Kadai Paneer

Kadai Paneer

Kadai Paneer – paneer and bell peppers are cooked in a spicy masala which gets is flavor from freshly ground coriander and chilies! Enjoy it with naan or rice

Paneer is my husband’s favorite vegetable (if you consider it as a vegetable that is, Indians definitely do!) and green pepper or capsicum as we call it in India is my favorite veggie so it’s rather surprising that I am so late in posting this Kadai Paneer recipe which is basically paneer and bell pepper cooked in a spicy masala.

Kadai paneer is one of the most popular paneer recipes. It’s there on the menu in almost all Indian restaurants and best enjoyed with butter naan. It also tastes great with plain paratha. This paneer sabzi gets its unique flavors from fresh ground coriander seeds and dried red chilies. The spices are dry roasted till fragrant and then ground to a fine powder. The addition of fresh spices makes this super flavorful. It’s amazing how much difference the addition of fresh spices can make to a dish. They really make the flavors pop!

Paneer and bell peppers are cooked in a spicy masala! Kadai Paneer is one of the most popular Indian paneer recipes and is best enjoyed with naan or roti.

Ingredients

• 200 grams paneer cubes
• 3 small peppers, cubed, I used red and yellow peppers
• 1 medium red onion, cubed
• 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• 1.5 tablespoons butter
• 2.5 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon kasuri methi, crushed
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1.5 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 cup water
• pinch of sugar
• salt, to taste

Kadai Masala

• 1.5 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 4 dried red chilies
• 2 green cardamom
• 2 cloves

Instructions

1. Dry roast coriander seeds, dried red chili, cloves and green cardamom for 5-6 minutes till fragrant.
2. Transfer to a spice grinder and grind the spices to a fine powder. The kadai masala is now ready, set aside.
3. In a pan heat 1.5 teaspoon oil on high heat. Toss cubed onion and bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes , the veggies should remain crunchy. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Lower heat to medium and in the same pan add butter and oil. Once hot, add grated ginger and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes till raw smell goes.
5. Add tomatoes, little salt, cover the pan and cook the tomatoes for 10-12 minutes on medium heat.
6. Once tomatoes are cooked, add salt, kashmiri red chili powder and the prepared kadai masala. Mix till combined.
7. Cook the masala for 2-3 minutes then add 1/4 cup water, sugar, heavy cream and mix.
8. Add the sauteed onion and bell peppers and mix.
9. Then add crushed kasuri methi and paneer pieces.
10. Stir, cover the pan and cook for another 2 minutes.
11. Add chopped cilantro and mix. Serve Kadai Paneer with naan or rice.

Recipe Source:cookwithmanali.com