Kadai Paneer is a delicious Indian semi-dry curry made with Paneer (Indian cottage cheese), peppers & onions. It's seasoned with an aromatic spice blend, called Kadai Masala, and can be served as an appetizer as well as entree. Here's an easy recipe for this crowd-pleasing restaurant favorite.
This is my take on a classic, which usually takes me double the time to make.
Here I have recreated the magic using easily available ingredients and cooked it in 15 minutes, hence the name 15-Minute Kadai Paneer.
This Indian recipe is on repeat menu in my home. Our favorite way of eating this deliciousness it to roll this mix in a warmed whole-wheat tortilla and enjoy a quick and tasty Kadai Paneer Wrap.
One-Pot Recipe
15-Minute Kadai Paneer is one of the simplest Indian food recipes I make.
The 5 minutes of prep and under 10 minutes of cooking time makes it ideal for weeknights. This easy to follow recipe comes together in ONE-PAN.
A wide Skillet or Fry Pan
is all you need to make it. You can even make this in your Instant Pot
, using the SAUTE feature.
What is a Kadai Paneer?
This dish is traditionally prepared in an Indian 'wok', called kadai, thus giving it's name.
Kadai style of cooking is very similar to Stir-Fry method of cooking. Fresh ingredients are lightly stir-fried and a master sauce is used to bind the dish together.
In this recipe, I blend crushed, or pureed, tomatoes with tomato paste and a touch of yogurt, and add it to the sautéed paneer and peppers.
The tartness in the yogurt cuts through the sweet and dense tomato flavor really well. I season the mix with earthy and floral Indian spices, like garam masala, coriander powder and dried fenugreek leaves.
The result is a delicious entree with perfectly balanced flavors.
Many restaurants use heavy cream or a cashew paste to give a rich taste and finish to Kadai Paneer. I prefer using Greek Yogurt, as it provides the same richness, yet keeps this dish light and healthy.
Homemade Kadai Masala Recipe
Like most Indian spice blends, there are a lot of variations in this recipe.
Typically, it includes dry red chili, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cardamom, fennel and one of the main flavor boosters, dried fenugreek leaves, also called kasoori Methi.
Most of these spices are included in my master spice blend, Homemade Garam Masala, so I just add the dried fenugreek leaves and create the kadai flavors in this dish, without any extra effort. This shortcut is ideal for last minute and weeknight meals.
When I do have the time, here's how I make Kadai Masala from scratch:
I toast the following spices in a skillet for 2 minutes, stirring in between. Then, I cool these spices for about 15 minutes, and grind them to a semi-fine consistency, using my handy Krups Coffee Grinder
.
- 1 teaspoon Crushed Red Chili Flakes
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Fennel Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Black Peppercorn
- 4-5 Green Cardamom Pods, de-seeded
- 2 teaspoon Fenugreek Leaves / Kasoori Methi (I add this towards the end and then just pulse 2-3 times)
, de-seeded
(I add this towards the end and then just pulse 2-3 times)Here's an easy recipe for homemade paneer which adds a ton of flavor in this dish.
Recipe Tips & Notes
In this recipe, I have made a semi-dry variation of Kadai paneer. To add more gravy/sauce in this dish, simply increase the quantity of crushed or pureed tomatoes to 1 cup, and add another tablespoon of Greek yogurt. You'll have a delicious rich sauce in the end.
Serving Suggestions for Kadai Paneer
This dish is versatile enough to be served as an appetizer or as an entree. To serve this as an appetizer, I make mini-skewers using Cocktail Picks
.
Here's how I load each Cocktail Picks-- onion, pepper, paneer, pepper, onion. I serve this with Cilantro Chutney and it's always a hit.
My kids loves wrapping some in a warm whole-wheat tortilla and enjoy it as a Kadai Paneer Wrap.
For a low-carb option, my husband and I love to have it with a large garden salad, dressed with fresh lime juice and chaat masala.
To make a meal, you can serve this with Cumin Rice, or Naan/Roti, serve it with a side of Cucumber Raita, and enjoy a delicious Indian Vegetarian meal.
Popular Paneer Recipes on the Blog
- Paneer Tikka Masala
- Achari Paneer Biryani
- Paneer Makhani (Paneer Butter Masala)
- Palak Paneer
- Vegetable and Paneer Biryani
- Chilli Paneer
- Paneer Kathi Roll
- Matar Paneer
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Kadai paneer
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon panchpuran or cumin seeds
- ½ inch ginger grated fine or 2 teaspoons ginger paste
- 3 cloves garlic minced or 2 teaspoons garlic paste
- 10 ounces paneer diced
- 1 green pepper diced
- 1 yellow or red bell pepper diced
- 1 medium onion diced in 1-inch pieces, layers separated
- 1-2 whole Thai green chili or serrano can skip for mild
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup tomato puree 2 Roma tomatoes pureed
- ¼ cup water add more if needed
- ¾ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon dry fenugreek leaves (Kasoori Methi)
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a kadai or deep skillet on medium-high heat. Add panchpuran (or cumin) and let it sizzle for 20 seconds. Now add ginger and garlic, and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add diced onions, peppers, green chili, and paneer along with kasoori methi (fenugreek) and stir-fry for 1 minute.
- In a small bowl, mix together tomato paste, tomato puree, spices, and water. Add it to the skillet, stir well and cook for 5-7 minutes until the tomato gravy starts thickening, and onion and peppers are cooked to your liking.
- Turn off the heat and stir in chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Alice says
Do you think this would be good with zucchini or yellow squash instead of the bell peppers? My husband is allergic to bell peppers, all colors.
Aneesha says
Hi Alice, yes, either will work in this recipe. Enjoy!