Kadai Paneer
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Kadai paneer, a mouthwatering combination of paneer, capsicum, tomato, onion and traditional Indian spices cooked in ghee, is one of the most popular curry recipes of Indian and Punjabi cuisine. It is a main course curry recipe and generally served with Indian breads like roti, naan, kulcha, paratha, etc. Due to its exotic taste and looks, it generally finds its way into the menu of important functions like marriage. Learn how to make it in minutes with this step by step photo recipe.
| Ingredients: |
| 250 gms Paneer (cottage cheese), cut into 1-inch cubes |
| 2 tablespoons Dry Coriander Seeds |
| 2 Dry Red Kashmiri Chillies |
| 1 Green Cardamom |
| 2 medium Capsicums, chopped into 1-inch pieces |
| 3 medium Tomatoes, finely chopped |
| 2 medium Onions, finely chopped |
| 1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic Paste |
| 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder |
| 2 tablespoons Tomato Puree, optional |
| 2 teaspoons Dry Fenugreek Leaves (kasuri methi) |
| 3 tablespoons Cooking Oil or Ghee (clarified butter) |
| 2 tablespoons Fresh Cream, optional |
| 1/3 cup Water |
| Salt, to taste |
How to make Kadhai Paneer without gravy:
Notes:
Directions:
To make this curry without gravy, skip adding tomato puree (in step-6), water (in step-9) and fresh cream (in step-11).
Notes:
Tomato puree and fresh cream are optional ingredients in this recipe. If they are not available, you can skip them to make this paneer kadai curry.
Directions:
- Dry roast coriander seeds, kashmiri red chilli and green cardamom until nice aroma releases, for around 1-minute over low flame. Turn off flame and grind them in a grinder until smooth powder. Keep aside until required.
- If you are using frozen paneer, then defrost it before cooking. Place cubes in hot water for 7-8 minutes to keep them soft. Drain a them and keep aside until required.
- Heat oil or ghee in a non-stick pan over medium flame. Add chopped onion and sauté until it turns translucent.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and red chilli powder; sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Add chopped tomatoes and mix well.
- Cook until they turn tender and oil starts to separate or for around 4-5 minutes. Add crushed spices powder (prepared in step-1), mix well and cook for 2-minutes. Add tomato puree and mix.
- Add chopped capsicum and salt, cook for 3-minutes.
- Crush dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) using your hand and add in the curry.
- Add 1/3 cup water and cook for 3-minutes.
- Add paneer cubes.
- Mix and cook for 3-minutes. Add fresh cream.
- Mix well and turn off flame. Do not cook for longer after adding fresh cream otherwise it may curdle. Transfer prepared curry to a serving bowl and serve hot.
Tips and Variations:
- This easy and authentic recipe uses paneer cubes directly. However, you can shallow fry them (either in oil or ghee) until light brown for variation in taste.
- You can use tofu instead of paneer if later is not available.
Taste: Spicy with thick gravy.
Serving Ideas: Serve kadai paneer with butter naan, lachha paratha or tandoori roti and onion cucumber and tomato salad. When this curry and Indian bread are accompanied with a glass of lassi, it becomes an authentic Punjabi meal.