PANEER GHOTALA /AN AMAZING SIDE DISH WITH COTTAGE CHEESE
During one of our visits to the city of Vadodara in Gujarat, we had a chance to enjoy this side dish with cottage cheese. This is quite a popular dish there and in a few other cities of Gujarat. This paneer ghotala dish is served with pav in fast food joints and dhabas there. At the first sight, you can’t figure out the presence of paneer and cheese in this dish, because these are added after grating. Both the cheeses are Incorporated so well in the dish that it justifies its name PANEER GHOTALA. The flavours burst out in your mouth with each bite.
This amazingly tasty dish is very near to the Punjabi Paneer Bhurji but in this version, paneer is added by crumbling with hands and you can clearly see the small chunks of it, whereas in Paneer Ghotala the grated paneer is completely mixed up with the tomato puree, seasoning, spices and a few other veggies. You just taste and enjoy an extraordinary flavoursome dish. When I tried my hand on this paneer ghotala recipe, I gave it some twist by adding crushed peas and capsicum. Both the veggies were so thinly crushed, that Incorporated well with the main ingredient, adding colour and taste to this tasty dish
Prep time – 10 minutes
Cook time – 15 minutes
Course – Main
Cuisine – Indian(Gujarat)
Type – side dish/street food
Author – Bharti Dhawan
● INGREDIENTS REQUIRED
• Paneer/cottage cheese(grated)250 gms
• Tomato puree with 4 large red tomatoes
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Butter – 1 tbsp
• Green peas/matar(crushed)1 cup
• Green capsicum – 1 no(very finely chopped)
• Tomato ketchup – 2 tbsp
• Grated cheese(mozeralla) – 2 tbsp+2 tsp for garnish
• Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp+2tsp fir garnish
●. WHOLE AND POWDERED SPICES
• Bay leaves/Tez patta – 2 nos
• Whole black peppers – 4-5
• Cloves/lavang – 2-3
• Cinnamon stick/dalchini – 1 inch-piece
• Whole cumin/jeera – 1 tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp/to taste
• Red chilly powder/degi mirch – 2-3 tsp
• Pav bhji masala or sabzi masala – 2 tsp
• Asafetida/hing powder – 1/2 tsp
● STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE
1-. Heat oil and butter in a pan and add bay leaves
2- Next, add cloves, cumin, black pepper, and cinnamon stick. Allow all the spices to crackle. Add turmeric powder at this stage
3- Next, add crushed green peas/matar and bhunow/roast until their rawness is gone
4- Next, add finely chopped capsicum and roast for 2 minutes
5- Next, add salt and all the powdered spices and combine well
6- Now add tomato puree and cook until you see oil on the sides.
7- Cook/bhunow this mix until the tomato puree is incorporated well with the matar and capsicum. Cover the pan with the lid so that peas and capsicum get softer
8- Crush the veggies with the spatula after intervals and add tomato ketchup for colour and flavours
9- Next, add grated paneer and mix. Add little water and combine with a spatula. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for two minutes.
10- Time to add grated mozzarella cheese and combine well
11- Amazing Paneer Ghotala is ready. Garnish with some more cheese and coriander leaves. Serve the tasty sabzi with tomato-cucumber salsa and toasted buttery pav
NOTES AND TIPS
* I have added some crushed peas and capsicum to add the colour and taste but you can skip them making it by adding the cottage cheese only
* The restaurant-style version is loaded with processed cheese but I have cut the quantity of cheese in my home-cooked dish. Feel free to add the cheese to your taste
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