Paneer kibbeh with stuffed paratha recipe
This makes a perfect summer lunch. Use halloumi if you can't find paneer. Cut the cheese into fat cubes if you are using skewers for the barbecue.
Ingredients
- 200 g paneer /Indian cheese cut into 12 cubes or flat strips
- 1 red onion, halved and sliced
- 1 handful cherry tomatoes (optional if barbecuing)
- 1 handful chunks of red and yellow pepper (optional if barbecuing)
- 1 cup green mango chutney
- 1 handful lemon wedges and parsley sprigs
- 5 tbsp mustard oil, plus more for brushing
- 2 red chillies
- 1 red pepper
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick, in pieces
- 1 star anise
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 3 black cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 4 shallots, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 chunk of fresh root ginger, chopped
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 handful each of mint and coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
- 100 g plain yoghurt
- 125 g chapati flour
- 125 g plain flour
- 1 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 largish potato, cooked and mashed dry
- 1 small handful of coriander leaves, chopped
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 cup vegetable oil, for brushing
- 1 cup melted butter, for brushing
Details
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 60 mins
- Cooking Time: 30 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Well ahead, make the marinade. Lightly brush the chillies and pepper with a little of the mustard oil and roast. Meanwhile, in a dry, heavy frying pan, gently toast the cumin seeds. cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and mustard seeds until they give off their aromas, then grind them together using a pestle and mortar.
- Sweat the chilli, shallots, garlic and ginger in a little of the mustard oil until softened. Stir in the smoked paprika followed by the herbs and take off the heat.
- Stir into the yoghurt with the spice mix and remaining mustard oil. Puree the roasted chillies and pepper in a food processor and mix into the marinade. Stir the paneer into the marinade and leave for at least 3 hours or, better still, overnight (in the fridge!), stirring from time to time if you like.
- To make the paratha, in a bowl mix the flours, mustard oil and salt with just enough warm water to give a workable dough. Knead for 3-4 minutes, then gather into a ball. oil lightly and leave to rest in warm place in the bowl, covered with a clean cloth, for 30-40 minutes.
- To make the stuffing, mix the mashed potato, coriander leaves, ground seeds and the lemon juice together with salt to taste.
- Cut the rested dough into largish billiard-ball shapes and roll each to a round about 2mm thick. Put about 1 tsp of the stuffing mix in the centre and fold the edges up around the stuffing to seal it in. Roll again to a flat round.
- When ready to cook, brush both sides of each paratha with a mix of vegetable oil and melted butter and cook them by pressing them down in a very hot frying pan for 2-3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Set aside in a warm place.
- Cook the marinated paneer (taking a good coating of marinade with each piece) on a very hot griddle pan or in a very hot dry frying pan for 2-3 minutes on each side until nicely coloured all over. Cook the red onion with them. Alternatively if barbecuing, thread cubes of the cheese on metal skewers interspersed with cherry tomatoes and pepper chunks.
Recipe taken from The Easy Vegetarian Cookbook by Adrian and Michael Daniel. Photos by Richard Jung. Copyright of book Octopus Publishing Group.
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