Chilli Paneer (Street-style Chili Paneer Recipe)

Chilli paneer step-by-step recipe with photos.

About this recipe

Chili paneer is a delicious Indo-Chinese appetizer loved and devoured by all. Paneer chili is a popular street food and is also a part of the restaurant menus. It is really easy to make and can get done in 20 minutes once the prep work is done.

This paneer appetizer is a must-try for your next party, gathering, or game day. It can be served as an appetizer or as a side dish with Hakka noodles or another Indo-Chinese main course for a complete meal.

There are two steps in making this paneer chilli - first, batter-fry the cottage cheese, and second, make the chilli sauce using aromatics, veggies, and Chinese sauces in which the batter-fried paneer is tossed. I am including all tips and tricks along with stepwise instructions to make the BEST restaurant style chilli paneer.

There are two versions of chilli paneer - a dry version and one with gravy or sauce. This recipe here is the dry version. I have included the instructions below on how to make the gravy version of chili paneer.

Ingredients

Paneer: Use store-bought or homemade paneer. This dish tastes best with fresh paneer (Indian cottage cheese).

Flour: For the batter to deep fry paneer, I use all-purpose flour and cornstarch.

Vegetables: I use bell peppers (red and green), onions, and scallions (spring onions). I also use slit green chili peppers.

Sauces: I use soy sauce, rice vinegar, tomato ketchup, and hot chili sauce. You can use either light or dark soy sauce.

Aromatics: I use finely chopped ginger and garlic.

Step-by-step instructions

In a large bowl, combine together the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add little water and mix well to form a thick batter. Start with ¼ cup of water and add more if needed. Coat the paneer cubes in the mixture (step 1).

Heat oil in a pan. Dip the cubes of paneer in the batter and deep fry until it is golden brown. Place the paneer pieces on a paper towel to drain excess oil and set the crispy paneer aside (steps 2 and 3).

In a small bowl, combine the sauces needed for the stir fry - one tablespoon each of soya sauce, vinegar, red chilli sauce, and tomato ketchup (tomato sauce). Mix well and set it aside (step 4).

In another pan or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute ginger and garlic for one minute (step 5). Add red onion, bell pepper, and green chillies. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes on high heat (steps 6 and 7). Add the prepared sauce mixture, salt, and black pepper powder (step 8).

Saute for one minute (step 9). Add the fried paneer and stir fry for one minute (steps 10 and 11). Turn off the heat and garnish with green onion (step 12).

Serve hot and spicy chili paneer with noodles or fried rice.

Dry versus gravy chilli paneer

This easy recipe here is the dry version of chili paneer. You will need vegetable stock (or water) to make gravy chili paneer. Follow these steps if you want to make the gravy version:

1. Deep fry the paneer in hot oil as per this recipe.
2. Do the other prep works as per this recipe - chop the veggies, measure and mix the sauces, and finely chop ginger and garlic.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine one tablespoon of corn starch with 3 tablespoons of water. Set the cornstarch slurry aside.
4. Stir fry ginger, and garlic on high heat for one minute. Add onion, red and green capsicums, and green chilies. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes on high heat.
5. Add the prepared sauce mixture, salt, and pepper. Mix well on medium heat.
6. Add one cup of vegetable stock and bring it to a rolling boil. Add the corn flour slurry and simmer for 1-2 minutes until the mixture thickens.
7. Add the fried paneer cubes and mix well. Toss them on high heat for one minute.
8. Garnish with spring onion greens and serve.

Pro-tip: Use vegetable stock (and not water) to make the gravy paneer chili tasty and flavorful.

Useful tips

Keep all the ingredients ready and handy before you start making the stir fry. Chop the vegetables, measure and mix the sauces, and fry the paneer pieces before you begin tossing them in the sauces.

Stir-fry the vegetables for 2-3 minutes only on high heat. Do not cover them. They should have a crunch in them and get a slight char.

Chinese cooking is done on high flame very quickly. Stir-frying on high heat produces the characteristic smoky flavor - but take care not to burn the food.

For the stir fry, you can use sesame oil instead of vegetable oil for this Chinese noodles recipe as it has a high smoke point.

Soy sauce is quite salty. So adjust the salt level accordingly. Also, you can add red chilli powder or green chilli sauce to make a spicy sauce.

I add tomato ketchup to balance the strong flavors. This is optional and can be skipped.

You can also shallow fry the paneer instead of deep frying, although it will not taste like the authentic street-style version.

Batter fry chicken cubes as per this recipe and add them to the stir fry to make chilli chicken.

More Indo-Chinese recipes

Indo-Chinese or Indian Chinese food is a distinct fusion cuisine where Chinese sauces, seasoning, and cooking techniques are adapted to Indian taste buds. Popularly known as Desi Chinese, they are one of the most famous forms of street food in India and not remotely close to authentic Chinese cuisine.

It is believed that this style of cooking originated from a Chinese settlement in Kolkata in India. This fiery fusion of food has pungent Chinese sauces like soy sauce and vinegar combined with very Indian flavors like ginger, garlic, and chili making the most unique-tasting dishes. This form of cooking is an integral part of Indian cuisine.

Here are some recipes that are easy to make and perfect for an Indo-Chinese night.

Bonus

This chilli paneer is:
- spicy, hot, and delicious,
- great as both an appetizer and with the main meal,
- restaurant quality, yet free from the nasties that come with Indo-Chinese foods from restaurants,
- a great way to enjoy street food at home.

If you liked this recipe, please don't forget to give a 5-star rating and leave a comment below.

Recipe card

Chilli Paneer (Street-style Chili Paneer)

Chilli paneer (or paneer chili) is a popular Indo-Chinese dish made by tossing crispy-fried cottage cheese in a spicy and tangy sauce. This popular paneer dish is one of the favorite street foods in India and is also a part of restaurant menus.

5 from 42 votes

Print Pin Rate

Author: Shilpa

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Indo-Chinese

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 10 oz paneer (300 grams)

For the batter paneer:

• 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Oil for deep frying

For the stir-fry:

• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1 inch ginger finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 medium bell pepper cubed
• 1 medium onion cubed
• 3-4 green chili slit
• 1 tablespoon scallion whites chopped
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chili sauce
• 2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoon scallion greens for garnish

Instructions

Prep for stir fry:

• Cube the onion and pepper. Finely chop ginger and garlic.
• Slit the green chili. Chop the onion, bell peppers, and scallions (white and greens).
• In a small bowl, combine the sauces needed for the stir fry - one tablespoon each of soy sauce, vinegar, chili sauce, and tomato ketchup. Mix well and set it aside.

Make the batter and fry paneer:

• Cut the paneer into cubes.
• In a large bowl, combine together the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add little water and mix well to form a thick batter. Start with ¼ cup of water and add more if needed.
• Coat the paneer cubes in the mixture.
• Heat oil in a pan. Dip the paneer pieces in the batter and deep fry until it is golden brown.
• Drain them on a paper towel and set them aside.

Stir-fry:

• In another pan or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute ginger and garlic for one minute.
• Add onion, bell pepper, and green chili. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes on high heat.
• Add the prepared sauce mixture, salt, and pepper. Saute for one minute.
• Add the fried paneer and stir fry for one minute.
• Turn off the heat and garnish with green onion.
• Serve hot with noodles or fried rice.

Notes

See the tips section above for useful tips to make this dish.

Nutrition Facts

Chilli Paneer (Street-style Chili Paneer)

Amount per Serving

Calories

361

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

25

g

38

%

Saturated Fat

 

11

g

69

%

Trans Fat

 

0.03

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

4

g

Cholesterol

 

47

mg

16

%

Sodium

 

1337

mg

58

%

Potassium

 

192

mg

5

%

Carbohydrates

 

22

g

7

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

6

g

7

%

Protein

 

12

g

24

%

Vitamin A

 

1042

IU

21

%

Vitamin C

 

46

mg

56

%

Calcium

 

361

mg

36

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.