11 must-try South Indian-style Paneer dishes

Paneer, a rich source of protein and calcium is not just celebrated in the North but in the South too. The rich and flavorful South Indian cuisine boasts a wide range of paneer dishes that can be easily made at home. For the unversed, 100 grams of paneer offers around 208-480 mg of calcium and 11-13 grams of protein per 100 grams. So, if you are a vegetarian and looking for South Indian-style Paneer dishes, then take a look at these simple dishes and give them a try.

It is one of the most popular paneer delicacies, which is equally spicy and flavorful. In this curry, paneer cubes are cooked in a rich gravy made with Chettinad spices, coconut, and curry leaves. It is best served with appam or parotta.

It is a mildly spiced South Indian-style paneer curry made with coconut, poppy seeds, and cashews, perfect for pairing with appam, or dosa. It can also be paired with parotta.

It is a variation of the classic masala dosa, stuffed with a spicy paneer filling instead of the usual potato masala. The tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves make the paneer stuffing delicious and tempting.

It refers to the traditional Tamil Nadu-style paneer curry cooked in a tangy tamarind and coconut-based gravy with South Indian spices. It is best served with parotta or steamed rice.

It makes for a healthy breakfast delight, where regular paniyaram batter is topped with crumbled paneer and is cooked in the traditional paniyaram pan, served with coconut chutney.

It is a unique fusion of traditional rasam and paneer, where soft paneer cubes are added to the spicy and tangy South Indian rasam, making it a protein-rich soup.

It is a Kerala-style dish where paneer is cooked with fiber-rich seasonal vegetables, coconut, and yogurt, making it mildly spiced yet delicious.

This is one of the most famous paneer dishes, which refers to a spicy dish made with crushed black pepper, curry leaves, and onions, that are cooked together with pan-fried paneer, giving it a fiery South Indian twist.

It is a Mangalorean-style dish where paneer is roasted in ghee along with a masala made of red chilies, tamarind, and aromatic spices. It is a semi-dry dish that is best served with parotta.

This refers to the classic rava upma that is cooked with a nutritional twist. All you need to do is add crumbled paneer to the regular upma for extra protein and richness.

It is a spicy dry dish made with curry leaves, rice flour, paneer, dry red chillies, spices, ginger, garlic, and lemon juice.

All Images Courtesy: istock