Paneer is an integral part of Indian cuisine. We cook it in so many ways.One of the easiest ways you can cook it is in form of paneer bhurji.This is actually one of the first paneer dishes that I learnt to cook, just because it was so simple.
Bhurji means scrambled so here the paneer is crumbled and then cooked with onion, tomato and spices.This dish comes together rather quickly and tastes great with roti or paratha or with toast.
Ingredients1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ghee
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon hing, asafoetida
1 medium red onion, chopped
1-2 green chilies, crushed using a mortar-pestle
1 inch ginger, crushed using a mortar-pestle
4-5 large garlic cloves, crushed using a mortar-pestle
2 medium tomatoes, de-seeded & chopped
1 teaspoon coriander powder
3/4 teaspoon pav bhaji masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder, or to taste (I usually just use kashmiri red chili powder)
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
250 grams paneer, crumbled, around 2 cups crumbled paneer
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
lemon juice
Method* Crumble the paneer and set it aside. Also crush the green chili, ginger and garlic using mortar and pestle and set it aside.
* Heat oil and ghee in a pan on medium heat. Then add the cumin seeds and fennel seeds and let them sizzle for few seconds.
* Then add the hing and stir. Add the chopped onion, along with crushed green chilies, ginger and garlic and stir. Cook for 5 minutes until light browned. You can add a pinch of salt here so that onions cook faster.
* Add the chopped tomatoes (I de-seed them, optional) and cook for 3 minutes until softened.
* Then add coriander powder, pav bhaji masala, turmeric and red chili powder (I usually just use Kashmiri red chili powder which isn't spicy). Add salt and mix and cook the spices for 30 seconds.
* Then add the crumbled paneer and mix everything together. Cook the paneer for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not over-cook else it will become rubbery and chewy. Add in the cilantro.
* Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice and serve paneer bhurji with paratha or on a toast! You can also sprinkle some garam masala or pav bhaji masala on top before serving.