INDO CHINESE CHILLI PANEER

Chilli Paneer is a delicious Indo Chinese recipe where paneer (cottage cheese) is coated with a batter and deep-fried until crisp. It is then tossed in a spicy sauce mixed with onion and capsicum. It’s the Indian version of a Chinese recipe that is a vegetarian option and lots of spices too.

A spicy, tangy paneer recipe that you can serve as is or along with a bowl of rice. This recipe yields one of the best chili paneer dry that pairs well with a veg fried rice, schezwan fried rice, hakka noodles for the main course, or can be served as a starter. Two types of chili paneer are popular in India – the dry version which is served as an appetizer and the gravy version which is eaten as a main course with rice or noodles. 

Chilli Paneer is a finger-licking recipe that has paneer is coated with an all-purpose flour and cornflour mixture, deep-fried and then mixed with onions, capsicum, and a spicy sauce. I am sharing a semi-dry version with you guys today. It has a little sauce and you can serve it as an appetizer or even as a main course.

Tips To Make Restaurant Style Chilli Paneer 

• While marinating paneer cubes in a mixture of ginger garlic paste, black pepper powder, and salt to taste. This mixture is kept aside for 20 minutes.
• Then coat the paneer cubes in corn flour or all-purpose flour. Once coated, it is double fried to make it super crispy.
• As corn flour is used in gravy to give a nice and thick texture. Just mix it with a little water and add in the prepared sauce.
• Add vinegar and black pepper to chili paneer it gives a nice tangy taste, whereas black pepper adds extra heat to the recipe.

Read More : Cheese Masala Macaroni 

If you do not want to deep fry the paneer, you can pan fry the coated paneer instead. Heat a little oil, add in the paneer cubes, and pan-fry from all the sides till the layer on top gets golden brown and a little crispy. You can even air fry the paneer cubes. Spray a little oil on the tray and the top of Paneer. Add them in the air fryer basket in a single layer and let them cook till crispy.

Chilli Paneer Recipe 

Ingredients 

For Marination

• Paneer (cut into cubes) 400gm
• Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp
• Black pepper 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste

For The Batter

• Cornflour 1/4 cup
• All-Purpose Flour 1/2 cup
• Vegetable Oil
• Salt to taste

For the Sauce

• Cornflour 1 tsp
• Water 1/4 cup
• Vegetable oil 2 tbsp
• Garlic (chopped) 1 tbsp
• Ginger (chopped) 1 tbsp
• Onion (cubed and layers separated) 1
• Green chilies 2-3
• Capsicum (cubed) 1
• Red chili paste 1 tbsp
• Soy sauce 2 tbsp
• Vinegar 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper 1 tsp

Method 

For The Marination

1. Press the paneer cubes with a heavy object to get rid of excess water.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and keep aside for 20 minutes.

For The Batter

1. Mix cornflour, all-purpose flour, vegetable oil, and salt in a bowl.
2. Mix well using your fingers until it forms a crumbly mixture.
3. Add little water and make a batter.
4. Add the marinated paneer pieces in the batter and mix well.

For Frying The Paneer 

1. Heat oil for frying in a pan.
2. Once the oil is very hot, add the batter coated paneer in the hot oil and fry on high heat until the pieces turn slightly brown.
3. Remove the pieces on a tissue lined plate.
4. If the pieces are stuck to each other, you can separate them at this stage.
5. Now heat the oil once again.
6. Dip the pieces in batter from the sides their coating has gone off.
7. Double fry the paneer on high heat until nicely browned.
8. Drain on a tissue lined plate.
9. This double frying ensures the paneer pieces are very crispy.

For The Sauce

1. Mix cornflour and water in a bowl and keep aside.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a wok.
3. Add spring onion white, ginger, and garlic and fry for a minute on high heat.
4. Add onion, green chili, and capsicum and fry for another minute.
5. Now add red chili paste, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and black pepper powder and cook for a minute.
6. Add the cornflour slurry and cook until the sauce thickens.
7. Switch off the heat and let the sauce cool down a bit.
8. After 5 minutes, add the fried paneer in the sauce and toss well to coat them with the sauce.
9. Garnish with spring onion greens and sesame seeds.
10. Serve immediately.