Paneer

This vegetarian version of the seekh kebab combines sweet corn, carrots, potato, and paneer with a classic kebab masala, including cardamom, black pepper, and tangy dried mango powder.

Paneer is perfect for this toasted sandwich recipe—the cheese is creamy but doesn’t melt completely, adding a satisfying texture to an easy tomato sauce that’s spiced with jalapeño, ginger, coriander, and cumin and mustard seeds. Searing the paneer leaves some bits a little crunchier than others while adding a smoky flavor to the sauce; Sach is my favorite brand. You can serve the sauce simply with flatbread or over rice or use it as the filling in enchiladas or tacos (topped with sautéed mushro.…

Spiced tomato sauce with bits of creamy paneer fills delicious stuffed peppers here, but it can also be served with flatbread, over quinoa, or in a quesadilla.

Paneer is marinated in a creamy herb and garlic yogurt marinade, then charred.

Packed full of a rainbow of colors, flavors, and textures, from spiced paneer, chickpeas, and tomatoes to roasted beets, sweet potatoes, and a citrusy coconut and cilantro sauce this is a vegetable dish for special occasions.

In essence, this is a sweetened cake made from cheese. I sometimes equate this dessert to the Indian version of Mexican flan because of its caramelized topping.

This dish of seared paneer channels flavors traditionally found in matar paneer—coriander, cumin, chile, and ginger—by incorporating them into a quick-cooking cherry tomato sauce.

Let’s be honest, this salad is a vehicle for eating crispy, melty cheese for dinner. Not just any cheese, but rich and dense grillable cheeses like bread cheese, Halloumi, or paneer. When grilled or seared, these varieties brown and crisp on the outside while becoming soft and meaty inside, without melting into a puddle.

Hindus consider cows and all their milky produce—cream, butter, and cheese—sacred. I can’t argue with that. Traditionally, this dish would be made with a few large slabs of golden butter; here I've swapped out that butter for cubes of paneer. 

Frying the paneer in a little oil before stirring it through the masala not only makes it crispy—it also adds loads of flavor.

Like many dishes from India, this one contains a lot of ingredients and requires a fair amount of precooking work but is easy to assemble. If you can find fresh paneer—the simple cheese that appears in many Indian dishes—by all means use it. But tofu makes a great substitute. Serve over rice or as part of a larger Indian meal.

My friend Gori grew up in India. She led quite a jet-setting life as a stewardess for Air India when she was just out of school. Her parents wanted her to settle down and marry, so they placed ads in the matrimonial classifieds. For three years she went out on chaperoned blind dates. Then she met Suresh. It was love at first sight and their families heartily approved. Suresh had grown up in Greenwood, Mississippi, and he brought his new bride home to the Delta. Gori taught me how to make this dish. When we get together to cook I make her tell me their love story just about every time.

I add sweet red peppers to this classic Indian dish. The brilliant red peppers and ivory-white cheese pieces look stunning against the glazed moss-green sauce.

Creamy fresh cheese meets spinach in this Indian classic.

Paneer is a creamy-firm cheese that stands in for meat in this vegetarian stir-fry featuring blistered green beans fragrant with curry powder and soy sauce.

This classic palak paneer recipe keeps things simple with minimal ingredients but fries the paneer for a crispy texture to pair with the creamy spinach purée.

We swapped hard-to-find parathas for flour tortillas in this riff on paneer kathi rolls. With a tangy yogurt sauce and filling veg, it’s the ideal to-go lunch.

Mild, squishy paneer soaks up all of a marinade’s bold flavors (garam masala, cumin, cayenne, and ajwain here), making it an ideal grillable vegetarian protein. 

Grilled cheese? Yes, please. But not that kind. We’re talking creamy-charred paneer with grilled green beans—a perfect vegetarian side for your next cookout.