Food / 31 October, 2018 / My Baba

Crispy and Delicious Spider Paneer

This is my favourite paneer dish and a recipe I experimented with after an Indian trip. I first tried the dish, called Thread Paneer, in a restaurant in Mumbai. Intrigued by such a name, I ordered the dish and when it arrived it actually looked like threads of pastry wrapped around paneer strips. It was a crispy delicious snack with spiced paneer pieces on the inside and I absolutely fell in love with it. I also knew I would be trying to make my own version of it when I returned back home to London. I re-invented the dish in the Brilliant kitchen and tried to keep the Indo-Chinese flavours of the dish, while adding my own twist. The result was an irresistibly yummy snack, just like the one I tried in India. When my manager Sarabjeet tasted the dish, he was blown away and then said the perfect name for it was Spider Paneer. It fits perfectly.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

Spider Paneer:

• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 2 tsbp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 ½ tsp sugar
• ¾ tsp salt
• 2 finger green chillies, very finely chopped or made into a paste
• 350g paneer, cut into 2 inch long, ½ inch wide and ½ inch thick fingers
• 4 ½ tsp plain flour
• 1 ½ tsp corn flour
• 5 spring roll pastry sheets, cut finely into julienne strips
• Oil to deep fry

Spices

• 1 tsp white pepper powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp chaat masala

Serving Suggestion:

• Sweet chilli sauce for dipping

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, mix together the garlic, sweet chilli, lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, salt, red chilli powder, green chillies and chaat masala.
2. Apply the mixture generously onto the paneer fingers and leave aside for 10 minutes to marinate.
3. Mix the flour and cornflour together in a bowl and add the marinated paneer fingers to the mixture. Mix well and keep to one side for five minutes.
4. Heat up the oil for deep frying to 175°C.
5. Spread the spring roll julienne pastry onto a large plate or tray.
6. When ready, roll the paneer fingers in the julienne pastry. Press well so that the pastry sticks well to the paneer.
7. Deep fry the paneer fingers for about 1-2 minutes until crispy and golden, controlling and adjusting the heat as required
8. Serve hot with a sweet chilli sauce dip.

Recipe from Dip in Brilliant by Celebrity Chef, Dipna Anand.