick in some pureé if you have some. It will give it a lovely dark colour.)
14. Cook until the oil separates from the mixture.
15. Drain the paneer.
16. Pop in the cubed paneer and green pepper.
17. Mix until they are coated well with the masalas.
18. Add salt to taste.
19. Splash in some water. (Some, not a lot. You want it dryish but not too dry.)
20. Slap on a lid.
21. Leave to cook for a few minutes.
22. Take the lid off.
23. Adjust the consistency as required.
24. Turn the gas off.
25. Set aside.

Wrap:

Traditionally this would be a maida based roti, but the pre-cooked or frozen laccha parathas work just as well.

Plating:

1. Grab a roti.
2. Spread it out.
3. Spoon in the filling along the diameter.
4. Throw on some sliced onion.
5. Add in a couple pieces of the chopped chilli.
6. Squeeze on some lime juice.
7. Sprinkle on some amchoor (or chaat masala).
8. Roll.
9. Serve with green chutney.
10. Stuff face.
11. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: Eat/serve these as you roll them. Don't be polite and wait. They don't taste nearly as good when they're soggy!

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy!