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Cajun spiced cottage cheese with mint mayo

I like food that is well-spiced but not spicy. Whether I’m having Thai green curry or salad leaves drenched in chilli and lime dressing – I like the heat to be evenly distributed. It should hit me all together or not at all.

Recently, after having some warm bread sparingly sprinkled with Cajun spice, I was so impressed by this sharp spice, I decided to find the recipe.

Working with Cajun spice is a tricky job. If you use too much of it, the dish turns out salty and if you use too little, it turns out all bland. I tried various pairings (Cajun and potatoes, Cajun and tofu) before I hit it with Cajun and cottage cheese.

Since I completely trust Greek yogurt with fiery marinades, I indulged in the colour and flavour of this spice. The creamy-textured yogurt immediately cut down the overuse of my masala and worked overtime to calm down my panting taste buds.

To intensify the coolness, I served the Cajun spiced cottage cheese with a minty mayonnaise dip. Have a look

Ingredients for Cajun spiced cottage cheese

3 tablespoon Cajun spice

4 tablespoon hung curd

1 cup cottage cheese (cut into ½ inch sticks)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoon mint puree

Salt and pepper to taste

Method: In a bowl whisk together the hung curd and Cajun spice. You can thin the mixture by adding a few drops of olive oil. Season it with salt and pepper (if need be) and marinade the cottage cheese in it for two to three hours.

Meanwhile, mix the mint puree with mayonnaise and season it with salt and pepper.

Once the cottage cheese looks well-marinated, grill it for four to five minutes with some olive oil and serve it with the minty mayonnaise.

Ingredients for homemade Cajun spice:

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 tablespoon black pepper powder

1 tablespoon green pepper powder

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon sweet basil

1 tablespoon oregano

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2-3 tablespoon chilli powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Sugar as per taste (1 big spoon is good)

Method: Blend all the spices together in a food processor and store it in an air-tight container.