Kadai Paneer

If there is one gravy or side dish which is on everyone’s wishlist while ordering the main course in a restaurant, I would say it is a paneer gravy. When it comes to choice of a paneer gravy, we are usually spoilt for choices in a restaurant – Paneer Butter Masala, Kadai Paneer, Paneer Tikka Masala, Paneer Makhani and the list goes on.

However many feel that most of these dishes taste somewhat similar! In my opinion, that is just a myth! Though the base for most of these dishes are an onion and a tomato based gravy (sometimes accompanied by some cashews), but there are very subtle differences in the ratio of these ingredients and also the way they are cooked which make them quite distinct.

Kadai Paneer is one such dish, which is generally known to be not as creamy as a paneer butter masala or a makhani gravy, as it has some strong and spicy flavours of the freshly ground masala.

It is usually made in onion and tomato based gravy, with the ratio of onions and tomatoes being 1:2. Also this dish makes use of tri-colour bell peppers (red, yellow and green) and I prefer them to keep crunchy in the gravy, as it gives a nice bite in combination with super soft paneer. If you do not find the yellow and red bell peppers, you could just make use of the green capsicum.

I am not sure what is the reason for this dish being named ‘Kadai Paneer’ as most dishes in India are anyway cooked in a ‘Kadai’, which is a shallow pan with ear like handles on both sides! I wonder if it got it’s name from the copper bottom kadais which are commonly used in the restaurants. Either be the case, it is not a hard and fast rule that you must cook this dish in a kadai. You could cook this in a fry pan or a pot, trust me the taste would be the same 🙂

Serving Suggestion

Kadai Paneer pairs best with Indian breads like roti, paratha or naan. However my personal favourite is naan, especially garlic butter naan. You could also serve it as a side dish with some basmati rice.

Kadai Paneer

Kannan

Kadai Paneer is a rich and aromatic side dish cooked with Indian cottage cheese, bell peppers, onions in a tomato based gravy with a blend of freshly ground spices

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, North-Indian

Servings 4 persons

Ingredients

  

• 200 gms Paneer
• 1 Onion Large
• 1 Onion Medium sized
• 4 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Inch Ginger
• ½ Red Capsicum
• ½ Yellow Capsicum
• ½ Green Capsicum
• 2 Tomatoes Large
• ¼ Cup Full cream Milk Optional
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• 2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 4 tbsp Oil
• 2 tsp Kasuri Methi
• 2 Bay Leaves
• ½ tsp Honey Optional

For Masala Powder

• 1 tbsp Whole Coriander or Dhaniya seeds
• 1 tsp Jeera or Cumin
• 1 Dry Kashmiri Chilli
• 2 Cloves
• 3 Green Cardamom or Elaichi
• 1 Inch Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp Peppercorn

Instructions

 

• Rinse the paneer in water twice and soak it in hot water for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Soaking in hot water will make the paneer super soft.
  
• Dry roast the ingredients mentioned in the 'Masala powder' on medium flame till aromatic.
  
• Cool the spice mix and grind to a slightly coarse powder
  
• Cut the bell peppers in cubes after removing all the seeds in cut. Similarly cube the onions (1 medium size) and separate all the onion layers. In a kadai, add 2 tablespoon oil and on high flame sauté the onion cubes for 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper cubes as well and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes. Do not overcook the bell peppers and onions, as they must remain crunchy.
  
• Now add some salt and around tablespoon of the roasted ground masala and toss. Transfer the onions and bell peppers to a plate and keep aside.
  
• Clean wipe the kadai and add 2 more tablespoons of oil and add chopped ginger and garlic. Then add 1 large onion roughly chopped and cook till the onions turn pink in colour. Now add 3 chopped tomatoes and some salt and cover and cook till it is soft and mushy.
  
• Blend the onion and tomatoes to a smooth paste after cooling the mixture
  
• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a kadai and then in a low flame, add 2 tablespoons of butter. Add 2 bay leaves and turmeric powder and kashmiri red chilli powder. Then add the onion and tomato paste and little water and mix well and let it come to a gentle boil.
  
• Now add the remaining ground masala, salt to taste and 2 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi and cook for another couple of minutes.
  
• Next add some milk or fresh cream (this is optional), but gives the gravy a rich taste. Mix well. Add chopped paneer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
  
• Finally add the fried bell peppers and half teaspoon honey (optional) and mix and cook for just a minute more. If the bell peppers are cooked for long, they will not remain crunchy. Serve hot with roti, naan or rice.
  

Notes

• Kadai Paneer tastes best with the freshly ground masala. You could adjust the spice level as per your taste. You could use this masala for other gravies and veggies too
• It is important to rinse the paneer in water and soak in hot water for at least 20 minutes. By doing this the paneer will be super soft and you can also minimize the cooking of gravy after adding paneer.
• The onion and bell pepper cubes must be tossed in oil on high flame only for few minutes and add the salt towards the end. If the bell peppers are over cooked, they would not be crunchy in the gravy.
• Do not cook the bell peppers for more than one or two minutes after adding them in the gravy, else they would become soggy.
• Full cream milk is optional in this dish, however it yields a very good taste. You could also add 2 tablespoons of cream instead of milk.
• Use butter for cooking the gravy as it yields more flavour as compared to regular oil. Also keep the flame at the lowest level while adding the butter and turmeric and chilli powder, else the spices would get burnt immediately.
• Honey is optional, but it perfectly balances the spice levels.

Keyword Gravy, Kadai, Paneer, Side-dish

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