The Paneer Fried Rice recipe is an, easy and delicious Indian Chinese-style fried rice dish made with paneer (Indian cottage cheese), veggies, cooked basmati rice, and some sauces.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

To Cook Basmati Rice

  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 1 1/4 cups water ((depends on the rice))

For Marinating Paneer

  • 1 cup paneer ((cut into 1-inch cubes))
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • salt (to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
  • 1 teaspoon oil

For Fried Rice

  • 2 tablespoon oil
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger (minced)
  • 1/2 cup white onion springs (chopped)
  • 1-2 green chili (finely chopped)
  • 1 1/2 cups mixed vegetables ((carrot, green beans, bell peppers) finely diced)
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • salt (to taste)
  • black pepper (to taste)
  • 1/4 cup green onions

Garnish

  • 2 tablespoons green onions

Method

Prep:

  1. Cook the basmati rice and let it cool completely. Learn how to cook Basmati rice in Instant Pot. You can keep the cooked rice in the refrigerator to get extra-firm rice if you prefer. You can also use leftover rice for this recipe.
  2. Also, chop the vegetables and keep them ready.

Marinate & Fry Paneer

  1. Cut the paneer into 1-inch cubes. Add some red chili powder, salt, ginger-garlic paste and oil. Mix everything well. Marinate for 15 minutes. Note: Spicing up the paneer enhances the taste, however you can skip and just fry the plain paneer in oil and add it to the fried rice.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add marinated paneer cubes. Saute for 4-5 minutes until paneer turns golden brown on all sides. Remove them from the pan and keep aside. You can also roast the paneer in the Air Fryer.

Stir Fry:

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and saute for a few seconds.
  2. Then add ginger, green chili, and saute for another few seconds.
  3. Next, add white spring onions and saute on high for about a minute till the onions are slightly soft.
  4. Add the chopped vegetables and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes on high heat till they are tender and crisp. Do not overcook the veggies.
  5. Add the cooked basmati rice, light soy sauce, white vinegar, salt, and ground black pepper. Gently toss the rice and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until heated through.
  6. Finally, add sauteed paneer, and garnish with spring onion greens. Toss everything well.
  7. Serve Indian Style paneer fried rice hot with a side of Gobi Manchurian.

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.