Chilli Paneer

Crispy fried paneer in a chunky vegetable sauce…

A few months back, I had put a question on my Instagram stories to see what recipes readers would want to see. One of the recipes that came in the list, apart from the Fried Rice, was Chilli Paneer. I totally get it – deep fried squares of crispy paneer, tossed up in  saucy vegetables is a totally delightful vegetarian starter. Actually speaking, isn’t fried rice-chilli paneer an amazing combination in itself? Hehe… This is the third and final recipe for the “Easy Dinner” theme for the Blogging Marathon #118.

When B was staying with his family, paneer was something we would cook frequently since my SIL and he both love it, much to my kids’ irritation. Hehe… At least it gives me a chance to make them eat something that they are not fond of. 😉 We had made this chilli paneer several times, and it was totally delicious with some toasted frozen parathas. So it becomes mandatory to click and save them up to be shared on the blog, isn’t it? I shallow fry the paneer and reserve the remaining marinade. When you add it into the cooked vegetables, it gives a good sheen and a little body to the end result. You may see the vegetables on my plate is well cooked – just because the folks like it that way without too much crunch. So adjust the cooking time according to what goes well with your palate. I do personally prefer a crunch, but then it gets difficult to cook in a different pan. Hehe… Off to this easy recipe…

Chilli Paneer

Course Main

Cuisine Indo Chinese

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6

Author Rafeeda

Ingredients

• FOR FRIED PANEER:
• 300 gm paneer cubes thawed
• 3 tbsp wholewheat flour
• 3 tbsp corn flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A pinch of red chilli powder
• Water to make paste
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• FOR SAUCE:
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 bunch spring onion
• 1 large onion chopped into chunks
• 1 small green capsicum chopped into chunks
• 1 capsicum yellow, red or orange, chopped into chunks
• 2 tbsp soya sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp red chilli sauce or green chilli sauce
• A pinch of sugar
• 1 tsp white pepper powder

Instructions

• Whisk together the ingredients for the batter (from flour to chilli powder) and enough water to make a thick paste.
• Heat the olive oil in a pan. Dip the paneer into the mix and shallow fry in the pan till slightly browned.
• Drain and set aside. Reserve the remaining batter.
• Separate the spring onions, chop the bulbs and reserve the greens for the last.
• In the same oil - add more if required, add the spring onion bulbs and garlic and saute for a minute.
• Add in the onion and chopped capsicums, sprinkle some salt and saute just till wilted. (refer notes)
• Add the soya sauce, tomato ketchup and chilli sauce along with the remaining batter and give a good mix. Cook for a minute. Add a little water if gravy is needed.
• Add the sugar and white pepper, adjust seasoning.
• Add the paneer cubes and toss. Allow to simmer for five minutes on low flame. Toss in the spring onion greens and switch off.
• Serve hot with fried rice or roti.

Notes

The crunch of the vegetables is totally upto your family taste. My family loves it more cooked and hence mine looks nicely done.
Adjust the sauces used as per taste.