Crumbly, crispy paneer patties make for a great teatime snack or an apt party appetiser. The spices nicely complement rich paneer, and enjoy a crispy exterior in this recipe. To prepare paneer patties, take 200 gms of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) in a bowl, then crumble it. Add the crumbled paneer to the mixture of 1 chopped onion, two chopped green chillies, 1 Tsp. Ginger-garlic paste and coriander leaves. Add 1 Tsp garam masala, 1 Tsp cumin powder, 1/2 Tsp red chili powder, and salt to taste. Mix them all nicely. Now, add 2 tablespoons of boiled and mashed potatoes to get the filling mixed. It will help hold the shape of the patties. If the mixture seems too soft, a pinch of bread crumbs or cornflour could be added as binding agents. Shape the mixture into round or oval patties. Take 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and put it on medium heat. Then, shallow fry the paneer patties so they are golden brown and crispy on both sides. This would take approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Serve the paneer patties hot with a dollop of mint chutney or ketchup. These paneer patties are super tasty and protein-rich, so you can quickly devour them at any hour of the day. Here is your quick paneer patties recipe—a flavourful bite to be sure!

• 5 potato
• 125 gms paneer
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 5 tbsp oil
• Salt

• Wash the potatoes well in running water to remove dirt and debris. Place the potatoes in a pressure cooker, either on the stovetop or in an instant pot; add some water and a pinch of salt.
• Boil the potatoes until they are well cooked.
• Using a pressure cooker, wait until the pressure dissipates and then allow the lid to open. To check whether potatoes are ready, just pierce one with a fork or knife.
• If it goes through easily, then the potatoes are done; otherwise, you have to keep them in the oven for a bit longer.
• Once they are done, let the potatoes cool a bit until they are soft enough to handle.
• Next, peel the potatoes and mash them in a bowl with the help of a potato masher or a fork. It should be smooth and free of any lumps, so that the mixture of tikki binds well later.
• While the potatoes are cooling down, crush or grate paneer coarsely in a bowl. Adding paneer makes tikki rich and creamy; it balances starch in potatoes with a soft bite. Add paneer to potatoes once they cool down.
• Next season, use black pepper powder (or fresh peppercorns crushed just before), cornflour, and salt as needed.
• Cornflour works here like a binding agent besides giving crunch to the tikkis. If the mixture feels loose or does not hold the shape, you may add more cornflour as well.
• Mix them very well together. It would be best if you mixed it a little with your hands or spoon to get the lumps out and a uniform colour. It is really necessary to attain this stage so that you can easily shape the patties.
• Taste a little and add more pepper or salt if required.
• Now, let's shape all those tikkis. For one, take a small portion of the mixture and shape it into a ball, then flatten it in the middle into a round patty. Keep on doing the rest of the mixture this way.
• That way, the tikkis cook evenly while frying. Also, smooth-edge tikkis do not break apart when they get fried.
• Nothing compares to the flavour of a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or tava heated over medium-low or medium heat. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil or ghee into the skillet and spread it across the surface using a spoon or spatula.
• This helps prevent the patties from sticking and frying into a crispy golden brown.
• Place the shaped patties into the skillet carefully. Fry on medium-low to medium heat until the bottom turns golden and crispy.
• Flip over with a spatula, and care to fry the second side until equally brown and crispy. It might take a few turns to get the even browning on both sides.
• Fry the patties in batches depending on how large your skillet is. If you must fry subsequent batches of patties, add small amounts of oil.
• To prepare shallow fried patties, you may shallow fry the patties; however, to really crisp up the patties, you could deep-fry your patties. You will use oil rather than ghee for deep frying.
• When the paneer tikkis are golden brown and crispy, remove them from the skillet and place them on absorbent napkins so excess oil can drain from them. To retain the crunch, you may line up the tikkis in a mesh strainer as well.
• The paneer patties are to be served hot and fresh. Tomato ketchup, mint chutney, coriander chutney, and even the tamarind chutney can be served with it for an enhanced flavour.