Paneer Jalfrezi
Paneer Jalfrezi is a very simple to make Indian side dish. It is a flavorful dish made with paneer, mixed vegetables, and aromatic spices. Paneer Jalfrezi is a delicious, easy, and one-pot stir fry curry. It will be ready in under 40 minutes and makes a perfect crowd pleaser for get-togethers.
The perfect blend of spices will give amazing taste to the dish without adding any heavy cream or butter in the recipe. Paneer jalfrezi is a nutritious and comforting dish with loads of veggies and paneer.
Mixed veggies are used along with soft paneer (Indian cottage cheese) in the recipe. I have added bell peppers, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, and green peas, however, many other vegetables go well with this recipe. You can add less veggies and increase the paneer quantity if you like.
What Is Jalfrezi?
Jalfrezi also known as Jhalfrezi or Zalfrezi. It is a curry dish from India and consists of ingredients like meat, chicken, fish, paneer, or vegetables. Main ingredients are stir fried and added to the spicy gravy.
Ingredients
For Stir Fry:
- Paneer
- Onion
- Cauliflower
- Green beans
- Carrot
- Mixed bell peppers
- Green peas
- Green chillies
For Gravy:
- Onion
- Tomato
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Kashmiri red chilli powder
- Red chilli powder
- Turmeric powder
- Coriander powder
- Cumin powder
- Garam masala
- Kasoori methi
- Tomato ketchup
- Sugar
- Salt
- Oil
Paneer Jalfrezi Step By Step Recipe
In a large pan, heat 1 tsp oil on medium heat. Add cauliflower florets, green beans, and sauté them for 3-4 minutes or until you see brown spots on them.
Mix carrots, bell peppers, green chillies, onions, green peas, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the veggies to a plate.
In the same pan, heat 3 tsp oil, chopped onions, and sauté for a minute. Add ginger, garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.
Combine tomatoes, salt, and cook for 7-10 minutes on low heat, stirring halfway until it becomes mushy. Add 1-2 tbsp water if needed.
Mix tomato ketchup, Kashmiri red chili powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Add 2 tbsp of water so the spices will not burn. Cook for a minute.
Add garam masala, sugar, mix, and 1 cup water. Cook the gravy for 5 minutes on medium heat.
Lower the heat, add crushed kasoori methi, paneer, and cook for 2-3 minutes by covering the pan with a lid. This will soften the paneer.
Transfer the veggies to the pan, add 3 tbsp water, cook it for 2-3 minutes, and serve.
Tips For Making Paneer Jalfrezi
- Slice all the stir-fry vegetables and paneer lengthwise.
- Cook all the veggies without losing their crunchiness and color. Do not overcook them.
- Use fresh paneer for the recipe. Simmering the paneer in the gravy for 2-3 minutes is very essential to soften it without losing its shape. You may stir fry the paneer in some oil on a skillet until you see light brown spots on them.
- Prepare a fresh ginger garlic paste to make the gravy. I always use a pestle and mortar which makes a lot of difference for the best tasting recipes.
- Cooking the tomatoes on a low flame is very important. Don’t rush or your jalfrezi will not taste good.
Variations
- Add pressed tofu instead of paneer in the recipe for a vegan friendly and dairy-free dish.
- You can completely skip adding paneer in the recipe and increase the amount of vegetables to make Vegetable Jalfrezi.
- Add more paneer and reduce the quantity of veggies.
- Simply add bell peppers, carrots, onions, and tomatoes along with paneer. You can add baby corn or mushrooms in the recipe as well. Make sure to cook the mushrooms until all the moisture is gone.
- I have added mixed bell peppers but you can add just one type of bell peppers as well.
- To shorten the cooking time of tomatoes, simply add ¼ cup ready made tomato puree or use 2-3 tbsp of tomato paste in the recipe.
- Adjust the spice level according to your taste. You can skip adding green chillies and increase the amount of red chilli powder if you wish.
How To Store Paneer Jalfrezi?
Paneer jalfrezi can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Reheat the required portion in a microwave or stovetop.
You can freeze the paneer jalfrezi for about 2 months in the freezer safe container. Thaw it for 3-4 hours on a countertop or overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
How To Serve Paneer Jalfrezi?
Serve paneer jalfrezi with roti, garlic naan, or plain paratha.Â
It goes very well with jeera rice and dal fry. Serve some mango pickles along with it! It tastes heavenly.
You can serve it along with cauliflower rice. Use the leftovers in the wraps as a stuffing.
Stuff the paneer jalfrezi in sandwiches and grill them.
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I will love to hear from you!
Paneer Jalfrezi
Ingredients
For Stir Fry
- 300 grams Paneer/Indian cottage cheese
- 1/2 medium Onion sliced lengthwise
- 8-10 Cauliflower florets
- 6-7 Green beans sliced lengthwise into 3 pieces
- 1 large Carrot sliced lengthwise
- 1/2 medium Green bell pepper sliced lengthwise
- 1/2 medium Orange bell pepper sliced lengthwise
- 1/2 medium Yellow bell pepper sliced lengthwise
- 1/4 cup Green peas fresh/frozen
- 2-3 Green chillies cut a slit at the center
For Gravy
- 1 large Onion finely chopped
- 2 large Tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 inch Ginger paste
- 2 large Garlic cloves paste
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder/Haldi
- 2 tsp Coriander Powder/Dhania powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder/Jeera powder
- 3/4 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tbsp Kasoori methi crushed
- 1 tbsp Tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1.5 tsp Salt or as required
- 4 tsp Oil divided
Instructions
- In a large pan, heat 1 tsp oil on medium heat. Add cauliflower florets, green beans, and sauté them for 3-4 minutes or until you see brown spots on them.
- Mix carrots, bell peppers, green chillies, onions, green peas, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the veggies to a plate.
- In the same pan, heat 3 tsp oil, chopped onions, and sauté for a minute. Add ginger, garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.
- Combine tomatoes, salt, and cook for 7-10 minutes on low heat, stirring halfway until it becomes mushy. Add 1-2 tbsp water if needed.
- Mix tomato ketchup, Kashmiri red chili powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Add 2 tbsp of water so the spices will not burn. Cook for a minute.
- Add garam masala, sugar, mix, and 1 cup water. Cook the gravy for 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Lower the heat, add crushed kasoori methi, paneer, and cook for 2-3 minutes by covering the pan with a lid. This will soften the paneer.
- Transfer the veggies to the pan, add 3 tbsp water, cook it for 2-3 minutes, and serve.
Notes
- Slice all the stir-fry vegetables and paneer lengthwise.
- Cook all the veggies without losing their crunchiness and color. Do not overcook them.
- Use fresh paneer for the recipe. Simmering the paneer in the gravy for 2-3 minutes is very essential to soften it without losing its shape. You may stir fry the paneer in some oil on a skillet until you see light brown spots on them.
- Prepare a fresh ginger garlic paste to make the gravy. I always use a pestle and mortar which makes a lot of difference for the best tasting recipes.
- Cooking the tomatoes on a low flame is very important. Don’t rush or your jalfrezi will not taste good.
- Add pressed tofu instead of paneer in the recipe for a vegan friendly and dairy-free dish.
- You can completely skip adding paneer in the recipe and increase the amount of vegetables to make Vegetable Jalfrezi.
- Adjust the spice level according to your taste. You can skip adding green chillies and increase the amount of red chilli powder if you wish.
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I tried this jalfrezi. Turned out very tasty n delicious. I used red chilly powder instead of green chilly. It looked very tempting. Thanks Mayura..
Thank you for the kind review Archana. I am super delighted that you liked this recipe!