Paneer Akuri Pockets – A fusion recipe

      

Paneer Akuri Pockets

These pockets are delicious, a bit spicy, crispy on outside & has a very soft interior. Makes a perfect tea time snack/ dinner.

Ingredients:-

For the pockets
All purpose flour – 2 cups
Active dry yeast – 11/2 tsp
Granulated sugar – 1 tsp + 3/4 tbsp
Water – 3 tbsp ( lukewarm)
Egg – 1, medium/ small + egg white of 1 egg for brushing on top( optional)
Canola oil – 2 tbsp + a little more
Salt – 1 tsp
Warm milk – 2/3 cups
Vegetable ghee – as needed ( I used Aseel)
White sesame seeds – as needed for sprinkling on top ( optional)

For the Paneer Akuri masala
Paneer - 350 grams, grated ( I used my food processor)
Onion – 1 large, finely chopped
Garlic cloves – 3 big, chopped
Ginger – a small piece, minced
Curry leaves – 3 to 4 leaves
Greenchilly – 3 numbers, chopped
Pepper powder – 1 tsp
Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 3/4 tsp
Salt – 11/2 tsp / as needed
Tomato – 1 big, chopped
Cilantro – 2 tbsp, chopped

Method:-

Dissolve yeast & 1 tsp of sugar in 3 tbsp of lukewarm water; keep aside for 10-15 minutes/ till frothy.
Add 3/4 tbsp sugar & 1 tsp of salt in the warm milk & mix well.

Beat the egg. Make a batter with the flour, beaten egg, 2 tbsp of oil, yeast mixture & the milk. Apply little oil on hands & knead till you get a very smooth & elastic dough. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl & coat it with oil. Keep covered for 1 hour/ till the dough doubles in volume.

Meanwhile make the paneer akuri masala. Chop the onions, garlic cloves, ginger, greenchilly & curry leaves in your food processor. Heat the oil & add this chopped mixture. Stir fry till it turns golden brown. Add pepper, cumin & turmeric powders; stir for a while. Add the chopped tomatoes & saute till it turns mushy. Now add the garam masala powder, grated paneer & 1/8 cup of water. Cover cook on low heat for 4 minutes/ till the paneer turns soft. Finally stir in the chopped cilantro. Let this masala cool to room temperature.

Paneer Akuri masala

After 1 hour punch down the dough & knead it again.To make the pockets transfer the dough to a floured surface & dust both sides of the dough with the flour. Roll out to a long rectangle – of 14 x 8″ size. Apply vegetable ghee on 2/3 rds of the rolled out rectangle leaving 1/4″ margin all around. Fold ungreased third over middle third, and greased top third down over that.

 

 

Ghee applied on 2/3rds of the rolled out rectangle

 

 

 

 

The first folding

Turn 90 degrees, so that folds are to left and right. Roll out to a rectangle. Apply ghee on 2/3rds of the dough as you have done before; fold in three again.


Again turn the rolled dough by 90 degrees. Repeat the application of ghee on 2/3rds of the dough & the folding process. .( So you have to repeat the same process 3 times).
Roll out the dough into a rectangle & cut it into 4, 10 cm. rectangles. ( / cut into triangles & shape them into croissants.)

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Take a rectangle & palce a little paneer filling on one end & close it with the other end. Press the ends of the dough to seal thoroughly & make a secure paneer pocket. Fold the long sides of the rectangle backwards as shown.



Transfer to a greased baking sheet with the folded edges down ( Yeah, I had baked them the other way round). Beat the egg white well; add 1 tbsp of water & apply this egg wash on top of the pockets. Sprinkle the white sesame seeds. Bake at 200C for 10 minutes & 100C for 20 minutes/ till golden brown in color.