Learn how to make Kadai Paneer, an Indian restaurant style paneer (cottage cheese) recipe that’s a popular accompaniment to tawa nan or jeera rice. It is easy to make Kadai Paneer at home provided you have the ingredients ready in hand.
I really want to start this post by explaining what a kadai is (an Indian wok, btw) and what paneer is (erm.. Indian cottage cheese) but since I am just not in the mood, let’s get on quickly to the recipe, shall we?
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| Kadai Paneer |
I made Kadai Paneer with fresh homemade paneer which is why it looks very crumbly in the pics. But oh boy! It tasted so good!
I thought and thought but I still have no clue why I have never made kadai paneer before in my life. Seriously!
Kadai Paneer Recipe
Serves 2 – 4
Ingredients:
2 cups paneer, cubed
Half a capsicum / green bell pepper, cubed
1 large onion
2 green chillies
3-4 pods of garlic, crushed
1″ piece of ginger, crushed (or 1tsp ginger garlic paste)
1 tomato, pureed
1 tbsp tomato paste (or another pureed tomato)
A generous pinch of kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves
1 tsp red chilli powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp jeera / cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander powder / dhania powder / malli podi (I add a little more than this)
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish
How to make Kadai Paneer:
1. Grind the onion along with the green chillies. Heat oil and fry this paste for 2-3 mins.
2. Then add the chilli powder, turmeric, jeera, coriander powder and crushed ginger and garlic (or ginger garlic paste) and mix well, frying for another minute.
3. To this, add the tomato paste..
4. .. and pureed tomato. Fry for 4-5 minutes until the mixture comes together and the oil begins to separate.
5. Next add the capsicum..
6. .. and kasoori methi, with some salt. Fry for 2-3 mins, until the bell pepper is cooked but still crunchy.
7. Finally add the cubed paneer and mix gently until well combined. Simmer for 2 mins and remove from fire.
I didn’t fry the paneer in advance or do the whole dipping in water, squeezing and draining routine because I am very happy adding it as is at the end of this particular dish.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis/chapatis.
Anonymous says
December 19, 2012 at 6:43 amMade this yesterday. It was so simple to prepare and tasted great! Thanks!
smenon says
November 30, 2012 at 7:54 pmhey nags… this is the best paneer recipe i've come across! ur step by step demonstrations with pics made it so simple to understand.. and it turned out delicious! thank you so much :)) I've tried some of ur other recipes like unniappam, 10 min rasmalai, besan ladoo, paneer pepper masala, veg upma, eggless wheat waffles and i must say.. each one was a hit everytime! the rasmalai one is my favorite!! i wanted to post a reply earlier,and finally i'm replying now… i must also mention about how awesome ur pics are.. a perfect touch to ur wonderful recipes!! I frequently check in to ur site now and everytime i'm glad i did… so thank you 🙂 – seema
Nagalakshmi V says
December 1, 2012 at 5:07 amthank you seema! that's very kind of you 🙂
Miriam says
November 27, 2012 at 9:05 amHi Nags,
I'm making Kadhai paneer for the 1st time and I loved the recipe it was very easy and the end result was yummy now i know where to search for goood yummy north indian recipes…
Thanks a Ton loved the pics 🙂
Anonymous says
September 20, 2012 at 3:43 pmHi,
I have never cooked Paneer before and this is the first time I wanted to try. You have mentioned all the steps and Im gonna try today..
Thank you so much..
Kunal Icon Co-operative Housing Society Ltd says
September 12, 2012 at 8:56 amI have tried kadai paneer receipe of resturant style . tastes exactly like resturant and great . Thanks for this receipe .can You post resurant style Bhindi and Baigan Masala . I will be eagerly waiting for your post
Mamata
Anonymous says
September 12, 2012 at 3:51 amI tried it the 1st time nd my dad loved It
thanks a lot
u made it so easy
Anonymous says
August 30, 2012 at 10:45 amhi , i need another panner receipe varity, eagerly waiting to make that dishes.
Anonymous says
August 27, 2012 at 10:49 amIs it jeera powder, coriander pwoder, or jeera/coriander mix powder that you add – I can't tell which??
thanks
Nagalakshmi V says
August 28, 2012 at 2:13 amthe ingredients list mentions them separately and so do the step by step pictures. i add them separately when making kadai paneer but you can follow whichever you want. Adjust the spices to your taste. We like our kadai paneer recipe a bit on the intense, spicy side.
Hemlata @ indiamarks.com says
August 17, 2012 at 5:29 amit is so delicious and tasty, This is a simple Kadai Paneer recipe. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Anonymous says
June 12, 2012 at 2:14 pmwhat abut salt?
saumya says
May 6, 2012 at 4:55 pmThanks for such a wonderful recipe and step by step pictorial depiction.i tried it and it came out very well,it was an instant hit and everybody loved it..
Anonymous says
April 24, 2012 at 12:05 amThanks for the wonderful pictures. Since most of the websites dont have pictures, I am not sure how it is supposed to look. Now I can compare and cook 🙂
Priyanka Gupta (Rewa,Hyderabad) says
April 21, 2012 at 3:03 pmCan light boiled kaju and magaj (water melon seed)paste be added to make gravy more consistent and add little sweet taste and silky texture.
Nagalakshmi V says
April 23, 2012 at 1:26 ami haven't tried those additions in kadai paneer but i don't see why not
rohan advani says
April 18, 2012 at 2:43 pmhi thanks for the wonderful recipe !! it came out really delicious:) yummy!!
Anonymous says
March 15, 2012 at 8:23 amHi Nags,
I dont cook but wud luv to try this recipe. However got stuck on how to make the tomato paste and puree…. Please let me know…
Nagalakshmi V says
March 16, 2012 at 4:59 amtomato paste you can buy in a can. if you don't get that, just blend tomatoes in a blender or mixer to get pureed tomatoes
Anonymous says
March 16, 2012 at 5:22 amThanks Nags for the quick reply. But you have asked us to use both the paste and the puree.
So as per your last, just the puree will still be enough to get the wonderful result all are talking about.
Nagalakshmi V says
March 16, 2012 at 7:57 amIf you just cannot find tomato paste, add an extra tomato and puree it along with the other amount already mentioned. the end result will be less tomato-ey but will still be good 🙂
Anonymous says
March 4, 2012 at 5:55 pmWow!! I tried it out yesterday and our guests loved it!! thanks for the delicious and easy to make recipe…Thanks for the lovely pictures too…
Rahul Singh says
February 25, 2012 at 10:10 amGreat step by step demonstration…being a boy it was quite difficult for me to make food by own (especially delicious one),,, & guesss??? this site hepled me out with good demonstration in easy and pictorial manner…
regards..
Rahul
choco says
February 22, 2012 at 2:11 pmit was superrrrrrrrrr………….
and tastyyyyyyyyyyyyy…………
Pooja says
February 19, 2012 at 9:44 amHi Nags,
First of all, ur website is my top fav !
I was searching for a simple Kadai Paneer recipe and stumbled upon ur website. Tried it for lunch yesterday and OMG! it turned out so well, and my husband went "Yummmmmmmmmmm"…Kudos to you !
Pooja
Nagalakshmi V says
February 20, 2012 at 2:25 amThank you so much Pooja 🙂 I love kadai paneer too. In fact, any paneer recipe or dish is always a YES 😀 You must try the paneer butter masala, restaurant style recipe I have posted. I am sure you would love that too.
Nagalakshmi V says
January 6, 2012 at 12:47 amso glad you liked the paneer recipes 🙂
Keerthi says
January 5, 2012 at 12:46 pmContinuation of my comment on Chilli Paneer….success!! These both were amazing to taste and so easy to make, thank you for all the pictures Nags! 🙂 🙂
Anonymous says
December 6, 2011 at 8:18 pmreally good
Anonymous says
November 20, 2011 at 1:46 pmWow !! Recipe with images is so super cool n easy to understand ! Thanks a ton ya !!
Saravana Bharathi says
November 5, 2011 at 5:52 pmSimple and yummmm recipe. I have many types of paneer, this is simply the best.
Srinivas says
June 17, 2011 at 7:01 amGood recipe,
I keep some whole basic masala items, cardamom,leaf initially.
If you fry capsicum bit with little oil before u add with gravy, the texture will be very rich..
Thanks.
Srinivas.
Maun says
May 12, 2011 at 12:17 pmThanks for the recipe. My kids loved it and it was really yummy.
Nags says
May 2, 2011 at 1:06 pmso glad you liked the kadai paneer recipe 🙂
Suchismita says
April 29, 2011 at 9:30 amHi, Nags.
I tried this recipe today…and it worked like a dream! I never imagined I could cook "kadhai paneer" in the morning and bring it to work for lunch! The only alteration I made was adding an onion (diced) along with the green pepper.
Thanks so much! m/
Anonymous says
March 18, 2011 at 11:11 amI just followed this recipe and my roommates stole all of it! Just amazing. Kasoori methi before paneer made a lot of difference.
writerzblock says
March 5, 2011 at 6:04 pmthat looks yummyyyyyyy and I am going to try this today 🙂
Dami says
February 3, 2011 at 11:15 pmi just made this, it was so good, thanks!!
Nags says
December 4, 2010 at 12:47 pmGarlic cloves please, as shown in pic 🙂
Nisa Homey says
December 4, 2010 at 10:09 amHi there….was going through ur recipe wanted to clarify whether it is 3-4 garlic pods or 3-4 garlic cloves as shown in the pic. 3-4 garlic is too much right???
Anonymous says
November 23, 2010 at 4:03 pmWhat a lovely recipe… i tried it out promptly and it came out super-good! Keep posting such recipes…. thanks in advance.
Sangeetha.
Nags says
October 27, 2010 at 9:34 amgood point! a lot will depend on the kind of chillies you use, quality, etc.
Tejas says
October 27, 2010 at 9:20 amThis is the first Online recipe which came out good. I had home made panner. It came out very good except that it turned out to be very Hot inspite of adding 1/2 tsp of chilli powder. 2 chilles and 1 tsp chilli powder was too much
Nags says
September 2, 2010 at 1:14 amSM, the cup size I use is around 200ml.
Pretty. Good. Food. says
September 1, 2010 at 5:40 pmOh man this looks delicious! And your photographs are beautiful! Everything here looks great!
I recently launched my own blog, I'd love for you to check it out and let me know what you think! 🙂 Thanks!
http://www.prettygoodfood.com
SM says
August 20, 2010 at 3:30 pmHey Nags,
thanks for the prompt reply, I am really looking forward to making this on the weekend, have made a list of all the ingredients i need to buy.
I posted another question on the homemade paneer recipe, don't see it there not sure why. Please could you let me know what is the cup size you use…? how many ml…
Nags says
August 20, 2010 at 2:11 pmSM, tomatoo paste is more concentrated than puree, that's the only difference (as far as I know). I usually buy the brand Delmonte (you can see if in this page if you scroll down: https://www.cookingandme.com/2009/08/tomato-spinach-pulao-step-by-step.html)
You can also find tomato paste in Hunt's. I am positive the same brand is available in US or UK or wherever you are. Even in India, you should get some brand of tomato paste, I am guessing.
SM says
August 20, 2010 at 2:02 pmHi Nags,
what is the difference between tomato puree and tomato paste?
do you buy the tomato paste- if yes which brand?
because the pics of it always look so pretty
thanks.
Mriganayani says
August 20, 2010 at 5:10 amI can just keep staring at your screen until my eyes doze off..I've been here for a while now already…LOL!
Really…why did you not make this before.
Avanika [YumsiliciousBakes] says
August 18, 2010 at 8:57 pmThis looks really good. I'm a paneer lover. I don't know how to cook, so the step-by-step is super!
Honey says
August 18, 2010 at 3:33 amThat looks freakin' awesome!!! Great job! Kinda like a paneer buji.
Ananda Rajashekar says
August 17, 2010 at 5:21 pmloved last click….paneer looks great and yum!
Parul says
August 17, 2010 at 2:54 pmHi, just made this KP recipe and it came out so well; it was so difficult not to finish it off immediately but wait till dinner time! loved it! thanx…
Shabs.. says
August 17, 2010 at 4:44 amthat look super yummy….i have to give this a go!
Sayantani says
August 16, 2010 at 6:48 pmthats my fav paneer dish and you made just the way I love. creamy and flavourful.
aipi says
August 16, 2010 at 5:42 pmWhat a delicious looking paneer dish !! This is my fav.
Btw thanks for visiting me n the lovely words:)
take care n do keep in touch!
http://usmasala.blogspot.com/
Manki says
August 16, 2010 at 4:46 pmWell, when you do write what Kadai is, let me know; I'd want to know 🙂
Nitha says
August 16, 2010 at 4:35 pmDelicious kadai paneer.. Bookmarked..
Suja Sugathan says
August 16, 2010 at 3:46 pmOh My..lovely post, looks so yummy.
Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal says
August 16, 2010 at 3:41 pmWow, I am drooling all over it. Love the pics and they are sooooo tempting. Thanks for step by step pics 🙂
sinfullyspicy says
August 16, 2010 at 3:10 pmLove Love Love that dish!
I have not been able to lay my hands on good quality, soft paneer in US till nw.Those at Indian stores give some hard core competition to JK tyres !:)
Tried at home few times but it came out a little grainy.But will keep on trying!:)
Satya says
August 16, 2010 at 2:42 pmlove this kadai paneer …its my all time favorite …thanks for sharing
Satya
http://www.superyummyrecipes.com
Manasi says
August 16, 2010 at 2:30 pmOf all the things on my bookmark list, making paneer is on the top. I dunno why, but I just procrastinate.. and now u just made me drool!
Thanks Nags!
Jyoti says
August 16, 2010 at 1:18 pmSimply Irresistable!
Rekha shoban says
August 16, 2010 at 10:26 amwow! nice kadai paneer….perfect with roti…
Akila says
August 16, 2010 at 10:23 amlove your superb description….nice clicks…
Chitra says
August 16, 2010 at 9:49 amNice ..Thnx for the step by step pics 🙂
Sharmilee! :) says
August 16, 2010 at 8:11 amHave tried this once…..luv the taste. Didnt know this was so easy..looks so tasty…Liked the first click very much!
jeyashrisuresh says
August 16, 2010 at 7:14 amthis is my all time fav and love this dish for its simplicity.
♥Aps♥ says
August 16, 2010 at 7:12 amI still remember till date the first time i had this in a restaurant(I m not a big paneer fan though).. We ordered for a Kadai Paneer n a mushroom Kadai(this was for me though)… The first dish which came was KP n i was damn hungry without a second thought i just grabd it n ate it nd was super…. nd the mushroom kadai was left over nd we packed it bac home…
I never tried this til now at home… I love home made paneer nd m gona try it… 🙂
RAKS KITCHEN says
August 16, 2010 at 6:46 amNice recipe…looks yumm!yay,I have this kadai too :):)
Sandhya Hariharan says
August 16, 2010 at 6:28 amlovely post Nag!! I made kadai Paneer last week ..too and taste was perfect.. except for the chewy store bought paneer.
Cheers
Sandy
Divya Kudua says
August 16, 2010 at 5:53 amLooks like my blog is on the way to becoming your shadow blog.I tried the pound cake and the Mint rice.have bookmarked the Apple Crumble and Paneer and now this…ah!![no regrets though,hehe].
Prathibha says
August 16, 2010 at 5:53 amOuch..I am bowled wid this my fav kadai paneer..looks super yummm