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Chef Natasha Gandhi made a name for herself in the culinary circles of India when she cracked the top 5 of MasterChef India Season 5. Although she couldn’t win the coveted title, she has continued to pursue her passion for cooking, founding the vegan service House of Millets. She also regularly shares her creative and easy-to-make recipes with her whopping 1.1 million followers on her Instagram account, @natashaagandhi.
Recently, Gandhi has been showcasing the rich and vibrant flavours of Amritsar on her Instagram page in small, bite-sized episodes. In episode 6 of her Amritsari special series, which was posted yesterday, she attempts to recreate an authentic Dhaba Paneer dish, inspired by the Amritsari culinary stalwarts, Kesar Da Dhaba and Bharawan Da Dhaba. She begins the cooking process by pouring some oil into a pan and adding chilli powder and turmeric powder to the concoction.
Next, Gandhi takes the paneer cubes, dunks them into the pan, and mixes them thoroughly with the spices. After the paneer has been cooked satisfactorily, she is seen removing the cubes and, in a separate pan, introducing oil, chillies, chopped onions, butter, spices, and salt to create a smoky paste. Once blended properly, she mixes both the concoctions into a single pan, adds the paneer to the creamy gravy, and garnishes the finished dish with fresh coriander and green chillies.
She is also seen taking a flaky paratha, crushing it, and savouring the freshly cooked paneer with the paratha. Gandhi’s followers seem enamoured by this succulent dish, commenting on how “delicious” and “yummy” it looks and also requesting further recipes along similar lines. No wonder the video has gathered nearly 13,000 likes in less than 24 hours. Try replicating this simple Dhaba Paneer recipe at home and see how well you can capture the spirit of Amritsar!
