Artist Draws Alia Bhatt’s ‘Gangubai’ Portrait On Paneer; 4 Ways We Plan On Using Paneer Today
Image Credit: Instagram @aliaabhatt and @praful_creations

Actress Alia Bhatt is currently riding high on the success of her latest ‘Gangubai Kathiwadi’, in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s directorial, the actress played the role of Gangubai, who was sold to a brothel at young age by her husband, and emerged as one of the influential brothel owners during 1960’s. Bhatt’s movie was well received by both the critics and the audience alike, entering the 100-crore club, within a week of its release. Alia celebrated the success of her film by eating a vegan burger and fries.  

Fans have been paying tribute to the film in their own way, proving that the hype is far from dying down so soon. A video uploaded by artist and Instagram user @praful_creations, is going viral for a unique art piece, involving a big slab of paneer or cottage cheese and some soy sauce.  

In the video, Praful can be seen carving out an image of ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ from one of the stills of the Alia Bhatt-starrer. After he is done with the carving, he carefully pours some soya sauce over the paneer, which helps bring the final image come alive. “My Attempt to make @aliaabhatt as Gangubai on Paneer. This form of art is really challenging but I enjoy making this especially jab ghar par paneer ban ne wala hota hai”, he wrote in the caption, while clarifying that none of the paneer was wasted and was ‘fit for consumption’ later on.  

Paneer or cottage cheese is one of the most beloved ingredients you would find in a typical Indian kitchen. The ever-so-versatile cottage cheese is used to make lip-smacking curries, starters and even desserts. It is one of the few things in your fridge that you can even tuck into raw, and be just as delighted.  

Here are five ways we are planning to use our cube of paneer today.  

1. Paneer Tikka

A party-favourite, here cubes of paneer are marinated in yogurt and spices, and skewered with bell peppers and onions. Grilled to perfection, these easy-peasy paneer tikkas go best with mint chutney.

2. Paneer Cutlet

Another snack that can be the talking point of your party, making cutlets is not as cumbersome as making tikkas. Here you just need to dip paneer in a batter, run it through bread crumbs and deep-fry until crisp. Goes well with any dip or chutney.  

3. Paneer Biryani

Traditionally, Biryani uses marinated meat, but since the dish has become so popular, there are many vegetarian versions of the meaty delight as well, such as this paneer biryani, where marinated paneer is layered with rice and spices, and cooked on dum.

4. Butter Paneer

A crowd-favourite for a reason. Butter paneer is a gravy dish, where succulent pieces of paneer are tossed in a tomato-cream-based gravy. Pro-tip: Pair it with hot roti or naan.