Paneer Masala Puffs
A recipe for Paneer Masala Puffs from the cookbook, Indian Kitchens! Puff pastry squares are filled with a spiced paneer mixture and baked until golden.
Servings 4 -6 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 large tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 onion diced
- 2 large garlic cloves crushed
- 1/2 ounce (15 grams) ginger root peeled and finely grated
- 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 green chile deseeded and finely chopped
- 9 ounces (250 grams) store-bought or homemade paneer diced into about 1/2 inch (1 centimeter) cubes
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
- 14 ounces (400 grams) all-butter puff pastry
- 1 egg lightly beaten with a pinch of salt
- tomato-chile sauce to serve
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and then turn off the heat and plunge in the tomatoes. After about 30 seconds, take them out of the water and transfer to a bowl of cold water.
- Once they are cool enough to handle, peel the skins, roughly chop the flesh (including the seeds), then leave to one side.
- Heat the oil in a wok or karahi on medium–high heat, add the cumin seeds and sizzle for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Turn down the heat to medium, add the onion and fry for 8–10 minutes, until golden.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, then add the turmeric, chile powder, garam masala, tomatoes and green chile (I also added a little salt).
- Cook the masala for 5–7 minutes, until thickened and beads of oil appear around the edge of the pan. Turn off the heat and leave to cool.
- Put the diced paneer in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave the cubes to soften for 10 minutes.
- Discard the soaking water and mix the paneer with the chopped cilantro and the tomato masala.
- On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to a large square about 1/8 inch (3 millimeters) thick, then cut it into 24 equally sized squares (they will be about 3 x 3 inches/8 x 8 centimeters).
- Place 1 tablespoon of filling into one half of each square.
- One by one, brush the pastry edges of each square with water and fold the unfilled half of pastry over the filling to make a rectangular package.
- Seal the edges with the prongs of a fork and transfer the puffs to baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Chill for at least 30 minutes—longer if you have the time.
- Preheat the oven to 410°F (210°C).
- Brush the puffs with the salted beaten egg and bake for 15–20 minutes, until risen and golden in color. I (Roopa) like to glaze the puffs for a second time halfway through cooking for a deeper color.
- Serve the puffs warm with tomato-chile sauce.