Paneer Pakoda

 The last few weeks we have not been able to go out of our houses at all. Not because of COVID but because of the wildfires in California. The skies are grey, the atmosphere is full of ashes & even the trampoline is covered with a thick layer of ash. It used to smell bad & it used to look back. 

But since the last two days, the sky has cleared up & thanks to the firefighters of Bay Area the fire has been contained more than 90% now. With fall starting & summer going away the evenings are starting to become darker & cooler sooner that I'd like. So lately we have been finding time in the evenings (like 4pm or so) and spending time outside in the yard with the kids playing & we sitting on a picnic mat & having some lip smacking Indian snacks.

Most of the Indian snacks are deep fried & like it or not. There's something with the deep fried smell & lazy evenings that makes the combination amazing. Plus, I am sure there's some scientific explanation somewhere as to why Indians eat deep fried evening snacks which I am not aware of. So.. here goes a family favorite pakoda recipe which has Paneer & some fry ground spices. It is Gluten Free, does not contain onion or garlic & can be easily made for festivals (for prasad) as well. 

What I used..

• 8oz Paneer slab (regular Indian store bought)
• cut into rectangles (see picture)
• 
• Dry spices
• Salt to taste, 
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1 tsp chat masala
• Wee bit black salt
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• Besan or chick-pea flour about 1/2 cup
• Kala Jeera aka Nigella seeds - 1tsp
• Water to make the batter
• Oil to deep fry
• Deep bottom kadai to fry the pakodas in

Process

• Marinate the cut paneer pieces in all the dry spices in the above list
• Keep it aside for 15-20mins
• Make a semi-thick batter using Besan + Salt + Nigella seeds + water. Batter should be slowly but also stick to the paneer
• Heat oil for deep frying
• When oil is medium hot, dip one paneer piece in the besan batter at a time & carefully slide into the hot oil.
• Fry until the pakodas are cooked aka seem to be lighter brown in color.
• If the sides are becoming more red, then it means the batter is not covering the paneer correctly & hence you need to add more besan & make the batter thicker. 

Enjoy with some hot & sweet sauce & sliced onions and of course hot Indian style milk tea with your family, may be in the backyard or inside the house. Family times are precious. Collect as many of them as you can.