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Chilli Garlic & Lime Paneer, Za’atar Man’ouche & Mint Salad

Tuesday 25th August 2020

Long time no recipe!

I could say I’ve been totally swamped with work and life - which is true! - but honestly, I’ve been binging Desperate Housewives and could not be bothered to cook because I was deeply invested in what was going to happen between Susan and Mike and whether Bree would ever catch a break on the infamous Wisteria Lane. 

I have been busy though - seeing family and friends, and I'm finally back at work after 6 months of being unemployed due to Miss Rona. 

I also made a food page on instagram - if you’re reading this, you probably already follow me on there (ily) - where I’ve been posting alllll sorts. But I'm still going to be uploading more detailed recipes on here - so here I am! Back with some deliciousness!

 

I absolutely loved this dish, and it was so simple it almost felt... wrong? 

The paneer by itself takes less than 15 minutes, salad 5 minutes (if that), and the bread is suuupppperrrr easy too - the longest bit is resting the dough - but if you roll it out first, it can rest while you do everything else! The whole thing shouldn’t take more than 45 minutes, and the ingredients are super simple too. 

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One thing you 100% can not skip on is the za’atar. There’s absolutely no point making the bread if you don’t have za’atar. I would recommend the Greenfield’s one - it’s £1.65 for 100g whereas the supermarket brands do 30g for £2.10 or something ridiculous, and they don’t even taste as good. The sumac from Greenfield’s is also great! If you’re thinking ugh, do I really want buy another spice when I could just use something else? Well, I have a salad recipe coming soon and the dressing includes za’atar and I promise you, it’ll be worth it. 

 

For the salad, you can really do whatever you like, I just love the combination of these vegetables with the bite and freshness of the mint sauce. It would be just as good with fresh mint, but the sauce adds some extra brightness and acidity as it’s usually mixed with vinegar in the jar. 

 

For the paneer - I’m all for alternatives, but I don’t think you should substitute for the paneer ingredients! You can by all means make your own tandoori powder, but I mean... the box just does it for you and it's so cheap - like a quid for 100g? Which will last you so long! And you will definitely end up using it for other recipes. 

A couple of things I forgot for this dish - coriander to finish. It would’ve elevated it even further, but I was so hungry it slipped my mind. 

Also, I would add some sort of yogurt dip or houmous to the plate - it would complement the bread beautifully, as well as the paneer and salad. Something to bear in mind! 

One more thing - don’t use bottled lime like I did. Fresh! Always!

 

 

TL;DR - I made a food page - @amritafood. Rest the dough while you cook everything else. Don’t skip on the za’atar and tandoori. A yogurt dip or houmous on the side is recommended. Use fresh lime. 

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Ingredients:

Serves 4-6 depending on portions

 

Paneer:

3 packs paneer cubed

8 cloves garlic 

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 1/2 tsp mixed herbs 

2 tbsp tandoori powder

4 tbsp neutral oil - I used sunflower

1/2 cup lime 

handful fresh coriander, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

 

Salad: 

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1 red onion, sliced

1 tbsp mint sauce 

 

Za’atar man’ouche:

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1 sachet yeast

1 tsp salt

75ml olive oil

150ml warm water

2 tbsp za’atar 

1 tsp sumac 

1 tsp garlic paste

1/2 cup neutral oil 

 

Serve with: 

yogurt dip or houmous

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Method:

 

  1. Mix flour, salt and yeast.

  2. Add water and oil.

  3. Combine dough and knead until a smooth ball. Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

  4. Peel garlic and place in food processor with chilli powder, salt, pepper, coriander powder, mixed herbs, tandoori powder, oil and blend. 

  5. Coat cubed paneer with mixture.

  6. Preheat griddle pan - cast iron is best - and oil until bottom is coated. Medium to high heat. 

  7. Test heat with a chopstick.

  8. Add paneer cubes one by one. Cook for around 2 minutes on one side until golden brown, then turn over onto opposite side.

  9. When paneer is cooked, add to a saucepan and leave it on the lowest heat so it stays warm. 

  10. Add lime juice, coriander and additional salt and pepper to taste. 

  11. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. 

  12. In a bowl, mix the oil, za’atar, sumac and garlic paste.

  13. Separate dough into golf ball sizes, coat in plain flour and roll into desired shape. The thinner the dough, the faster it will cook. 

  14. Add the za’atar oil mix onto the dough in thin layers (see photo & video for reference). 

  15. Place in oven for 7-10 minutes. 

  16. For the salad - chop the tomatoes, cucumbers and onions and mix with mint sauce.

    Serve with dip or houmous!


    TIPS:

    - You can freeze fresh coriander so you can use it any time. 
    -  Don’t skimp on the garlic! 
    -  Use tongs to flip the paneer. 
    -  The more lime the better. 
    -  Cook the bread on a tray with holes /grates so the bottom cooks as fast as the top.

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