I love Chinese food. Period. Soon after S and I were married, we started exploring various cuisines and restaurants in and around – that’s when we both realized our love for Chinese food. More than the noodles/rice itself, we love the starters – especially if it has babycorn in it 😀 During one such visit to a mall, I tasted Thai fried rice for the first time and it was love at first bite! I loved the subtle flavours and the crunchy vegetables. Whenever we visited that mall, that restaurant and their Thai fried rice became my go-to. I have tried to prepare different types of Chinese fried rice and noodles at home – of course without the ajinomoto/MSG and soon found that the taste is not quite similar. The MSG really gives a different taste that makes us want the food more. Over the couple of years, we are keeping our eating out to a bare minimum and so started to love the Chinese prepared at home. Inspite of the success, I didn’t venture into trying anything Thai style until recently. I did not have all the herbs required but nevertheless, it turned out to be quite tasty. I made Paneer Satay as S doesn’t prefer tofu but that would taste good as well. The Satay was quite tasty, even if I say so myself. I loved the flavours – you would be hit by sweetness at first followed by saltiness, spiciness and finally a tinge of tanginess. This forms a perfect starter/appetizer and can be served as a side dish for fried rice too. I used a tablespoon of oil to prepare this in the OTG – making it guilt free.
To make Thai Style Paneer Satay Serves – 2 Time to prepare – 20mins (to marinate) + 20mins (to cook) What I used –
Paneer, 200 gms Capsicum, 1 small Finely Chopped Ginger, 1 tsp Finely Chopped Garlic, 2 tsp Finely Chopped Onion, 1 tbsp Finely Chopped Fresh Red Chillies, 1.5 tsp Brown Sugar, 1.5 tbsp Soya Sauce, 1.5 tbsp Lemon Juice, 1.5 tbsp Oil, 1 tbsp Salt, ½ teaspoon (adjust accordingly) Turmeric Powder, 1 tsp Paprika Powder, 1 tsp Coriander Powder, 1 tsp Sesame Seeds, 1 tbsp
How I made –
Points to Note:
Brown Sugar gives this dish a nice deep brown color and adds to the taste too. If it’s not available, white sugar can be used but I insist on using brown sugar. I used normal soya sauce, dark soy can be used too. I did not have lemon grass but adding that would enhance the flavour. Along with the capsicum, diced onion can be used too. If you have bamboo skewers, place a piece of capsicum followed by paneer slice and onion – looks good when served. The marinade can be a bit runny on grinding it, while baking, keep adding the marinade on top and the paneer pieces would absorb. Or else, the extra marinade can be used as dipping sauce – tastes awesome as it is. The fresh red chillies are essential to the taste too and can be quite spicy. Adjust as per preference.
