Paneer is one of the all-time favorite ingredients used in a variety of special dishes for vegetarians. Whenever there is a guest coming, a festival, or a special day in an Indian home, if it is vegetarian, it has to be something with paneer. But many people are concerned about their paneer becoming hard and crisp while cooking. Here, oneHOWTO gives you a few tips on how to keep paneer soft while cooking.
Whatever dish you are making, always add paneer in the end of cooking the recipe to enjoy it multiple health benefits. Once you have made the recipe, add paneer chunks or cubes to it, and gently mix them with the mixture or the gravy base. Then cook for 1-2 minutes more. Do not over-cook, as the paneer may become hard and rubbery. Take a look at when to add paneer to curry for more information.
Before adding paneer to the recipe, make sure your refrigerated paneer has been taken out of the fridge. Then, fry it in oil which should be moderately hot. It should not be boiling, as you don’t wish to burn it. Fry on both sides until light brown in color. Don’t over-fry, as it may make the paneer cubes hard.
You may fry it and then immerse it in water to keep it soft. If you want a healthier alterntive, you can immerse the paneer cubes in boiling water in place of frying them. The paneer cubes will become soft and spongy, and you save a lot of calories by not frying.
Before adding the paneer to your recipe, keep it soaked in normal water for 10 minutes. Cooking extracts moisture from the paneer, thereby making it hard and rubbery. By soaking in water, you are giving it the required moisture. If some moisture is lost while cooking, it has some extra water to stay soft and supple.
Whether you make your own paneer or buy from a local supermarket, do not freeze it. Keep it in a box and place it in a refrigerator.
Another tip is to drop the paneer cubes in a bowl of warm water just after frying it. This will prevent the paneer from getting dehydrated and rubbery.
By following these tips, you can have great pleasure of devouring delicious paneer dishes, and prevent the Paneer from getting hard and rubbery too.
For more cooking tips, find out:
- How to know if mushrooms are still good to eat
- How to use turmeric in the kitchen
- How to reduce the strong taste of garlic in food
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