chilli paneer(Indo Chinese recipe).
Chilli paneer recipe is made with paneer which is a block of Indian cottage cheese. To make chilli paneer you first coat the cubes in a simple batter, shallow fry and then toss in a sweet and spicy thick sauce.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 tablespoons of flour(all-purpose)
- Salt to season
- 1/2 a teaspoon red chilli powder(substitute with 1 tablespoon of hot sauce)
- 4 tablespoons of water(just enough to make paste-like consistency batter)
- To fry the Paneer
- 1/4 cup oil to shallow fry the paneer cubes
- 3 tablespoons of oil
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic(3 cloves of garlic)
- 1 teaspoon of minced ginger(1″root minced)
- 3 green chillies sliced(reduce for less spiciness)
- 1 large onion cut into wedges
- 2 capsicums sliced(substitute with red or green bell pepper)
- 1 tablespoon of red chilli sauce(can substitute with tomato sauce to reduce spiciness)
- 1 teaspoon of red chill flecks(substitute with paprika or cayenne pepper)
- 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- Salt to season
- 1/2 a cup of water
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch
Instructions
- 1
Add flour(4 tablespoons)to a bowl. Season with salt.
- 2
Add red chilli powder(1/2 teaspoon, or 1 tablespoon of hot sauce).
- 3
Pour in the water(1/4 cup). Mix until you have a smooth and thick batter.
- 4
Cut the paneer into 1″cubes and add them to the batter.
- 5
Coat the paneer cubes with the batter; if the consistency of the batter is correct, it should stick to the paneer cubes.
- 6
Once the paneer is coated in batter, set it aside.
- 7
Place a medium-sized frying pan over low-medium heat and add the oil(1/4 cup).
- 8
Gently place the batter-coated paneer and let them fry at least 2-3 minutes before flipping them over.
- 9
Fry until crispy and golden in colour. This should take 5-7 minutes.
- 10
Transfer the fried paneer onto some kitchen paper towels.
- 11
Place the same pan over low to medium heat.
- 12
Add oil(3 tablespoons), followed by ginger(1 teaspoon), garlic(1 tablespoon), green chillies(2-3), onions(1 large, cut into wedges), and capsicums(2 chopped).
- 13
Mix and cook for 2-3 minutes or until onions turn soft.
- 14
Reduce heat to low and add the red chilli sauce(1 tablespoon), red chilli flakes(1 teaspoon).
- 15
Followed by soy sauce(3 tablespoons) and sugar(1 tablespoon).
- 16
In a bowl, mix the cornstarch(1 and 1/2 tablespoons) with water(1/2 cup).
- 17
Make sure there are no lumps in the mixture before adding it to the ingredients in the pan.
- 18
Reduce heat to a low and slow simmer until you notice the gravy thickening.
- 19
If you decide to have more sauce in the chilli paneer, then remove the pan from the stove as soon as you notice the sauce thickening.
- 20
If you want less sauce, continue to cook until the sauce is reduced by half.
- 21
Before adding the paneer cubes, taste and make necessary adjustments to the sauce.
- 22
You can increase the heat, saltiness and sweetness of the sauce as per your need.
- 23
Let the chilli paneer sauce rest for 5 minutes.
- 24
Then add the fried paneer cubes, gently mix with the sauce.
- 25
Serve while still warm and enjoy any of the dishes mentioned above.