Rambutan Paneer is made with Indian cottage cheese, rambutans, spices, and cashews. I created this dish as I like paneer a lot but wanted to have a variety in making and eating it.
I started making rambutan paneer while living in Colorado. Up in the Rocky Mountains, getting ready-made Indian cottage cheese was like a dream come true. I had to drive several miles to an Indian store that mostly sold frozen paneer that was imported from India. Disappointed at the taste of frozen cottage cheese, I embarked on almost always making it at home that tasted creamy and fresh. I also liked the rustic look on the paneer that I made which was whiter with crumbly edges. Ever since I make fresh paneer and the recipes that I created around it have been novel.
The idea of using rambutans flashed upon me while I craved to eat tropical fruits like rambutans and mangosteens. Although my local grocery stores sold rambutans seasonally, they were sold by the piece and not by the pound. Each individual rambutan costed as much as a pound of some other fruit that I decided to use those individual rambutans as part of a main meal. The tart and sweet rambutans seemed to complement the paneer, so I made a dish out of it. Raw cashews that are powdered and mixed with milk and spices made for a rich, yet healthy sauce. I do not like using cream to thicken sauces, so this concoction works well with my approach to cooking.
What is paneer?
Paneer refers to the Indian cottage cheese made by curdling whole milk using lemon juice or vinegar.
How to make homemade paneer:
- Boil the milk in a pot on medium heat and stir occasionally. When the milk boils, turn off the heat and add the lemon juice, and stir the milk. Milk will curdle and the light green whey will separate.
2. Strain the milk with the whey in a cheesecloth and rinse in cold water.
3. Tie the cloth and shape it like a rectangle and place a tray below it and a heavy (marble rolling board) flat board on it for 30 minutes. Remove the cheesecloth and cut the paneer into cubes.
How to make Rambutan Paneer:
- Fry the paneer: Fry the paneer cubes in some butter and salt until golden. Drain and keep aside.
- Sauté the onions and tomatoes with spices: In a pan, melt a dollop of butter and add the onions and sauté until brown. Add the tomatoes and sauté for 3 minutes. Mix in the ginger-garlic paste, spices, cashews, and the rambutan.
- Add milk and lime juice: Toss in the paneer and milk. Stir well and turn off the heat. Sprinkle lime juice and garnish with cilantro.
1. You could use store-bought paneer, although the homemade ones taste better.
2. Use vinegar instead of the lemon juice to curdle the milk.
3. Ensure that the weight placed on the cheesecloth is heavy enough, or the paneer will not come together and will be crumbly.
4. Rinse the whey protein with cold water after curdling the milk and then tie the cheesecloth.
How to serve rambutan paneer:
Serve this dish with naan, roti or paratha or any other bread. Serve it with a hot cup of Fennel and Cumin Tea and for dessert, with some homemade Kesar Pista Kulfi!
How to store:
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days in a box or frozen in an airtight box.
Rambutan Paneer
Equipment
- Stovetop
Ingredients
For the paneer:
- ½ gallon whole milk
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cheesecloth
For the Rambutan Paneer:
- 1 onion finely chopped
- ½ pound cherry tomatoes pulverized
- ½ tbsp ginger paste
- ½ tbsp garlic paste
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¾ tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp cashew powder
- 1 lime
- 1 pepper cubed
- 8 fresh rambutans
- 5 sprigs cilantro
- 4 tbsp whole milk
Instructions
How to make paneer:
- Boil the milk in a pot on medium heat and stir occasionally.
- When the milk boils, turn off the heat and add the lemon juice, and stir the milk.
- Milk will curdle and the light green whey will separate.
- Strain the milk with the whey in a cheesecloth and rinse in cold water.
- Tie the cloth and shape it like a rectangle and place a tray below it and a heavy (marble rolling board) flat board on it for 30 minutes.
How to make Rambutan Paneer:
- Remove the cheesecloth and cut the paneer into cubes.
- Fry the paneer cubes in some butter and salt until golden.
- In a pan, melt a dollop of butter and add the onions and sauté until brown.
- Add the tomatoes and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Mix in the ginger-garlic paste, spices, cashews, and the rambutan.
- Toss in the paneer and milk. Stir well and turn off the heat.
- Sprinkle lime juice and garnish with cilantro.
Notes
- Fresh paneer can be stored in a box for a few days.
- Rambutan paneer will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
This paneer dish is tasty! Keep making more varieties. Thanks!
Thanks, Ram! I will make many more varieties.
Loved the rambutans – what a delicious twist!
Hi Kanchan, thank you for showing how to make homemade cottage cheese. Now that I know it’s so easy, I never buy it at the grocery store again!
-Emma
Great recipe!
Thanks!
I love this dish!! It’s so easy to make and it has a distinctive and wonderful flavor. What’s even better is that I hadn’t realized how easy it was to make healthy and home made paneer!! Had it over the the holidays and the family loved it. Thank you and please keep the recipes coming!
I will keep posting new recipes and I am glad you liked the homemade paneer dish. Thanks!