Kadai Paneer | Paneer Ghee Roast

a hand holding a spoon and digging into a bowl of Kadai Paneer Curry

Kadai Paneer | Paneer Ghee Roast

Make this most popular restaurant style Kadai Paneer curry at home by following this easy recipe. This fried paneer butter masala is finger-licking good! A vegetarian meal that's delicious, spicy, and pairs best with Indian flatbread and rice.

Course accompaniment, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Indian, Mangalorean

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Marination time 30

Servings people

Calories 322.88kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

Ingredients

To prep the paneer

150 gms Paneer
½ cup Yogurt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ tablespoon onion powder
½ tablespoon garlic powder
salt
¼ cup Ghee for frying

To prepare the ground masala

1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
4 dried red chillies
6 cloves garlic
¼ cup grated coconut

To assemble the gravy

1 Bell pepper chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
salt
2-3 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Instructions

To prep the paneer

Add yogurt in a mixing bowl. To that add spice mixes like turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Mix it all together.
Cut the cheese in any shape you want (I have cut them in cubes) and add them to the bowl.
Coat the cubes well with the spiced yogurt mixture and marinate it for 30 minutes.
Heat ghee in a pan and shallow fry the cubes till they turn light golden. Do not over-fry as it can become rubbery fairly quickly. Take the fried paneer onto a plate and keep it aside for now. Also, reserve the leftover yogurt mixture.

To prepare the ground masala

In a pan, add oil and once it's hot enough, roast cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and fenugreek seeds for 30-40 seconds or till it releases a nice aroma.
Then add tamarind, dried red chilies, and garlic. Continue to roast these for 1-2 minutes or till the garlic turns golden.
Next you need to add the coconut and roast for another 2 minutes or until the coconut turns light brown.
Take it all out onto a plate and let it cool down completely. Then transfer it to a blender and grind it into a smooth creamy paste by adding little water.

To assemble the gravy

Use the same pan in which you fried the cheese earlier. In the remaining ghee, add the ground masala and fry it for 3-4 minutes.
Then add the chopped bell pepper and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the leftover yogurt mixture to the pan as well. Mix and continue to cook till it comes to a boil. Add salt and sugar to balance the sourness and spiciness.
Lastly add the fried paneer cubes and mix it into the gravy. Kadai Paneer is ready!
Serve paneer ghee roast hot after garnishing it with some fried curry leaves or coriander leaves.

Notes

When preparing the yogurt marinade, you can use ginger-garlic paste instead of onion and garlic powder. For authentic Indian taste, use organic ghee. If you are using frozen paneer, keep them immersed in hot water until soft and then use it in the recipe.

You can use tamarind pulp, extract or paste if you don't have tamarind. For coconut, you can use freshly grated coconut, dry shredded coconut, or coconut flakes. Be careful to not burn the whole spices when roasting them. When you grind the masala paste, add enough water to help grind it to a smooth creamy consistency.

If you want, you can fry curry leaves before adding the ground masala to the pan for more authentic flavor. The consistency of the paneer butter masala is a personal choice. You can thin the gravy by adding some water.

Can you make this vegan?

Yes. Use extra-firm tofu, potatoes, cauliflower, mushrooms, or soya chunks instead. Also for the marinade, you can use dairy-free plain yogurt. If using mushrooms, no need to marinate it. Just mix it in the yogurt mixture and fry. Instead of frying the tofu in ghee, use coconut or vegetable oil instead.

Can you freeze this?

While this prepared Paneer Curry stays good in the fridge for 2-3 days, you can freeze it as well. I would suggest you freeze the gravy separately. Then as and when you need to make this Kadai Paneer, you can thaw and heat the gravy and add freshly fried paneer to it.

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