Nachodums with homemade paneer
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 4
These Indian-inspired nachos swap tortilla chips for crisp mini poppadoms, topped with homemade paneer, a fresh tomato salsa, cooling cucumber raita and two chutneys. Sweet mango chutney coats the warm paneer, while pomegranate seeds add a burst of freshness.
Ingredients
For the homemade paneer
- 2 litres/3½ pints whole milk
- 4–6 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar
For the nachodums
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 200g/7oz paneer (see above), crumbled
- 2 tbsp mango chutney
- ½ tsp chaat masala (optional), plus extra to garnish
- pinch chilli powder (optional)
- 85g/3oz mini poppadoms
- 75g/2½oz fresh pomegranate seeds, to garnish
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander sprigs, to garnish
For the raita
- 200g/7oz thick Greek-style yoghurt
- 2 tbsp cucumber, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- pinch ground roasted cumin
- splash whole milk
For the tomato salsa
- 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
- ¼ small red onion, very finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, very finely chopped and deseeded for less heat, or 4–5 pickled jalapeños, chopped
- 2 tbsp lime juice (reduce or omit if using pickled jalapeños)
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
For the coriander chutney
- 60g/2¼oz fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 green chilli, roughly chopped and deseeded for less heat
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 2.5cm/1in piece fresh root ginger, finely chopped
- ½–1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- small handful fresh mint, chopped (optional)
- handful unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped (optional)
For the tamarind chutney
- 100g/3½oz tamarind block or pulp
- 250ml/9fl oz hot water
- 125–150g/4½–5½oz jaggery or soft brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground roasted cumin
- ½ tsp mild chilli powder, such as Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ tsp ground ginger, or 1cm/½in piece fresh root ginger, grated
- salt, to taste
- ½ tsp black salt, for the tamarind chutney
- ½ tsp ground ginger, or 1cm piece of fresh root ginger, grated
Method
To make the homemade paneer, pour the milk into a saucepan and heat gently over a medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent it sticking to the bottom.
Heat the milk to just below boiling point, about 90C, until steam rises and small bubbles form around the edges.
Remove from the heat and slowly stir in 2–3 tablespoons of lemon juice or white wine vinegar for every litre of milk.
Stir gently once or twice until the milk separates into curds and pale green whey. If it doesn't separate completely, add a little more lemon juice or vinegar, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Leave undisturbed for 10 minutes to allow the curds to form.
Line a sieve with muslin and pour in the curds and whey. Rinse the curds briefly under cold running water to remove any lemon or vinegar flavour.
Gather the muslin around the curds and squeeze out the excess liquid.
Put the wrapped paneer on a plate and weigh it down with a heavy pan or tofu press. Leave for 30–60 minutes, depending on how firm you want the paneer.
Once firm, unwrap the paneer and cut into cubes or slices.
To make the nachodums, heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the paneer and cook gently for 2–3 minutes, until warmed through.
Add the mango chutney, chaat masala and chilli powder, if using. Stir until the paneer is evenly coated in a sticky glaze. Season with salt, if needed, and remove from the heat.
To make the raita, mix the yoghurt, cucumber, lemon juice, salt, roasted ground cumin and milk together in a bowl until combined. The raita should be thin enough to drizzle.
To make the tomato salsa, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
To make the coriander chutney, put the coriander, green chilli, garlic, ginger, cumin, salt, sugar and lemon juice in a small food processor or blender.
Add 1 tablespoon of water and blend until smooth, adding a little more water if needed. The chutney should be thick but easy to spoon.
Add the mint and peanuts, if using, and pulse a few times to combine, leaving a little texture.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, sugar or lemon juice, if needed.
To make the tamarind chutney, if using a block of tamarind, soak it in the measured hot water for 15 minutes. Mash gently with a spoon, then strain through a fine sieve to remove the fibres and seeds, reserving the liquid and pulp. If using prepared tamarind pulp, measure out the required quantity.
Put the prepared tamarind and reserved liquid in a small saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the jaggery or soft brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add the roasted ground cumin, chilli powder, both salts and ginger. Stir well to combine.
Simmer gently for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. The chutney should coat the back of a spoon but still be pourable.
Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed. The chutney should be slightly sweeter than it is sour. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
To assemble, arrange the mini poppadums in a single layer on a large serving platter. Spoon a little warm mango-glazed paneer into each one. Add some tomato salsa and drizzle over the raita.
Drizzle over the coriander and tamarind chutneys, then scatter with the pomegranate seeds, fresh coriander and chaat masala.
Serve immediately while the poppadums are still crisp.
