Paneer fried rice is an Indian-Chinese fried rice variety made with rice, paneer (Indian cottage cheese), mixed vegetables, spices and soya sauce. I share 2 ways to make paneer fried rice in this post. Fried rice is a comfort food for a lot of us and love to have it often. This paneer fried rice is one of those dishes I have made more often than the regular vegetable fried rice just to keep the meal more interesting for my kids. I guess every kid loves paneer & so do mine.
Paneer is a hit or a miss with a lot of people and many don’t like paneer either because it is bland or they don’t like how it tastes. So how about making a spicy and flavorsome paneer for them?
About Paneer Fried Rice
The first paneer fried rice recipe I have shown in this post is a fusion dish made in the Chinese style but with typical Indian spices. So it is super flavorsome, delicious and spicy with a mélange of Indian and Chinese flavors.
The second recipe is the kids’ version and I have not used any bottled sauce for that. However it is upto you if you want you can always add soya sauce, sriracha or even schezwan sauce for more flavors. Back then I would never use bottled sauces for my kids, so I have not used it the pictures.
Paneer fried rice tastes good even without any sauce, just make sure you use a good wok preferably a carbon steel or a cast iron wok for the smoky flavors especially if you are making the second recipe.
Spicy paneer fried rice is made by first marinating cold paneer with thick yogurt, ground spices and salt. It is then fried on the tawa with little oil. Then I make the fried rice and add these fried paneer and mix well.
More Paneer recipes
Paneer pulao
Paneer biryani
Palak paneer rolls
Paneer fry with veggies
Paneer pakora
How to make spicy paneer fried rice (stepwise photos)
1. If you have precooked rice, you may skip this step. You will need about 2 to 2.5 cups cooked rice for this recipe. Soak 1 cup rice for 15 to 30 mins and cook al dente in lots of water. Do not overcook and make the rice mushy. Drain off the water and set this rice aside to cool. If you are a beginner, you can check my fried rice recipe post to learn about cooking perfect rice for fried rice.
Method 1
2. To a bowl, add
- 2 to 3 tbps of thick yogurt (greek yogurt or use strained yogurt)
- ½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- a large pinch of turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala. Mix all of the ingredients.
3. Add ¾ to 1 cup cold paneer cubes. Mix well. and set aside for at least 15 mins
4. Meanwhile chop and prepare
- ¼ to ½ cup thinly sliced peppers / capsicums (red and green)
- ½ cup carrots
- ¼ to ½ cup spring onions (separate white and greens)
5. Heat large pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Add marinated paneer and cook on medium high till the marinade dries up and clings on to the paneer. Once done remove to a plate.
6. Pour another tablespoon oil to the same pan. Add 1 tablespoon chopped garlic and 1 chopped green chilli. Saute for 30 to 60 seconds. Then add spring onion whites, carrots and bell peppers. Fry on a high heat until they are half done yet crunchy.
7. Add fried paneer and green onions, toss everything well.
8. Add cooled rice, sprinkle a pinch of salt and ¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper. Pour 1 tablespoon soya sauce around the sides in the hot pan. You will see the soya sauce sizzles and the entire paneer fried rice turns aromatic. You can also add any hot sauce at this stage if you want. Soya sauce also has salt so add salt with caution.
9. Mix and fry on high heat for 2 mins. Taste test and add more sauce or salt as required.
Serve paneer fried rice hot.
Chinese style paneer fried rice
1. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a pan and fry 2 chopped garlic cloved and 1 strand of mace. Mace imparts a good aroma to the rice and so you can skip using sauce for this recipe.
2. Add 3/4 cup chopped veggies and fry until slightly tender yet crunchy. I used carrots, beans , spring onions and capsicums. Crunchy veggies taste good, do not over cook.
3. Add 3/4 to 1 cup cold paneer, handful of spring onion greens and fry until lightly golden. Frying longer makes the paneer hard, chewy and rubbery.
4. Add 1 tsp vinegar if needed. If you want add 1 tbsp soya sauce and 1 tbsp sriracha or any hot sauce if you want.
5. Next cooked rice, little salt and crushed black pepper. I also like to add olive oil at this stage.
6. Mix all and fry the rice for 1 minute. Garnish with spring onions.
Serve paneer fried rice hot.
Related Recipes
Recipe card
Paneer fried rice
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1 cup rice (or 2 to 2½ cups cooked rice)
- 2 tablespoons oil (divided)
- ¾ to 1 cup paneer (cold, cubed)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Thick curd (plain greek yogurt)
- ½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon salt (more to adjust)
- ¼ to ½ cup spring onions (chopped, greens and whites separated)
- ½ cup carrot (chopped)
- ¼ to ½ cup bell peppers
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper (adjust to taste)
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 green chilli chopped
- 1 to 1½ tablespoon soya sauce (more if required)
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse rice well a few times in lots of water. If using basmati rice, soak it for 30 mins.
- After 30 mins bring 2 cups of water to a rolling boil in a pot.
- Drain the water completely from the rice and add it to the boiling water.
- Reduce the flame to completely low. Cover and cook until the rice is soft and perfectly cooked. Cool this completely.
- While the rice cooks. In a small stir together yogurt, salt, turmeric, garam masala and red chilli powder. Add paneer and mix well. Set this aside until you prepare the veggies
How to make paneer fried rice
- Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Add the marinated paneer and fry on a high heat until all of the moisture dries up. Remove to a plate.
- To the same pan, add more oil and hear. Add garlic, chillies and spring onion whites. Saute for 30 seconds.
- Then add mixed vegetables and saute until the veggies are cooked yet remain crunchy.
- Add fried paneer and spring onion greens. Pour soya sauce.
- Add rice and mix well. Stir fry for 1 to 2 mins and taste test. If you want add more salt and soya sauce. You can also add any hot sauce if you want.
- Serve paneer fried rice hot.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Paneer fried rice recipe first published in March 2013. Updated and republished in July 2021.
Hi Swasthi… I have never been to cooking until I took it once as a challenge from my wife (and i don’t repent it now)… I was struggling to find what what to cook and i bumped into your website… since then i have been connoisseuer of my wife… I enjoy all vegeterian recipes of yours.. and hosted many friends since to my culinary skills…
Hello Vijay
That’s awesome! So glad to know that. Thank you so much for leaving a comment.
Hi,
Tried the recipe but after 3hrs of preparation rice became dry and lost the actual taste. What might be the reason.
Thank you in advance
Hi Tanuja
Did you soak the rice before cooking? I personally prefer to soak and cook rice in a pot so it wont dry up after making fried rice.I have a detailed post on fried rice here. You may check that to know where you went wrong. Hope this helps
Thanks for the recipe detail.
Welcome Bhuvana
Thanks for simple recipes.
Welcome Preethy
very simple and nice receipe
Thanks
SUPER
Thank you
Thanks Swasthi, this came out very tasty.
welcome Neha
really by this recipies i cook better than anyone.
Thanks Sunaina
Glad to know these recipes help
1.if i make fried rice, my kid says its very dry when she eats it afternoon.Also it is very hard for her to much and swallow. How could we avoid it.
2. Can we use vinegar regularly, will it not create stomach upset for childrens?
Hi Neeraja,
There are 3 ways you can prevent the fried rice from becoming dry.
1. Once i finish making the fried rice, i cover the pan and set aside for 5 minutes. This helps to keep the rice soft.
2. Another way is to cook rice without draining. If making for kids, it is always preferred not to drain to retain the nutrients in rice.
3. Do not fry the rice after you add it to the pan. Add the rice switch off the stove. Just mix it.
If your kid is above 6 years, using vinegar once a week is just fine. Vinegar has health benefits if used in moderation and if overused can damage the lining of the stomach since it is an acidic ingredient. It may also result in ulcers. So you can make it once in a week, try making pulao varieties more.
Hope this helps
Oh…Its excellent.
Lovely recipe!!!!!
Its very tasty,I loved it. Thanks
yummy rice and super clicks…
Wow!! This looks so tasty Swasthi!! Lovely pictures!!
Delicious fried rice. Looks so colorful!
Wow such a colourful rice lovely swasthi feel like staring at the firs pic
Wow such an appetizing fried rice!!
Was waiting for your rice post 🙂 looks so good, yum
I am hungry and drooling looking at the paneer fried rice.
OMG.. mouth watering here.. Awesome clicks dear 🙂
wow your pictures ar always awesome and rice is so temptin. appreciate if you stop by my space too.