Paneer jalfrezi is a tangy, mild and semi dry curry of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) cooked with hearty vegetables and flavorful herbs, spices. This Jalfrezi Recipe can also be made only with mix vegetables and skipping the paneer altogether.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 200 to 250 grams paneer ((Indian cottage cheese))
  • 1 small to medium carrot (or 50 grams)
  • 9 to 10 baby corn (or 50 grams)
  • 1 medium to large capsicum (or 80 to 100 grams)
  • 1 large onion (or 100 grams)
  • 1 medium to large tomato (or 80 to 100 grams - or about 4 to 5 tablespoon tomato puree)
  • 1 to 1.5 inches ginger (- crushed to a paste in a mortar-pestle or minced or 1.5 teaspoon ginger paste)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder ((ground cumin))
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder (or white pepper powder)
  • 2 dry red chilies ((preferably remove the seeds))
  • ½ teaspoon white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar - you can also add more or less depending on your taste)
  • ½ teaspoon sugar (or add as required)
  • salt (as required)
  • ½ to 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves ((cilantro) or parsley leaves, for garnish)
  • 2 tablespoons oil (- neutral flavored.)

Method

Preparation

  1. First rinse the veggies in fresh water.
  2. Peel the carrots. Peel the onions and then rinse them.
  3. Thinly slice the onions, slice the carrot into thin strips or batons/sticks or shred them in a food processor.
  4. Slice the baby corn and and bell peppers, thinly.
  5. Thinly slicing the vegetables, helps them to cook faster.
  6. Crush the ginger to a paste in a mortar-pestle or grate/mince it.
  7. Chop the paneer into sticks or batons.

Making paneer jalfrezi

  1. Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil become hot, add the ginger paste and dry red chilies (remove the seeds if you prefer).
  2. Saute on low heat for some seconds or till the raw aroma of the ginger paste goes away.
  3. Add the sliced onions. Saute for two to three minutes and then add the cumin powder and black pepper powder.
  4. Stir and saute the onions for a further 3 minutes on low to medium-low heat.
  5. Add all the sliced veggies. Stir and mix well. Cover with a lid and cook the veggies on a low heat, till they are almost tender. Keep on stirring in between. No need to add any water while cooking the vegetables. Cook the vegetables covered, for about 10 to 12 mins on a low heat.
  6. If in case, the veggies starts sticking to the pan then add some water. Mix and continue to cook.
  7. Meanwhile make puree of the tomatoes in a blender. No need to blanch the tomatoes.
  8. Add the tomato puree to the veggies.
  9. Simmer without the lid till the rawness of the tomatoes goes away and the vegetables are completely cooked. About 6 to 7 minutes on a low heat.
  10. If the ingredients starts sticking to the pan then add a splash of water and continue to simmer.
  11. Season with salt as required, sugar and vinegar. Lastly add the paneer. Stir well and switch off the heat.
  12. Check the taste and add more salt, sugar as needed.
  13. Garnish it with coriander leaves or parsley leaves.
  14. Serve paneer jalfrezi hot or warm with chapati, tandoori roti, paratha or naan. You can also have paneer veg jalfrezi with bread or as a side dish with dal rice.

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.