Your friends have come out of the blue to meet you. And you want to spend time with them as well as show off your culinary skill. Here’s an easy recipe for ‘Paneer pakoda’ that takes almost no time to make and will make your friends lick their fingers and ask for the secret ingredient.

You will need:

Paneer 200 grams

Gram flour (besan) 1 cup

Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp.

Roasted cumin (jeera) powder 1/2 tsp.

Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp.

Chopped coriander (dhania) leaves 2 tbsp.

Pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Vegetable oil as required

Green (mint) chutney 1/2 cup (optional)

Directions:

• Mix gram flour, red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, garam masala, chopped coriander leaves and salt.

• Add little water and beat the mixture to form a thick and smooth batter.

• Cut paneer into medium size, thick square or rectangular pieces.

• Sprinkle salt and pepper to these pieces.

• If you want to add that little bit extra to your pakodas, then remove a small portion of paneer from the centre top and fill it with green chutney.

• Heat oil in a kadhai.

• Dip the paneer pieces carefully (so that green chutney dosen’t come out) into the batter and deep fry on medium heat until golden brown.

• Serve hot with any chutney or tomato sauce.