Savory Curry and Paneer Rolls

Curry and bread: two of my favorite foods! In this quick and easy recipe, curry and bread combine (along with cheese) to create a delicious stuffed roll that can be a mid-afternoon snack, a compliment to a hearty soup, or a meal all on its own.

Traditional curry breads are stuffed and fried, but in this savory roll recipe, the filling is made of a basic curry sauce and the breads are baked. These curry and paneer rolls can be made quickly and easily at home- no need for curry leftovers or a fryer.

New to curry making? Not to worry- this recipe is forgiving of seasoning mistakes and is an excellent way to experiment with new curry sauces and flavors. My favorites are cumin, tumeric, and garam masala, but the varieties and combinations of Indian spices are endless!

There are two primary parts of Savory Curry and Paneer Rolls- the dough and the filling- and the recipe only requires one deep pan, one large bowl, and a 9×13 baking dish.

Print

Table of Contents

Savory Curry and Paneer Rolls

Course Snack

Cuisine Egyptian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 3

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 ½ teaspoons yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar if desired

Filling:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 block paneer

Instructions

1. Start with the filling. Chop onions and garlic.
2. Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a deep pan. Add onions and garlic. Sautee on a medium heat until the onions are soft, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
3. While the onions are sauteeing, start the dough. Mix 1 cup warm water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons yeast in a large bowl. Wait for the yeast to react (bubble).
4. Add 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ⅓ cup olive oil, and 1 teaspoon curry powder to the water, sugar, and yeast mix. Mix.
5. Add 3 cups of flour to the dough mix. Stir until the dough holds together and is not sticky on the outside.
6. Return to the onions and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of curry powder. Stir constantly for 2 minutes.
7. Add 1 cup of coconut milk, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon cumin. Stir.
8. Let the filling mixture simmer and stir occasionally until it is thick. Add salt, pepper, and curry to taste if desired.
9. Remove the filling from heat (or let simmer on low heat if it is still not thick enough).
10. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 4-5 minutes, or until the dough sticks together in one ball, adding more flour as needed.
11. Lightly flour a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into a 9x13 rectangle.
12. Cut the paneer into small cubes. Add the paneer to the filling and stir.
13. Layer the paneer filling mixture onto the dough. Cover the middle section of the dough with about a ¼ inch of filling.
14. Carefully roll the dough. Pinch the ends to avoid overflowing.
15. Using a serrated blade, slice the dough and place each slice in a greased 9x13 pan.
16. Cover with a thin cloth and let rise for 1 hour.
17. If desired, shred one cup of sharp cheddar and sprinkled it on top of the rolls.
18. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until the tops of the rolls are browned.

STEP 1: START THE FILLING

Dice the onion and garlic into small pieces. Pour two tablespoons of oil into a deep pan and add the onion and garlic. Saute the onion and garlic over medium heat.

STEP 2: START THE DOUGH

While the onions and garlic saute, pour the warm water into a large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons yeast. Let sit until the yeast has started to react with the warm water.

STEP 3: CONTINUE THE DOUGH

Add ⅓ cups oil, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon curry powder. Mix. Add three cups flour gradually, continuing to mix until a dough has formed. Place dough on a lightly floured surface.

STEP 4: SEASON THE FILLING

When the onions are soft, add 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon curry powder to the onions and garlic. Stir constantly for 2 minutes to remove the flour flavor from the onions.

STEP 5: FINISH THE FILLING

Pour 1 cup coconut milk into the filling mixture and stir. Keep on medium heat until it begins to simmer and thicken, then continue simmering on low heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt and one teaspoon cumin. Taste the filling; add more salt or curry powder if you want.

STEP 6: DICE PANEER AND ADD TO FILLING

Dice the paneer into small cubes. Add the paneer cubes to the filling mixture and stir. Remove the filling from heat.

STEP 7: ROLL OUT DOUGH

Lightly flour a rolling pin. Roll the dough out into an approximately 9×13 sized rectangle. The dough should be about a ¼ inch thick.

STEP 8: FILL DOUGH

Layer the filling onto the dough. The filling should be about ¼  inch thick and should cover the center section of the dough rectangle.

STEP 9: ROLL AND SLICE DOUGH

Starting at one of the widest ends, roll the dough into a cylinder with the filling all inside. Using a serrated blade, carefully slice the dough into 1-2 inch segments. Do not let the filling squish out!

STEP 10: RAISE DOUGH

Place the pieces in a greased 9×13 baking dish. Give the rolls a little space to grow. Cover the dish and let the rolls raise for one hour.

STEP 11: BAKE

Preheat the oven to 425°. Add shredded cheddar cheese to the tops of the buns if desired. Bake for 30 minutes or until the tops of the rolls are browned.

STEP 12: ENJOY!

Remove the rolls from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Enjoy!

If you’re looking for an added challenge, try making your own paneer! Mine was store-bought, but in terms of cheese-making, paneer is a relatively quick cheese to make at home.

Additionally, play around with flavor profiles! I used a very basic curry sauce as my filling, and while the texture and consistency was perfect, next time I might try a green curry sauce to switch it up, or perhaps a modified version of the curry sauce in this Thai Red Curry recipe.