"Paneer Vapa (Steamed Cottage Cheese with Yogurt)" is another paneer recipe from my kitchen. This one too, I inherited from my Maa. This dish was introduced to our kitchen not much earlier. I was then at college when Maa first prepared this dish. I can clearly recall the instance of how Maa got this recipe. It was at my cousin brother's (Maa's sister's son) marriage ceremony.
In Bengali wedding, the whole rituals span over 3 days. So in the first day there would be a ritual called "Jol Vora or Ganga nimontron (inviting the Goddess of the holy River Ganga)" In this ritual, the mother of the bride/groom goes to the nearby pond with a brass pot also known as ‘Kalsi’, and invites the goddess Ganga there. Friends and family members also accompany the bride’s/groom's mother in this ritual. Then the mother of bride/groom fills the pot with water from the pond and brings it back home. And then the bride/groom is bathed with that water in "Gaye Holud" ritual.
So in that day when my Maa was going to the nearby pond with others for the ritual, she met a lady from my Masi's (Maa's sister) in-laws side. That auntie was purely vegetarian and would know lots of amazing vegetarian recipes. When she came to know from Maa, that I like paneer very much, she gave this recipe to Maa. And with no surprise, after returning home I made Maa to make this recipe on that day itself 😛.
So today I am presenting you "Paneer Vapa (Steamed Cottage Cheese with Yogurt)" . This recipe needs very less effort to make but the taste is mouthwatering. Maa used to add capsicum pieces sometimes in this dish. I didn't add capsicum this time but you can surely add it to get a texture in the dish.
Tips:
Try not to skip the mustard oil in this recipe.
If you want you can add some capsicum pieces.
This dish can be cooked in microwave too. Use micro safe bowl and micro on medium heat (60%) over 10-12 minutes.
Paneer Vapa (Steamed Cottage Cheese with Yogurt)
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3
Ingredients:
275 g Paneer or Cottage cheese, cut into cubes
100 g (1 cup) yogurt
4-5 green chillies
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
1/2 tbsp raisins
10-12 cashew nuts
1/4th tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 1/2 tbsp mustard oil
1 1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
3 tbsp water
Recipe:
Soak the raisins and cashew nuts, yellow and black mustard seeds in warm water for at least 30 minutes prior.
Now in a blending jar add the soaked raisins, cashew nuts, 2-3 green chillies, grated ginger, black mustard seeds, yellow mustard seeds and a pinch of salt and a little water. Blend it well until smooth.
Next in that same blending jar add the yogurt with that spice paste and blend it well. Take out the mixture and keep it in a mixing bowl.
Next add 1 tbsp of mustard oil, sugar, salt and 3 tbsp of water (to dilute the mixture, you can adjust accordingly) and mix it well. The consistency of the mixture should not be too thick or thin (ideally it would be like pancake batter).
Now check for seasoning. Adjust accordingly. Then add the paneer cubes to that mixture and mix all of them carefully so that the paneer pieces don't break.
Now transfer the mixture in a heat proof bowl with lid, pour over the rest of the mustard oil over the mixture, add 1-2 slitted green chillies on the top. Covet the bowl with the lid.
Next fill a deep bottom pan 1/3 with water and bring it to boil. Now, carefully place the covered bowl in the water. Be sure to check that the water level doesn't reach the lid of the bowl. Now allow the paneers to steam on low flame for 15-20 minutes in the boiling pan. Switch off the flame afterwards. Once completely cooled, take out the bowl and open it.
Serve the "Paneer Vapa (Steamed Cottage Cheese with Yogurt) " with hot steamed rice
