Paneer Bhurji - Cottage Cheese Recipe

Paneer or Cottage Cheese is one of the most popular food among vegetarians. For vegetarians paneer is the substitute of eggs, chicken and other forms of meat or sea foods. Paneer is highly rich in protein specially whey protein and a variety of dishes can be made using paneer.

You will be surprised to know that Paneer work actually came from the Persian word Pey-nir and is used for a form or type of cheese found in Turkey.

The Persians also call it Panir and these Peynir / Panir / Paneer is known as Ricotta in Italy and other english speaking countries gave it a common name - Cottage Cheese.

Today I am going to share a very colorful recipe suing paneer, with all of you. So - Let's Begin...

Ingredients & Steps:

First let us make fresh paneer, right from our kitchen at our home.

Take a deep pan - a heavy bottom pan.

• Put 3 liter milk
• Add 1/4 cup beaten curd
• Add 1 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
  
• Add 1 tsp vinegar
• Add 8 - 10 tulsi leaf (holy basil - optional, but I would recommend)
• Add 1 green chilli (slit - optional)
• Add salt to taste
• Keep steering slowly until the milk curdles.
• Once milk starts curdling, keep cooking for another 5 - 10 minutes.

Stain the curdled milk in a cheese cloth and remove excess water, then keep it aside and let it settle down for 1 minute to 2 minutes.

Fresh Paneer is ready. You can use this method to make paneer for other dishes that you would be cooking.

Now take a plate and crumble the block of paneer on it. - Did you forgot, we are making Paneer Bhurji.

Heat up a pan.

• Add 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
• Add 1 tsp jeera (cumin seed)
• Add 2 big size onions (chopped)
• Add 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• Add 2 - 4 green chillies (chopped)
• Add 2 tomatoes (chopped)
• Add salt to taste
• Add 1 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
• Add 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Stir and cook until onions are translucent and tomatoes are little soft.

• Add 300 ml crumbled paneer (ricotta / cottage cheese / pey-nir)

Mix well so that everything on the pan mixes properly with the crumbled paneer.

Cook for 2 - 3 minutes or maximum 5 minutes.

Switch off your gas flame.

• Add 3 tbsp beaten curd (yogurt)
• Add 2 cups of fresh chopped coriander leafs (dhania patta - do not miss this)

Mix it well.

Paneer Bhurji is ready.

Serve it with breads which is slightly toasted with butter.