Paneer Walnut Arugula Salad

This Indian-inspired salad is great as a quick and yummy lunch or as a side to any meal! It features arugula, garam masala spiced paneer, chaat masala spiced walnuts, and a cilantro jalapeño dressing.

The tanginess from the dressing and the creaminess from the paneer work beautifully together to balance out the peppery flavor of the arugula, and the spice blends give the whole salad a great Indian flavor.

You can definitely prepare the walnuts, dressing, and paneer ahead of time. The paneer and dressing will last in the fridge for a few days and the walnuts can stay stored in a cool dry place for a week or two. I love making big batches of this salad and using it as wrap fillings or taco toppings throughout the week!

You can find chaat masala and garam masala at any local Indian store, and my preferred brands are MDH’s Chunky Chaat Masala and Deep’s Garam Masala.

I used Sach Foods paneer (linked here) to make this salad, as it’s truly the best paneer I’ve ever had! It tastes very fresh and creamy, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who doesn’t want to go through the process of making paneer at home.

Paneer Walnut Arugula Salad

This Indian-inspired salad is great as a quick and yummy lunch or as a side to any meal! It features arugula, garam masala spiced paneer, chaat masala spiced walnuts, and a cilantro jalapeño dressing.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Indian Fusion

Servings 1 person

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups arugula
• sea salt flakes to taste

Chaat Masala Walnuts

• ¼ cup walnuts
• 1 tsp oil
• ½ tsp chaat masala (I like MDH's chunky chaat masala)

Garam Masala Paneer

• 1 oz paneer cubed
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• ¼ tsp kashmiri chili powder
• 1 pinch red chili powder (optional)
• salt to taste

Cilantro Yogurt Dressing

• 2 tbsp greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
• 1 tbsp jalapeno diced
• ¼ tsp cumin powder
• ½ lime juice
• salt to taste

Instructions

 

Chaat Masala Walnuts

• Heat up 1 tsp oil in a pan on medium heat.
• Add in the walnuts and mix them around a bit to ensure they're covered in oil. Let them roast for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally until they darken a bit and start emitting a fragrance.
• Add the roasted walnuts to a bowl and sprinkle chaat masala on them while they're hot. Mix the walnuts and the chaat masala until they're fully covered and then set them aside to cool while you assemble the rest of the salad components.

Garam Masala Paneer

• Heat up 1 tsp of oil in a pan on medium heat.
• Add in the kashmiri chili powder, garam masala, and paneer to the pan and sauté the paneer for 2-3 minutes until all of the spices coat the paneer well.
• Add salt to taste to the paneer and set it aside to cool.

Cilantro Jalapeño Dressing

• Finely chop the cilantro and jalapeño.
• Add the cilantro, jalapeño, greek yogurt, cumin powder, water, and lime juice to a bowl and whisk until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Assembling the salad

• Add the arugula to a bowl. Add in the walnuts, paneer, and top with the dressing. Add some sea salt flakes to taste.
• Mix it all together and enjoy!

Notes

• Make the chaat masala walnuts first as you’ll want them to cool to ensure that the chaat masala properly sticks to the walnuts. 
• You can add more veggies and toppings than I’ve included. Use this recipe as a starting off point and feel free to get creative with more additions to the salad!

Keyword Chaat Masala, Garam Masala, Paneer, Quick Recipes, Salad, Vegetarian

Enjoy this recipe and please let me know of any feedback or submit any questions in the comments!

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