Paneer is a bit like a less salty version of halloumi cheese. It has the same kind of soft squeaky texture and fries/grills up beautifully golden in colour.
Although you can make paneer yourself, quite easily in fact. More and more supermarkets stock it in the chilled halal/world food aisle next to the other Asian goodies.
This recipe came about when I bought a couple of blocks of the stuff on a whim and then didn’t know what to do with it! I’m guilty of buying things and then forgetting I have them, oops…
This recipe is very simple, and can be put together in under 20 mins and perfect when served up alongside some fried rice. It’s an indo-chinese fusion that packs a lot of flavour and is infinitely customisable to your tastes.
I usually add fresh chillies, dried chilli flakes, chilli powder and hot sauce; it stays faithful to it’s name! However, if you like things milder, the flavour of the bell peppers and onions are delicious enough on their own.
Diced paneer, ready to be browned off.
golden, crispy paneer.
Chunky bell peppers and red onions.
Quickly sauteed with chilli flakes.
Sauce simmering until thick and sticky.
Paneer soaking up all the flavours and warming through.
Chilli Paneer
Quick and easy fusion of Indian and Chinese flavours.
Ingredients
- 2 blocks paneer, diced
- 1 large red onion, medium dice
- 2 bell peppers, medium dice
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp chilli sauce (Sriracha)
- 1 tbsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp hot chilli powder
- Fresh clilli, sliced, to taste
- 1.5 tsp cornflour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt
- Spring onion, sliced for garnish
Directions
- Dice your paneer into equal sized cubes and shallow fry in batches until golden brown. Reserve on a plate until needed.
- Dice your bell peppers and onions and fry on high heat, in a little oil. The vegetables should remain crispy and slightly browned.
- Add the chilli flakes and saute.
- In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sriracha, chilli powder, salt, sugar, cornflour and water. Add this to the pan and allow the sauce to thicken.
- Once the sauce has reached your desired consistency, add in the paneer and warm through. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Garnish with sliced chillies and spring onions. Serve and enjoy!
- You can marinate the paneer in cornflour,garlic powder, chilli powder, salt and a drop of water. This will create a crispy coating that will absorb the sauce nicely.
- If you want to make it more aromatic, you could marinate in spices of your choice before frying!
- I use different coloured bell peppers and red onions to make this dish vibrant, but ordinary green peppers and white onions will taste just as delicious.
- Check out my Chilli Chicken recipe!
The Kitchen Archive 
Nice recipe
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