Chilli paneer recipe – A restaurant style paneer chilli dry & gravy recipe with step by step photos. Chilli paneer is a popular Indo Chinese starter made by seasoning fried Indian cottage cheese in chilli sauce. We love the restaurant served Indo chinese foods. But I try to limit eating them out due to the MSG and large amount of sauces used. Most times I make them at home using the best possible ingredients and without MSG.
This recipe yields one of the best chilli paneer dry & gravy that pairs well with a veg fried rice, schezwan fried rice, hakka noodles, or can be served as a starter.
A slightly different version of this is the Paneer manchurian recipe. A dry version goes well as a starter. While a gravy version goes well as a side dish to veg fried rice, restaurant style hakka noodles or this easy veg noodles.
Always choose naturally brewed or organic soya sauce. As others may have added msg, coloring and harmful chemicals. Check the labels before you use.
For more Paneer recipes check
Paneer tikka
Crispy paneer 65
Paneer cheese toast
Crispy paneer popcorn
Garlic paneer
Chilli paneer recipe
Chilli paneer recipe | How to make chilli paneer dry & gravy recipe
Crispy chilli paneer is a popular restaurant style Indo chinese starter and a side made with Indian cottage cheese.
Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
ingredients for chilli paneer batter
- 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups paneer (approximately 200 to 250 grams)
- ¼ tsp red chilli powder kashmiri (optional)
- 3 tbsp corn flour or corn starch
- 3 tbsp maida or plain flour (optional)
- 2 pinches pepper powder
- salt as needed
- water as needed
- 3 to 4 tbsps oil as needed for shallow frying
Sauce for chilli paneer recipe
- ½ to 1 tsp vinegar
- ¾ to 1 tbsp soya sauce
- ½ to 1 tbsp chilli sauce (adjust to suit your taste)
other ingredients for chilli paneer
- 1 tbsp garlic chopped
- 2 tbsp spring onions greens chopped
- 2 tbsp spring onion whites chopped
- ½ cup capsicum bell pepper or cubed
- 1 medium onion cubed, layers separated
- 1 to 2 green chilies slit and deseeded
- ½ tsp red chili powder kashmiri or red chilli paste
- ¼ tsp pepper powder
- ½ tsp corn flour for dry chilli paneer or 1 tsp for gravy
- Water as needed
How to make the recipe
Preparation for chilli paneer recipe
Add cornflour, maida (optional) to a mixing bowl along with red chilli powder, pepper, salt and little water.
- If you are health conscious and prefer to use less refined flour then make a thin batter. If you like the restaurant style chilli paneer which has a thick coating of flour, then make thick batter.
Heat 3 to 4 tbsps oil in a deep pan for shallow frying.
- Add paneer to the batter and coat them well.
- When the oil is hot enough, drop the batter coated paneer pieces in the oil one by one.
- Fry them on a a medium heat until crispy.
How to make chilli paneer
Remove the oil from the pan retaining 1 tbsp. Fry garlic until it smells good.
Add onions, chilies and capsicum. Saute on a high flame for 1 to 2 mins.
Stir in soya sauce, chilli sauce, vinegar and red chilli powder or paste.
- Add 2.5 tbsp. water to the pan.
To make chilli paneer dry
- Add half tsp corn flour to a bowl and mix with 2.5 to 3 tbsp water. Stir well.
Pour this mixture to the pan. Cook till the sauce thickens. Check the taste of the sauce. You can add more sauces or salt if you wish.
Next sprinkle pepper powder.
- Add fried cubes and saute for 2 minutes. Add the spring onion greens.
- Serve paneer chilli hot as a starter.
To make paneer chilli gravy
- Add 1 tsp corn flour & half cup water to a bowl. Stir well and make a lump free liquid. You can also add a tsp or more tomato ketchup.
Pour the mixture to the hot pan. Stir well. The mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Taste the sauce and add more salt or sauces if needed.
Then add paneer. Coat the paneer well in sauce and sprinkle some spring onion greens. Off the stove.
Recipe Video
Video of chilli paneer recipe
In the video I have shown making chilli paneer that has more sauce than the one shown in step by step pictures. The recipe is the same as mentioned in the recipe card below with 1 tsp cornflour and half cup water.Recipe Notes
Adjust more or less water, corn flour, salt as needed to get make more gravy.
Preparation for chilli paneer recipe
1. Add corn flour, salt, red chilli powder and pepper powder to a bowl.
2. Make a thick or thin batter adding water as needed. If you like the restaurant style flour coated paneer then make a thick batter.
3. Add paneer to the batter. Then coat them well with batter. If you like, you can also marinate paneer with ½ tbsp chilli sauce, ¼ tbsp soya sauce and add dry flour to the paneer. Then just toss. I added a bit of red chilli sauce to the batter to get a nice color. That’s optional.
4. Heat a pan and fry them on a medium high flame. It can be grilled, tawa fried, shallow fried or deep fried. Spread them evenly while frying else they stick to each other.
5. Stir well and fry evenly until golden. You may not get the golden color if you have not used chili sauce or chilli powder.
6. Drain them on a kitchen tissue.
7. Lastly transfer the oil to a cup and retain very little in the pan. Add garlic and saute until they smell good.
How to make chilli paneer recipe
8. Switch the flame to high. Add onions, spring onions greens, capsicum, sliced and deseeded chilli. Saute on a high flame till they are slightly cooked but still crunchy.
9. Pour soya sauce.
10. Then next add vinegar.
11. Next add red chili sauce.
12. Add red chilli powder or paste.
13. Pour 2.5 tbsp water. Then allow the sauces to bubble and thicken as well. For the restaurant style glossy look – Add half tsp of corn flour with 2.5 to 3 tbsp. water to a bowl. Stir well and pour it to the pan. You can even skip using corn flour. The smooth feel of sauce and the glaze will be missing. In the step by step photo method I have not used cornflour. But I have used it in the video which was made another time.
14. Next add pepper powder, paneer, spring onions and toss on a high flame for 1 to 2 minutes.
To make chilli paneer gravy, you will have to use more of soya sauce, chilli sauce as desired. Next Add 1 tsp corn flour, pinch of salt, half cup of water to a bowl. Stir well to break any lumps. You can also add a tsp tomato ketchup.
Lastly pour the mixture to the pan. Stir well. When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, add paneer. Switch off the stove. Adjust more or less water, corn flour and salt as needed to get make more gravy.
Garnish chilli paneer with spring onions.
Swati Hardiya says
Nice method to cook. The way you have explained with pictures and simple sentences that is very good to understand. It took me few minutes to know the recipe.
swasthi says
Thanks Swati Hardiya
Dsouza says
superb n yummy… turned out so well. All appreciated. Thanks for the receipe.
Jou says
Thank you very much. My chilli paneer turned out of this world. Absolutely loving it.
Gita bajaj says
Yummy delicious dishes
swasthi says
Thank you
Anuja says
Swasthi alllll your recipes are super easy to understand, simple to make & turn out justtt perfect. Kudos to you dear. . !!
swasthi says
Hi Anuja
Thank you so much for trying the recipes.
🙂