Chilli Paneer Gravy Recipe
chilli paneer recipe – a restaurant style paneer chilli dry & gravy recipe with step by step photos. We love the restaurant served Indo chinese foods but i try to limit eating them out due to the MSG and sauce that is 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.
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Make red chili paste by mixing red chili powder, sugar and little water. Set this aside. Make a thick batter of cornflour, pepper, salt using little water.
  2. Add paneer to the batter and deep fry or shallor fry.
  3. Retain little oil in the pan, fry garlic.
  4. Fry veggies until partially cooked. Add sauces, vinegar and red chili paste.
  5. Add 2.5 tbsp. water to the pan. If using corn flour, add that to a bowl and mix with 2.5 tbsp water. Stir well.
  6. Pour flour mixture to the pan. cook till the sauce thickens.
  7. Add fried cubes and saute for 2 minutes. Add the spring onion greens. To make chilli paneer gravy please refer the step by step photos.
  8. Serve paneer chilli hot as a starter.
  9. To make paneer chilli gravy
  10. Add 1 tsp corn flour, pinch of salt, to half cup water to a bowl. Stir well and make a lump free liquid. Taste this, it must be slightly salty. You can also add a tsp or more tomato ketchup. Pour the mixture to the hot pan at step 6. Stir well. The mixture comes to a boil and thickens, then add paneer. off the stove. Adjust more or less water, corn flour, salt as needed to get make more gravy.
Recipe Notes

1. This step is optional. If you like your chilli paneer to be bright red in color, you will have to use either food color or red chili paste.To make red chili paste, add ½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp oil, ½ tsp kashmiri chili powder or paprika to a bowl. Stir well, add few drops of water and make a thick paste. Keep this aside till we need it.
2. Add 3 tbsp. corn flour, salt, 2 pinches of pepper powder to a bowl.
2. Make a thick batter adding water as needed.
3. Add paneer to the batter and 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 and 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 the flour dries up. You may not get the golden color if you have not used chili sauce.
6. Drain them on a kitchen tissue.
7. Transfer the oil to a cup and retain very little in the pan. Add garlic and saute until they smell good.
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.
. Add soya sauce.
10. Add vinegar.
11. Add red chili sauce.
12. Add red chili paste we made at step 1 for the color, this is optional.
13. Add 2.5 tbsp water and allow the sauces to bubble and thicken. For the restaurant style glossy look add half tsp of corn flour with 2.5 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.
14. Add 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 at steps 9, 10,11. Next Add 1 tsp corn flour, pinch of salt, half cup of water to a bowl. Stir well to break any lumps. Taste this, it must be slightly salty. You can also add a tsp tomato ketchup. Pour the mixture to the pan. Stir well. The mixture comes to a boil and thickens, add paneer. Switch off the stove. Adjust more or less water, corn flour, salt as needed to get make more gravy.