Description
Paneer kadai has soft chunks of paneer immersed in a spicy tomato-onion based masala.
Ingredients
- Paneer cubes – 200 gms
- Capsicum – 1 small
- Green chillies -1-2
- Vegetable oil – 3-4 tbsp
- Onions – 2 medium to big
- Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
- Dry red chilli – 1, chopped and deseeded
- Tomato puree –150 ml (tetra pack) OR about 3-4 big tomatoes pureed to get 1 cup
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
- Garam masala powder – 1 ¼ tsp (or kitchen king masala)
- Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Coriander powder – 1 ¾ tsp
- kadai masala (recipe below) – optional
- Salt, sugar – to taste
- Kasuri methi – 1 tbsp plus ½ tsp
- Cashew paste -3 tbsp OR cream 3 tbsp
Instructions
- Wash capsicum and cut into medium cubes. Slit the green chillies. Peel and cube onions and grind to a paste. Grind about 2 tbsp cashew to a paste with little water if adding.
- Heat 1-2 tsp oil in a thick bottom pan/ non stick pan (else paneer will stick to pan), sauté together capsicum, slit chillies, paneer cubes and 1 tsp kasuri methi lightly till you get the aroma of capsicum. Remove and set aside.
- To make gravy, heat 3 to 4 tbsp oil in a saucepan or kadai. Add onion paste and fry till oil starts to separate. Add ginger garlic paste, chopped dry red chilli and fry 1 minute.
- Add turmeric, coriander powder, chilli powder/ kadai masala if adding, sauté 30 seconds.
- Add tomato puree. Mix and sauté for 5 mins or till oil separates.
- Add cashew paste if adding, little water for some gravy and cook for a minute.
- Add fried paneer-capsicum, salt, ½ tsp sugar, kasuri methi, garam masala. Stir and simmer for few mins. Do not cook for too long.
- Lastly add cream if adding, mix once and remove from heat.
- Serve hot with naan, kulchas, tandoori rotis, phulkas, roomali rotils, chapathis. Or try serving on top of toasted bread too!
Notes
For homemade kadai masala, heat 1 tbsp oil (or dry roast) and fry 1 tbsp coriander seeds and 4 to 5 whole kashmiri dry red chillies till aroma emits/ roasted lightly. Remove from heat, cool and grind to coarse powder without water. Add to kadai gravy as per taste. In that case adjust/ add chilli and coriander powder only if needed.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins