Indian twist on Nachos! These paneer nachos are loaded with spiced paneer and topped with yogurt sauce, onion-tomato salsa, papdi and chutneys! Makes a great vegetarian appetizer.
Make the paneer marinade first. Start by cutting the paneer into small cubes.To a large bowl, add yogurt, tandoori masala, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala, lime juice and salt. Mix until everything is well combined.
Add the paneer cubes. Stir until all are well coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for minimum of 1 hour.
After an hour, take the paneer out of the refrigerator. Heat a skillet on high heat. Spray with a oil spray. Add paneer cubes to the pan in a single layer.
Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on high medium heat until paneer is nicely browned. Remove pan from heat.
While the paneer is cooking, make the salsa. To a bowl, add chopped tomatoes, onion, jalapeno and cilantro. Stir to combine and set aside.
Make the yogurt sauce by mixing together yogurt, salt, sugar and mint powder in a bowl. Set aside.
Meanwhile also heat the canned refried beans. I usually add little water while heating the beans in a pan.Also grate the cheese. So now all components are ready, it's time to assemble the nachos. Pre-heat oven to 400 F degrees.
Line a baking sheet with tortilla chips. Add refried beans all over the chips.Top with paneer pieces. Make sure paneer is equally distributed throughout. You may slightly crush the paneer cubes, I like them as such.Top with the grated cheese. You may use any cheese of choice, I like pepperjack here. You may also add as much cheese as you like.
Place the pan in a pre-heated 400 F degrees oven for 5 to 6 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Remove pan from oven. Crush the papdi and add it all over the pan.Then add the prepared onion-tomato salsa all over. Drizzle the yogurt sauce, cilantro chutney and sweet tamarind chutney on top.
Serve paneer nachos immediately!
Notes
The nachos taste best when served immediately. You can do all the prep work in advance (see instructions and tips in post above) and then layer and bake the nachos before serving and then drizzle everything on top just before serving.
If you love extra cheese in your nachos, you may use more of it.
When using store bought paneer, soak it in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes and then use in the recipe. Makes the paneer soft.