Relishing the Spoilt Milk – Change of taste over time.

Last Saturday my wife made Hariyali Paneer Kabaabs with a mouth watering dip that added taste to the Kabaab.

I am just wondering how over the times, I have changed to relish something I never liked in my life.

The syllable Paneer rhymes with Panneer. Paneer (Hindi) is Cottage cheese, and Panneer (In Tamil it means Rose water) In my young age, when I was first introduced to North Indian cuisine, I used to think Paneer dishes were just gravies with rose water essence. Even there were times that I was thinking Paneer (cottage cheese) is not a vegetarian food. I was under impression that it is Cow’s Fat!

Few years after that, my cousin introduced me to this diosh and first bite, I just decided that that was not my cup of tea. Bland and spongy were the chunks of cheese in a Onion gravy. In the due course I came to know that paneer is made by making the milk is split.

In 2004 I was working in West Bengal. Most of the Indians accept that WB is the Land known for its Rasagolla’s and other milk sweets. Milk sweets? I would then say “spoilt milk” sweets. My colleagues, most of them Bengalis and Assamese would relish on these sweets and I would say, come to Chennai and I will show how milk sweets would taste.

When I was working in WB, I got married and took my wife there. On a fine day we did make a good Akkara Vadisal (Milk Kheer made of Milk, Rice and Jaggery)

When my colleagues ate the Kheer, they were speechless and I was boasting that the taste of South is the best.

Life churned surprises when I changed jobs and relocated to Bangalore. My in laws were Paneer adoring clan. Anything with Paneer would be appreciated. I once wondered if my MIL would take a piece of fresh paneer with coffee.

I used to maintain that I don’t like spoilt milk and would like to be a south Indian always. There were incidents when we went out as a family, I would have ordered a normal subzi and others subzi with paneer. As was the practice – share and eat, every one would dig into my subzi and I would be left with literally a piece of subzi and couple of rotis.

Such incidents shook did put me in a fix and one of these days my wife spoke to me and told, “Why don’t you try and appreciate the taste of Paneer. I am sure you would appreciate it” This made me to try out some of the Paneer recipes.

Well some of you are aware that my wife is an amazing cook and she made a few Paneer dishes to me at home. Slowly I started to develop a taste for Paneer.

When she made Paneer Kebaabs with a mouth-watering dip, all for me alone…. I was on the ninth heaven and did enjoy a lot.

This taught me “Perception of a matter is always influenced by certain pre-conceived notions and when we try and break those notions and think out of the box, we can see the positives in the matter, rather than grinding our teeth over the negatives”

Dear MYF,

Reading thru your write up I was thinking I have a friend here who does not relish Paneer like me, but in the end...........

Dear MYF,

Reading thru your write up I was thinking I have a friend here who does not relish Paneer like me, but in the end...........

I was also thinking that paneer means rose water gravy butslowly when I start to cook i came to know. But till today me n family cannot relish paneer but bengali sweets..........yumm.....

That was a beautiful writeup Hon.

love
priya.

Thats a good one1After our marriage my husband and lived isn many states of India the longest period at Delhi,my two daughters grew up there.They love paneer(we r south indians)They love paneer items,fortunately so do our grandchildren.I have deloped a taste for some pneer items.But not my husband.
Well one man's food is another man's ....not so enviable food atleast.
Anice write up.
mithila kannan

Nice write-up. I started off having no feelings for paneer either :) it used to be tasteless according to me. Just chunky and chewy with zero taste. but over the course of the years I have begun to relish all paneer dishes :) Although I still haven't developed the taste for tofu (soy version of paneer).

Nice Write up!!
Made me to remeber all my favorite sweets .. rasagolla, rasmalai, cham cham etc...
But I don't eat panneer because of too much fat in it.

dear myfair lady,
nice one...even i like paneer...my fav is the paneer tikka....i too have wondered how i relish bengali sweets like rosgollas,chumchum,etc...which are made by curdling and separating the milk....actually,traditionally,one is supposed to refrain from anything made from milk once it has spoilt...
rgds,
sowpar

Hi,
A very nicely written one.....I could visualise your piece of Sabji with few Rotis......happened to me with Non-Veg Frds parties...
I am from East and everybody adores the Spoilt Milk Sweets there........but never did I, when I was a kid.......
But as I grew up, slowly developed a taste/liking for these.......and now I myself is an ardent fan of all those dishes.......You made me hungry by mentioning Hariyali Paneer kabab........and I'm going to make this dish today only..........
Regards.

hi,

i too love panneer and all related stuff....adore bengali sweets...and sometimes wonder how it can all come about by spoiling milk...anyway shows that man will go to any extent to satisfy his taste buds....