Kadai Paneer is an excellent side dish that pairs beautifully with butter naan, garlic naan, lachcha parathas, chapatis, and even special rice varieties. Paneer is one of my all-time favorite ingredients, and I absolutely love experimenting with different recipes using it.
Last night, I was a bit bored of having rice every day and decided to go with chapatis instead. But the real challenge was deciding on the perfect vegetarian curry to complement them. That’s when paneer popped into my mind, and without wasting time, I ordered a fresh paneer packet from my nearby store.
So today, I’m sharing a delicious and easy-to-make Kadai Paneer recipe with you all!
Why Kadai Paneer?
Kadai Paneer is incredibly simple to prepare. One of the key highlights of this recipe is the ground masala powder, which we make by dry roasting coriander seeds, dry red chilies, and a few other whole spices. Dry roasting means heating the ingredients in a pan (kadai) without using oil. Once roasted, we let them cool down and then blend into a fine powder.
Next, we sauté onions, tomatoes, and cashew nuts in oil. This mixture is then blended to form a smooth puree, which serves as the rich base of our Kadai Paneer. This luscious puree is cooked with sautéed onions and capsicum, along with the freshly ground masala powder. Simmering the curry for a few minutes allows the flavors to meld and the color of the curry to deepen beautifully.
Paneer, often referred to as Indian cottage cheese, is cooked here with bell peppers and our homemade spicy masala. Kadai Paneer is a popular item on the menu in most Indian restaurants. For best results, soak store-bought paneer in warm water for about 20 minutes before using it in the recipe. This step makes the paneer soft and enhances its texture.
To elevate the flavor even more, we add fresh cream and kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), which gives this curry a restaurant-style finish that’ll make you want to wipe the plate clean!
Ingredients
1. For Ground Masala Powder:
- Whole coriander seeds – 3 tsp
- Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Cloves – 2
- Cardamom – 2
- Black pepper – 1 tsp
- Kashmiri red chilies – 3
2. For the Gravy:
- Oil – 2 tablespoons
- Butter – 1 tablespoon
- Chopped onions – 2 + 1
- Chopped tomatoes – 2
- Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
- Cashew nuts – 10
- Paneer – 200 g
- Capsicum (cubed) – 1
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Kashmiri chili powder – 1 tsp
- Fresh cream – 3 tbsp
- Coriander leaves (chopped) – 1 tsp
- Green chili – 1
- Kasuri methi – 1 tsp
- Sugar – ½ tsp
- Salt – to taste
Method of Preparation
- Heat a pan or kadai and dry roast all the ingredients listed under ground masala powder for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame.
- Transfer the roasted spices to a bowl and allow them to cool.
- In the same kadai, heat oil and add 2 chopped onions.
- Sauté for about 3 minutes, then add the ginger garlic paste.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and salt. Cook until tomatoes become soft.
- Add cashew nuts and sauté everything well. Turn off the flame.
- Blend the roasted spices into a fine powder and set aside.
- Blend the sautéed onion-tomato-cashew mix into a smooth puree.
- Heat butter in a kadai. Add green chili and kasuri methi.
- Add the remaining chopped onion and capsicum. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add turmeric powder and Kashmiri chili powder.
- Add the prepared onion-tomato puree and mix well.
- Add the ground masala powder and salt as needed.
- Cook for 5 minutes until oil starts to separate from the sides.
- Add ¼ cup of water (adjust to your desired consistency).
- Add paneer cubes, followed by fresh cream and sugar.
- Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Mix gently and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this hot and flavorful Kadai Paneer with your favorite Indian bread like butter naan, garlic naan, parathas, or chapatis. It also pairs well with jeera rice or plain basmati rice.
Final Tip: This recipe is one of the best and easiest paneer curries you can try at home. Whether you’re cooking for guests or just treating yourself, it’s sure to impress.
