Paneer Ghotala
Paneer Ghotala is a Gujarati-style paneer curry from India. Ghotala is a type of street food usually made with eggs. This is a popular dish in the city of Surat, as well as all over Gujarat. In fast-food restaurants and dhabas, paneer ghotala is served with pav. The presence of paneer(Indian cottage cheese) and mozzarella cheese in this meal is not immediately apparent because they are added after grating. Both kinds of cheese are so beautifully combined in this meal that it earns the moniker Paneer Ghotala. Impress your Gujrati friends and enjoy the fun taste of Gujarat in this easy recipe. I’ve also added a way to make the entire thing vegan so you can enjoy this recipe no matter what your dietary restrictions are.
What is a Paneer Ghotala?
In Paneer Ghotala, grated paneer is thoroughly blended with tomato puree, seasoning, spices, and a few other veggies. A series of Spice mixes and masala powders are used to make the authentic flavor of the dish. Cheese and butter are also used to enhance the typical taste, making it more appealing to the western palate. When you’re eating it, you’ll feel that you’ve just tasted and savored an incredibly flavorful snack.
Notable Ingredients at a Glance
Paneer/Cottage cheese – We will use grated or crumbled paneer in this recipe. Try getting the freshest cottage cheese that you can find. Fresh cottage cheese has a very different flavor compared to canned or packaged cottage cheese.
Vegetables: With this recipe, the veggies are limited to tomatoes and onions, whereas in bhurjee, the possibilities are endless. Capsicum, herbs, maize, etc., can be added; this is the basic difference between bhurjee and ghotala. For onions, red onions are preferred in this recipe for their pungency. Tomatoes add red color and tanginess to the dish.
Green chilies – Use finely chopped green chilies. Adjust the quantity as per your adaptation to heat.
Green peas – You can use frozen green peas. Defrost them before use.
Coriander leaves – Coriander leaves add a unique flavor to the dish.
Spices – Turmeric powder adds the much-needed color to the dish. Chili powder adds spice as well as color. Pav Bhaji masala is the secret ingredient in this recipe. You can find this in any specialty Indian store.
Butter & Oil – I have used butter in this recipe. If you are vegan, skip the butter.
How to prepare Paneer Ghotala?
Heat a wok or a deep, wide pan and add oil.
Add onions and saute them for 2 minutes on low heat. You can add the green chilies and tomatoes at this point. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat. Add salt, turmeric powder, and pav bhaji masala. When you feel the masala is sticking to the pan, add 1/4cup water to deglaze the stuck stuff off of the bottom of the pan.
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Now cook for 2 more minutes, and add your green peas.
Mix well, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, add the grated paneer. Reduce the heat.
Give it a good mix. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the cover and add coriander leaves.
Now add butter and mix well. Butter gives a nice creamy texture to the Paneer Ghotala. The butter needs to be emulsified into the sauce. Therefore, you have to stir the curry till it gets to a creamy consistency.
Serve hot with pav or kulcha.
Some expert tips for preparing Paneer Ghotala
- You can get any pav bhaji masala mix from an Indian grocery store. Asian grocery stores generally don’t carry these specialty items from Indian cuisine.
- For a vegan modification to this recipe, use tofu instead of paneer. You may either skip the butter or use vegan butter if you can find it.
Paneer Ghotala
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Paneer Ghotala is very tasty recipe and it is very easy to prepare it. It is super delicious and it is a very flavorful recipe.
Ingredients
- 200 gms – Paneer/Cottage cheese grated
- 1 medium size finely chopped – Onion
- 2 finely chopped – Tomatoes
- 2 finely chopped – Green chilies
- 1 cup – Green peas
- ½ cup – Coriander leaves
- 1 tsp – Pav Bhaji masala (Everest brand)
- 1 tsp – Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp – Chili powder
- 1 tsp – Salt
- 2 tbsp – Butter
- 2 tbsp – Oil
- ¼ – cup – Water
Instructions
- Heat a kadai add oil. Add onions saute for 2 minutes on low heat, add the green chilies and tomatoes. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add salt, turmeric powder and pav bhaji masala. If you feel the masala is sticking to the wok add 1/4cup water.
- Now cook for 2 more minutes and add green peas.
- Mix well, cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- After 4 minutes add the grated paneer. Reduce the heat.
- Give it a good mix. Cover n cook for 2 minutes. Remove the cover and add coriander leaves.
- Also add butter and mix well. Butter gives a nice creamy texture to the Paneer Ghotala.
- Serve hot with pav or kulcha.
Keywords: paneer ghotala
