The Best-Suited Cheese For Indian Food
Let’s face it, we Indians have a slight problem with our appetites. We’re hooked on our regional fares, so much so that we don’t really eat much else, at least not at home. We all have our own ways of dealing with the monotony that follows as a result. You’d be lying if you said that you’ve never tried adding a foreign ingredient to a regional staple, be it peri-peri seasoning or blocks of Amul cheese. Cheese is one of the most widespread and recent additions to contemporary Indian cuisine. It suits our palates so well, it’s hard to believe that we’ve never come up with our own version of the stuff (other than paneer, of course). Today, vendors sell a variety of Indian foods lined with cheese, from household dishes like the dosa to street food staples like Delhi chaat. While some might scream sacrilege, cheese makes for a great addition to Indian food. Read on to find out how you can pair cheese with your favorite Indian dishes.
Ricotta
What is ricotta, you ask? Well, to put it simply, ricotta is paneer that hasn’t been pressed and is made using vinegar as a coagulant instead of lemon juice. Given that it’s almost identical to paneer, this is probably the easiest cheese to pair with Indian food, and also a great starting point for those who aren’t used to more processed cheeses. The cheese is also incredibly accessible, as you can make it right at home, as you do with paneer. The primary difference lies in texture and mouthfeel. The malic quality of vinegar gives ricotta a distinctly different taste, and the globules of coagulated protein that make up the cheese give it a completely different mouthfeel. In contrast to paneer, ricotta is rich and creamy, whereas paneer is oftentimes chewier and leaner. A few dollops of ricotta make a great addition to gravy-based dishes such as palak paneer or murgh tikka masala; the cheese enhances the richness and texture of the dish without affecting flavor.
Processed Cheese
We bet most of you reading this article have…
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