Paneer Bhurji is a popular and delicious North Indian breakfast recipe made from crumbled paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese).
This is a delightfully spicy paneer dish that can be served as an accompaniment or side dish in Indian dinner and its simply irresistible.
In this quick and simple vegetarian recipe, the crumbled homemade paneer (cottage cheese) is added to sautéed onions, tomatoes and spices for a satisfying hot breakfast dish.
This egg bhurji inspired Paneer dish has similar taste and texture and is prepared using crumbled or grated paneer with generous use of Indian curry spices, onion, tomato and capsicum.
This flavorful dish, as with most bhurji recipes, is quick to make and ideal for breakfast.
Ingredients for Paneer bhurji
- 250 gms Paneer (cottage cheese)
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
- ½ cup finely chopped onions
- 1 green chilli (finely chopped)
- 3 to 4 small garlic cloves
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 medium sized tomato (finely chopped)
- ¼ tsp turmeric / haldi
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
Instructions for Paneer bhurji
- Crumble 200 to 250 grams paneer (cottage cheese) with your fingers and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium flame. You can even use ghee or butter instead of oil.
- Add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle.
- Add grated ginger, crushed garlic and chopped green chilli.
- Mix very well and sauté for some seconds till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
- Then add ½ cup finely chopped onions.
- Sauté the onions till they turn translucent and soften. Sauté onions on a medium-low heat.
- Add 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes (tightly packed)
- You can also add a pinch of salt so that the tomatoes get cooked faster.
- Mix the tomatoes and cook until they turn soft and oil starts to separate for approx. 2-3 minutes.
- Additionally, add ½ tsp red chilli powder, ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp garam masala powder and salt to taste.
- Mix very well and sauté for 5 to 6 seconds.
- Add crumbled paneer and Mix thoroughly and cook the paneer for 1 minute
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cover and simmer for 3 minutes till the paneer gets cooked well. do not over cook paneer, as they turn hard and chewy.
- Switch off the flame and lastly add 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves.
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mix gently, making sure everything is combined well.
- Finally, serve paneer bhurji hot with chapathi or paratha.
Serving Suggestions
As known in common Indian parlance, paneer ki bhurji, can be served with naan, paratha, chapatti or rumali roti for lunch or dinner.
Serve it as an accompaniment or a side dish that compliments the main dish. Another great way to eat it is to on top of a toast. Makes a very filling and nutritious breakfast or lunch.
Serve with a side of thinly sliced onions and lemon wedges. Do squeeze some lemon juice on the paneer bhurji when eating.
Tips and Variations
- Keep the store-bought paneer in warm water for 15-20 minutes. So it gets soft and then it can be crumbled easily.
- You can use homemade paneer also.
- The tangy taste in paneer bhurji comes from the tomatoes. So do use tomatoes which are ripe and with a sweet-tangy taste.
- Do not cook paneer for more than 2-3 minutes.
- You can reduce or increase the amount of green chillies, red chilli powder as per your preferences.
- If the garam masala is very strong, then just add ¼ teaspoon of it.
- Use firm tofu in place of paneer. Do not use silken tofu or soft tofu.
Nutrition
| Calories | 398kcal |
| Fat | 24g |
| Sodium | 998mg |
| Potassium | 836mg |
| Carbohydrates | 14g |
| Protein | 32g |
| Vitamin A | 459IU |
| Vitamin C | 14mg |
| Calcium | 59mg |
Also read: Vegetable Chow mein Recipe (Easy Step by step)
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