Simple yet delicious, this dry Paneer dish is perfect as a starter for a party or can also be served as a side dish. Although dry, this Tawa Paneer definitely doesn't fall short of flavour!
Marinated Paneer cubes are cooked with some onions, tomatoes, green peppers (capsicum) and spices in this mouth-watering recipe.
Quick, step-by-step video of Tawa Paneer:
Marinating is vital
Paneer should be cut into bite size cubes. As Paneer doesn't have any flavour of its own as such, it is vital to marinate the Paneer so that it becomes flavoursome. It is important to use thick curd / yogurt to prepare the marinade or else spices won't stick well to Paneer and dish might become runny. Marinate Paneer for at least half an hour so that all the spices get infused in Paneer and it becomes more flavourful.
Use a large tawa or skillet to cook this dish. If you do not own one, then you can also use a non-stick pan that you may have.
“Pieces of garlic and ginger”
I like to add chopped garlic and ginger juliennes when sautéing onions, as when you bite in to pieces of ginger or garlic, they definitely add a punch of flavour.
Tomatoes and Peppers
Tomatoes should be cooked till they are really soft and mushy and well incorporated with the onions.
The opposite is true for green peppers (capsicum). Only cook green peppers (capsicum) till they are slightly soft but they should still have a bite to them.
Lower the heat
Remember to lower the heat as soon as you add green peppers (capsicum). As this is a dry dish with very little moisture, cooking on higher heat settings might burn the ingredients, specially the spices, and burnt spices will make the dish taste bitter.
Mix Gently
As there is a lot of Paneer in this dish, remember to mix gently each time, after you have added the Paneer cubes as they might break and spoil the appearence of the dish.
"All the flavour comes from spices"
Spices like coriander powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder, garam masala and chat masala bring a ton of flavour to this recipe.
Roasting dried fenugreek leaves till your kitchen is full of its aroma and then crushing these leaves in the palm of your hand will elevate this dish to another level.
Kashmiri chilli powder will add a nice red colour to the dish without adding extra heat. You can adjust the amount of green chillies and red chilli powder you use to suit your taste.
Adding butter and chopped cilantro (coriander) in the end will make it extra special, especially if you want to serve this to guests.
Serve Paneer Tawa Masala hot on its own or with hot chapatis/rotis or boiled rice.
Check out other OvalShelf's easy to make Veg Recipes. Tawa Paneer can also be served with these salads/condiments during a meal.
Desserts like Pineapple Sheera or Kesar Pista Shrikhand will go perfectly with any delicious Paneer meal.
Recipe Card for Tawa Paneer
♥ We LOVE hearing from you ♥
If you have tried this recipe, please do share your food photo with us. Mention @ovalshelf or use hashtag #ovalshelf on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Thank you.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
Click here to Subscribe to OvalShelf's YouTube Channel to get all our quick, precise and simple video recipes. YouTube subscription is FREE.