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Love is in my Tummy

Plant-based flavor

July 22, 2016 By Tina Dawson 14 Comments

Cucumber Paneer bites w/ Cashew Curry sauce

Cucumber Paneer w Cashew Curry

You’ve all probably had paneer, a little here and a little there, in curries, appetizers, even desserts! But you’ve probably never had it quite like this! Cucumber Paneer bites w/ Cashew Curry sauce – a beautiful and delicious appetizer to brighten up your parties and get-together meets!

The cold, fresh cucumber contrasts in texture, temperature and taste with the hot and creamy cashew curry and the golden pan-fried paneer. Add together onions, mint and any other vegetable you can rustle up, and it becomes the perfect bite!

The ‘story’ behind these bites!

Growing up, Sundays were special, because it’s the one day of the week we all sat down to have lunch together. And that means lunch was special too. Despite growing up in a meat-eating family, my mother made sure we ate meat only on Sundays, and had vegetables the rest of the week. Tch tch tch!

So come lunch time, I’d wait desperately for the chicken curry to be ready – tender, juicy chicken in a gorgeous tomato and yogurt curry. Even on Sundays, we weren’t spared the vegetables, and had a large bowl of garden salad waiting. So before the table was set, I’d sneak in a few bites of spicy gravy-soaked chicken placed on a fresh cucumber slice from the salad. It almost became a ritual, and I don’t remember ‘not’ doing that!

I married into a vegetarian family, and although I do eat chicken at restaurants, I don’t cook it at home anymore. And I sorely missed this cucumber pairing of curry. So I figured, why not paneer? And it was brilliant!

Cucumber Paneer w Cashew Curry

There are so many ways to eat this – dunk directly into the cashew curry – or pile onto a mini skewer and make a BIG packed bite!I personally like the piling, because I get all those flavours in a single bite!

Cucumber Paneer w Cashew Curry

And it’s the cashew curry that steals the show here. This is my usual paneer gravy, and in a thicker form, it works brilliantly as a dipping sauce. Its not in-your-face spicy, more creamy than any other curry you’ve probably had, and if you substitute panner with tofu and the cream for coconut milk, it’s VEGAN!

Cucumber Paneer w Cashew Curry cashew

Make the curry in advance, it comes together in 15 minutes and there’s almost no chopping involved. You grind everything in a blender for the curry.

Cashew Curry

Although the paneer can be fried beforehand, I do like making it just after the guests arrive. There’s something about the milky softness of a warm paneer, rather than the bulky chewiness of a cold one. If you must, fry it before hand, but at least give it a quick toast just before serving to soften it up!

Fried Paneer

When you make these (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram (@loveisinmytummy) or Twitter (@loveisinmytummy). I’d love to see what you cook from here and will share it with pride on my social media feeds.

Cucumber Paneer bites w/ Cashew Curry sauce

Created by Tina Dawson on July 21, 2016

Cucumber Paneer w Cashew Curry cashew

  • Prep Time:10m
  • Cook Time:20m
  • Total Time:30m
  • Serves: 15
  • Yield: About 20-25 bites

Ingredients

  • 400 g Paneer, cut into 1/2 inch triangles
  • 1 large cucumber, cut into 1/4" thick slices

Cashew Curry

  • 1 large onion
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 4 green chillies
  • 1 stick of cinnamon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1/4 tsp. turmeric
  • 5 1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp. garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
  • 1/3 c cashews
  • 1/4 c cream
  • 3 -4 tbsp oil

Instructions

Fry the Paneer

  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Fry the paneer on medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Keep warm inside a warm oven, if possible. Else heat to soften just before serving.

Make the curry

  1. Grind the onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies to a fine paste, adding as little water as possible.
  2. In the remaining oil, add the cinnamon and bay leaves. Once fragrant, add the onion paste and sauté until all the excess water is evaporated and the raw smell dissipates.
  3. In the meantime, grind the tomatoes and once the onion paste is fragrant, add to the pan.
  4. As the tomato is simmering, add the red chiili powder, turmeric, cumin powder and garam masala. Cover and let it simmer until the tomato no longer smells raw.
  5. Grind the cream and cashews together and add to the cooked tomato curry. Cover and let cook for about a minute or until it thickens. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
  6. Remove curry from heat and transfer to a bowl.

Serve!

  1. Just before serving, warm up the paneer till it softens again. Pass around a plate of paneer, cucumber slices, onions and other vegetables you like and dunk into the curry. Enjoy!
  • Print
Cucumber Paneer w Cashew Curry Pin

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Appetizers, Cuisines, Dips and Sides, Indian, Sauces and curry, Vegetarian Tagged With: Appetizers, Cheese, curry, Indian, Paneer, Recipes, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. cakespy says

    August 4, 2016 at 9:08 am

    You’ve gotta be kidding me! This is like my dream! I love cashew, paneer, and cucumber – you’re speaking my language!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      August 4, 2016 at 9:49 am

      Ha ha Jessie, give it a try and let me know if it met your expectations!

      Reply
  2. Vama says

    July 23, 2016 at 4:54 am

    Wow Tina, lovely starter and beautiful pics!!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      July 23, 2016 at 8:26 am

      Thanks a lot Vama!!! That is so sweet!!! 🙂 <3

      Reply
  3. Holly says

    July 22, 2016 at 10:18 pm

    Tina, your cashew curry/paneer gravy looks amazing!! Literally my mouth is watering just looking at it! I can’t wait to try it! I’m pinning and sharing for sure!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      July 23, 2016 at 8:26 am

      Thanks a lot Holly! I am sooo glad! Come back and tell me if you liked it, I’d love to know!!!!!

      Reply
  4. Lisa says

    July 22, 2016 at 8:18 pm

    This sounds absolutely amazing!!! I think I need to invite some friends over so we can share this lovely appetizer!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      July 22, 2016 at 9:04 pm

      Yes Lisa, you absolutely must!

      Reply
  5. Cynthia Rusincovitch says

    July 22, 2016 at 7:54 pm

    This looks like such a wonderful treat any time of day! I love the addition of the ginger

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      July 22, 2016 at 9:05 pm

      Cynthia, it is almost impossible to make any authentic Indian curry without ginger and garlic. It almost formulates the basis of curry.

      Reply
  6. Jessica {Swanky Recipes} says

    July 22, 2016 at 7:33 pm

    Drooling over here…that curry sauce looks on point! I’d love to make this for dinner this week, yum!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      July 22, 2016 at 9:06 pm

      I hope you do, Jessica! If not as appetizers, you can just dilute the sauce into regular curry and add the paneer to it, and dip into Naan. YumM!

      Reply
  7. Camilla says

    July 22, 2016 at 6:44 pm

    Oh my this looks just heavenly and I would never have thought to do this with paneer, ,fabulous idea:-)

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      July 22, 2016 at 9:06 pm

      Thanks Camilla! I am glad you like it! 🙂

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Tina - the human behind all the content you see on this blog. Welcome to my little corner of the internet where I create flavorful and unique plant-based recipes.

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