HAIL THE MIGHTY PANEER !

LOVE IT OR HATE IT, U CANNOT IGNORE PANEER.

Though a poor, country-cousin of the city-bred amul-cheese, paneer is omni-present in the fabric of our everyday pallete. Would we really relish it being a fleeting afterthought, it is thrust into our faces, time after time, ‘n’ number of times.

As such it has played its part in most global cuisines, but its energetic dominance over the Indian-menu cannot be taken lightly! Any food-joint of even a remotely decent standing, without fail, dedicates a string of pages to vague sounding paneer-delights….paneer-kurma….. pepper-paneer….. paneer-pasanda (uh-ok…)…. paneer-dikhush (u don’t say !!)….paneer-shahi (indeed !!)……paneer-kadhai (Zzzzz….)…Oh!! The list is crushingly endless……..
Much to the glee of the indian consumer it comes dressed as a spicy brazilian bride, doped with salsa-sauce at McDonald’s or as paneer-extravaganza at Pizza-Hut !!

At a glance, u could say there are two types of people in our world – those who eat paneer, and then those who don’t!! the paneer-eaters swear by their stock as though ‘roti-, kapda, makaan aur paneer were the aspiration of any ‘normal’ family. In northern India, paneer commands a near God-like veneration……if u are a welcome guest in a Punjabi-houslold, chances are you shall be appeased with a generous offering of hot paneer samosas, and paneer-pakodas, and paneer-patties….and…sigh…!

The non-eater clan wouldn’t be caught dead with paneer in their mouths, come hunger-pangs or sheer fainting-spells, their prejudice can only be described as unwavering!!

Well, let’s be fair! Paneer is the vegetarian’s fowl. Paneer is the implacable, invincible avenging hero of the “grass-eating” gentry! While the “meat-mongers” dig their teeth into succulent pieces of tandoori-chicken and exclaim a dismayed “tch-tch” at meager veggie plates, paneer sashays in and holds a decent front!! Besides, paneer has played a prophetic bit in saving the day for many a hostesses, drowning in the wake of unexpected dinner-guests!

In spite of the European-enlightenment and Americanized-options like macaroni-n-cheese, cheese-topped burgers, cheesecakes, paneer’s first-cousin cheese suffers the label of being “waist-expanding”…..therefore, ladies and gentlemen, an irrefutable component of every delectable banquet – PANEER IS HERE TO STAY !!