Restaurant-Style Kadai Paneer Recipe

Hey everyone! Kadai paneer is a famous restaurant-style dish and I'm super excited to be sharing my version of it from home!

This recipe came to be because chicken tikka masala is one of my all-time favourite dishes. When I went to visit my family this summer, I really had wished I could share with them my chicken tikka masala recipe. However, most of my family members are vegetarian, so naturally that presented a problem! A great substitute to chicken is paneer, which we all adore its soft texture and how well it absorbs masalas! This recipe was a fantastic hit for my family, where I incorporated elements of chicken tikka masala and threw in some nice veggies for colour and additional flavour. If you're looking for a fun vegetarian Indian feast then you definitely need to try out this recipe! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 150g paneer, cubed 
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1/4 red pepper, diced 
• 1/4 green pepper, diced 
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp butter
• 1/2 large onion, chopped 
• 25g ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tomatoes
• 2-3 green chiles, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 cup tomato puree or passata
• salt to taste
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• pinch of ground green cardamom
• 1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves 
• 1-2 tbsp honey or sugar 
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 

Instructions

1. Heat a wok on medium-high heat and add 1 tsp oil. Add the diced onion and diced peppers. Cook the vegetables until they have a slight char, do not cook them fully about 3-4 minutes. Strain and transfer them to a bowl.
2. In the same wok, reduce heat to medium and add rest of the oil and butter. Add the chopped onions and saute until they are slightly brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes. 
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and green chiles. Season with 1/4 tsp salt to help break down the tomatoes. Add the ground coriander and turmeric and mix well. Continue cooking until the tomatoes have completely broken down about 5-10 minutes. 
4. Pour the tomato puree, add salt, red chilli powder, ground green cardamom, and crush in kasoori methi. Give it a stir and cook until oil begins to dissipate from the sides. Keep stirring from time to time 
5. When the oil releases, add honey or sugar, blend well and the paneer. Mix well and cook on low heat until the paneer has absorbed the masala. 
6. Finish the dish with heavy cream. Add in the sauteed veggies from earlier and mix them in. Serve hot and enjoy with naan, roti or rice. :)