Vegetarians mostly order curries with paneer at Indian restaurant and always wonder why making it at home doesn’t come out like the one in restaurant? Well, it is not only about onion-tomato gravy with some garam masala. Every curry has a significant difference mainly in the way it is cooked. Some curries requires browning the onions while some asks for boiling. Some ask for chopping the onions and tomatoes while some puree. I always like to follow the traditional way when i make my curries which gives me delectable results.
So, what is the difference between curries of paneer tikka masala and kadai paneer as visually they look pretty same? Paneer tikka masala calls for some curd which generally is the leftover marinate of tikkas. Kadai paneer has a special ingredient, kadai masala, which gives it a unique and correct flavor to the dish. Kadai masala is made from bunch of dry spices which you will mostly find in your kitchen. I have mentioned how to make kadai masala in the recipe. You can make a bigger batch of it and store it in a jar to have it ready when you need it.
I like to use only green bell peppers as vegetables in kadai paneer and not all colored peppers, but if u wish to use all you can definitely go for it. Add water to adjust the consistency of the curry depending on what you serve with, rice or naan.
Kadai Paneer
Ingredients
For Kadai Masala
- 3-4 cloves
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 4-5 pepper corns
- 1 dry red chilli
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 pods of green cardamon
For Kadai Paneer
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 2 chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 medium green bell pepper cubed
- 1 small onion cubed
- 1 cup cubed paneer approx 250gms
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 2 tbsp kadai masala
- 1 tbsp kasoori methi
- 1/4 cup fresh cream
- oil
Instructions
To make Kadai Masala
- Dry roast all the spices in a pan on medium flame till you smell the aroma of spices. Let it cool.
- Grind all the roasted spices in a grinder into fine powder.
To make Kadai Paneer
- In a pan, take 1 tbsp of oil and saute sliced onions over medium-high heat till it turns brown. Tip: Do not add salt to the onions if you want them to brown nicely.
- Add chopped tomatoes, garlic, ginger and salt to it and let it cook till the mixture soften.
- Once the mixture is cool, grind it to a smooth paste.
- In a pan over medium heat, add some oil or dollop of butter. Saute cubed green bell pepper and onion for 2 mins.
- To it, add the onion-tomato paste and 1/2 cup of water.
- Put all the dry spices including kasoori methi to it and cook for 1 min.
- Add paneer pieces to the gravy and cook it for 1 more min.
- Turn off the flame and add fresh cream to it.
- Serve it with soft naan or some jeera rice.
