Paneer Pudinawale – Cottage Cheese in Mint Sauce – is a delicious curry served with Flatbreads or jeera rice
Fresh, green Mint is abundantly available in the winter, and so this dish is a treat for those chilly evenings, when this makes an absolutely great dish to serve with Roti / Parathas. Paneer is one of the most sought after ingredient at home – my elder one absolutely loves it, and although I make it atleast once in a fortnight, she wudn’t mind having it more frequently.. We make Zero Oil Palak Paneer, Paneer Kulcha, Spinach and Paneer Cheese Tarts, Shahi Paneer Masala regularly, but my favourite till date is Methi Chaman : there’s something magical about fresh (or dried) fenugreek that makes it so earthy and perks up any dish.
Talking about perking up a dish, and we wouldn’t want to miss out on Mint. Pudina as its called in most of India, this is a fragrant herb that can be easily grown even in a tiny balcony at home, and is used in garnishing everything from ice creams to Salads & Raithas to Mocktails. So, lets get to the recipe…
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Paneer Pudinawaale – Side dish for Rotis / Kulcha / Naan / Flatbreads / Pulav / Steamed rice
Gluten Free (Can be made Vegan too) – Cuisine : North Indian ; Spice level : Medium
Prep time : 15 mins ; Cook time : 15 mins ; Serves : 4
Ingredients to make Paneer Pudinawale:
- 400 grams Fresh Paneer (Can use Tofu or cashew cheese for vegan version, with varying taste and cook time)
- 2 TBSP Oil
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Red Chilli powder (adjust spice)
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Salt ( or to taste)
- 2 Onions (medium)
- 1 Tomato (medium)
To Grind:
- 50 grams Fresh Mint (Pudina Approx 3 handfuls)
- 2 tsp Cashewnuts (use melon seeds instead for nut allergy)
- 1 tsp Poppy seeds (soaked)
- 2 pods Garlic
- 1 inch Ginger
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 green chilli (increase if you want a spicy base)
- 1 green cardamom
Method to make Paneer Pudinawale:
- Soak the cashew nuts & poppy seeds separately in warm water for 10 mins. grind these with the Mint, ginger, spice and garlic (and others mentioned in the under “to grind”) to a smooth paste.
- In a pan, add the frozen (and thawed) paneer cubes in 1 TBSP of oil, saute them till slightly crispy, reserve in a bowl of warm water to remain soft (this is totally optional, you can add the fresh paneer cubes as is too, which I did)
- Saute the Onion and tomato in 1 TBSP oil for 3-4 mins. In the same pan, add the ground mint paste & saute well for 3-4 mins till raw smell disappears. Add the salt, spice powders and let it simmer on a low flame. Add 1/4 cup of water if need be to make a thinner gravy.
- Check for spices and slowly add the fried paneer (drained), let it simmer on very low flame for further 2-3 mins.
- Serve hot with any Flatbreads / Pulav /
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This Dish goes to A-Z Alphabet Challenge, hosted by Wendy. Click on the links below to check out what else the group has dished out for Alphabet P
Paneer Pudinawale (cottage Cheese in Mint Sauce) | Easy Paneer Dishes ~ Side Dishes for Roti and Chapathi
Equipment
- Thick Bottomed Pan
- Spice Blender
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 400 grams Fresh Paneer Can use Tofu or cashew cheese for vegan version, with varying taste and cook time
- 2 TBSP Oil
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Red Chilli powder adjust spice
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Salt or to taste
- 2 Onions medium
- 1 Tomato medium
To Grind:
- 50 grams Fresh Mint (pudina) Approx 3 handfuls
- 2 tsp Cashewnuts use melon seeds for nut allergy
- 1 tsp Poppy seeds soaked
- 2 pods Garlic
- 1 inch Ginger
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 green chilli increase if you want a spicy base
- 1 green cardamom
Instructions
- Soak the cashew nuts & poppy seeds separately in warm water for 10 mins. grind these with the Mint, ginger, spice and garlic (and others mentioned in the under “to grind”) to a smooth paste.
- In a pan, add the frozen (and thawed) paneer cubes in 1 TBSP of oil, saute them till slightly crispy, reserve in a bowl of warm water to remain soft (this is totally optional, you can add the fresh paneer cubes as is too, which I did)
- Saute the Onion and tomato in 1 TBSP oil for 3-4 mins. In the same pan, add the ground mint paste & saute well for 3-4 mins till raw smell disappears.
- Add the salt, spice powders and let it simmer on a low flame. Add 1/4 cup of water if need be to make a thinner gravy.
- Check for spices and slowly add the fried paneer (drained), let it simmer on very low flame for further 2-3 mins.
- Serve hot with any Flatbreads / Pulav / Steamed Basmati Rice
Yummy n flavorful recipe 🙂
Slurp, paneer pudinawale is inviting me. Can smell the flavor from here.
The paneer with mint looks so delicious and tempting.I love mint , we get a special mint here called Udaipur ka Pudina..oh man it has an awesome aroma and flavor.
Not so found of paneer in my family, bust seeing ur dish feel like trying once. Yummy
Paneer with mint must have tasted delicious. Looks good.
Yumm..I somehow missed this post. I love mint flavored anything and this is a must try. Bookmarked.
This is such a flavorful and delicious looking paneer dish.
Paneer pudinawale looks delicious and an nice side dish to serve with roti.
Ah looks like you have increased the width!..Looks good..and I can have that gravy anytime..very nicely done.
Wow. Mint must have given a lovely flavour to the gravy. I must try this. Nice
Love that green colour to the dish. The mint must have given a good taste to it.
Looks awesome. In my place paneer was banned by the girls but now I should buy it for us. Sounds like a yummy dish.
Wow Kalyani, paneer not in palak or mustard leaves but mint. Must be so flavourful, got to try it.
looks perfect to dip the roti in this minty gravy. and we can make it dry curry perfect for appetizer too
Paneer in mint gravy sounds delicious. Never thought of this combination though . Will try for sure
love the gorgeous color and the mint flavor must be so refreshing. will definitely be trying this one for sure!
We had lamb chops last night and I wish I had seen this recipe before serving them.
awwee. do make this sometime, and let me know how yo liked them Wendy!
I am swimming in mint right now and need to cut it back anyway, we should totally try this!
Paneer is one of those things I keep in the fridge because it’s great for a quick appetizer or to add protein to a vegetarian dish. I look forward to trying it with your spicy mint sauce.
yay.. do let me know how you liked it, Stacy!
Paneer is just showing up in my grocery store. This is a gorgeous dish.
awesome. Please do try
yay. Go for it, Karen. you will love it.
I’m a huge mint fan…so this is one dish I’d absolutely love to try!
go for it, am sure you will love this
This is YUM! All of us love paneer and this curry is differentin flavors with the added mint. A clever choice for the letter ‘P’. I would love to have this everyday!
ha ha! thanks. the 2nd P alliteration just happened 🙂
I’m a major fan of paneer, and I make it for myself, cause it’s so versatile. This dish would be right in my wheelhouse.
yay! so good to hear that