What is Kadai Paneer?

Dhaba style Kadai Paneer Recipe for vegetarians and Kadhai Gosht for non-vegetarians is pretty much prepared the same way except for the main ingredient. The name literally means Paneer with gravy made in a kadai (deep pan). Similarly tawa paneer is made on a tawa and handi paneer in a handi with varied gravies. I feel the people of Lahore (Old Punjab), who came up with this dish were very not very creative with the name. However, I’m sure the chef who created this masterpiece recipe was extremely creative with the flavors that s/he was able to develop.

I have also written about the differences between the of Kadai Paneer and Shahi Paneer recipe in another post just click on the link.

What is my experience with Kadai Paneer recipe?

The mere mention of kadai paneer sizzles the flavors in my nose and I can almost smell those delectable spices. My mind wanders off to Raja Dhaba in Mohan Nagar. My father took me there often as a kid and I absolutely loved their Kadai paneer. I’m a dhaba person and my favorite vegetarian dish to order is Kadai paneer with Daal Makhni or Pindi chole and pudina paratha. I actually went and spoke to the chef in the dhaba and learnt their recipe – the same that I’m going to share today with a homely twist of my own. The chief ingredient of Kadai paneer is it’s gravy which gives the unique flavors.

We’ll start with the ingredients and the process to make the gravy right away.

Kadai Paneer Recipe | Make dhaba style kadai paneer

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Kadai Paneer is an Indian dish which literally means paneer (cottage cheese) in a cooked pan. It’s a cottage cheese recipe made with a spicy onion tomato gravy.

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Ingredients

Ingredients for Kadai Paneer Masala

• Coriander Seeds – 1 tbsp
• Bay Leaf/Tej Patta – 1
• Cumin Seeds/Sabut Jeera – 1 tsp
• Black Pepper/Kali Mirch -7/8
• Black Cardamom – 1
• Clove/Laung – 4/5
• Cinnamon Stick/ Dalchini – small piece
• Fennel Seeds – ½ tsp (optional)

Ingredients for Kadai Paneer Gravy

• Onion -3 Big (2 to be chopped for gravy and one to cut to serve)
• Tomatos – 5 (4 to be roughly chopped and 1 to be cut in 4 pieces)
• Capsicum – 1 (cut in slightly big pieces)
• Green Chilies – 2 (Slitted)
• Ginger – One inch (Chopped)
• Garlic – 6-7 (Chopped)
• Red Chilies – 2
• Oil – 2tbsp
• Fresh Cream – 1 tbsp
• Butter – 1 tbsp (optional)
• Salt – 1 tbsp or as per taste
• Red Chilly Powder – ¼ tbsp

Instructions

Take a kadai and put it on medium flame, add bay leaf, coriander seed, cumin seeds, cloves, black pepper, black cardamom, fennel seeds, cinnamon stick and dry roast the mixture for 2-3
minutes.

Allow these spices to cool down then grind it in a mixer to form a coarse powder.

In the same kadai, add mustard oil/refined oil and allow it to heat up properly. If you’re using mustard oil make sure you heat enough so it loses its odor. Add chopped onions and fry till they
become golden brown. Add chopped garlic and ginger to it. Fry it too for 3-4 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes and 2 wholered chilies to this mixture. Cook it for 8-10 minutes till the time tomatos are cooked properly. Add salt, red chilly powder and coriander powder to it. Turn off the flame and allow this mixture to cool for 10 minutes under the fan.

Grind this mixture in a mixer grinder to form a smooth paste. Put this paste back in the kadhai and add ½ cup of water to it. Cook it for 2-3 minutes. Add 2 tbsp of fresh cream and that half of the coarsely grinded masala which we prepared in the beginning.

In a separate pan, take one tsp of oil and add diced onions and capsicum, cook it on high flame for one minute. Add diced tomatoes to it and cook that too for one minutes. We don’t need to overcook these vegetables as it needs to be crisp.

Add these crisp vegetables to the masala and add cubes of paneer also to it now. Allow the masala to cook with paneer for 5 minutes on slow flame.

Add the remaining grinded coarse masala, coriander leaves and butter. Add ginger too if you like.

Your dhaba style kadai paneer is ready. Serve it in a bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

Notes

• The above masala that we made can also be replaced with any garam masala powder as well.
• Don’t overcook the spices while making the special kadai masala as it will result in a burnt flavour to your final outcome.
• Some people like their paneer to be fried – if you’re one of them, then you can stir fry the paneer in the pan before adding it to the g

Recommended Products

I recommend products that will help you make the recipe in the best way possible.

• 
  Deep pan/kadai with glass lid for cooking

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 220

I enjoy my kadai paneer recipe most with a hot Pudina Paratha. And I want to grab the plate out of the next picture right away 😉

But if you’re a rice person, then this goes well with fried rice pulao too. You may want to add more water in step 5 if you want a thinner gravy to go with rice.

As a teacher, I’ve come across kids who can’t wait for lunch time and finish their tiffins while the class is going on, specially if they’ve brought their favorite food. The funny thing is that they think the teacher doesn’t know or can’t smell the spices their mother has used. I used to be that kid during my school time, and nothing much has changed even now. If I bring my favorite recipe for lunch, then it’s very hard to wait to the lunch time bell 😉 .

After this fullfilling dhaba style kadai paneer recipe, I’m already salivating for desserts. And what could be better than a dessert from the east after this very north Indian recipe? Try out my special Bengali Rasgulla recipe as well.