I absolutely love paneer & while growing up I just didn’t get to eat a whole lot of it. As a Maharashtrian, we ate mostly Maharashtrian food and unfortunately, paneer just wasn’t in my mother’s culinary repertoire. I would get my fill whenever I had dinner at a Punjabi/North Indian friend’s place. I actually kind of vaguely even remember having my first taste of paneer, the details itself are a bit sketchy but that first bite was pure heavenly goodness -- I was definitely hooked! Now I seem to be making up for lost time & making paneer whenever I get that special craving, which is much more frequently than I’d care to admit.

Paneer is an essential component of Indian cuisine, especially in North Indian or Punjabi dishes. It is a mild cheese made usually from whole milk, similar to a Farmer’s cheese. It has a firm texture and is a non-melting cheese that can withstand prolonged cooking times and still have the ability to retain its shape, texture and flavor.

Home made paneer has a wonderful fresh taste and is also easy to make but store bought paneer is just as good and is easily available in any Indian grocery store. You can also substitute firm ricotta cheese or extra firm tofu as well. Feel free to use organic milk and make your own home made organic paneer.

Paneer Bhurji is basically stir fried scrambled paneer, so simple and so tasty! It’s chock full of protein and is a perfect dish for vegetarians. This recipe can easily be made using eggs or extra firm tofu. Feel free to add your favorite vegetables to this recipe. You can serve this dish for breakfast/brunch with toast or as part of an Indian meal.


PANEER BHURJI (Stir Fried Scrambled Paneer)

Ingredients:

½ lb (roughly 2 cups) fresh paneer, grated
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
½” piece of ginger, peeled & finely minced
2-3 small green Thai chilies, slit in half lengthwise (to taste)
½ cup of red bell pepper, diced (or you can use green bell pepper or a combination of the two bell peppers)
1 small tomato, finely diced
½ cup of green peas (frozen is fine)
¼ tsp turmeric (haldi)
¼ tsp red chili powder, to taste
¼ tsp garam masala
½ tsp ground cumin powder
½ tsp ground coriander powder
good pinch of dried fenugreek leaves (Kasoori Methi)
salt & pepper, to taste
2 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola) or you can use ghee
freshly chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

METHOD:

In a large deep skillet or wok on medium high heat, add the oil or ghee. When hot, add the onions. Stir fry until lightly browned and add the garlic, ginger & green chilies. Stir for a few minutes until fragrant. Now add the spices (turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, ground cumin powder, ground coriander powder, Kasoori methi, salt & pepper). Stir fry for a few minutes and let the spices cook. Add the tomato & let cook until the tomato has softened. Now add the grated paneer & mix well to combine the paneer with all the onion & spices. Let cook for a few more minutes before adding the vegetables (bell peppers & peas). Let the veggies cook for a few additional minutes. Garnish with cilantro leaves & serve hot with fresh chapatis & fragrant Basmati rice.


VARIATIONS:

Vegetable suggestions: grated carrot, finely chopped spinach, fresh chopped methi leaves (fenugreek), corn…



NEWSLETTER: I invite you to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter. This gives you all of the updates for the Indian Food site. Sometimes, this newsletter has additional information on recipes that are not in the articles. Fill in the blank just below the article with your email address - which is never passed on beyond this site. We will never sell or trade your personal information.