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Paneer Fry

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So easy and delicious… Try this paneer fry today.

Paneer fry is a curry house favourite and there are many ways to prepare it. This is a simple paneer fry from my cookbook ‘The Curry Guy’ and it can be prepared in under 30 minutes. You can serve the paneer as is or add it to the curry sauce of your choice.

 

paneer fry

About this paneer fry recipe

As recipes go, they just don’t get easier than this. This paneer fry recipe is simple because it is meant to be served both as a starter or added to a curry.

Just like when you go to a curry house and have a selection of different proteins that can be added to your favourite sauce, you can do that at home with this paneer fry. Add the marinated paneer cubes to the sauce of your choice and it will be amazing.

We’re talking restaurant quality here! 

Do you need to marinate the paneer before frying?

Not at all! The thing is, paneer is quite bland in flavour. So if you are serving this paneer fry as a starter without sauce, then it is best marinated. If, on the other hand you are adding the fried paneer to a curry, you could leave the marinating step out and just fry it.

Do you have to fry the paneer?

Absolutely not! The thing is, raw paneer has a tendency to fall apart when added to a sauce. By frying the cubed paneer, you create a crispy crust to the cheese which helps it retain its shape when cooked into a hot curry sauce.

How do you add paneer to a curry sauce?

Prepare the sauce and then add the fried paneer to the bubbling hot curry. Although fried until crisp, it is best to add the paneer fry to a sauce just before serving. It will then retain its shape and become soft and delicious in the center.

Working ahead

Although the paneer fry only needs to be marinated for about 20 minutes, you could make the marinade and add the paneer to it a few days in advance of cooking. 

So if working ahead is more convenient for you, this is a good recipes for that.

What do you serve with paneer fry?

If you’d like to make you paneer fry into a feast, you’ve come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

If you’d like to make naans, why not try one of these? Hot paneer fry is so good wrapped up into a freshly made naan or chapatti.  Instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you’re cooking outdoors, karahi naans. Oh, and really easy but just as delicious are homemade chapatis.

You might also like to serve this with a good and easy tarka dal or slowly simmered dal makhani.

If serving your paneer fry as a starter course, you might want to make some  fried shop bought poppadoms or if you’re feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

 

 

Yield: 6

Paneer Fry

paneer fry
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp garlic and ginger paste
  • 1⁄2 tsp chilli powder
  • 1⁄2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
  • 200g (11⁄2 cups) paneer. cubed
  • 3 tbsp rapeseed oil Salt

Instructions

  1. Whisk the garlic and ginger paste, spices and yoghurt together in a bowl. Using a fork or toothpick, pierce the paneer cubes all over so that the marinade can penetrate.
  2. Add the paneer and leave to marinate for about 30 minutes.
  3. When ready to fry, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium- high heat. When it begins to bubble, remove the paneer from the marinade and add to the hot oil.
  4. Fry until browned on one side, then flip the paneer over and fry on the other side. Only frying two opposite sides is enough to help keep the cheese together while cooking in a sauce, but if you like you can brown it on all sides, as I do (it just looks better).
  5. Transfer the browned paneer cubes to a plate lined with kitchen paper, to absorb any excess oil, and set aside until ready to use.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 68Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 120mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

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