Paneer and Pomegranate Parcels
These Paneer and Pomegranate Parcels are filled with spicy paneer and bursts of sweet pomegranate. Encased in filo and served with chutneys.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 250g pack filo pastry (Cut into thirds, and then halved)
- 250 g paneer grated
- 1 small white potato steamed/boiled and grated
- 1 small green pepper finely chopped
- 1 small red pepper finely chopped
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 green chilli minced
- 1 tsp dried kasuri methi
- 2 tbsp tomato paste/puree
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or paprika
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp oil of choice
- 1+1/2 tsp salt
- 5 tbsp fresh pomegranate plus extra for garnishing
- 4 tbsp butter
- 3 tsp chaat masala
Coriander and Mint Chutney
- 60 g fresh coriander
- 25 g fresh mint
- 1 inch piece of ginger
- 1/2 lemon squeezed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 25 ml water
- 3 ice cubes
- 5-6 tbsp ground nuts/ground daal this will thicken the chutney. Ground urad/chana daal/peanuts/cashews will all work for example
Tamarind and date chutney
- 100 g tamarind I use wet seedless tamarind which is a lot easier
- 100 g dates seeds removed
- 2 tbsp jaggery or sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Cumin Yogurt
- 6 tbsp natural yogurt
- 1 tsp roasted ground cumin
- Pinch caster sugar
- Pinch salt
To serve as chaat
- sev these are small pieces of crunchy 'noodles' made from chickpea flour, for garnishing
- pomegranates for garnishing
Instructions
Method:
For the Paneer and Pomegranate filling:
- In a pan, sauté your onions, garlic, and green chilli for around 1 minute over a medium heat
- Then add in the peppers and sauté for a further minute
- Next add in the tomato paste, chilli powder, garam masala, kasuri methi, and salt
- Continue to cook until the peppers have softened, around another minute. Then add the grated paneer and mix to combine
- Pass the steamed or boiled potato through a potato ricer or a grater and add this in. This helps to prevent lumps. Mix until completely combined
- Finally add in the pomegranates and mix in until they appear to be evenly distributed
To fold the parcels:
- First preheat your oven to 180'C fan/200'C conventional
- Begin by infusing your butter with the chaat masala. Simply melt the butter on a low heat along with the chaat masala and allow it to infuse and become fragrant. This will only require several minutes
- Cut the filo pastry into thirds, and then halve them. Leave the sheets covered in a lightly damp towel to prevent drying out whilst you're not using them
- Take a sheet of filo and brush with the chaat masala butter. Then take a second sheet and place this slightly rotated to form a star like shape. Brush once more with chaat masala butter. Take a third sheet and repeat at another angle one again. You should end up with 3 layered filo sheets all at different angles
- Place a heaped tbsp of the filling into the centre of the sheets and then hold the parcel in the palm of your hand whilst scrunch up the pastry to seal. Pinch the top slightly to ensure it is completely sealed
- Place the parcels on a baking tray and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden all over
Coriander and mint chutney
- Place all ingredients in a blender including the ice cubes, and blitz till smooth. Then place in the fridge for 1 hour
Tamarind and date chutney
- Place the tamarind and dates into a pot of boiling water. I'd recommend around 1L of water. Simmer on medium heat with the pan partially covered until the tamarind and dates have softened
- You may need to check this periodically to ensure there is enough water
- Once softened, pass through a sieve to remove any flesh or skin
- Season to taste, if more sweetness is desired grate in the jaggery or add the sugar
- The chutney can be thinned out by adding more water, or thickened by simmering further
Cumin yogurt
- Simply mix all ingredients together
To assemble these parcels as chaat
- (Do this right before serving)
- Drizzle the parcels with the cumin yogurt, followed by the coriander and mint chutney, and then the tamarind and date chutney
- Top with crunchy sev and more pomegranates