Paneer 65 is a very spicy, deep fried, paneer starter. It is a veg version of the famous Chicken 65.
The dish Paneer 65, came into origin as a veg variant of the famous Chicken 65. Now, Chicken 65 is a very very spicy, fried chicken. It is believed to be originated from the Buhari Hotel of Chennai city in India.
There are many theories regarding its name. Some say, that the dish has 65 variety of chillies in it, and hence the name. Some others believe that it was the dish number 65 in the menu of the Buhari hotel, therefore it was named Chicken 65. Still a few others believe that there are 65 spices in this dish so it is called Chicken 65. Whatever is the true reason behind its name, the dish is incredibly delicious.
Now, the dish was so appetizing, that its veg version had to be made. Hence, Paneer 65 was created. It has the same spice level and the authentic south Indian flavour, which makes it a world famous dish.
Paneer
Paneer is also known as Indian cottage cheese. It is available in most of the grocery stores but can also be easily prepared at home. It is best made with full fat milk but if you don’t have it, then you can easily take any type of milk to make paneer. Basically for the paneer recipes like, paneer butter masala, Malai Paneer Korma, kadai paneer and many others, one must use fresh paneer only.
For this paneer 65 recipe, you really need a good quality fresh paneer. That helps in marinating the paneer nicely. I have had real troubles in using store bought frozen paneer. That type of paneer just refuses to get flavored by the spices while marinating. So, I really insist you use fresh paneer.
Some other interesting recipes from my blog;
- Soya Kebab
- Samosa (Crunchy, street style)
- Garlic Naan
- White bread (APF bread, easy recipe)
- Home made Pav, Best, soft pav recipe
- Wholewheat Cake recipe
Important Tips for Paneer 65
Just, as there are so many theories about the name of Paneer 65, there are also a great number of recipes that float around for paneer 65. As far as I have read and understood it, it is mainly a south Indian dish. So quite evidently, it has a great south Indian flavour to it. Following are the important tips to be kept in mind for a deliciously spicy Paneer 65.
Marination – It is very important to marinate the paneer for this recipe. The spices should seep right in, till center and that is why marinating it, for a good about 2 hours or more, is important. For a delicious Paneer 65, which is soft from inside and crispy from outside, the paneer has to be fresh and of good quality, as mentioned above also.
So, do keep patience and marinate it well. In fact, you can marinate it well in advance, if you have to serve it as a starter in a party and then fry it when required and serve crisp and hot.
Spices – Paneer 65 is a spicy and tangy starter dish. The spice level is so high in this dish that it has to be essentially red in color. I have added two types of chillies in this dish. You can increase the quantity as per your taste.
For tanginess, I have added curd and lemon juice in it. You can use vinegar also in place of lemon juice.
Besides these spices, the most dominant flavour is that of curry leaves. So you can actually go ahead and add as much curry leaves as you like. It is added in the paneer marination and in its tadka or tempering also.
Fry – Paneer 65 is fried till crisp. To get the original taste you can not change this step. Off course you can air fry it or shallow fry too. But I would rather have it fried than in any other way. For frying and making it crisp, rice flour or corn flour along with the refined flour is added to the paneer.
Tempering – Paneer 65 is basically a dry paneer snack. It is just tempered with black mustard seeds, curry leaves, garlic and green chillies. Yeah, that would be the third type of chilli in it. Spicy, you see!
Many like to add some sauces while tempering it, like soya sauce, chilli sauce or even tomato sauce. But in my view that totally changes the dish altogether. It is, as I mentioned above, a dry starter with south Indian flavours and adding these sauces will make it look and taste more like paneer manchurian than anything else. So, the decision lies totally with you. You can either go with a basic traditional recipe which is more or less, same as made in south India, where this dish originated or you can add your flavours in it and customize it as per your taste.
Recipe Video of Paneer 65
Ingredients
- Curd – 4 tbsp
- Lemon Juice – 2 tbsp
- Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
- Curry leaves – 3 tbsp (chopped)
- Kashmiri red chilli pdr – 3 tsp
- Black Pepper pdr – 2 tsp
- Roasted Jeera (cumin) pdr – 2 tsp
- Chat Masala – 1 tsp
- Paneer (Cottage Cheese) – 200 gm
- Refined Flour – 2 tbsp
- Corn Flour – 2 tbsp
- Water as reqd
- Salt as per taste
- Oil for frying
For Tempering
- Oil – 1 tbsp
- Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
- Garlic – 1 tsp (chopped)
- Green Chillies – 2 (chopped)
- Curry Leaves – 8-10
Method
1.Take curd, lemon juice, chopped curry leaves, Kashmiri red chilli powder, black pepper powder, roasted cumin powder, chat masala and salt. Mix everything to a smooth paste.
2. Add paneer cubes in this paste and coat them nicely with it. Let it sit like this for about 2 hours or more, for marinating it.
3. After 2 hours, add refined flour and corn flour. You can use a little more quantity than mentioned here. But try not to make it a loose paste. Add very less or no water to mix them. Also, you may adjust salt at this stage. Be gentle while mixing, as the paneer cubes will be tender and might break off easily.
4. Deep fry these marinated and flour coated paneer cubes, till golden crisp. Take out on a tissue paper when done.
5. Heat 1 tbsp oil for tempering. Add mustard seeds, chopped garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Saute for a minute or two.
6. Add this tempering on the fried paneer cubes and mix well. You can alternatively add the fried paneer to this tempering and mix well in the pan. Remember not to cook much or else the paneer will not remain crisp.
7. Serve hot with your favorite sauce, dip or chutney.
I would love to hear from you if you try this Paneer 65 recipe. Do mention it in my comments section how you liked it or if made any changes in the spices and tempering as per your taste. Also if you make these and share on social networking sites, remember to add #flavourhomebysutiksha and tag me there, so that even I can appreciate your efforts.
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Tasty recipe.
Thank you !
New version of panner…south Indian style.very nice
Hi Rupa
Thank you…its a really interesting starter. The taste will amaze you.