Tawa Paneer Masala

Tawa Paneer Masala is the easiest paneer recipe to make. I usually make Kadai Paneer whenever I buy a packet of paneer. I came across this recipe from this site and loved the simplicity of the dish. I have been making this very frequently and have modified the original recipe to skip/replace few ingredients. You can prepare this dish in very less time with easily available ingredients in your kitchen. This is a versatile side dish which goes well with rotis, parathas, naan or even as a side dish for any mild pulao varieties or for plain rice mixed with dal. You can use this as a stuffing to make chapathi rolls and pack for the lunch box.

                            

                                                                   

Just like Tawa Pulao, the key ingredient for this dish is Pav bhaji masala. The whole dish is prepared in a tawa though I have used my small non-stick pan to prepare it.

Check this post to learn how to make fresh homemade paneer.

Tawa Paneer Masala Recipe

Serves :  2 - 3 people

Ingredients

• Paneer  -  250 gm
• Onion  -  1 big onion or  2 small sized onions
• Tomato  -  3 small sized tomatoes
• Capsicum  -  1 medium sized
• Ginger  -  a small piece
• Garlic  -  5 big pods
• Butter  -  2 tbsp
• Ajwain  -  1 tsp
• Turmeric powder  -  1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder  -  1 tsp
• Pav Bhaji masala  -  1 tsp
• Salt  -  as required
• Kasuri methi  -  1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves  -  little

Method

• Cut the Paneer into small cubes. Boil water until bubbles appear and keep the paneer cubes in this warm water till use. This helps the paneer to remain soft.
• Chop the onion and capsicum into fine pieces. 
• Roughly crush the ginger and garlic using a mortar and pestle. I used my garlic press to do this.
• Chop the tomatoes roughly and puree them using a blender/mixie.
• In a pan/tawa, add butter and once it starts melting, add ajwain.
• Once they turn aromatic, add onion and saute well. Add salt at this stage.
• Once onion turns translucent, add the crushed ginger/garlic and saute continuously. 
• Once the raw smell goes, add the capsicum and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. It has to be crunchy and hence do not saute for long.
• Now add the tomato puree, turmeric powder, chilli powder, pav bhaji masala and mix well.
• Cook the masala well till the raw smell of the powders leave and the butter starts to leave out on the sides. The puree is sufficient to cook the masala but if you feel it is dry and getting stuck to the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle little water.
• Once the masala is cooked well, add the paneer cubes, kasoori methi and mix well.
• Just saute for 2 minutes till the paneer coats well with the masala. 
• Add the finely chopped coriander leaves and switch off the stove.
• Serve with rotis/parathas or with any mild pulao too. You can also serve it as a side dish for plain rice mixed with dal.
• Squeeze little lemon juice on top before serving, if you prefer.

                                     

Notes

• You can add ginger garlic paste in place of crushed ginger/garlic or even finely chopped pieces of them.
• The original recipes includes the addition of coriander powder and green chilli, but I have skipped them in my recipe. If using green chilli, adjust the chilli powder accordingly.
• Also as per the original recipe, if you do not have pav bhaji masala, you can add garam masala and amchur powder(dry mango powder) as a replacement. But I have not personally tried this combo.

Try this easy to prepare side dish.