Crispy Thread Paneer

5 from 1 vote

A crisp deep fried appetizer, Crispy Thread Paneer is a delicious restaurant style recipe.

Batons of paneer covered in a flavorful marinade and fried to golden brown, Served with a spicy sauce, this is addictive and super delicious!

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Indo-Chinese

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 503kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

6 oz Paneer (160 grams)
1 cup Kataifi (room temperature)
½ cup Corn Starch
1 tablespoon Rice flour
1 teaspoon Garlic (minced)
3 tablespoon Schezwan Sauce
2 tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
1 teaspoon Vinegar
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Pepper Powder
½ cup Oil (to fry)
3 tablespoon Water
2-3 stalks Scallions (to top)

Instructions

Cut the paneer into batons. I like to make them 3-4 inches long and about 1 cm thick. I can make 12-15 batons with the paneer.
6 oz Paneer
In a bowl add the corn starch and rice flour.
½ cup Corn Starch, 1 tablespoon Rice flour
Add in the sauces, minced garlic and seasoning.
1 teaspoon Garlic, 3 tablespoon Schezwan Sauce, 2 tablespoon Tomato Ketchup, 1 teaspoon Vinegar, 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce, 1 teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Pepper Powder
Use water and mix everything to a thick slurry.
3 tablespoon Water
Add in the paneer batons and coat well in the slurry.
Thaw the shredded phyllo dough. Separate a small section of it and place it on the board.
1 cup Kataifi
Place a baton of coated paneer on it.
Roll tight till you reach the end of the kataifi and set aside.
Repeat with the remaining batons and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Once it is hot, test with a small bit of kataifi. If it floats up immediately, add in the thread covered paneer batons.
½ cup Oil
Fry on medium high flame, turning it once mid-way.
Once it is golden brown, remove and set aside. Serve topped with scallion greens; with some schezwan sauce on the side.
2-3 stalks Scallions

Video

Notes

These are best to serve straight after making. They can be kept for 30 minutes or more without getting soggy. However, they become cold and not very appetizing.

To make these ahead of time, simply flash fry them in hot oil before serving. Or place in a heated air fryer at 400 F for 5-7 minutes before serving.

This crispy thread paneer is best served with spicy schezwan or chili sauce. Or enjoy it with sweet chili sauce.

Once the thread paneer is put into hot oil, it tends to get all over the pan. Do not disturb it for 30 seconds and then put them all together using a slotted spoon.

Make sure the paneer is at room temperature when you start the recipe. Frozen paneer tends to splatter in the hot oil and does not fry well.

Also, the kataifi has to be at room temperature. To defrost well, I like to pop them in the refrigerator overnight. While it can be left on the counter for sometime, it does tend to become soggy and unmanageable. So I like to use the refrigerator.

The marinade is full of schezwan sauce and chili sauce. However, it is great with other sauces like vegetable stir fry sauce, gochujang and so on.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition