the Quintessential Paneer

Paneer!
The word is enough to conjure images of luscious varieties of food that can be churned up using the Quintessential, indispensable delight of a curdled milk! It is well revered, so much so, that no punjaban worth her salt will ever be caught without a huge chunk of it in her refrigerator, or at the least the phone number of a dairy selling fresh paneer nearby on her speed dial :)
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Right from amazing appetizers like Paneer Pakoda, Paneer Tikka Masala, Chili Paneer...
To extraordinary entree's like Shahi Paneer, Matar Paneer, Paneer Bhurji.......
Not to forget the beautiful breads like Paneer Kulcha, Paneer paratha, paneer stuffed puri...

And delightful desserts like Ras Malai, Paneer Mawa Cake.....
Can you ever have enough of Paneer :)
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I wanted to make a Paneer dish which stands out on it's own and is not guzzled down by tons of gravy, so here it is, Paneer Puri! It's all paneer, no additives like onion, coriander leaves or any such. . .
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Fine threads of paneer are seasoned with spices and stuffed into a wheat flour dough to get Puffy Paneer Puri! This is a paneer lover's delite, Mind you this ain't for the faint hearted, it has paneer and it is deep fried :)
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Here is how I make Paneer Puri
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1. Knead 2 cups wheat flour with salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder and ajwain(oregano) to a stiff dough.
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2. Grate 1 cup paneer. Mix in salt, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, chat masala & ajwain(oregano). Yes this has a double dose of ajwain, in dough as well as in the stuffing! All the spices are added as per individual taste.
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3. Roll the dough into a small puri and stuff with about a teaspoon of the stuffing. Bring back the dough up the edges and roll again to get a puri. Make sure there are no cracks in the puri. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
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4. Deep fry the puri till it puffs up and crisps to a nice golden color.
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5. Enjoy Paneer Puri with or without pickle, or with a steaming cup of tea, like I do :)
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So what is your favorite paneer dish? would love to know :)
the Quintessential Paneer is my contribution to Nupur's A-Z for 'Q' :)