Bethica's Kitchen Flavours: Chanar Paturi (Paneer / Cottage Cheese cooked, wrapped in Spinach Leaf)

Paturi is a traditional Bengali style of steam cooking in a banana leaf. Generally fish is cooked in a paturi style, but let me share a vegetarian version of paturi made with paneer and cooked, wrapped in spinach leaf instead. It is an extremely easy, simple and an unique recipe that is so yummy and goes well with hot steamed rice.

This is a perfect weekend lunch with your loved ones. A drizzle of some extra mustard oil to the end product enhances the flavour of the dish. So do give it a try by following a step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this divine delicacy in a new avatar.

In fact Paturi is an old recipe which is not much heard of. But such dishes are still prepared in few Bengali homes.

Besides steaming, it can also be pan fried. This is how our grandmothers use to traditionally make paturi. Sometimes it is also cooked, wrapped in pumpkin leaves that is simply out of this world.

200 gms. paneer, mashed
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
2 tbsp. mustard seeds
2 green chilies
10-12 cashew nuts / 2-3 tbsp. poppy seeds
2 tbsp. yoghurt, well beaten
salt to taste
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
2-3 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
3 tbsp. mustard oil
few extra fresh green / red chilies
few large spinach leaves, washed & pat dried

Grind the cashew nuts, mustard seeds, green chilies and coconut to a smooth paste. Mix along with yoghurt, salt, turmeric powder, 2 tbsp. mustard oil, coriander leaves and paneer.

Take a spinach leaf and place a small portion of the paneer mix in the centre along with a chili and fold it. Do the same with rest of the paneer mix.

Arrange the parcels on a greased tray and steam for 5-10 minutes. Serve with hot steamed rice for a great weekend lunch.

Grind cashew nuts, mustard seeds, green chilies & coconut to a paste.
Mix with yoghurt, salt, turmeric powder, 2 tbsp. mustard oil, coriander
leaves and paneer.