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    Home » Paneer Recipes

    Hariyali Paneer Masala | Green Curry with Tofu

    Published: Mar 17, 2021 · Modified: Dec 30, 2023 by Kushi · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Hariyali Paneer is a simple and easy-to-make Indian curry recipe packed full of flavors. This green curry is prepared using paneer (Indian cottage cheese), green herbs like coriander and mint, and a few basic ingredients from your kitchen. Serve it with any Indian flatbread.

    Hariyali Paneer Masala | Dhaba style paneer curry | Green curry with tofu | Mint paneer gravy.
    Jump to:
    • Recipe card
    • Pudina paneer curry
    • Ingredients
    • Step-by-step instructions
    • Chef Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Indian bread recipes
    • User Reviews

    Recipe card

    Hariyali paneer masala | paneer curry for rice, naan, roti, chapati, paratha. Green curry with tofu.

    Hariyali Paneer Masala | Green Curry with Tofu

    Kushi
    Hariyali Paneer is a simple and easy-to-make Indian curry recipe packed full of flavors. This green curry is prepared using paneer (Indian cottage cheese), green herbs like coriander and mint, and a few basic ingredients from your kitchen. Serve it with any Indian flatbread or rice.
    5 from 14 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 209 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Pan

    Ingredients
      

    For the green onion tomato masala

    • 2 tablespoon Vegetable oil
    • 1 medium Onion , roughly chopped
    • 8 to 10 cloves Garlic
    • 1 inch Ginger , grated
    • 8 to 10 Cashews
    • 1 Tomato , finely chopped
    • ⅓ cup Mint leaves or Pudina loosely packed (reduce the amount if you want a milder flavor)
    • 1 cup Cilantro or Coriander leaves, chopped, loosely packed
    • 2 to 3 Green chilies
    • 1 cup Water , approximate

    Other ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
    • 1 small Onion , cut into cubes
    • 1 Tomato , cut into cubes

    For the curry

    • ½ to 1 teaspoon Garam Masala or Curry Powder
    • 200 to 250 grams Paneer (tofu for vegan version)
    • 1 to 2 tablespoon Cream (use dairy-free version to make vegan or skip)
    • ½ teaspoon Sugar
    • Salt , to taste

    Instructions
     

    Make the green onion tomato paste

    • Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add onion, ginger, garlic cloves and sauté till onion and garlic cloves becomes translucent on medium flame and rawness goes off completely.
      2 tablespoon Vegetable oil, 1 medium Onion, 8 to 10 cloves Garlic, 1 inch Ginger
    • To this, add cashews and finely chopped tomato, and cook till the tomato softens. Switch off the flame and allow the mixture to cool down. Check tips.
      8 to 10 Cashews, 1 Tomato
    • Note: To fasten up the process, you can blend using ice-cold water.
    • Transfer this onion-tomato mixture along with mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chilies, approximately 1 cup water, and blend it to a smooth paste.
      ⅓ cup Mint leaves, 1 cup Cilantro, 2 to 3 Green chilies, 1 cup Water

    Making of paneer pudina curry

    • In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon oil and cubed onions. Sauté for 1 or 2 minutes on medium-high flame. Add the cubed tomatoes and sauté for another 1 minute.
      1 tablespoon Vegetable oil, 1 small Onion, 1 Tomato
    • Transfer this to a plate, and set it aside.
    • In the same pan, add the pureed green onion tomato paste, salt to taste, water for desired consistency (approximately  ½ cup), garam masala powder (start with ½ teaspoon and add more if required), and let the gravy come to a boil and thicken. Taste the gravy and add more salt or garam masala if required.
      Salt, ½ to 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
    • Once the gravy has thickened, add cream, sugar, paneer (or tofu), sauteed onion and tomato cubes, and mix. Cook for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame.
      1 to 2 tablespoon Cream, ½ teaspoon Sugar, 200 to 250 grams Paneer
    • Serve this curry with your favorite Indian bread or flatbread and enjoy.

    Notes

    • If you are not a big fan of pudina or mint leaves, reduce the amount or sauté it with onion and tomatoes and then grind.
    • Cashews can be substituted with almonds, or feel free to use half cashews and half almonds or melon seeds. 
    • If you are preparing this dish for kids or can't tolerate the heat, deseed green chilies, reduce the number of chilies, or skip.
    • Most Indian dishes like tikka masala and butter masala use whole garam masala spices. If you like it, you may add 1 bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, and 2 cardamom pods while sautéing onions, and then remove the bay leaf and cinnamon sticks just before blending it to avoid the strong flavor.
    • I would not recommend reducing the number of garlic cloves as you are sautéing it in oil; it is only going to enhance the flavor of the dish and not give any pungent flavor. But make sure you saute it on medium flame till it turns golden in color.
    • Based on the brand you are using, vary the amount of garam masala powder.
    • You can substitute paneer with tofu for a vegan version, corn kernels, mushrooms, cauliflower, baby corn, potatoes, or soya chunks.
    • Fresh cream, heavy cream, whipping cream any of these go well. But if you want to skip cream altogether, increase the number of cashews.
    • You can use butter instead of oil for a richer version of this gravy.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 209kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 6gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.05gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 68mgPotassium: 206mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 654IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 190mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Pudina paneer curry

    Paneer is the best and most loved vegetarian meat substitute. We love to prepare paneer-based dishes a couple of times a week, and when I have a pantry filled with fresh herbs, we make this green curry. 

    Hariyali paneer is different from palak paneer. Palak paneer is prepared using spinach leaves, while hariyali paneer is prepared using a combination of green leaves like pudina (mint) and coriander (dhania or cilantro). This dish is also known as pudina paneer curry, and the vegan version is called green curry with tofu. 

    Hariyali paneer can be served with any Indian bread such as Naan, Roti, Chapati, or along with rice items such as steamed rice, Jeera Rice, or Ghee rice. Check out list of Indian bread and flatbreads that can be served with this green paneer curry. 

    Paneer butter masala, Palak paneer, Kadai paneer are popularly found in any Indian restaurant menus. But this hariyali paneer, like pudina chicken, is a unique dish you can find only in a few dhabas. This dish is vegetarian and gluten-free and also can easily be made vegan. 

    Also, check out the best Indian vegetarian dinner recipe ideas.

    Hariyali Paneer Masala | Green curry with tofu | pudina paneer curry | Indian paneer recipes.

    Ingredients

    Paneer: Use homemade paneer or store-bought paneer to make this recipe.

    Pudina: Paneer and pudina go well, just like chicken and pudina. Based on how strong or mild you like, adjust the mint in the recipe.

    Coriander leaves: Another herb that is added is fresh coriander leaves (dhania or cilantro).

    Cashews: Makes your dish creamy and rich.

    Onion, Tomato, Garlic, Ginger: Basic ingredients that form a base for most Indian gravy or curry.

    Step-by-step instructions

    Make the green onion tomato paste

    • Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add onion, ginger, garlic cloves, and sauté till onion and garlic cloves become translucent on medium flame and the rawness goes off completely.
    • To this, add cashew nuts and a finely chopped tomato, and cook till the tomato softens. Switch off the flame and allow the mixture to cool down.
    • To speed up the process, you can blend using ice-cold water.
    • Transfer this onion-tomato mixture along with mint leaves, coriander leaves, and green chilies, approximately 1 cup water, and blend it to a smooth paste.
    Hariyali Paneer Masala | paneer curry for naan, roti, chapati, paratha, rice, etc.

    Making of paneer pudina curry

    • In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon oil and cubed onions. Sauté for a minute or 2 minutes on medium-high flame. Add the cubed tomatoes and sauté it for another 1 minute.
    • Transfer this to a plate and set it aside.
    • In the same pan, add the pureed paste, salt to taste, water for desired consistency, approx ½ cup, garam masala powder (start with ½ teaspoon and add more if required), and let the gravy come to a boil and thicken. Taste the gravy and adjust the salt accordingly. 
    • Once it's thickened, add cream, sugar, paneer, sauteed onion, and tomato, and mix. Cook for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame.
    • Serve and enjoy. 
    Best paneer pudina curry | Mint cottage cheese gravy for Indian bread and flatbread, rice.

    Chef Tips

    • If you are not a big fan of pudina or mint leaves, reduce the amount or sauté it with onion and tomatoes and then grind.
    • Cashews can be substituted with almonds, or feel free to use half cashews and half almonds or melon seeds. 
    • If you are preparing this dish for kids or can't tolerate the heat, deseed green chilies, reduce the number of chilies, or skip.
    • Most Indian dishes like tikka masala and butter masala use whole garam masala spices. If you like it, you may add 1 bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, and 2 cardamom pods while sautéing onions, and then remove the bay leaf and cinnamon sticks just before blending it to avoid the strong flavor.
    • I would not recommend reducing the number of garlic cloves as you are sautéing it in oil; it is only going to enhance the flavor of the dish and not give any pungent flavor. But make sure you saute it on medium flame till it turns golden in color.
    • Based on the brand you are using, vary the amount of garam masala powder.
    • You can substitute paneer with tofu for a vegan version, corn kernels, mushrooms, cauliflower, baby corn, potatoes, or soya chunks.
    • Fresh cream, heavy cream, whipping cream any of these go well. But if you want to skip cream altogether, increase the number of cashews.
    • You can use butter instead of oil for a richer version of this gravy.

    Recipe FAQs

    Is there any substitute for paneer or tofu in the gravy?

    Yes. If you are a non-vegetarian, then you can use chicken. If you are looking for more vegetarian options, then use frozen corn kernels, mushrooms, cauliflower, potatoes, baby corn, soya chunks, etc.

    What to serve with hariyali paneer?

    Serve it with any Indian flatbread like paneer paratha, rumali roti, tawa naan, oats chapati, etc.

    More Indian bread recipes

    • Oats chapati recipes, flatbread for wraps, pizza, vegan and vegetarian dinner recipes, side dishes, Indian food recipes
      OATS CHAPATI
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      Garlic Cheese Naan
    • best naan bread brushed with butter, served with chicken curry.
      Homemade Naan Bread | Tawa Naan
    • rumali roti recipe, roomali roti, easy and best Indian roti, vegan flatbread, manda, lamboo, dosti
      Rumali Roti | Easy Roomali Roti Recipe

    Did you like this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

    Note: We originally posted this green curry with tofu (Indian paneer curry) in March 2021. It has now been modified in Dec 2023 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.

    More Tasty Paneer Recipes You Must Try!

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      Protein Vegetarian Salad with Soya Granules
    • Sabudana tikki with paneer and aloo served with spicy green chutney. Tea time & vrat snack recipe.
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      Paneer Tikka

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Uma Srinivas

      March 21, 2021 at 1:54 pm

      5 stars
      I love green curry because it has so much nutrition and vitamins. Your haraiyali paneer recipe looks delicious.

      Reply
    2. Kate

      March 21, 2021 at 4:11 pm

      5 stars
      Many thanks for sharing this recipe. I love the sound of this green curry. I also love the pictures. They look great. I got hungry. But in the end I just got a taste of my computer screen. Means, I will certainly try the real thing, because I certainly want to taste it.

      Reply
    3. Melanie C

      March 21, 2021 at 10:54 pm

      5 stars
      This was super delicious and my hubs loved it. That's a big win for us!! Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    4. veenaazmanov

      March 28, 2021 at 11:04 am

      5 stars
      Sounds like an amazing vegetarian option. Looks mouth melting delicious and a Happy Meal too. Presentation yum.

      Reply
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    5 from 14 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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