‘Paneer’ is a very common ingredient in the Indian Vegetarian cuisine, especially in the northern belt. It is nothing but cottage cheese, made from curdled milk.
People use paneer differently in their culinary in different ways.
I thought, why not use paneer with dates?
Consuming dates in its raw form is a very healthy practice. Dates are rich in vitamins, iron, minerals, fiber and calcium to mention a few. Dates syrup is a very good substitute for sugar and can be mixed with milk or yogurt to instill sweetness. It tastes good and is healthier too.
With many festivals lined up in the coming days, I thought why not use paneer and dates together this time for the upcoming festival – Varamahalakshmi Pooja! It will also spare me from the boredom of repeatedly preparing the same dish everytime.
So, let’s celebrate this Varamahalakshmi Pooja in VeggiePotNPan style – Dates Paneer Peda
In the coming days, we will certainly look into few more preparations using paneer.
Total time : 25 minutes
Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes
Servings : 20-30
Main Ingredients :
Paneer : 150 grams
Dates : 100 grams
Ghee : 2 tbsp.
Milk powder : 2 tbsp.
Milk : 1/2 cup
Powdered sugar : ½ cup
Method :
- In a thick bottomed pan, add milk and dates and bring the milk to boil. Keep aside and let it cool for a few minutes
- In a mixer, crush the paneer cubes
- To the above, add the milk and dates mixture and grind well
- In a deep bottomed pan, add ghee and roast the almonds and keep aside
- To the same pan, add the ground mixture of paneer, dates and milk and with constant mixing, heat in simmer/low heat for a few minutes or till the ghee blends well with the mixture and leaves from the pan. This may take about 5 to 7 minutes. You may heat it further if you feel the mixture is too flowy and has not reached the peda consistency yet
- Take the pan off the flame and add milk powder and powdered sugar to it, mix well and keep aside
- Once cooled, create small round balls and gently tap each one of them to get the desired shape of the peda. While doing so, you may use ghee to grease your palm and fingers if you feel the mixture is sticky
- Top the peda with the roasted almonds
Sweet for Varamahalakshmi Pooja – Dates Paneer Peda is ready to serve!!!
Note :
- You may alter the quantity as per your requirement. Accordingly the quantity of the ingredients that go into it change and so does the time required
- If you feel the peda is too watery, you may heat it for some time as is or add some wheat flour and heat it till the required mixture consistency is reached
Dates Paneer Peda stories:
In South Canara, Varamahalakshmi Pooja is hardly celebrated. Having spent so many years now in Bangalore and settled down here, we celebrate it with our friends, by wishing them and being part of their celebrations. The local schools here declare a holiday as it is a grand festival here. And you guessed it right! I was reminded of this festival by my daughter who told me that she had to go to school in ethnic wear for Varamahalakshmi festival.
Now, I had to gear up as I was left with very less time to think of anything. I sat down with a paper and a pen in my kitchen and scanned through my groceries to see if I can get any Jhakkaas idea for a quick recipe. On finding a some paneer and dates, I held both them in my hands a-la Rajesh Khanna, in his movie ‘Bawarchi’ with Elephant Yam and raw bananas, and did the calculations in my mind and bingo, I got my recipe !!!
Nice seems easy