Easy Paneer Chilli | How To Make Chilli Paneer | Paneer Manchurian
Paneer Chilli is a popular, spicy, and flavorful Indo-Chinese vegetarian starter or appetizer recipe where paneer cubes are tossed in a simple, easy, aromatic sauce. This dish can be prepared in less than 30 mins.These are better than any restaurant-style paneer as this requires fewer sauces, no MSG or fancy sauces, or any food color.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time25 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Starter
Cuisine: Indian, Indo-Chinese, north indian, South Indian
Servings: 4
Calories: 609kcal
To Fry Paneer Cubes
- 2 tablespoon All-purpose flour or Maida
- 2 tablespoon Cornflour or Corn starch
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups Paneer cubes (200 to 250g)
- Oil , for frying
TO MAKE CHILI SAUCE FOR PANEER
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 3 Dry red chilies , chopped into small pieces
- 2 tablespoon Garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Ginger , chopped
- 1 Onion , cut into cubes
- ½ Bell pepper or Capsicum, cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon Spring onions or Green onions, more for garnish
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Cornflour or Cornstarch
- ½ cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon Coriander leaves , for garnish.
Green Chili Sauce (This is optional. You can even use 1 tablespoon store-bought green chilli sauce)
- 6 to 8 Green chilies (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vinegar
Step I - If you are making green chile sauce at home:
In a blender, add green chilies, salt, and vinegar and grind it to paste. You can use 1 tablespoon store-bought green chile sauce if readily available. Else, simply chop and add 3 green chilies with 1 teaspoon vinegar to the recipe.
6 to 8 Green chilies, ½ teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Vinegar
Step II - For frying the paneer
In a bowl, add flour, corn starch, salt, water little by little (approx 3 tbsp), and mix to form a batter that is not too thick or thin. Toss paneer cubes in this batter.
2 tablespoon All-purpose flour, 2 tablespoon Cornflour, ½ teaspoon Salt, 2 cups Paneer cubes
Heat oil in a pan for frying on medium flame. Once the oil is hot, add paneer cubes (from above) and fry until the batter turns crispy and golden brown. In total, it takes about 4 minutes to fry. Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Keep this aside.
Oil
Step III - Making of chilli paneer
In a pan on medium heat, add oil. Once hot, add dry red chilies and saute for 30 seconds. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add ginger and saute for a few more seconds.
2 tablespoon Oil, 3 Dry red chilies, 2 tablespoon Garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon Ginger
Now add onions, turn the flame to high and saute for a minute. Add capsicum and continue to saute for another 30 seconds. Add 1 tablespoon of green chili paste (store-bought or prepared above), green onions, salt, sugar, and mix. You can check making of chilli paneer. 1 Onion, ½ Bell pepper, 1 tablespoon Spring onions, ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Sugar
Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of cornflour in a bowl with ½ cup of water and mix to form a slurry.
1 tablespoon Cornflour, ½ cup Water
Add this slurry to the dish along with soy sauce and toss to combine and cook till the gravy thickens - it takes about a minute.
1 tablespoon Soy sauce
Finally, add fried paneer and cook for two minutes so that they are heated through. Garnish with some more spring onions, coriander leaves, and toss to combine.
2 tablespoon Coriander leaves
- Paneer can be shallow fried in a pan, grilled in oven or bbq, or deep-fried. I have shallow fried.
- Don't fry the paneer for a long time as it will make the paneer hard and chewy. Total fry time should be between 2 to 4 minutes.
- Vary the sauces and spices to your taste.
- Do not add too much cornflour, as this will make your dish starchy and spoil the taste.
Calories: 609kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 1386mg | Potassium: 266mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 861IU | Vitamin C: 85mg | Calcium: 576mg | Iron: 1mg