Paneer Burji
Paneer Burji is the simplest of all the north Indian paneer dishes. If you have home-made crumbled paneer, or store bought paneer, then you can make this dish in less than half an hour. It’s very well suited for a late night, quick dinner or a morning sandwich, similar to an Egg Burji which is made the same way but with scrambled eggs.
Ingredients
Cooking oil – 3 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Carom seeds – 1/2 tsp
Green chillies (finely chopped) – 4 (or to taste)
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) – 3 tbsp
Onion (finely chopped) – 1 large sized
Salt – 1 tsp (or to taste)
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder – 1 tsp (or to taste)
Tomato (finely chopped) – 1 large sized
Fresh crumbled paneer – 1 1/2 to 2 cups
Green capsicum (finely chopped) – 1/2
Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp
Fresh milk – 1/4 cup
Ghee – 1 tsp (optional)
Yield
Serves 4
Prep time
25 mins
Cook time
20 mins
Method
1) In a kadai/pan take oil and heat it up. When heated up (see note 2) add the cumin seeds and carom seeds together. Let it splutter. Now add the green chilles and 1 tbsp of finely chopped coriander. Fry for a minute.
2) Now add the finely chopped onion, all the sugar and half the salt. Saute until the onions turn golden. Then add the red chilly powder. Mix once and add the chopped tomato. Mix and cover the pan. Let it cook for 5 minutes on low to medium heat or until the tomato is done.
3) When the tomato is cooked well, add the fresh crumbled paneer, chopped capsicum, garam masala powder and 2 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves. Add the remaining salt too. Mix well. Cover the pan again and let it cook for 2 minutes.
4) After 2 mins, open the pan and reduce the heat to a minimum. Now add milk and mix it once. Switch off the heat.
5) Your paneer burji is ready now. Drizzle ghee on top of the burji and serve hot with any Indian bread or use it as a filling for your sandwiches.
Notes
- Always check if the oil is hot enough before adding the cumin and carom seeds by dropping just 1 or 2 seeds to the oil that is heating. The seeds have to splutter instantly when added to the oil. This way, you get more aroma in the dish.
- Paneer has almost equal amount of fat and protein. Though it is considered a healthy ingredient, some may feel a little too full/heavy after eating paneer. Cumin and carom seeds aid digestion and reduce this heavy feeling.
- Home made Paneer can be stored up to a week when refrigerated. If you are planning to make this dish for a party/get together, then make paneer 2 or 3 days before to save time. See how to easily make your own paneer here!
- Adding capsicum right at the end helps to retain its colour and crunch. Also, paneer gets quite rubbery and chewy when cooked long, so it’s always better to add it at the end.
- A little ghee gives a nice glaze and adds flavour to Paneer Burji. You can choose to leave this out but definitely include it if you’re feeling fancy!
2 Comments
MotherOfNOMS
Hi,
Happy you liked this recipe:)
Yes, it does help if the paneer is brought to room temperature before adding it to the sabji.
Enthu cutlet
I made this, and it turned out very nice! My wife said I should have let the paneer I made cool first, but it was still great!