Say cheese!

Say cheese!

I am not asking you to pose for a photo, nor am I selling/promoting cheese in any form. I am not even going to talk about the hundreds of varieties of cheese countries around the world boast of having, but would focus microscopic attention on the easily available variety in India which is called paneer.

What has prompted rumination over this topic is a friend’s message earlier this week on paneer (pa pronounced like in potatoes with the two es much like in keen, seed, been) which caught my attention and I realised that I kind of agreed with him.

Most of us can make paneer at home. Boil milk- with or without fat (you get crumbly cheese), whether of cow or buffalo or the pasteurised kind you get in a packet/bottle/carton. As it starts to simmer, add a little acid- lemon/lime juice, yogurt, vinegar or even citric acid (never rennet in India. I don’t even know if it is available). The milk splits into curds and whey, and you turn off the flame. Run some water over it to stop further cooking. Strain the curds through a thin cloth and make a ball or put it under some kind of weight for an hour or more so that it forms a slab and can be easily cut. Now you are free to use it as you want.

Everyone has his/her own recipe for the kind of milk, which and how much acid to use, how to strain it and how to get soft paneer and they swear by it. In fact, many people I know prefer to make their own at home and not to get readymade from the market.

Yet, those who choose to buy it, do so because the blocks are neatly made and they can be cut for use in various dishes. Some people use raw paneer in most dishes because it involves less work. Others fry it first because then the pieces retain their shape.

The best thing about paneer is that it is a quick solution for what to cook or eat. It can be made within a few minutes and most of the people like it. In   vegetarian households, it is precious and unlike the staple dal (lentils/legumes) and subzi (vegetables) a paneer dish raises up the menu several notches. In the north of India if a vegetarian household does not have paneer on the menu for a guest, downhill goes their reputation.

In the eastern parts, they use it mostly in desserts. In the south,  I did not notice much use of paneer earlier, but trust the number 65 and now on the lines of chicken 65 you have gobhi (cauliflower) 65 and of course paneer 65. The Chinese should be impressed with our ingenuity for all over India you have chilli paneer in its popular Indo-Chinese avatar.

Because of its high protein percentage, paneer is recommended for sportsmen, children, pregnant and lactating women, health and diet food enthusiasts and malnourished people. Yet believe me the rest of the Indians are also not averse to preferring it to dal, beans or mushrooms etc. It is not unusual to see someone shamelessly or guiltlessly and without being self-conscious, scooping out only paneer pieces from a dish.

Whey is considered easily digestible and is given to people suffering from malnutrition or diarrhea. Haven’t we seen those giant jars of whey powder in health and nutrition sections of stores which those working out in the gym are advised to swallow down daily, for increased protein intake? 

In its versatility, paneer can compete with potatoes and to a certain extent, eggs. It can be eaten raw (as it is or in sandwiches), broiled, pan/deep fried, marinated or as a stuffing besides for desserts (rasgullas, cham cham, chhena kheer).

People have researched into and debated over the history of paneer. For our purpose though, let us just say it does not have its origin in India and add this to the list of food items which came in from other countries. Earlier people in our villages looked at it with suspicion but now they too have started to respect it.

The strongest plus in its favour is that it is the meat substitute in meat-free diet. Tofu is not very popular in India because it has a strange texture and taste, and not as freely available in India as paneer is.

This non-aged cheese has pushed chicken/mutton out of the pan/wok/plate/skewers, to appear as paneer butter masala, paneer tikka/kebab, and believe me, in momos as well. Vegetarians in England can take a hint and go in for paneer tikka masala.

Sauté onions and tomatoes, break paneer into it, with a touch of spice, it becomes bhurji, dip biggish pieces into chickpea flour batter and deep fry and you have pakoras to relish in the present rainy season.

In a restaurant most paneer-lovers pick out from among royal sounding shahi paneer (in cashew gravy), khoya (whole milk cooked over slow heat to lose its moisture) paneer, paneer pasanda (two slices of paneer stuffed with khoya), paneer do pyaaza (onions are used in two stages in this recipe) or paneer lababdar.

Those conscious of including their veggies too, would order palak paneer (with spiced spinach), matar paneer (with peas) or paneer kofta. These days the favourite seems to be paneer shimla mirch (with bell peppers).For variety in rice there is paneer pulao.

I could go on but I have difficulty choosing from among this whole list because it seems the smothering gravy is the same- a huge plop of sauted onions, garlic, ginger paste cooked with  tomatoes, with a handful of all the spices on your shelf thrown in and an overkill of cream. 

It has become an ubiquitous ingredient even in street food. Be it chhole (chickpeas), dal, pav bhaji (bun and veggies), you find slivers or grated paneer used as a garnish or stuffing for paratha (griddle fried bread), naan (oven baked bread), bhature (fried bread, last two leavened) even aloo tikki ( pan-fried potato roundels).

The new mantra is if a dish needs value addition, toss a few cubes of paneer into it and voila, it becomes the star of the table.

In the west whatever it is- potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, zucchini, pasta or bread, add a cup full of cheddar, parmesan, gruyere and the humble beginning has an instaworthy ending even at the risk of overpowering all of the other ingredients and robbing them of their distinct taste and flavor.

Like my friend, I am dreading that chefs and experimental cooks at home might soon start using it in rajma (red kidney beans), baingan ka bharta (Indian baba ganoush) or sambar (spiced lentil curry) or golgappe (fried hollow spheres of flour filled with spicy water).

GST is Goods and Services Tax

Sitting here I start to wonder if slowly it would turn the democracy of vegetable world into a one party autocratic cheesestatic majority.

Or would it all lead to paneer fatigue one day? That morning when the sun rises, there would be an outcry that we should all shun the dictatorial supremacy of these highly overrated, acid-coagulated remnants of  milk and go back to 505 with other items on the grocery list. 

US Congress member Pramila Jayapal had in late 2020 caused a twitter storm with the picture she posted with her following post. 

Compulsive, night-before-election activity: make comfort food. That’s paneer tikka tonight, in honor of electing #KamalaHarris Veep tomorrow since she just said on Instagram that her favorite North Indian food is any kind of tikka! Let’s go, people! VOTE! #

Paneer tikka? 

                                                                                               -Anupama S Mani