Kadai Paneer Recipe | Step by Step | Indian Paneer Recipes

Learn how to make Kadai Paneer, an Indian restaurant style paneer (cottage cheese) recipe that's a popular accompaniment to tawa nan or jeera rice. It is easy to make Kadai Paneer at home provided you have the ingredients ready in hand. 

I really want to start this post by explaining what a kadai is (an Indian wok, btw) and what paneer is (erm.. Indian cottage cheese) but since I am just not in the mood, let's get on quickly to the recipe, shall we?

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Kadai Paneer

I made Kadai Paneer with fresh homemade paneer which is why it looks very crumbly in the pics. But oh boy! It tasted so good!

I thought and thought but I still have no clue why I have never made kadai paneer before in my life. Seriously!

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Kadai Paneer Recipe
Serves 2 - 4

Ingredients:
2 cups paneer, cubed
Half a capsicum / green bell pepper, cubed
1 large onion
2 green chillies
3-4 pods of garlic, crushed
1" piece of ginger, crushed (or 1tsp ginger garlic paste)
1 tomato, pureed
1 tablespoon tomato paste (or another pureed tomato)
A generous pinch of kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
½ teaspoon jeera / cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander powder / dhania powder / malli podi (I add a little more than this)
2 teaspoon oil
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

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How to make Kadai Paneer:

1. Grind the onion along with the green chillies. Heat oil and fry this paste for 2-3 mins.

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2. Then add the chilli powder, turmeric, jeera, coriander powder and crushed ginger and garlic (or ginger garlic paste) and mix well, frying for another minute.

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3. To this, add the tomato paste..

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4. .. and pureed tomato. Fry for 4-5 minutes until the mixture comes together and the oil begins to separate.

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5. Next add the capsicum..

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6. .. and kasoori methi, with some salt. Fry for 2-3 mins, until the bell pepper is cooked but still crunchy.

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7. Finally add the cubed paneer and mix gently until well combined. Simmer for 2 mins and remove from fire.

I didn't fry the paneer in advance or do the whole dipping in water, squeezing and draining routine because I am very happy adding it as is at the end of this particular dish.

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Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis/chapatis.

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