paneer manchurian dry

PREP TIME

5 mins

COOK TIME

25 mins

TOTAL TIME

30 mins

 

INGREDIENTS

for frying paneer

• 250 grams paneer/cottage cheese, 8 to 9 ounces paneer
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• ½ tsp black pepper powder or white pepper
• ½ tsp red chilli powder or ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp sugar (optional)
• ½ tsp salt or add as required
• 3 tbsp oil

for the sauce:

• 1.5 to 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• ½ tbsp soy sauce or add as required
• ¼ tsp black pepper or white pepper
• ½ tsp rice vinegar or apple cider or regular vinegar
• ½ tsp red chilli powder or ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup water
• ⅓ cup onions or spring onion whites diced into 1 inch squares
• ½ cup capsicum/bell peppers diced into 1 inch squares (any color - red, green or yellow)
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger/adrak
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic/lahsun
• 1 tsp finely chopped green chilies/hari mirch
• 1 to 2 tsp finely chopped celery (optional)
• salt as required

INSTRUCTIONS

1. first chop the onions and bell pepper into 1 inch squares. finely chop the ginger, garlic, green chilies and celery. keep aside. skip celery, if you don't get it. you can also use spring onion/scallions instead of onions. red or green or yellow bell pepper/capsicum can be added.
2. then dice paneer in cubes. pat dry them with a clean kitchen towel. then add them to a mixing bowl.
3. add ½ tsp red chili powder, ½ tsp black pepper powder, ½ tsp salt and 2 tbsp corn starch.
4. gently shake, toss and mix. everything should be well mixed. you could also mix the corn starch and the spice powders first and then add the paneer cubes to it.
5. heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan or kadai or wok.
6. add the paneer cubes. the oil should be medium hot. if the pan or wok is small, you will have to fry the paneer in batches.
7. flip and pan fry so that all the sides get cooked evenly. for a crisp version, you will need to shallow fry or deep fry the paneer cubes.
8. pan fry till the paneer cubes are light golden. don't fry for a longer period of time as the paneer cubes might become dense. use good quality and fresh paneer. homemade paneer is the best.
9. drain the pan fried paneer cubes on kitchen paper towel.
10. in the same pan in which the paneer cubes were pan fried, add the chopped onions, capsicum, ginger, green chilies, garlic and celery. stir well.
11. whilst the veggies are getting stir fried, in the same bowl in which the paneer cubes were mixed, there will be leftover corn starch & spice powder mixture. you will only get this dry mixture if the paneer cubes were dry. if the paneer cubes were moist, then you will need to make a separate corn starch paste. dissolve 1 tbsp corn starch with 3 tbsp water.
12. add ¼ cup water and make a paste of the remaining corn starch & spice powder mixture.
13. meanwhile, on a medium flame stir fry the veggies till the bell peppers are half cooked.
14. add ½ tbsp soy sauce. add tomato ketchup. about 1.5 tbsp tomato ketchup is just sweet. for an extra sweetness, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup needs to be added. stir. you can also add about ½ tsp of sugar.
15. then season with salt, red chili powder and black pepper. add less salt as both soy sauce, tomato sauce and the corn starch paste we made, already has salt in them.
16. add the corn starch paste. stir well and allow to simmer on a medium flame till the sauce thickens. about 1 to 2 minutes.
17. once the sauce has thickened, add the pan fried paneer cubes.
18. stir again very well so that the sauce coats the paneer cubes evenly.
19. lastly add rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar or regular white vinegar.
20. stir. check the taste and add more salt, soy sauce, vinegar or black pepper if required.
21. serve dry paneer manchurian hot garnished with celery or some spring onion greens. you can also garnish with chopped coriander leaves or parsley.