on Jun 01, 2021, Updated Oct 01, 2021 And we’re back with another Indo-Chinese favourite! I’ve been wanting to share this easy Chilli Paneer Dry recipe for so long – it’s super easy to recreate at home with the right mix of spicy, tangy and sweet flavours. Chilli Paneer is my go to when we order Chinese. Along with chilli chicken (yes I order both haha), egg fried rice and hakka noodles. It’s a crowd pleaser which takes very little effort to put together. That distinct street style flavours come from green chillies, onions and capsicums that are stir fried along with the paneer. Although this is more like a dry appetizer dish, you can easily convert it into a gravy – I have instructions below!
Use Quality Paneer
Paneer or cottage cheese is the star of this dish, so it’s got to be high quality. Good paneer will take on flavours really well and stay soft instead of becoming rubbery when deep fried. Store bought paneer will do, but if you’ve got that extra 15 minute window, try out my Homemade Paneer Recipe!
Veggie Prep
Street style Indo-Chinese fare is incomplete without some fresh veggies. I used finely chopped ginger, garlic, slit green chillies and cubed onions and capsicums for this dish. The combination of green chillies and capsicum is what adds that distinct smokiness, making it a true street style recipe!
Coating For Paneer
Soggy chilli paneer in which the fried skin peels off of the paneer cubes is not at all a pleasant experience. The fried cubes of paneer should have a light crunch to them even after being tossed in the sauce. The trick is to dry coat the paneer instead of using a wet batter so that the coating doesn’t come off while stir frying. The dry coating is a simple mixture of cornflour, kashmiri chilli powder, salt and a splash of water.
Sauce For Chilli Paneer
This sauce is made up of all the things that scream Indo-Chinese. This thick-ish brown sauce has soy sauce, ketchup, red chilli sauce, kashmiri chilli powder, vinegar, salt, and cornflour. The sauce is what makes this dish so addictive, with its robust street style flavours. Note: This is not a chilli paneer with gravy recipe, but you can increase the water by half a cup if you want more sauce.
Steps To Follow
Coat the paneer in the dry mixShallow fry the cubes of paneer in a wok, keep asideStir fry veggies and aromaticsAdd shallow fried paneer cubesAdd sauceStir fry and serve!
Top tips:
I’ve used a wok because we want the veggies and fried paneer to remain crunchy. Woks are the best for short duration cooking at high temperatures. However, if you don’t have a wok, you can use any nonstick cooking pan.When shallow frying the paneer cubes, make sure you turn them over so they are fried golden on all sidesFry the veggies on high heat so they remain crunchyWe stir fried the paneer with onion and capsicum for a minute or two in the wok before adding sauces. This step gives the paneer time to take on flavours from the capsicum and makes it tastier.
Don’t you worry about leftovers because this restaurant style chilli paneer will disappear in minutes!
More Paneer Appetizers
Paneer BhurjiPaneer PakorasPaneer Kathi RollsAloo Paneer TikkisTandoori Paneer Tikka
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