Popular paneer recipes include Kadai Paneer, which involves cooking paneer and bell peppers in a hot masala.
One of the most well-known paneer recipes is this one. It is on practically every Indian restaurant’s menu. I recall usually having it when we went out to eat.
Coriander and red chilies, two freshly ground spices, give this Kadai Paneer dish its distinctive flavour. Eat it with paratha or naan.
The paneer is prepared with a specific spice blend called Kadai masala in a tomato and onion-based sauce. Compared to other paneer curries, the spice powder gives the curry a distinctive flavor and taste.
Ingredient for Kadai Paneer
for Kadai masala:
- 1 tsp cumin/jeera
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 dried Kashmiri red chili
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
for onion tomato paste:
- 2 chopped tomato
- 1sliced onion
- 5 cashews
- 2 tsp oil
- 3 clove crushed garlic
- chopped ginger
Kadai paneer gravy:
- 15 cube paneer
- 1/2 cube capsicum
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 bay leaf / tej patta
- 1 green chili (slit)
- 1/2 onion petals
- 1 tsp dry fenugreek leaves / Kasuri methi
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili
- 2 tbsp cream
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
Instruction for Kadai Paneer
kadai masala recipe:
- firstly, dry roast 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp black peppers and 3 dried red chillis.
- fry till they turn aromatic. Remove kadai from heat and transfer the roasted spices to a spice grinder.
- allow to cool and coarsely grind them in a mixer. keep aside.
tomato-onion paste recipe:
- firstly, in a Kadai, roast 3 cloves of garlic and 1 inch of ginger with 2 tsp of oil. fry for a minute.
- next, add chopped 1 sliced onion and fry till they turn golden brown.
- add 2 chopped tomatoes, and 5 cashews and saute well. saute until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
- cool completely and blend to smooth paste. Do not add water. Keep Aside.
Kadai paneer recipe:
- First, heat 1 tbsp of butter in a big Kadai and fry 1 bay leaf, 1 green chili, and 1 tsp of Kasuri methi until fragrant.
- 12 onion petals and 12 diced capsicum should also be sautéed. do not cook completely; they should be crunchy.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon each of turmeric and chili powder. saute on low flame till the spices turn aromatic.
- further, stir in the blended tomato-onion paste.
- in addition, add prepared kadai masala and 1 tsp salt. adjust the masala to your taste.
- Cook the masala paste until oil begins to emerge from it.
- now, add a half to a cup of water and adjust consistency as necessary.
- 12 handmade paneer cubes should be added along with 2 tablespoons of cream. Five minutes of simmering undercover.
- cover and simmer for 5 minutes or till the paneer absorbs flavor.
- furthermore, add ¼ tsp garam masala and 2 tbsp coriander leaves. mix well.
- Lastly, serve hot Kadai paneer gravy prepared in the style of a restaurant with garlic naan or chapati.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Kadai paneer with homemade naan or garlic naan or lachha paratha. To make it a complete meal serve sliced onions and lemon wedges with salted lassi on the side.
The dry version is perfect to pack into the lunch box along with some roti or tawa paratha.
Notes
- firstly, use butter for restaurant-style flavour.
- use the entire Kadai masala in the recipe. I used 3 to 4 teaspoons of the masala and was left with some.
- Always use fresh, ripe tomatoes. Unripe or less ripe tomatoes make the gravy tangy and sour.
- If gravy becomes sour by any chance, add a little amount of sugar to balance the flavor.
- finally, to prepare Kadai paneer dry skip adding water, and to prepare Kadai paneer gravy to add water.
Nutrition
Calories | 168kcal |
Fat | 10g |
Sodium |
74mg
|
Potassium |
635mg
|
Carbohydrates | 16g |
Protein | 5g |
Vitamin A |
1320IU
|
Vitamin C |
35.6mg
|
Calcium | 34mg |
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