Kadai paneer is a delicious & elegant Indian dish made with Paneer (Indian cottage cheese), peppers & onions.

I cook soft paneer cubes in a tomato gravy and season it with an aromatic Indian spice blend, called Kadai Masala. This is a real crowd pleaser in most Indian restaurants and homes.

This is my take on a classic, which usually takes me double the time to make.

Here I have recreated the magic using easily available ingredients and cooked it in 15 minutes, hence the name 15-Minute Kadai Paneer.

This Indian recipe is on repeat menu in my home. Our favorite way of eating this deliciousness it to roll this mix in a warmed whole-wheat tortilla and enjoy a quick and tasty Kadai Paneer Wrap.

One-Pot / One-Pan Recipe

15-Minute Kadai Paneer is one of the simplest Indian food recipes I make.

The 5 minutes of prep and under 10 minutes of cooking time makes it ideal for weeknights. This easy to follow recipe comes together in ONE-PAN.

A wide Skillet or Fry Pan

is all you need to make it. You can even make this in your Instant Pot , using the SAUTE feature.

What is a Kadai Paneer?

This dish is traditionally prepared in an Indian 'wok', called kadai, thus giving it's name.

Kadai style of cooking is very similar to Stir-Fry method of cooking. Fresh ingredients are lightly stir-fried and a master sauce is used to bind the dish together.

In this recipe, I blend crushed, or pureed, tomatoes with tomato paste and a touch of yogurt, and add it to the sautéed paneer and peppers.

The tartness in the yogurt cuts through the sweet and dense tomato flavor really well. I season the mix with earthy and floral Indian spices, like garam masala, coriander powder and dried fenugreek leaves.

The result is a delicious entree with perfectly balanced flavors.

Many restaurants use heavy cream or a cashew paste to give a rich taste and finish to Kadai Paneer. I prefer using Greek Yogurt, as it provides the same richness, yet keeps this dish light and healthy.

Variation: Kadai Masala Recipe

Like most Indian spice blends, there are a lot of variations in this recipe.

Typically, it includes dry red chili, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cardamom, fennel and one of the main flavor boosters, dried fenugreek leaves, also called kasoori Methi.

Most of these spices are included in my master spice blend, Homemade Garam Masala, so I just add the dried fenugreek leaves and create the kadai flavors in this dish, without any extra effort. This shortcut is ideal for last minute and weeknight meals.

When I do have the time, here's how I make Kadai Masala from scratch:

I toast the following spices in a skillet for 2 minutes, stirring in between. Then, I cool these spices for about 15 minutes, and grind them to a semi-fine consistency, using my handy Krups Coffee Grinder

Customizing the quantity of sauce in 15-Minute Kadai Paneer Recipe

In this recipe, I have made a semi-dry variation of Kadai paneer.

To add more gravy/sauce in this dish, simply increase the quantity of crushed or pureed tomatoes to 1 cup, and add another tablespoon of Greek yogurt. You'll have a delicious rich sauce in the end.

Serving Suggestions for Kadai Paneer

This dish is versatile enough to be served as an appetizer or as an entree. To serve this as an appetizer, I make mini-skewers using Cocktail Picks

Here's how I load each Cocktail Picks

-- onion, pepper, paneer, pepper, onion. I serve this with Cilantro Chutney and it's always a hit.

My kids loves wrapping some in a warm whole-wheat tortilla and enjoy it as a Kadai Paneer Wrap.

For a low-carb option, my husband and I love to have it with a large garden salad, dressed with fresh lime juice and chaat masala.

You can serve this with Cumin Rice, or Naan/Roti, serve it with a side of Cucumber Raita, and enjoy a delicious Indian Vegetarian meal.

Cumin Rice (Jeera Rice)



Cucumber Raita (Yogurt Dip)

Some more Popular Paneer Recipes

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