Panneer or Indian Cheese has a special taste in itself, but when mixed with finger licking goodness like sweet chili sauce it reaches another level of awesomeness. The battered and fried panneer stays crispy when served as soon as it is made. This dish goes good with both fried rice as well as plain steamed rice. You can increase the level of chili sauce to make this as spicy as you like.
Who doesn't like the combination of sweet pineapple and chili. In India, as kids, we used to sprinkle chili powder on sweet pineapple. It was so delicious and a real kick to the taste buds.
The first time I made this dish I hesitated to add panneer and pineapple together, wondering how it will taste, but the combination turned out excellent.
I must say this dish was inspired by Panda Express' Fire Chili Chicken. Substituting chicken with panneer makes this dish a little Indian, besides vegetarians can also enjoy it.
Please do not skip the frying part of this recipe. The crispy panneer has a beautiful texture and gives character to this dish. Also, break the panneer with your hands instead of slicing it neatly. The rough surface of the panneer when broken absorbs the sauces better than neat sides.
Make cornflour batter. |
Dip panneer pieces in batter and fry. |
Fry all the ingredients except panneer. |
Add panneer and fry.
Ingredients:
Panneer 6 ounces
Red pepper 1/4, sliced thick
Onion 1/4 to 1/2 cup, sliced thick
Pineapple chunks 8 to 10 pieces
Pineapple juice 1 tbsp
Garlic 2 cloves, minced
Ginger 1" piece, minced
Sweet Chili sauce 1.5 tbsps
Chili sauce 1 tbsp
Light Soy sauce 1 tbsp
Cornstarch 4 tbsps
Salt if needed
Oil 4 tbsps
Break the panneer into 1 inch pieces with your hands. The uneven surface when broken instead of a clean cut will help in holding the sauce.
Make a batter with the cornstarch and a little water. You can mix in a few drops of chili sauce and soy sauce to the batter.
Heat the oil on medium heat.
Dip each piece of panneer in the batter and fry in the oil. I am shallow frying here, but you can deep fry too.
Once all the panneer has been fried, remove about three tablespoons of oil from the pan.
In the remaining oil add the ginger, garlic, onion and red pepper. Fry for a minute.
Add in the pineapple chunks along with its juice. Let the fruit heat through.
Now add in the sauces.
At this point taste it. The salt should be fine since all the sauces we used have salt in them. You can add more chili sauce if preferred.
Add the fried panneer and mix thoroughly.
Add one tablespoon of the cornstarch batter into the pan and mix well. This is a dry dish so we want the sauce to thicken and coat the panneer.
Serve hot with fried rice or plain steamed rice. Panneer stays nice and crispy if served as soon as its made.
For a video version of this recipe visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lF_sLNAlyw&t=16s |