Recipe- Delicious Kadai Paneer

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. Here are some tips to make this Kadai Paneer gravy even more delicious!

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.

Ingredients

To prep the paneer

150 gms Paneer
1/2 cup Yogurt
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
salt
1/4 cup Ghee for frying

To prepare the ground masala

1 tsp cooking oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp tamarind paste
4 dried red chillies
6 cloves garlic
1/4 cup grated coconut

To assemble the gravy

1 Bell pepper chopped
1 tsp sugar
salt
2-3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Method

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.