Kadai Paneer is a popular Indian dish where paneer and bell peppers are cooked in freshly ground Kadai Masala. The recipe is simple, without onion and garlic, but high on flavors, very delicious, and restaurant-style!
Kadai Paneer is a semi-dry curry, and it goes perfectly well with Naan, Roti, or Paratha. It can also be served as a side with Dal and Rice!
What is Kadai Paneer?
The dish is called Kadai Paneer because traditionally, this Paneer curry is cooked in Kadai. Kadai is humble Indian cookware that is almost similar to Chinese wok. But, to make Kadai Paneer, it’s okay if we do not have Kadai. We can cook it in a wok or any other cooking pan.
About Kadai Paneer
Kadai Paneer is a semi-dry dish made with tomatoes, paneer, bell peppers, and Homemade Kadai Masala. Making this masala is very quick and requires less than 10 minutes. Also, the ingredients we need are very basic and should be readily available in our kitchen.
The recipe is straightforward and comes together quickly. It is mildly spicy, slightly tangy, and full of earthy flavors with a freshly ground spice blend. Kadai Paneer is our family’s favorite dish, and I often make it as a quick-fix dinner.
Ingredients
The ingredients of this recipe are not fancy or exotic. They are simple and basic ingredients and should be readily available in our pantry. Moreover, there is no need for cashews or cream in this recipe.
- Kadai Masala Powder: Making this spice blend is essential for this recipe. It adds authentic flavors to the Kadai Paneer No Onion No Garlic dish. I have included the masala recipe in this post, but if you want to make only Kadai masala powder, check out this post, Kadai Masala / Homemade Kadai Masala Powder. I have also made Kala Chana in Kadai Masala recipe using this masala powder.
- Paneer: Using fresh and soft Paneer is essential for the success of the curry. I have used Homemade Paneer to make this dish. But if you are using a store-bought Paneer, make sure to bring it to room temperature before using it in the recipe. You can also Place the Paneer in a Ziploc bag or container and place it in hot water for at least 20 minutes to make the Paneer soft.
- Bell Peppers: I have used green, red, and yellow bell peppers for this recipe. But you can use only green peppers, or any color of bell pepper is available to you. I have added 2 cups of cubed peppers, but you can add less if you prefer.
- Tomatoes: Choose tomatoes that are ripe and pulpy. Ripe tomatoes will not be very sour. In this recipe, I have used chopped tomatoes as well as tomato puree. We need thick gravy for this recipe, which is why I have used chopped tomatoes. Chopped tomatoes will provide texture to the gravy, and tomato puree will make the gravy moist and will make the dish semi-liquid.
- Other spices: Because we are using Kadai masala, the rest of the spices are simple. I have used red Kashmiri chili powder to get the bright color of the dish, and it also keeps the dish moderately spicy. If you want, you can add green chili or green chili paste to make the dish spicier, but I have added only ginger. The rest are turmeric powder, cumin powder, and coriander powder.
Step-by-Step Directions
Preparing Kadai Masala Powder
- In a nonstick or heavy-bottomed pan, dry roast dry red chilis.
- Roast them on medium-low heat for a couple of minutes or until they start to get darker in color.
- Remove the chilis from the pan and place them into a plate or bowl.
- In the same pan, add the rest of the spices and roast them on low-medium heat.
- Roast them for 3-4 minutes or until they are aromatic.
- Remove these spices from the pan and place them with red chilis.
- Let the spices cool down completely.
- Now add them into a grinder jar and grind them into a coarse powder
- Do not grind the spices into a fine powder.
- Alternatively, you can also crush the spices into a mortar and pestle.
- Set the masala aside.
Making Paneer and Bell Pepper Mixture
- Cut the bell peppers into cubes. You can keep them as big or small as you prefer. I like to keep smaller cubes.
- I have used green, red, and yellow bell peppers. You can either use only green pepper or any color of peppers you have.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and add diced bell peppers.
- Cook the bell peppers on medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until they are soft and almost cooked.
- To this, add paneer cubes and gently mix with bell peppers.
- Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until the paneer is well heated through.
- Add a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoon of prepared Kadai Masala powder into a Paneer mixture. Mix well and gently so that the masala coats evenly.
- Turn off the heat, take the paneer mixture into a bowl, and set it aside.
Making Kadai Paneer
- Finely chop one tomato.
- And make the fine puree of two tomatoes.
- Heat butter or oil in the same Kadai or Pan in which you prepared the paneer mixture.
- Add asafoetida and grated ginger, and saute for a few seconds.
- Now add chopped tomatoes and mix well.
- Cook the tomatoes until they are soft and mushy.
- To this, add tomato puree and mix well.
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt to taste.
- Cook the gravy for 7-8 minutes or until the oil separates from the sides and the raw aroma of tomatoes goes away.
- Then add the spiced paneer mixture and gently mix well.
- Add 2 tablespoon Kadai Masala powder and mix well.
- You can add more or less masala as per your preference. If you have used very hot red dry chilis to make Kadai Masala, initially add only a tablespoon of it. Taste and then add more Kadai masala if you need to.
- Mix until everything is well combined.
- If you need to adjust the consistency of the dish, add little water to it. However, do not add too much water; otherwise, the flavors of the curry will be diluted.
- Cook the Kadai Paneer for 4-5 minutes.
- Taste and adjust the salt if required.
- Then add crushed Kasoori Methi, mix well and turn off the heat.
- Transfer the Kadai Paneer into a serving bowl and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve the Kadai Paneer with Roti or Naan.
- It goes well with Paratha or this whole wheat Kulcha as well.
- For a lighter meal, serve this curry with plain Rice or Jeera Rice.
Helpful Tips
- Cooking The Kadai Paneer: If you do not have Kadai, use a wok or pan for cooking the Kadai Paneer.
- Kadai Masala Powder: I have used dried Kashmiri red chilis to make this masala, which provides bright color but does not make the spice blend too spicy. But if you want your Kadai Masala spicier, use a hot variety of red chilis.
- Bell Peppers: Generally, only green pepper is used in Kadai Paneer. However, I like to add red and yellow peppers with green peppers for more colors and flavors. But you can only use green peppers if you want.
- Red Chili Powder: If you use very hot red chilis to make Kadai Masala, use Kashmiri red chili powder for the curry. Or you can also skip adding chili powder if you want.
More Paneer Recipes
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Recipe Card
Kadai Paneer No Onion No Garlic
Kadai Paneer is delicious and full of flavors, made with soft paneer, tomatoes, and freshly ground Kadai Masala.
Video
Ingredients
For Kadai Masala Powder
- 6 dry red chilis
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 4 green cardamoms
For Paneer Mixture
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 300 gm Paneer cut in cubes
- 2 cups bell peppers cut into small cubes ((green or mixed color))
- 2 tablespoon prepared Kadai Masala
- Pinch of salt
For Kadai Paneer
- 1 tablespoon butter or oil
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida / Hing
- 1- inch ginger peeled and grated
- 1 tomato finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes pureed
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2-4 tablespoon Kadai Masala powder ((as per your taste preference))
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon crushed Kasoori Methi ((dried fenugreek leaves))
- Fresh coriander leaves finely chopped for garnishing
Instructions
Making Kadai Masala Powder
- In a nonstick or heavy-bottomed pan, dry roast dry red chilis. Roast them on medium-low heat for a couple of minutes or until they start to get darker in color.
- Remove the chilis from the pan and place them into a plate or bowl.
- In the same pan, add the rest of the spices and roast them on low-medium heat.
- Roast them for 3-4 minutes or until they are aromatic.
- Remove these spices from the pan and place them with red chilis.
- Let the spices cool down completely. Now add them into a grinder jar and grind them into a coarse powder.
- Do not grind the spices into a fine powder. Alternatively, you can also crush the spices into a mortar and pestle.
Making Paneer and Bell Pepper Mixture
- Cut the bell peppers into cubes. You can keep them as big or small as you prefer. I like to chop them into smaller cubes.
- I have used green, red, and yellow bell peppers. You can either use only green pepper or any color of peppers you have.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and add diced bell peppers.
- Cook the bell peppers on medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until they are soft and almost cooked.
- To this, add paneer cubes and gently mix with bell peppers.
- Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until the paneer is well heated through.
- Add a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoon of prepared Kadai Masala powder into a Paneer mixture. Mix well and gently so that the masala coats evenly.
- Turn off the heat, take the paneer mixture into a bowl, and set it aside.
Making Kadai Paneer
- Heat butter or oil in the same Kadai or Pan, in which you prepared the paneer mixture.
- Add asafoetida and grated ginger, saute for few seconds.
- Now add chopped tomatoes and mix well.
- Cook the tomatoes until they are soft and mushy.
- To this, add tomato puree and mix well.
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt to taste.
- Cook the gravy for 7-8 minutes or until the oil separates from the sides and the raw aroma of tomatoes goes away.
- Then add spiced paneer mixture and gently mix well.
- Add 2 tablespoon Kadai Masala powder and mix well.
- You can add more or less masala as per your preference. If you have used very hot red dry chilis to make Kadai Masala, initially add only a tablespoon of it. Taste and then add more Kadai masala if you need to.
- If you need to adjust the consistency of the dish, add little water to it. However, do not add too much water; otherwise, the flavors of the curry will be diluted.
- Cook the Kadai Paneer for 4-5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt if required to. Then add crushed Kasoori Methi, mix well and turn off the heat.
- Transfer the Kadai Paneer into a serving bowl and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve the Kadai Paneer with Roti or Naan.
- It goes well with Paratha or this whole wheat Kulcha as well.
- For a lighter meal, serve this curry with plain Rice or Jeera Rice.
Notes
- Cooking The Kadai Paneer: If you do not have Kadai, use a wok or pan for cooking the Kadai Paneer.
- Kadai Masala Powder: I have used dried Kashmiri red chilis to make this masala, which provides bright color but does not make the spice blend too spicy. But if you want your Kadai Masala spicier, use a hot variety of red chilis.
- Bell Peppers: Generally, only green pepper is used in Kadai Paneer. However, I like to add red and yellow peppers with green peppers for more colors and flavors. But you can only use green peppers if you want.
- Red Chili Powder: If you use very hot red chilis to make Kadai Masala, use Kashmiri red chili powder for the curry. Or you can also skip adding chili powder if you want.
Nutrition (Approximate Values)
Calories : 333kcalCarbohydrates : 13gProtein : 13gFat : 27gSaturated Fat : 16gPolyunsaturated Fat : 1gMonounsaturated Fat : 2gTrans Fat : 1gCholesterol : 57mgSodium : 54mgPotassium : 398mgFiber : 5gSugar : 4gVitamin A : 2834IUVitamin C : 103mgCalcium : 432mgIron : 3mg
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