Paneer Bhurji Recipe

top shot of a bowl full of paneer bhurji, with a roti on the side, along with a spoon & some sliced onions

step by step recipe for making paneer bhurji ~ with a tasty twist

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 428kcal

Author Shantala Shenoy Nayak

Equipment

12" hexclad stir fry wok

Ingredients

400 grams paneer block (~ about 4 cups of grated / crumbled paneer)
3 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon salt
2 green chillies chopped
2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
2 teaspoon pav bhaji masala optional but recommended *see notes for variations / alternatives
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
¾ cup chopped tomatoes
¼-½ cup chopped coriander leaves

Instructions

Prep for Bhurji

Grate the 400 gram block of paneer to get grated / crumbled paneer. Set aside.

Making Paneer Bhurji

In a pan, add 3 tablespoon oil, and lightly heat it up for a couple of minutes.
To this, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, and roast it for a minute or so, till it starts crackling.
Then add in 1 cup chopped onions, and 1 teaspoon salt, and saute till the onions start turning light golden brown. This will take about 7-8 minutes.
After which add in the 2 chopped chillies, and 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, and saute for 1-2 minutes, just until the raw smell of the ginger garlic paste goes away.
In the meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together - 2 teaspoon pav bhaji masala, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder & ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.
And when the ginger garlic paste has been lightly roasted, add these spice powders in. It's best to add these spice powders all together, like mentioned above, so as to avoid them getting burnt, if the spices are added one at a time.
Lightly roast the spices for about 30-60 seconds. And here you can reduce the flame for a bit, and also add in a splash of water if required, to avoid the spices from getting burnt.
Then add in ¾ cup chopped tomatoes, and saute for 2-3 minutes, till the tomatoes cook down a bit.
After which, add in the grated paneer, mix it in, and cook for 2-3 minutes, till the paneer starts melting down a bit.
Garnish with ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rotis / chapatis or pav.

Video

Notes

Using pav bhaji masala - Pav bhaji masala is technically an optional ingredient in paneer bhurji, but it really adds to the flavor, so I always use it.

How to incorporate it and how much to add is based on your personal preference. But here are the alternatives & variations I've tried.

Using all base masalas - a teaspoon each of red chilli powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, ½ teaspoon of cumin powder & ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, and adding 1-2 teaspoon of pav bhaji masala. As you see in the recipe, I've gone with 2 teaspoon pav bhaji masala because we like this spicier version. And the spice balances out when you have bhurji with pav or chapati. But you can also go with only 1 teaspoon of pav bhaji masala if you don't want as much spice.

I've also tried replacing garam masala with 1-2 teaspoon of pav bhaji masala. Here too, I prefer replacing 1 teaspoon garam masala with 2 teaspoon pav bhaji masala. But you can also replace 1 teaspoon garam masala with 1 teaspoon pav bhaji masala, based on your preference.

Nutrition