bubbling cauldron: Paneer (and Cheese) Cigar Rolls

This is absolutely THE dish that even the pickiest eaters will relish. It is actually Tarla Dalal’s recipe, but I chanced upon it at chefinyou.com, and the very idea of it was so tempting, I set about assembling all the stuff. My official taster, Mayuri, asks me to make this again… and again… and again… And I make them, because, well, they fascinate me too.

What you need:

For the filling:

Paneer: 200 grams

Cheese: 50 grams
Onion: A big one
Tomatoes: Two
Chilies: Three
Vinegar: One teaspoon
Ginger: One small piece
Garlic: Three cloves
Oil: To fry

For the wrapper:

All purpose flour or maida: Two cups
Salt: To taste
Water: As needed

The recipe:

Sprinkle a little salt on the maida, add water and knead to form a pliable dough. Cover and keep aside.

Now, chop the onion, chilies and tomatoes into tiny pieces. Grate the ginger and garlic. Crumble paneer into small lumps, and grate the cheese.

In a pan, heat oil, then splutter the chilies. Add onions and tomatoes and sauté till a reddish mixture is achieved. Then add the crumbled paneer and mix well, tossing once or twice. Add the vinegar and salt to taste.

Let it cook for around seven minutes. After that, take it off the fire and add the cheese. Mix well and set aside to cool.

Now it is the turn of the wrapper. Make small balls out of the dough, roll them out into whichever shape you like, and cut them in half.

Place a good amount of filling on the wrapper, making sure you leave enough space on all the sides.

Now roll the wrapper over tightly.

Seal the end of the wrapper by using flour mixed in water.

Repeat till you have exhausted the filling and the wrappers.

In a karai, heat oil. Keep the flame high till the oil heats, then lower the heat and drop in the rolls one by one.

Let them fry in medium heat for around five minutes, turning them once when golden brown. When they turn evenly golden on both sides, take them out and drain excess oil on absorbent paper.