Being a non-vegetarian, I always find it difficult to think of a vegetarian starter. But while planning a party one needs to consider the food preference of all the guests and I am sure, we all have friends who are strictly vegetarian. So I thought I would give it a try and prepare a simple quick vegetarian dish that can win everyone's heart.
It's pan grilled paneer. I marinated the paneer cubes with a spicy, tangy and sweet combination. I commonly use the same marination to grill prawns too. For a change I tried it with paneer and it came out really good. I used a cast iron griddle pan to grill the paneer, but you can use any heavy bottom flat pan (tawa). The griddle gives a nice grill marks on the paneer, if you are using a flat pan you won't get the grill marks but it won't affect the taste for sure.
I used sriracha, honey, garlic, lime juice and freshly chopped coriander leaves to marinate the paneer cubes. Sriracha is a red chili sauce available easily in any supermarket. If you don't have sriracha at home, use red chili powder mixed with a little vinegar.
Ingredients for Pan Grilled Paneer:
- Paneer (cut into rectangles or cubes): 250 gms
- Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
For marination:
- Sriracha sauce: 3 tbsp
- Honey: 2 tbsp
- Lime juice: 1 tbsp
- Garlic (minced): 2 tbsp
- Fresh coriander (finely chopped): 2 tbsp
- Extra virgin olive oil: 2 tbsp
- Salt to taste
Steps of making Pan Grilled Paneer:
1. In a bowl mix all the ingredients for marination, mix well.
2. Cut paneer into rectangles or cubes or any other shape of your choice.
3. Marinate the paneer cubes in the marinade for 15 min to 1 hr.
4. Put the paneer pieces into wooden skewers. The paneer can be cooked without the skewers also.
5. Heat a pan, brush oil on the pan, when the pan is hot place the marinated paneer and cook till the surface takes nice color.
6. Serve immediately with onion rings and lime wedges. Toasted sesame seeds can be used as garnish.
One can try this same recipe with broccoli or tofu.
One can try this same recipe with broccoli or tofu.
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