Friday, July 6, 2018

Paneer Nugget Casserole


A combination of soya nuggets and paneer (Indian cottage cheese), studded with capsicum, tomatoes and peas, and, flavored with a medley of aromatic herbs and spices.

Paneer Nugget Casserole that we made for lunch today, turned out so yum that i wanted to share the recipe with you all, right away!

This is a healthy, quick and easy side dish that combines the meaty texture of soya nuggets and paneer (Indian cottage cheese), studded with capsicum, tomatoes and peas, and, flavored with a medley of aromatic herbs and spices. You can enhance the flavor of this dish by adding some lime juice and coriander or mint. It tastes phenomenally well with freshly made lacha paratha and fried rice.

Soya are a great source of high quality protein, and are rich in vitamins and minerals. It's a nutrient rich plant protein that has all the essential amino acids, and make an excellent substitute for the meat-based products. You can buy the packet of soya nuggets in an Asian market, and, if you don't have an Asian market near you, you can easily find them online. Soya nuggets can be added in variety of dishes like biryani, pulao, manchurain, soya chunks curry and other stir fry dishes. They are soaked in hot salted water, until, they are soft and fluffy. Once soaked, drain and squeeze out all the excess water from them and they are ready to cook. Soaked soya nuggets should be kept in the refrigerator and used within 3 days.


Paneer Nugget Casserole is an open-end recipe and it's variation are endless. You can always toss in few extra veggies and add brightness to your recipe. I always try to make it differently, depending on what is available at my home.

Paneer, is the star ingredient of this dish. It gives a very mild and a rich creamy texture to this dish. You can either buy paneer from the market or make your own. It should be kept in the refrigerator and used within 2-3 days. I always pan-fry the paneer, so that, it retains it's shape as it cooks, soaks up the flavor, and, doesn't melts.

Paneer Nugget Casserole is an open-end recipe and it's variation are endless. You can always toss in few extra veggies and add brightness to your recipe. I always try to make it differently, depending on what is available at my home. Just keep the texture fairly chunky rather than finely chopping as it contrast well with Paneer and Soya Nuggets. You can control your spice level, mix in your favorite veggies and make it according to your taste preferences and requirements. So just follow your tastebuds and enjoy!


PANEER NUGGET CASSEROLE


Serves: 3 people
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Author: The Food Root

Ingredients


1 cup soya nutri nuggets
100 gms paneer (Indian cottage cheese), cut them into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large bell pepper, sliced and deseeded, cut them into 1 inch square pieces
1/4 cup peas, fresh or frozen
2 medium-size tomatoes, finely chopped
4 small green tomatoes, should be firm, and feel heavy in your hand, cut them into half (optional)
1/2 inch inch ginger, peeled, grated
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt or as per taste
1 tbsp lime juice (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
chopped coriander leaves, garnishing

Method


1. Soak the soya nuggets in hot salted water for 10 minutes. Once they are soaked, wash few times, drain and squeeze out all the excess water from them and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan, gently add paneer, a pinch of salt and pan-fry them for about 3 minutes. Flip them over and let the other side also fry and keep aside.

3. Next, roast capsicum for 2 minutes. Keep stirring to avoid burning. After 2 minutes of roasting, transfer it to a bowl.

4. Now, heat oil in the same pan, and, add grated ginger, followed by chopped garlic cloves. Give it a stir and cook for 1 minute.

5. Add the chopped tomatoes over medium heat. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and well cooked.

6. Add the green tomatoes, sprinkle the salt, turmeric and coriander powder. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Then, add peas followed by cumin and chilli powder. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.

7. Add the soya nuggets and the roasted capsicum. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the nuggets and capsicum are softened.

8. Add the roasted paneer cubes into the pan. Mix it together to coat the spice on paneer cubes. Cook for 2 minutes.

9. After 2 minutes, check for salt and add any, if required. Now, add some garam masala at the end and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

10. Squeeze some lime juice and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves, give it a mix and serve hot.

Notes


1. You can add your favorite veggies or whatever is available at home. The idea is to make the dish more colorful and delicious.

2. Remember to pan-fry the paneer, so that, it retains it shape as it cooks, soaks up the flavor and doesn't melts.

3. Just keep the texture fairly chunky rather than finely chopping as it contrast well with Paneer and Soya Nuggets.

17 comments:

  1. I've never had a dish like this before! It's really awesome and definitely worth trying. I love the flavors that are in this dish!

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  2. I've never had soya nuggets before, but the rest of this sounds delicious! I'll have to see if I can find the ingredients to make this soon.

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  3. This seems a new dish And looks delicious. I like colorful dishes because it looks pretty.

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  4. I have never heard of soya nutri nuggets but this sounds so good. I haven't made a casserole in ages!

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  5. It does look like a pretty delicious dish. I love all of the different flavors and blends there. I would love to try this out.

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  6. I love when you want to rush right into the kitchen because you are so excited about a recipe. This looks wonderful!

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  7. I've never heard of this meal before but it does look gorgeous and something I would definitely eat.

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  8. ooh this looks soo good! I'll definitely have to give it a try!

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  9. That looks amazing, I'd like to try it.

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  10. I've never heard of Paneer before, its always fun to try something new! This looks great, thanks for the detailed instructions.

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  11. Your recipe looks so flavorful! I'd like to try this as it has lots of ingredients I've never heard of. I like a new adventure.

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  12. This looks absolutely delicious! I think my kids would totally love eating this fantastic recipe! DaisyGirl

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  13. This is a new recipe for me especially with the use of soya nuggets. I wonder if I can substitute it for chicken nuggets and would my kids love them.

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  14. What a cool recipe. This looks great, my kids would LOVE this! Thanks for sharing! :)

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  15. ONG! This Paneer Nugget Casserole looks really tempting. I would love to try this recipe for my hubby.

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  16. Can you drop this off at my house?

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  17. I love this recipe! Must be so flavorful and healthy, too. I will try this and substitute paneer with tofu, to make it Vegan ♥ thanks for sharing!

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