Paneer con Tomate

Published Aug. 1, 2021

Paneer con Tomate
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Sue Li. Prop stylist: Nicole Louie.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(522)
Comments
Read comments

Pan con tomate, the Spanish dish of grated tomato on grilled or toasted bread, is summery and extremely satisfying. Grating a tomato somehow emphasizes everything delicious about it, heightening sweetness and acidity. Paneer con tomate is built on the same principle, but swaps the bread for pieces of crisp-edged, lightly fried cheese. Here, the tomato pulp is seasoned not with olive oil, but with a glug of coconut oil infused with mustard seeds and curry leaves. If you’ve got homemade paneer, which is looser and softer, then there’s no need to fry it.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings, as a snack or appetizer
  • 1 to 2big, ripe tomatoes 
  • ½teaspoon flaky salt 
  • A few grinds of black pepper 
  • 1(6- to 8-ounce) block firm paneer 
  • 3tablespoons coconut oil
  • ¼teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • ¼teaspoon cumin seeds 
  • 1sprig curry leaves (preferably fresh) 
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

310 calories; 25 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 630 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the tomatoes directly over a serving plate, pressing down with your palm so that all of the pulp goes through, and you’re left with just the thin outer skin. Get rid of the skin and season the pulp generously with the salt and pepper.

  2. Step 2

    Cut the paneer into strips about 1-inch thick, then rotate the block and cut the strips to make bite-size squares.

  3. Step 3

    Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick pan over medium and add the paneer, letting it brown lightly, about 1 minute. Flip the pieces to get the other side a little brown, about 1 minute, then pile the paneer onto the tomato pulp.

  4. Step 4

    In the same pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, then add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, crumple the curry leaves and add them to the pan, shaking it gently to sauté the leaves. Tip it all directly over the paneer and serve warm, or at room temperature.

Ratings

4 out of 5
522 user ratings
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Comments

I find paneer is best browned by tossing the cubes in a tablespoon of oil, baking at 350F on a greased piece of foil for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for few minutes, this will help release the cubes from the foil.

Maybe could work with Haloumi cheese too.

We make paneer all the time at home--a lot easier than it sounds! You make "farmer's cheese" by bringing 1/2 gallon of milk to a simmer, then adding 1/4 c. vinegar to the pot and removing from heat. Let sit 10 minutes--DO NOT STIR! After 10 minutes, stir to separate the curds from the whey, then strain through a cheesecloth or dishtowel over a colander (you may collect the whey if you like; we put it in smoothies). Wrap the cloth around the cheese and put a heavy jar on top and refrigerate.

Amazing. Perfect as it is, don’t change a thing

Added onion, used 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, basil, curry powder, ground spices not seeds. Add fresh basil. Bit like a tomato soup but very tasty and week night easy.

I can’t get over how delicious this is! I used turmeric paneer by SACH (from Whole Foods), dried curry leaves (bc it’s what I had) and juicy early season tomatoes. I added some slivered scallion greens to the oil hot right before it went over everything. Really delicious and unexpected. Will definitely make again!

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