Paneer bhurji recipe aka scrambled Indian cottage cheese is one of the most popular Indian street food in northern and western India. It is a spicy and flavoured scrambled paneer recipe where crumbled paneer is cooked with onions, ginger-garlic, tomatoes, fragrant Indian spices and coriander leaves. This healthy, delectable and comforting delight is easy to make and gets prepared within 15 minutes. The recipe for paneer bhurji could be a perfect option for a weekday breakfast with bread or pav or a lunchbox with a pair of paratha or roti.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Paneer Bhurji (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
What is paneer bhurji?
Paneer bhurji recipe is basically scrambled paneer aka Indian cottage cheese recipe which is prepared in Punjabi style. It is crazily popular all over India because of its irresistible taste and unique flavour. Paneer bhurji is a Hindi name where paneer stands for Indian cottage cheese and bhurji means scramble.
In every region, paneer bhurji recipe is prepared in its own style by slightly changing the proportions or combination of spices. But is usually prepared in two different ways.
- Dry paneer bhurji
- Paneer bhurji gravy
In both ways, the dish tastes amazing. Today, I am going to share the dry paneer bhurji recipe with you.
How to eat paneer bhurji?
In northern India, paneer bhurji is a popular breakfast recipe which is served with pav or with bread toast. Other than that, it is also served with paratha, roti or phulkas for lunchbox.
According to me, paneer bhurji recipe is one of the most versatile paneer dishes which can be served with your favourite main and can be used to prepare paneer bhurji sandwich, paneer bhurji kathi roll, wrap etc.
Reason behind popularity of paneer bhurji
- High in protein
- Vegetarian
- Kids friendly recipe
- Easy to make
- Gluten-free
- Gets ready within 15 minutes
- Perfect for lunchbox
First of all, I am a paneer lover and can’t imagine a meatless day without it. Other than that, I always try to find some excuse to add paneer to our regular menu just to satisfy my craving. Today, I am going to dedicate this recipe to all paneer lovers. I am very sure that this dish will be a feast for them.
Whenever I talk about paneer bhurji recipe, it always makes me feel nostalgic. I have thousands of good memories with this super simple but scrumptious recipe. I still remember my Bangalore days – after finishing my studies when I went to Bengaluru for a job, I used to stay in a PG. There I used to cook my food on my own. To be very honest, anda bhurji and dry paneer bhurji was one of the most cooked dishes by me. It’s not that I was not a good cook but I was so fond of bhurji recipe. it’s so easy to make that I repeated this recipe myriad times.
Paneer bhurji recipe is a very simple and easy recipe. It requires minimal ingredients which are easily available in any Indian kitchen pantry. The best part of the dish is that it gets prepared quickly without investing much time and effort. It could be a protein-rich wholesome breakfast for kids.
Paneer bhurji recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. It is a full-proof recipe and perfect for beginners. If you follow the step precisely then you will get perfect dry paneer bhurji.
Tips to prepare perfect paneer bhurji
- Crumble the paneer with your hand, don’t try to grate the paneer. It will give a better texture.
- Try to use handmade paneer for the best result of the recipe.
- For any bhurji recipe, it is very important to chop the veggies finely for the perfect texture.
- Add both butter and oil to cook the bhurji. It gives a better flavour and taste to the dish.
- Don’t overcook the paneer or else it will become hard and chewy.
- Don’t skip the spices from the recipe. Each spice is important to flavour up the dish.
- The addition of spices gives a brown shade to the bhurji. You can skip the spices to make the bhurji look bright yellow in colour but it won’t taste great.
- You can adjust the amount of green chilli according to your taste.
Paneer bhurji ingredients
Paneer: The primary ingredient of the recipe which provides taste, texture and flavour to the dish.
Capsicum aka bell pepper: The addition of capsicum aka bell pepper gives a nice flavour and texture to the dish. I have used red capsicum for the recipe but you can use green or yellow capsicum too.
Onions: Onions are one of the most important ingredients in bhurji recipe which provide taste and flavour to the dish. I have used finely chopped onions for the recipe.
Tomatoes: I have used chopped tomatoes for the recipe. It gives a nice flavour, taste and texture to the dish.
Ginger-garlic: Both the ingredients are equally important to flavour up the dish and enhance the taste of the bhurji.
Green chillies & coriander leaves: Green chillies add a heaty taste and coriander leaves add a refreshing aroma to the dish.
Kasuri methi aka dry fenugreek leaves: The addition of Kasuri methi adds a nice earthy flavour to the dish.
Cumin seeds & Hing: I have added cumin seeds and hing at the initial stage for the tempering of the dish. Both give a nice flavour to the dish.
Ground spices: For the ground spices, I have used turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Each spice is equally important for the perfect flavour and taste of the paneer bhurji recipe.
Salt: The primary ingredient of any savoury recipe which adds a salty taste to the dish.
Butter and oil: I have used unsalted butter and refined oil to cook the recipe. The addition of butter enhances the flavour of the dish and gives a better taste.
Variation in paneer bhurji
The basic paneer bhurji recipe is prepared with onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic and some spices. But there are many variations that can be done by adding different types of vegetables like carrots, mushrooms, peas, beans etc. You can add assorted vegetables to make the dish healthier.
You can even add cheese to make the dish heavier for breakfast.
You can adjust the spices and flavour them according to your own choice. Other than basic spices, you can also use tandoori masala, achari masala, pav bhaji masala for the recipe. Many street food vendors also use pav bhaji masala to make the bhurji extra flavorful.
How to make paneer bhurji?
To prepare paneer bhurji recipe, first finely chop onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chillies, coriander leaves and keep them aside.
Crumble the paneer with your hand and keep it aside.
Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add oil and butter both into the pan and allow it to bubble.
Add cumin seeds, hing aka asafoetida into the pan and stir it for a few seconds.
Then add grated ginger or ginger paste and finely chopped garlic into it and cook it for 2 minutes on low flame until the raw smell goes away. Add green chillies and give a nice mix.
Add finely chopped onions into the pan and fry it in medium flame till translucent. Add salt, turmeric powder, and red chilli powder and give a nice mix. Cook it over medium flame for another 1-2 minutes.
Add finely chopped tomatoes and give a nice mix. Cook it until the tomatoes get mushy.
Add red bell peppers aka capsicum into the pan and mix it well. Cook it in medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
Then turn the flame low and add coriander powder, garam masala powder and give a nice mix. Cook it over low flame for another 1-2 minutes until the raw smell of the spices disappears.
Then add the crumbled paneer into the pan and mix it nicely. Cook it on low flame for a minute. Add Kasuri methi, chopped coriander leaves into the pan and give a nice mix. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
Many paneer recipes have already been shared in my previous post. You can check a few of them like
Paneer makhani recipe
Achari paneer
Paneer methi malai recipe
Karahi Paneer
Shahi Paneer Recipe Mughlai Style
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
1 cup = 250ml
- 250 grams Paneer aka Indian cottage cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup Onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup Tomatoes, finely chopped
- ½ cup Capsicum, finely chopped
- ½ tablespoon Garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, paste or grated
- 1-2 green Chilies, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons Coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi aka dried Fenugreek leaves
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Hing aka Asafoetida
- ½ teaspoon red Chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 tablespoon Oil
Instructions:
- First finely chop onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chillies, coriander leaves and keep them aside.
- Crumble 250 grams of paneer with your hand and keep it aside.
- Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon butter into the pan and allow it to melt.
- Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ¼ teaspoon hing aka asafetida into the pan and stir it for a few seconds.
- Add 1 teaspoon grated ginger or ginger paste and ½ tablespoon finely chopped garlic into it and cook it for 2-3 minutes on low flame until the raw smell goes away.
- Add green chillies and give a nice mix.
- Add finely chopped onions into the pan and fry it in medium flame for 4-5 minutes till translucent.
- Add salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder and give a nice mix. Cook it over medium flame for a couple of minutes.
- Add ½ cup finely chopped tomatoes and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame until the tomatoes get mushy.
- Add ½ cup red bell peppers aka capsicum into the pan and mix it well. Cook it in medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
Note: You can use green or yellow capsicum too for the recipe. - Turn the flame low and add ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and give a nice mix. Cook it over low flame for another 1-2 minutes until the raw smell of the spices disappears.
- Add the crumbled paneer into the pan and mix it nicely. Cook it on low flame for a minute.
Note: Always cook the paneer on low flame and don’t overcook it or else the paneer will become rubbery. - Add 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi, 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves into the pan and give a nice mix.
- Check the salt and add more if required. Switch off the flame and paneer bhurji is ready to serve now.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the dry paneer bhurji to a serving bowl or on a serving plate. Serve hot or warm to enjoy its best taste. Relish the paneer recipe with pav, chapati or any kind of Indian flat bread and enjoy the dish.
Ingredients
1 cup = 250ml
- 250 grams Paneer aka Indian cottage cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup Onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup Tomatoes, finely chopped
- ½ cup Capsicum, finely chopped
- ½ tablespoon Garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, paste or grated
- 1-2 green Chilies, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons Coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi aka dried Fenugreek leaves
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Hing aka Asafoetida
- ½ teaspoon red Chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 tablespoon Oil
Instructions
- First finely chop onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chillies, coriander leaves and keep them aside.
- Crumble 250 grams of paneer with your hand and keep it aside.
- Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon butter into the pan and allow it to melt.
- Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ¼ teaspoon hing aka asafetida into the pan and stir it for a few seconds.
- Add 1 teaspoon grated ginger or ginger paste and ½ tablespoon finely chopped garlic into it and cook it for 2-3 minutes on low flame until the raw smell goes away.
- Add green chillies and give a nice mix.
- Add finely chopped onions into the pan and fry it in medium flame for 4-5 minutes till translucent.
- Add salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder and give a nice mix. Cook it over medium flame for a couple of minutes.
- Add ½ cup finely chopped tomatoes and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame until the tomatoes get mushy.
- Add ½ cup red bell peppers aka capsicum into the pan and mix it well. Cook it in medium flame for 2-3 minutes. Note: You can use green or yellow capsicum too for the recipe.
- Turn the flame low and add ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and give a nice mix. Cook it over low flame for another 1-2 minutes until the raw smell of the spices disappears.
- Add the crumbled paneer into the pan and mix it nicely. Cook it on low flame for a minute. Note: Always cook the paneer on low flame and don’t overcook it or else the paneer will become rubbery.
- Add 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi, 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves into the pan and give a nice mix.
- Check the salt and add more if required. Switch off the flame and paneer bhurji is ready to serve now.
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