Paneer Jalfrezi Recipe | Paneer Veg Jalfrezi

4.34 from 3 votes

Paneer Jalfrezi Recipe | Paneer Veg Jalfrezi

Paneer jalfrezi is a tangy, mild and semi dry curry of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) cooked with hearty vegetables and flavorful herbs, spices. This Jalfrezi Recipe can also be made only with mix vegetables and skipping the paneer altogether.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 360kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

200 to 250 grams Paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
1 small to medium carrot or 50 grams
9 to 10 baby corn or 50 grams
1 medium to large capsicum or 80 to 100 grams
1 large onion or 100 grams
1 medium to large tomato or 80 to 100 grams - or about 4 to 5 tablespoon tomato puree
1 to 1.5 inches ginger - crushed to a paste in a mortar-pestle or minced or 1.5 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
¼ teaspoon black pepper powder or white pepper powder
2 dry red chilies (preferably remove the seeds)
½ teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar - you can also add more or less depending on your taste
½ teaspoon sugar or add as required
salt as required
½ to 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) or parsley leaves, for garnish
2 tablespoons oil - neutral flavored.

Instructions

Preparation

First rinse the veggies in fresh water.
Peel the carrots. Peel the onions and then rinse them.
Thinly slice the onions, slice the carrot into thin strips or batons/sticks or shred them in a food processor.
Slice the baby corn and and bell peppers, thinly.
Thinly slicing the vegetables, helps them to cook faster.
Crush the ginger to a paste in a mortar-pestle or grate/mince it.
Chop the paneer into sticks or batons.

Making paneer jalfrezi

Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil become hot, add the ginger paste and dry red chilies (remove the seeds if you prefer).
Saute on low heat for some seconds or till the raw aroma of the ginger paste goes away.
Add the sliced onions. Saute for two to three minutes and then add the cumin powder and black pepper powder.
Stir and saute the onions for a further 3 minutes on low to medium-low heat.
Add all the sliced veggies. Stir and mix well. Cover with a lid and cook the veggies on a low heat, till they are almost tender. Keep on stirring in between. No need to add any water while cooking the vegetables. Cook the vegetables covered, for about 10 to 12 mins on a low heat.
If in case, the veggies starts sticking to the pan then add some water. Mix and continue to cook.
Meanwhile make puree of the tomatoes in a blender. No need to blanch the tomatoes.
Add the tomato puree to the veggies.
Simmer without the lid till the rawness of the tomatoes goes away and the vegetables are completely cooked. About 6 to 7 minutes on a low heat.
If the ingredients starts sticking to the pan then add a splash of water and continue to simmer.
Season with salt as required, sugar and vinegar. Lastly add the paneer. Stir well and switch off the heat.
Check the taste and add more salt, sugar as needed.
Garnish it with coriander leaves or parsley leaves.
Serve paneer jalfrezi hot or warm with chapati, tandoori roti, paratha or naan. You can also have paneer veg jalfrezi with bread or as a side dish with dal rice.

Notes

You can add vegetables like carrots, capsicum (green bell pepper), broccoli, green peas (fresh or frozen), sweet corn, cabbage, baby corn, spring onions.
You can easily customize this recipe to make veg jalfrezi made only with veggies and skipping the paneer completely. To make veg jalfrezi recipe you need to add 2 to 2.5 cups of mixed vegetables.
This recipe can't be scaled as it is. You have to use the method of approximation to scale up the recipe and adjust the spices and seasonings accordingly.
I recommend thinly slicing the vegetables so that they cook faster. If you prefer then you can even chop the veggies in small cubes.
Use fresh homemade paneer. Make sure the paneer is not rancid or has become sour.
I suggest to finish this dish and not keep any leftovers as on reheating the paneer will become chewy or dense.
You can also use ghee (clarified butter) instead of oil.

Nutrition