Kadai Paneer is one of the most popular Paneer recipes you will love to taste in an Indian Restaurant, the good news is you can easily make it at home too. The dish is a blend of cottage cheese (Shuddh Paneer for excellent taste), bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and Indian spices.
Here is how it got its name as Kadai Paneer. Kadai is a wok that is widely used in Indian cuisine. We use it to stir-fry and deep-fry snacks and sweets. And, Shuddh Paneer is Cottage Cheese made out of milk.
Why is Kadai Paneer worth Trying?
The taste of the recipe comes from freshly seasoned coriander seeds and red Kashmiri chillies. The inclusion of newly pounded Indian spices adds to the taste of Kadai Paneer.
Not only the taste is incredible, but the ingredients of Kadai Paneer also hold a few health benefits.
Cottage Cheese (Shuddh Paneer) is rich in nutrients like vitamin B, phosphorus, calcium and selenium. It also helps in regulating the blood pressure and is useful in preventing cancer.
The Kashmiri chillies, which lead to the taste of Kadai Paneer, are a rich source of potassium, iron, magnesium and manganese.
The Recipe of Kadai paneer will give a unique flavour to your taste!
What is the recipe of Kadai Paneer?
Let’s look at the step-by-step recipe to understand what makes it so delicious.
At first comes the Kadai masala (spices).
It is a blend of:
● Coriander seeds
● Cloves
● Dried red chillies
● Green cardamom
● Fennel seeds
These spices are dry roasted and then grind into a fine powder.
(Tip: You can make this Kadai masala in advance and store it for further use.)
Ingredients required to cook Kadai Paneer are:
- Cottage cheese (Diced)
- Green chillies (2 sliced)
- Dry fenugreek leaves
- Tomatoes (400 grams finely chopped)
- Onions (100 grams finely chopped)
- Ginger garlic paste
- Kadai masala
- Oil
- Indian spices
- Coriander
- Lime juice
- Water as required
Here’s how the aromatic Kadai Paneer is made. - Take a wok and add 2 tablespoons of oil in it.
- Add ginger-garlic paste & green chillies. Sauté it till it turns brown.
- Add finely chopped onions into the wok.
- Roast the onions for a few minutes. Add finely chopped tomatoes into it.
- Cook the onions and tomatoes till they get a paste-like consistency.
- Add water if needed into the wok. (up to a half glass of water)
- Add the Kadai Masala, salt, red chilly powder, turmeric, dry fenugreek leaves and lime juice. Give it a mix.
- Add chopped capsicum. Cook the gravy for a few minutes.
- Finally, add the diced cottage cheese, aka., Shuddh Paneer and mix it with the gravy.
- Garnish the Kadai paneer with coriander.
- It is ready to eat!
At the end, add a few tablespoons of cream if you wish to have it creamy.
Yes, Kadai Paneer is a must-to-eat Indian dish which will take you to the world of aromatic Indian taste and spices.