Apr 11, 2023
By: Srishti Magan
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TasteAtlas, an online guide for food, released a list of the world’s 50 best cheese dishes. Six paneer dishes—all from India—made it to the list, with two of them reaching the top five. Here are the dishes:
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As per TasteAtlas, Shahi paneer is a dish prepared in a rich, spicy tomato-cream sauce, originating from India’s Mughal cuisine. The platform lists Bharawan Da Dhaba in Amritsar, India as the best place to try the dish, followed by Karim’s and Kake Da Hotel in Delhi.
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Paneer tikka consists of marinated paneer cubes and vegetables cooked in a tandoor — a traditional Indian oven, giving it a charred texture and smoky flavour. Usually consumed with mint chutney, TasteAtlas lists Khan Chacha in Delhi as the best place to sample this scrumptious dish.
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Swiss dish Raclette and Greek appetizer Saganaki topped the list at first and second place, respectively. Shahi paneer and paneer tikka also beat Argentinian appetizer provoleta (fifth), and Italy’s Focaccia di Recco col formaggio aka cheese-filled focaccia (sixth).
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A staple in many North Indian households, mattar paneer is a spiced tomato curry-based paneer and peas dish. It’s usually served with roti, the traditional Indian flatbread. TasteAtlas recommends Kesar Da Dhaba in Amritsar to try this dish.
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To make palak paneer, cubes of paneer are added to a curry made of pureed spinach. A popular vegetarian winter dish, palak paneer is starkly different from most paneer curries — in both colour (a rich green rather than the typical red or orange) and taste (spinach overpowers the tomato).
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Much like palak paneer, saag paneer is also a green-coloured winter dish in India. However, while palak paneer uses pureed spinach in its curry, saag paneer uses different green vegetables which may or may not include spinach.
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Kadai paneer derives its name from the traditional wok, called kadai, used to cook the dish. Kadai paneer can be wet (with gravy) or semi-dry. Herein, paneer is cooked with other vegetables, typically bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and freshly ground spices.
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Paneer makhani, a richer, creamier version of shahi paneer with more butter or cream in the gravy, also made it to the list — but not in the top 50. It ranked at the 57th position.
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