Paneer Pakora

Recipie from manjulaskitchen.com

Makes 14 to 16 pakoras.

Ingredients:

4 oz paneer thinly slice in about 1
2 tablespoons yogurt (curd, dahi)
4 tablespoon corn starch or arrowroot
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 green chili minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped (hara dhania)
For Batter

1/2 cup besan, gram flour (available in Indian grocery stores)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Approx. 1/4 cup water
Method

Marinate the paneer: In a mixing bowl combine the yogurt, corn starch, salt, ginger, green chili, and cilantro. 
Mix well, to the consistency of a soft paste. Add the paneer pieces and gently coat them with the yogurt mixture. Set aside one hour or more.
For batter: mix the besan, cumin seeds, salt and baking soda. Add water slowly to make a thick, pasty batter.
Heat about one inch of oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. 
To test, put one drop of batter in the oil. The batter should form a small ball on the surface of the pan, but not change color.
Dip the marinated paneer slices in the batter one at a time. 
Drop slowly into the frying pan. Fry the pakoras in small batches. 
The pakoras will take about four to five minutes to cook. Turn them occasionally, until both sides are golden brown.
Repeat for the remaining batches.
The crispy, delicious paneer pakoras are ready to serve, with a dip of your choice. 
I like to serve them with Cilantro Hari Chutney or sweet and sour Tamarind Chutney.

Cilantro Hari Chutney

Ingredients:

1 big bunch of chopped Cilantro (green coriander)
3 green chopped chilies
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 inch ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of asafetida (hing)
Method

Blend all ingredients, except the cilantro, into a paste. Add cilantro, a little at a time, and blend until smooth. 
Add water
as needed.
Taste and adjust salt, green chilies, or lemon juice as desired.
Tips:

Using a little oil and sugar keeps the color fresh.
While cleaning cilantro (hara dhania) chop off just the thick stems.
You can make hari chutney in large quantity in
advance and freeze it in ice cube trays. 
Store the frozen cubes in a zip-lock plastic bag. 
When ready to serve, defrost as many cubes of hari chutney as needed.  
If you freeze the hari chutney soon after preparing, the chutney will not lose its bright green color and freshness.
Variations:

Mix mint leaves (without stems) with cilantro half and half.

Serving Suggestions:

To make a delicious dip for vegetables, chips, or crackers, mix one part chutney and three parts yogurt.  
To make a sandwich spread, mix 1 part chutney and 2 parts cream cheese.

Tamarind Chutney
.
Ingredients:

1/2 lb tamarind, seeded
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 tablespoons roasted ground cumin seeds
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black salt
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
Method

Break the tamarind into small pieces and soak in boiling water for one hour.
Mash it into a pulp and strain, pressing the tamarind into the strainer to remove all the pulp. Add sugar to the pulp. Mix
well. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix and taste. Add more sugar, salt or pepper as needed.
Chutney can be refrigerated for two to three months.
Serving suggestion:

Tamarind chutney is delicious with samosas, pakoras, drizzled over dahi vadas, bhel poori, or any kind of chat.
It is also delicious as a dipping sauce for French fries and as a spread over crackers.
 Try drizzling over rice to add a unique flavor to plain rice.
Variations

To use as a dip, thicker chutney is ideal. To use as a topping, add water to make the chutney thinner.
Add water and ice cubes to serve as a cool spicy drink.
Add equal parts yogurt and chutney to make a dipping sauce.