15 Minute Easy Kadai Paneer is a practical kitchen recipe from Kiyaan Singh's ctrlshifteat kitchen, formatted for clear prep, cooking, and serving.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 3 minutes
  • Cook time: 12 minutes
  • Total time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon oil (15 ml)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 small red onion (quartered and petals separated)
  • 1 small green pepper (cut into 1-inch pieces)
  • 1 small red pepper (cut into 1-inch pieces)
  • 1&1/2 cup - 1&3/4 cup marinara sauce (store-bought, I recommend Rao's brand)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 3/4 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (used for color only, it's not hot)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder (or to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste as sauce also has salt)
  • 1 tablespoon salted butter (I recommend using Amul butter)
  • 2-3 tablespoons cream (15-45 ml)
  • 226 grams paneer (8 oz, cut into cubes)
  • 1 tablespoon crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
  • cilantro (to garnish)

Method

  1. Before you start make sure to soak paneer in warm water for 20 minutes. This is especially important if you are using frozen paneer or the ones sold in stores in US. If using fresh paneer, you can skip this step.
  2. To a large pan/kadai, add 1 tablespoon oil on medium heat. To that add your quartered onions (petals separated) and cut bell peppers. Sauté them for 3 to 4 minutes until they soften a little. Then remove them on a plate and set aside.
  3. To the same pan, now cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Then add store bought marinara sauce (I love using Rao's brand). Add around 1 & 1/2 to 1& 3/4 cup of marinara sauce. Mix it well.
  4. Then add the tomato paste, coriander powder, Kashmiri red chili powder (for color), garam masala, red chili powder, cardamom powder, sugar and salt to taste. Mix and cook the spices for 30 to 60 seconds.
  5. Add the butter (I recommend using Amul butter) and cream. Mix until it's combined and the butter melts.
  6. Now add crushed kasuri methi and mix. Add in the paneer cubes along with the sautéed onions and peppers.
  7. Mix everything together, garnish with cilantro. Your 15 minute Kadai Paneer is now ready to be served! Enjoy with naan!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.