Chilli Paneer

Chilli Paneer is Chinese-style Indian cottage cheese with onions, peppers, soya sauce, red chilli sauce, ketchup and corn flour. Simple, easy and so good!

Chilli Paneer is one of those hybrid dishes that is not traditionally Indian but not completely foreign either. Strictly speaking, ingredients like soya sauce, corn flour and red chilli sauce are not used in ‘Indian’ cooking, but what the heck! It’s an awesome paneer dish that is high on taste and goodness (think coloured peppers).

You don’t have to eat it with rotis or naan. Since it’s a dry chilli paneer (thanks to all that cornflour), it can be had as a snack. But of course, if you’re very hungry, it pairs very well with any Indian bread which is how most vegetables are eaten in India.

The best thing about it is that it is so quick to make. When you have guests coming at short notice, just shallow fry some paneer, add it to the other ingredients, stir a few times and it’s ready. No slaving over the stove for hours and working up a sweat.

Writing about chilli paneer is making my mouth water. I’m off to make some!

If you're in the mood for another, really good Indo-Chinese recipe that comes together real quick, try this gobi manchurian from Your Veg Recipe. It has cauliflower as the main ingredient.

chilli paneer

Saima Zaidi

Chilli Paneer is Chinese-style Indian cottage cheese with onions, peppers, soya sauce, red chilli sauce, ketchup and corn flour. Simple, easy and so good!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Lunch

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 13- ounce paneer cubed
• 1 red 1 orange and 1 yellow pepper (also called capsicum), cut into Chinese style squares
• 1 medium onion cut into Chinese style squares
• 1 bunch 5 or 6 stalks spring onions, chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic chopped finely
• ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 2 tablespoon soya sauce
• 2 tablespoon red chilli sauce
• 1 green chilli slit lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon corn flour dissolved in a little water
• 3 tablespoon cooking oil

Instructions

 

• Shallow fry the paneer cubes in oil and take out in a plate.
• In the same oil, add the ginger-garlic, peppers, onions, green chilli and spring onions. Sauté for 5 minutes.
• Tip in the soya sauce, red chilli sauce, ketchup, salt and black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until the peppers are soft.
• Add the corn flour and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Spoon out the paneer in a shallow dish and garnish with the remaining spring onions.
• TOP TIPS
• Fry the paneer on medium heat so that it browns quickly. If you leave it on a slow flame, it will become hard and chewy later. Don't over-brown it either.
• Don’t add too much corn flour or the whole thing will become a sticky mess.
• Omit the green chilli if you don’t fancy spice. The red chilli sauce will do the job!

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