Chilli Paneer

Chilli Paneer – a trendy and delicious Indo-Chinese starter that is popular in Indian restaurants. The paneer aka Indian Cottage cheese is coated with corn flour and then shallow fried. The fried paneer is then tossed in a flavourful spicy sauce mixture. This chilli paneer can be served as a starter or as an accompaniment to main course.

Chilli panner can be made dry or as a gravy. The dry version of chilli paneer is usually served as a starter and the gravy version can be served as a side dish for fried rice.

Today’s chilli paneer recipe is the dry version.

Ingredients:

Paneer cubes	300 grams
Onion sliced	1/4 th cup
Green bell pepper(sliced)	1/4 th cup
Spring onion (finely chopped)	1/4 th cup
Corn flour	3 to 4 tablespoon
Green chilli	2
Soy sauce	3 teaspoon
Red chilli sauce	3 teaspoon
Tomato ketchup (optional)	2 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
black pepper (crushed)	1/4 th teaspoon
Oil	5 to 6 tablespoon

Instructions:

• Chop the paneer into medium size cubes. In a bowl, add enough warm water, add the cubed paneer to this. Rest this for about half an hour. This step is optional but resting the paneer cubes in warm water for few minutes makes it soft.
• Chop the bell pepper and onion into square shaped slices. Finely chop the spring onion.
• Chop the ginger and garlic and mash it with a mortar and pestle. If you are using ginger garlic paste, then use 2 teaspoon of this.
• Slit the green chillies in the middle.
• Take a medium size bowl. Add the panner cubes to this after draining the water. Add some salt and 1/4 th teaspoon of crushed pepper.
• Now add 11/2 to 2 table spoon of corn flour to this. Mix thoroughly so that all the paneer cubes are coated with the corn flour. This is a dry mixture.
• To shallow fry the paneer – In a pan, add about 5 tablespoon of oil. When it is warm enough, add the paneer cubes and shallow fry in medium flame. Do the frying in small batches. Fry the paneer until it is light brown in colour. Do not fry the paneer for too long as this will harden the paneer. Dry the fried paneer on a tissue paper to drain the excess oil.

• Take a pan or a wok and add 1 tablespoon oil. When the oil is warm enough, add the ginger garlic paste and cook in high flame until the raw smell goes away. Add slit green chillies and cook for few seconds.
• Now add the sliced onion and cook until the onions are transparent.
• Add the sliced bell pepper and stir fry for a minute or so.

• Now add 3 teaspoon of red chilli sauce, 3 teaspoon of soya sauce and 2 teaspoon tomato ketchup. Mix the contents thoroughly with a ladle and cook in high flame for a minute.
• Now add the shallow fried paneer cubes and mix well. Add salt. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes in high flame until the paneer is well coated with the sauce mixture.
• In a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of corn flour, add 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoosn of water to make a paste. The paste should be medium thick. Adjust the consistency of the paste by adding more water or corn flour.
• Pour the corn flour paste to the above contents and add salt. Stir and cook for a minute until the raw smell of the sauce goes away. While adding salt, be mindful that the soya sauce and chilli sauce might also have some salt in it.

• Check for taste. If needed, add little bit more red chilli sauce and soya sauce to make it more moist.
• Garnish with finely chopped spring onion.