Cottage Cheese Roundels in Jamaican Sauce

I was going through my blog last night,i realized that I have not posted a single paneer (cottage Cheese) recipe despite being an avid paneer lover .

Paneer is a dominant culinary symbol for Indian vegetarian recipes because it makes a great meat substitute for vegetarian cuisines. From sweets, to fried snacks, to cream-drunk royal curries, paneer is used in North Indian cuisine extensively. Its mild taste, unique texture, and capability to soak in flavors and withstand high cooking temperatures make it a household favorite. 

For experimenting purpose paneer is just perfect to mix it with various ingredients. Today, I am attempting to mix paneer with Jamaican sauce to enrich its texture. Jamaican sauce is used for marinating meats, fishes and various types of vegetables. For vegetarians like us, we can use this as a barbeque sauce for marinating cottage cheese, tofu, mushrooms and vegetables. This is a spicy sauce which can be refrigerated for several days.

The origins of this sauce are integrated with the British colonial rule. Jamaica was ruled by British Colonists for more than three centuries and they captured the local Arawak Indians and made them their slaves. Then they began importing slaves from Africa. Some of these slaves escaped the British Army and migrated to the Blue Mountains of Jamaica in the early 1700’s. They prepared marinade using peppers, salt, and spices and rubbed it on their food. The initial style of cooking was to wrap their marinated food in leaves and cooking it in clay pots. This style became synonymous with the cuisine of Jamaica and gradually more spices were added to the marinade.

With time, choice of spices used for making this sauce has evolved depending on individual taste preferences. Some of the popular ingredients include garlic, cloves, onion, pepper, nutmeg, salt, brown sugar and soy sauce. All the ingredients are combined and pulsed in a food processor for obtaining a better texture. The sauce is then kept in an air tight container and refrigerated.

I have also done some variation in terms of the ingredients used for the sauce. Here is the recipe and like always this too is a simple but yet unique recipe.

Preparation Time: 45 Minutes

Cooking Time: under 20 minutes

Serves: 4 People

 Ingredients for the Jamaican Sauce:

Garlic: 2-3 big pods, finely chopped

Nutmeg powder: 1 tsp

Onion: 1 finely chopped

Pickled Jalapeno: 4 pieces, finely chopped

Yellow Capsicum: ½ Capsicum

Soy Sauce: 2 Tsp.

Balsamic Vinegar: 2 tsp

Brown Sugar: 1 tsp

Salt: As per taste

Tomato: 1 Finely Chopped

(Tip: be careful about the use of salt as Soy Sauce and Balsamic vinegar contains salt)

Ingredients for Paneer Roundels

Cottage Cheese: 300 gms

Dry Powdered Thyme: 1 tsp

Crushed Pepper: ½ tsp

Salt: As per taste

Oil: 1 Tsp

Method:

1.    Cut the cottage cheese in roundel stake shape using cookie cutter. Sprinkle the roundel with pepper, salt and thyme and let it rest for 10 minutes.

2.    Combine all the ingredients of the sauce and grind it tighter in a mixer to obtain the correct consistency of the sauce. Do not add water to the sauce. The sauce will have some kind of solid uneven texture.

3.    Top the paneer roundels with half portion of the Jamaican sauce and allow it to marinate for 25 minutes. Half portion of the sauce to retained for garnishing.

4.    Heat the grilled plate or a pan and pour the oil. Fry the marinated paneer on both the sides till they turn golden. Cook it over medium flame.

1.    In another pan, pour the remaining sauce and cook it for 5 minutes to dry up the standing water or any moisture.

2.    Now the roundels are ready to be served with the Jamaican sauce. Plate it up by pouring the sauce on top of the roundels and garnish it with coriander leaves.

This recipe is a delicate combination of aromatic spices that gives a commanding punch to our palate. Try this for sure at home and savor the food for life.