Paneer bhurji recipe | How to make paneer bhurji

Paneer bhurji is a popular North Indian dish made of Indian cottage cheese aka panner, herbs and spice powders. It is eaten with roti, chapati, paratha, poori, bread, pav or as a side in a meal. Paneer bhurji can also be used as a stuffing in kathi rolls, sandwiches and bread rolls.

I make paneer bhurji in numerous ways. Here I have shared the simplest way that can be made just under 15 mins if you have the paneer ready.

Paneer bhurji is one of those sides that is made very often at my home for our breakfast or lunch box. My kids love this stuffed in the palak paratha or even in rotis, wraps, kathi rolls and grilled paneer sandwiches.

I always make paneer bhurji with fresh homemade paneer as the taste, texture & flavor is best with the homemade one. Most times store bought paneer really doesn’t taste that good to make paneer bhurji.

So in this post I have also shared how to make paneer just enough for this paneer bhurji recipe.

There are no fancy ingredients used in the recipe so even beginners can make it very easily. All you need to do is first crackle the spices and then fry the onions until transparent. Next just fry the ginger garlic paste and the saute the tomatoes until mushy.

The last step is to spice up the onion tomato masala and add the crumbled paneer and herbs. Under 15 minutes your delicious dish is ready.

Tips to make paneer bhurji

1. Homemade paneer is the best to make soft mouth melting paneer bhurji. If using store bought paneer then soak the paneer in some hot water or hot milk for about 20 mins. Then crumble it. This helps to keep the paneer soft in the bhurji.
2. To make it healthier just add some veggies like carrots, peas, capsicum
   & make mixed veg paneer bhurji. Some times I also use greens like methi & palak to make the palak paneer bhurji.
3. I known some people love scrambled eggs in their paneer bhurji. You can also scramble the eggs first and then add the crumbled paneer to it to make the egg paneer bhurji.

More Paneer recipes,
Palak paneer
Matar paneer
Paneer lababdar

Paneer bhurji recipe

Paneer bhurji

Paneer bhurji is a simple dish made with crumbled Indian cottage cheese aka paneer, spice powders & herbs. Delicious paneer bhurji is served with roti, paratha, bread or as a side in a meal. It can also be used as a stuffing to make sandwiches and wraps.

Prep Time30 minutes

Cook Time10 minutes

Total Time40 minutes

Servings4

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

Ingredients to make paneer bhurji

• 1 cup paneer crumbled (or 4 cups milk, 2 tsps lemon juice)
• 1½ tablespoon oil or as needed
• ½ teaspoon cumin or jeera
• 1 onion or ½ cup chopped finely
• 1 green chilli chopped (skip for kids)
• 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste or minced or grated
• 1 tomato chopped finely
• ¼ cup capsicum or green peas (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric or haldi
• ¼ teaspoon salt or as needed
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chilli powder
• ¾ teaspoon garam masala powder or pav bhaji masala(adjust as needed)

optional

• ½ teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon Coriander leaves finely chopped

How to make the recipe

To make paneer – skip this section if you have it

• Pour 4 cups milk to a pot and bring it to a boil. Add 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice and Stir. When the milk begins to curdle well, turn off the stove. If the milk does not curdle then add 1 tbsp more vinegar. Drain it to a colander lined with a muslin cloth. Rinse it well under running water.
• Squeeze off the excess whey and make a knot with the cloth. Hang the paneer for about 10 to 15 minutes to remove excess whey. Meanwhile chop the onions & tomatoes finely.

How to make paneer bhurji

• Add 1½ tbsp oil to a hot pan. Then add ½ tsp cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.
• Next add ½ cup finely chopped onions and 1 chopped green chilli. Fry until lightly transparent or golden. Then add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste or mince, saute until the raw smell goes off.
• Add 1 finely chopped tomato, ¼ tsp salt and 1/8 tsp turmeric. Fry until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy. 
• Then add ½ to ¾ tsp red chili powder, ½ tsp kasuri methi & ¾ tsp garam masala. Mix and saute until the raw smell goes off from the mixture & the masala leaves the sides of the pan. 
• Stir in ¼ cup peas or capsicum if using. Fry until capsicum turns slightly soft.
• Crumble paneer well and add to the pan. Stir and fry till everything blends well just for 2 minutes. Taste it and check the salt and spice. If needed add more salt. 
• Turn off the stove. Add 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. Serve paneer bhurji with roti, paratha or bread. Sprinkle some lemon juice before serving.

NUTRITION

Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 353mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 14% | Vitamin C: 29.8% | Calcium: 29.1% | Iron: 4.2%

Paneer bhurji recipe – step by step

Making paneer – Skip this section if you already have paneer.
1. Bring milk to a boil in a pot.

2. Add lemon juice to the boiling milk and stir. You can also use vinegar.

3. When you see the milk begins to curdle. Switch off the stove and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Place a muslin or cheese cloth over a colander. Pour the curdled milk to the cloth. Rinse it well under running water. Bring all the edges together and squeeze the paneer to drain off excess whey. Make a knot and hang it for about 10 to 15 minutes until you prepare the onions and tomatoes.

5. We need moist paneer with no dripping whey from it.

How to make paneer bhurji recipe

6. Pour oil to a hot pan. Add cumin and allow to crackle.

7. Transfer finely chopped onions and fry until they turn pink or golden.

8. Then add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell disappears.

9. Add finely chopped tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Saute until the tomatoes turn mushy and soft. If needed you can cover and cook.

10. Next add garam masala, red chili powder and kasuri methi. If using amchur add it now.

11. Mix everything well and continue to cook till the mixture smells good. The raw smell of the masala has to go away. If using capsicum or peas, add them at this stage and saute until soft.

12. Add Crumbled paneer. Mix and stir well. Cook for just 2 to 3 minutes till the raw smell from paneer goes off. Do not over cook.

13. Lastly add coriander leaves and lemon juice.

Serve paneer bhurji with bread, roti or paratha.