Kadai Paneer with Gravy | Karahi Paneer | Paneer with Gravy Recipe

Paneer with gravy recipe is always a treat to have and a delight to our taste buds. It plays a vital role in the Indian vegetarian culinary. A major portion of Indian vegetarian recipes for dinner is dependent on Paneer with gravy recipe. Kadai Paneer Recipe is one of the best examples of it. The combination of tender and juicy paneer pieces in tangy gravy with refreshing flavour of spices makes it unique and special.

Recipe for kadai paneer is always prepared in Kadai masala and it results best when it is prepared with homemade masala. Secondly, it is always prepared in a Kadai or Indian wok. The name Karahi Paneer or Kadai Paneer originates from there. For any karahi preparation, like Karahi Chicken, Karahi Prawn or Karahi Mutton, these two things are mandatory to uplift the authenticity of the dishes.

Indian recipe with Paneer is my all-time favourite. Whenever I visit any Indian restaurant for dinner, I always order a Paneer with gravy recipe and Kadai paneer recipe is one of them. In fact, my husband is a huge fan of kadai recipes, and this had inspired me to start preparing these recipes at home.

But after preparing the Kadai recipes at home, I have realized if it is prepared with correct techniques then it tastes the same or even better than the ones in restaurant. Now, Kadai paneer with gravy has become one of our hits in the list. Whenever we plan for a small part or get together, we always add Kadai paneer recipe into the Menu list for its easy preparation.

Kadai paneer with gravy with step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share few interesting facts about the dish and the core ingredient ‘Paneer’. If you follow the instructions step by step, then you will get the Kadai paneer which tastes better than take away.

Types of Kadai Paneer recipe

Kadai Paneer recipe is mostly prepared in two ways.

Both the preparation tastes equally fantastic. But today, I am going to share with you the second version of Kadai Paneer recipe.

Kadai paneer with gravy is a very easy to prepare recipe. The steps of preparing the dish is quite simple. So, there is very low chance for something to go wrong with the recipe. It needs regularly used ingredients of any Indian kitchen pantry to prepare the dish. The best part is that it does not require much effort or time to prepare the recipe.

Kadai Paneer recipe – Reason behind its popularity

How to add Paneer into gravy preparation

There are two ways to add Paneer into the gravy.

In most of the restaurants, raw paneer is added to the gravy and then they get cooked into the gravy slowly.

But many people prefer to eat fried Paneer rather than raw Paneer. In that case, fry the Paneer pieces in low flame for few seconds before adding to the gravy.

Why do Paneer sometimes become hard and chewy and how to overcome that?

If you are using fried Paneer, then one of the reasons behind it is over frying.

On the other hand, if you are using raw Paneer then the reason behind the hardness is temperature.

If you are using refrigerated Paneer, then put it in hot water for some time until they come to room temperature. This helps the Paneer to be soft and tender.

How to make perfect Kadai Paneer with gravy?

To prepare a perfect Kadai paneer with gravy, few things need to be taken care of.

How to make Kadai Paneer?

To prepare Kadai Paneer with Gravy, first I have cut the paneer into square pieces and shallow fried them for only few seconds. To make the paneer soft and tender, I have immediately soaked them in hot water.

Then I have dry roasted the whole spices in a Kadai and grinded them to prepare Kadai masala for the recipe. The major portion of whole spices used to prepare this masala is Coriander seeds. Other than this, I have used Fennel seeds, Black pepper corns, dry Red Chillies, cloves, cardamom and cumin seeds to prepare the masala.

For the Indian recipe with paneer, I have used chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and kasuri methi other than Kadai masala for the flavouring of the dish. I have used bay leaf and cinnamon stick as whole spices for the tempering of the dish.

To prepare the Kadai paneer with gravy, I have used finely chopped onions. It gives better texture to the gravy.

I have used ginger garlic paste to the preparation of Karahi Paneer. Many people use some extra ginger juliennes to make the dish more fragrant. If you are fond of the flavour of ginger, then you can use it too. Personally, I don’t like ginger juliennes in bite and have hence skipped it.

Kadai paneer recipe is a tangy preparation cooked in tomato gravy. For the recipe, I have used both chopped tomatoes and tomato puree. Both together give better taste and texture to the dish. I have also added sugar into the gravy. It enhances the taste of the gravy and balances the tanginess of tomatoes.

I have added capsicum or bell pepper chunks to the Indian recipe for paneer. It gives a nice soothing flavour to the gravy exactly like the ones in restaurant.

In many restaurants, they induce smoky flavour into the Kadai Paneer. If you like to add Smokey flavour to the dish, then you can go for the Dhungar process.

For the Dhungar process, you just need to heat a piece of coal on flame till red in colour. Then put it in a small metal bowl and place it over the pan of curry. Pour some ghee on the top of the coal and cover the lid of the pan. Let it remain this way for 15-20 minutes and then remove the bowl from the pan. But this step is optional.

Ingredients:

• 2 dry red Chillies
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 2 teaspoons Coriander seeds (Dhania)
• ½ teaspoon Fennel seeds (Saunf)
• 8-10 black Pepper corns (Kali Mirch)
• 2 Cloves
• 2 green Cardamoms

• 200 grams Paneer, cut into squares
• 2 Onions, finely chopped
• 1 Tomato, deseeded and finely chopped
• ½ green Capsicum or Bell pepper, diced
• ½ yellow Capsicum or Bell pepper, diced (Optional)
• ½ tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
• 1/3 cup Tomato puree
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 Cinnamon stick, 2 inches
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon Garam Masala powder
• ¾ teaspoon Kasuri Methi (Dry Fenugreek leaves)
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Salt to taste
• Oil for cooking
• 1¼ to 1½ cups of Water for gravy (Amount of water is adjustable)

1. Put the pan on flame and let it become completely dry.
2. Add Cumin seeds, dry Red Chillies, Coriander seeds, Fennel seeds, black Pepper corns, cloves and cardamoms into the pan.
   
   

3. Dry roast them in low flame for 2-3 minutes until a nice aroma comes out.
4. Switch off the flame and transfer them the jar of a grinder.
   

5. Let the masala cool down.
6. Grind them for a minute and keep the masala aside.
   

1. Add Oil into the pan and wait until the Oil is hot.
   

2. Once the Oil is hot, put the flame in low and add the Paneer pieces.
   

3. Shallow fry them for few seconds from both the sides till they become light golden in colour.
   Tip: Don’t over fry the paneer as it will make them hard and chewy after cooking.
   
4. Take the Paneer pieces out into a bowl.
   

5. To make the Paneer softer, add hot water into the bowl and allow the Paneer to soak in the water.
   

6. Add Oil into the same pan, if required.
7. Add Bay leaf and Cinnamon stick into the pan and cook it for 30 seconds.
   

8. Add chopped Onions into the pan and cook it in medium flame for 5-6 minutes. Stir in between.
   

9. Add Ginger-Garlic paste and give a nice mix. Cook it in medium flame for couple of minutes until the raw smell goes away.
   

10. Add chopped Tomatoes and mix it nicely.
    

11. Cover the pan and cook them for 2 minutes in low flame.
12. Add Salt, Turmeric powder, Chilli powder into the pan and give a nice mix.
    

13. Cook it in low flame for a minute.
14. Add half the amount of Kadai Masala into the pan and mix them nicely.
    

15. Cook them in lowest flame for another couple of minutes.
16. Add Tomato puree and give a nice mix.
    

17. Cover the pan and cook it in lowest flame for 2-3 minutes.
    

18. Add Capsicum or Bell pepper into the pan and give a nice mix.
    

19. Cook it in medium flame for a minute.
20. Add the remaining Kadai masala into the pan and mix it well.
    

21. Cover the pan and cook it in lowest flame for couple of minutes.
22. Add water into the pan and give a nice stir.
    

23. Cover the pan and put the flame in high until the gravy simmers.
24. Put the flame in low and add Garam masala, Kasuri Methi, Sugar into the pan. Mix them nicely.
    

25. Add Paneer pieces into the pan and give a gentle stir.
    

26. Cover the pan and cook it in lowest flame for 3-4 minutes.
27. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.

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