Habanero Spiced Paneer and Broccoli Stuffed Pita.

Serves 6

Prep Time: 20 mins
Idle time: 2hrs
Cooking time: 20 mins
Pita bread

Ingredients

Makes 8 rounds

• 1 cup warm water (not hot or boiling)
• 2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Form the Pita Dough: Mix the water and yeast together, and let sit for about five minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and Knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Press with your finger and it should bounce back.
2. Let the dough rest in a clean bowl and coat it with a little olive oil on all sides. Cover with a clean dishcloth or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it’s doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.
3. Once the dough has risen, divide it into 8equal parts and gently roll it to make a flat discs.
4. Bake it on medium-high heat on a iron skillet if you are using a gas top, or at 450 degree for about 2 to 3mins in an oven over a baking tray, until the pitas have ballooned up.

Stuffed paneer steaks

Makes 6 steaks

• Paneer 200gms
• Onion 2 medium, finely chopped
• Ginger Grated 2 tbsps.
• Curry leaves finely chopped 3 tbsps.
• Coriander leaves finely chopped ½ cup
• Gouda cheese grated: 4 cups
• Habanero sauce 3 tbsps.
• Smoked Chipotle Sea Salt to taste
• Light olive oil 2 tbsps.

 Instructions

1. Finely chopped all the ingredients and transfer to a bowl. Make a nice crumble of the paneer and add it to the bowl. Add 1tbsp of habanero sauce and 1 cup of cheese. Set the remaining sauce and cheese aside.
2. Mix all the ingredients and gently knead to a rough dough. Divide the dough to make small flat steaks of the size slightly bigger than a regular cookie.
3. Heat a non-stick grill pan and add the oil. Gently place the paneer steaks and fry it until golden brown on both the sides. Atleast 5 mins on both the sides on low to med heat.
4. Place it over an absorbent paper and let it rest.
5. Meanwhile take a mixing bowl and add the remaining 3 cups of grated cheese and 2 tbsp. of habanero sauce. Put around 2to 3 tbsps. of the mix on top the paneer steak.
6. Transfer it to an baking tray and bake it at around 180 degree in the middle rack untill the cheese has melted.

The other components of Pita

Ingredients

• Broccoli florets sliced in to halves- around 4 to 6 florets in each pocket.
• 2 tbsp of butter
• Smoked Chipotle Sea Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Bell pepper Red and yellow – 1 of each for 8 pita pockets

1. Saute the vegetables for 2 mins on each side. Don’t overcook them, Retain the crunchiness.

Sauce for the Pita

• ½ cup of honey
• 2 tbsp of habanero sauce.
• Mix the honey and the sauce and add the broccoli to it.
• ½ cup of cream cheese sauce or veg mayo.
• Coat the sauteed capsicums with it.

Stuffing the Pita pockets

4. Gently open the puffed pita bread along half of the periphery using a scissor.
5. Assemble all the stuiffing and start filling with Broccoli at the bottom, followed by the Paneer steak and then the bel pepper. You can also add lettuce for added flavour.

Recipe and Pic by Antara Boruah, Choukascribbled.