Friday, August 7, 2015

Stuffed Tomato

Paneer stuffed tomatoes
This is an easy recipe for when tomatoes are in abundance in your garden. A large platter of paneer(Indian cottage cheese) stuffed tomatoes can add flavor and color to any meal. These zesty and spicy babies can be paired with any grilled fish or meat dish, or serve them as starters. I have filled these with paneer flavored with some very basic spices. You can cook these in the oven or in a non stick pan, either way they cook fast.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
4 firm large tomatoes
1 small red onion
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
350 gm paneer
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder(or as per your spice quotient)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tbsp oil
Fresh Coriander to garnish
  1. Cut each tomato neatly into half. Using a spoon, scoop out all the pulp. 
  2. Puree this pulp and keep aside. 
  3. Salt the insides of the tomatoes lightly and keep them upside down on a cutting board while you prepare the filling. 
  4. Chop the onion fine and crumble or grate the paneer. 
  5. In a pan heat oil and add cumin seeds. Wait for 10 seconds till they roast, then add onion. Fry them stirring often till they turn pink. Now add the ginger garlic paste and cook till raw smell of garlic disappears. 
  6. Now add the pureed tomato pulp and mix well. Add the crumbled paneer and all the spices. mix well and cook till the mixture leaves oil at the sides. Cool. 
  7. Spoon the paneer mixture inside the tomato cavity. 
  8. You can cook these in one of two ways. Spray the outside of the tomatoes with some oil and grill them on high for 10-15 minutes till they are heated through. OR spray a non stick pan with some oil and place the tomatoes gently. Cook with lid on at high heat for 3-5 minutes till heated through. Keep an eye on these and check frequently to ensure they are not burning since you are using high heat in both cases. I do not recommend cooking then on low heat as the will leave a lot of water and loose flavor. 
  9. Serve garnished with fresh coriander.

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