Paneer Couscous Salad

Last two weeks were so hectic for me that I didn't find time to even open my blog page. Lots of friends coming home, cooking, eating junk, visiting places, our famous festival "Vishu" came up  & finally I ended up getting sick. I am still in bed but was so frustrated doing nothing that I thought let me post one of my healthy salad recipes which I had promised earlier. I saw this salad recipe in one of the BBC cookery shows & was quiet eager to make it. The original recipe suggests the use of Halloumi instead of Paneer. Halloumi is a type of Greek cheese made of mostly Goat's milk. It has the same texture of that as Paneer, hence I used Paneer. Must say, It was quite filling and delicious, perfect for a Summer afternoon.
Ingredients:

• 200 gm couscous
• 200 ml hot vegetable stock / hot chicken stock
• 400 g can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 courgette/zucchini (sliced)
• 200 gm paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese), cut 1 inch length wise
• 2 medium sized ripe tomatoes (roughly chopped )

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves or mint leaves
• 1-2 tsp sugar

Method:

1. Put the couscous in a bowl & pour the hot stock over it & stir with a fork. Cover the bowl & leave it for 4-5 minutes or until it absorbs all the stock.
2. Meanwhile, put all the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl & mix well.
3. Fluff up the couscous with the fork & put the chickpeas over it. Pour half of the dressing over chickpeas & couscous. Mix well with the fork.
4. Take your serving plate & tip the couscous on to it.
5. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan & fry the sliced courgette for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Remove & keep aside. Cook the chopped tomatoes in the same pan for 2 minutes. Remove & keep aside.
6. Into the same pan, fry the paneer strips for 2-3 minutes on each side or until it becomes crispy brown on both sides. Switch off the heat.
7. Top the couscous along with the courgettes & tomatoes.
8. Place the fried paneer on top of the tomatoes & drizzle with the remaining dressing. Garnish with    coriander or mint leaves.