Paneer Salad. A flavor packed, vegetarian indian salad made with pan fried paneer & vegetables tossed in a lemon, honey ginger dressing. It is easy & quick to make and perfect for when you are looking for a light meal or trying to eat healthy(ish).
One of my favorite ways to eat paneer (indian fresh cheese) is by simply pan frying followed by a sprinkle of chaat masala and squeeze of lemon. Secondly, I am a huge huge fan of chopped salads, the texture of bite sized protein and vegetables together is beyond amazing! The starting point of this recipe was combining the two together to make a sort of a chopped salad look-alike using our favorite thing out there- paneer!
To read about paneer, do check out my post on homemade paneer.
This paneer salad is so satisfying to eat as a desk lunch or for a light & crisp summer dinner. To balance the savoriness of paneer and the chickpeas, I add chopped fruit and honey to the dressing. Since it can feel a bit bland without some heat, you do need some kick either from jalapeños or (better yet) fresno pepper (you can de seed them). I personally enjoy the combo of sweet, savory and spicy going on this salad.
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Ingredients
- Paneer - You can use any kind of paneer you can find at grocery store. It is easily available in stores like Whole foods or Sprouts. If you are on a weight loss journey, you can use low fat paneer. Homemade paneer is a great option as well.
- Chopped Vegetables - Colored bell peppers, cucumbers, onions. You can add tomatoes , avocados or shredded carrots as well.
- Fruits - I find adding fruits brings in really wonderful sweetness. Since its summer right and mangoes are the thing of the hour, I added them. You can add chopped apples or grapes as well.
- Chickpeas- Add a wonderful taste and texture. You can use kala chana (skin on black chickpeas) as well.
- Other Ingredients - Cut up chillies, handful of cashews(or almonds), fresh herbs.
- Dressing Ingredints - Oil (I used avocado, you can use olive oil), honey, ginger juice (grate a knob of ginger and squeeze it), lemon, chaat masala, chilli flakes, pink salt.
How to Make Paneer Vegetable Salad
It is very simple to make paneer salad. Read the tips section below to learn how to make it all the more tasty. All you need to do is chop the vegetables, saute paneer (while chopping, multitasking!) and toss with the dressing. Lets see how.
- Cut the paneer into bite size pieces. Add oil to a pan, heat it up and layer the paneer pieces. Let brown on one side and then flip to brown on the other side. Sprinkle salt while paneer browns. Take out in a plate and let hang out.
Add the dressing. Toss very well and serve immediately.
Substitutions
To Make Vegan Friendly
Simply use extra firm tofu and maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing.
To Make Grain Free or Keto Friendly
Skip the Chickpeas.
To Make Nut Free
Skip the roasted cashews.
My Tips
- Make sure that the paneer is dry before you pan fry it. You can pan fry the paneer in ghee instead of oil for extra flavor.
- One of the things to keep in mind is to make sure that everything is cut in more or less same size. It really adds makes a lot of difference in taste and texture of the salad.
- To make sure that the salad isn't watery, toss with dressing just before you are about to serve.
- If you are serving for a party or taking along for potluck, store or take along the dressing separately.
- You can double this dressing recipe and store it in the fridge. It is so good on anything.
- Kid friendly - Skip the chilli flakes chili. Add extra fruit. Trust me they will lap it up.
- You can add avocado slices on top of the salad before serving.
More Paneer Recipes
Paneer Salad
Ingredients
- 200 g paneer cubed
- 1 medium cucumber chopped
- ⅓ cup chickpeas canned or boiled at home
- ½ cup bell pepper chopped, use a mix of peppers
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 1 ripe mango diced
- 1 fresno pepper or jalapeño, chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves chopped
- ¼ cup roasted cashews
For The Dressing
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes adjust to taste
- 2 teaspoon chaat masala see notes for substitue
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ginger juice grate fresh ginger and squeeze
- 1.5 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon pink salt adjust to taste
Instructions
- Set a cast iron pan or any pan you use for everyday cooking on stove and add 1-2 teaspoon of oil.
- Layer the paneer pieces. Let brown on one side and then flip to brown on the other side. Sprinkle salt while paneer browns. Take out in a plate.
- Make the dressing by mixing up the dressing ingredients listed.
- To a large bowl, add the paneer, vegetables, fruits, chickpeas and herbs. Add the cashews if using. Add the dressing and toss very well. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Make sure that the paneer is dry before you pan fry it. You can pan fry the paneer in ghee instead of oil for extra flavor.
- You can use any combination of vegetable or fruit you like. Apples and grapes work deliciously. Use almonds instead of cashews.
- If you dont have chaat masala, use garam masala and add an extra tablespoon of lemon juice.
- One of the things to keep in mind is to make sure that everything is cut in more or less same size.
- To make sure that the salad isn't watery, toss with dressing just before you are about to serve.
- If you are serving for a party or taking along for potluck, store or take along the dressing separately.
- You can double this dressing recipe and store it in the fridge. It is so good on anything.
- Kid friendly - Skip the chilli flakes chili. Add extra fruit. Trust me they will lap it up.
- You can add avocado slices on top of the salad before serving.
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