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.
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
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 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
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.
Add the paneer and leave to marinate for about 30 minutes.
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.
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).
Transfer the browned paneer cubes to a plate lined with kitchen paper, to absorb any excess oil, and set aside until ready to use.
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So it's not essential that you cook it prior to adding to curry. Some people like a golden brown colour on the outside. If you like, you can shallow fry, deep fry, or grill paneer before adding it to a curry. This will create a golden crust on the outside.
Top tip: If you find your paneer can get a bit dry or chewy when fried or cooked, you can soak it in water for 10 minutes so it retains more moisture while cooking.
A simple trick to avoid this - After frying the paneer, dip it into water with a pinch of salt - Remove it after a couple of minutes and that's it - Add it into any gravy and it's going to be soft & tender . . . . .
Spread half of the oil on a non-stick pan or a well-seasoned cast iron pan and heat it well. Once hot, place the paneer pieces over the hot pan and let fry on a medium heat for 3 to 4 mins, until the bottom is crisp. Reduce the heat and using 2 spatulas (1 small and 1 medium), turn the pieces gently to the other side.
Heating paneer without softening will cause it to become hard and rubbery since cooking evaporates some of the moisture content. Follow one of the softening methods above before adding to your recipe.
Does raw paneer contain protein? Raw paneer contains more protein than the cooked form. Deep-frying paneer destroys most of its protein content. Therefore, it is best to eat it raw or lightly sauteed.
'Paneer ka pani' also known as whey water is a byproduct of the paneer making process. Generally, people discard this water after extracting paneer from it but it contains good amounts of protein and is not worth wasting.
Paneer is a non-melting cheese. Since paneer is made using heat and acid, instead of rennet, to curdle the milk, it changes the way the milk proteins are bound together. When paneer is heated, it doesn't melt, but holds its shape, allowing it to be simmered, fried or grilled without liquefying.
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.
*Soak fried paneer in the warm, salty water for 10 minutes. *Press the paneer pieces gently to remove excess water. “You can also soak your fresh paneer if it's tough after soaking in warm water. It makes a big difference,” he says.
This is the first and most important step of cooking paneer. Wheather you are using a store-bought paneer or the homemade one, you should rinse it properly under the tap water. Doing this not only helps in getting rid of the sour taste but also removes any odour from their surface.
Paneer is an animal product which is prepared by curdling hot milk using lime juice, vinegar or citric acid. It can be eaten raw as well as to prepare a variety of dishes.
Though I have deep fried the paneer for the light and airy texture, you may shallow fry, bake or even air fry for healthier option. But remember that if you are making a large batch, deep frying is much easier as the paneer cooks down to crisp texture faster.
Yes, marinating paneer significantly enhances its flavor and texture. It absorbs the spices, becoming more tender and tasty. Should you soak paneer before cooking? Soaking paneer in warm water before cooking makes it softer and more absorbent of flavors, especially if it's been refrigerated.
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