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–+ servings

Kadai Paneer No Onion No Garlic

By Jigna
Kadai Paneer is delicious and full of flavors, made with soft paneer, tomatoes, and freshly ground Kadai Masala.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Cuisine Indian, North Indian
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Diet Jain, No Onion No Garlic, Vegetarian
Servings 4

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

  1. Cooking The Kadai Paneer: If you do not have Kadai, use a wok or pan for cooking the Kadai Paneer.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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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