About Chilli Paneer

Chilli Paneer is an Indo-Chinese appetizer where crisp batter fried paneer is tossed in slightly sweet, spicy, hot and tangy chilli sauce. While Garlic and green chilies bring in hot & pungent aroma, various sauces like chilli sauce, soya sauce and vinegar are used to impart some Chinese flavors. Veggies like onions, spring onions & bell pepper add body to the dish & corn starch brings an essential silky and smooth feel to the chilli paneer sauce. There are basically 3 versions of chilli paneer – gravy, dry & semi-dry. The dry version is best served as an appetizer. In standard restaurants, on request you get the semi-dry version which is in between the gravy and dry. This is slightly saucy and kids’ will love it with rotis & naans. The gravy version has plenty of sauce and is great to serve with veg Fried rice, Schezwan fried rice, and Veg noodles or even with Hakka noodles. If you are short on time to make fried rice, make the chilli paneer gravy and simply serve it with plain basmati rice. Without making a separate meal, sometimes I simply stir in some cooked & cooled noodles into the gravy. On Occasions I also make roti rolls with the chilli paneer & my kids absolutely love that. Overall this Chilli paneer is delicious, addictive and is easy to make. The homemade version is even more special as we have the option to use the best or organic ingredients. I always find ways to minimize the refined ingredients and store bought sauces in home cooked foods. Below in the pro tips section I share my tips for the same. My boys are okay with all of those healthy versions. If you are a health freak like me, you will surely love them. For more Paneer Recipes checkPaneer tikkaCrispy paneer 65Paneer ManchurianPaneer cheese toastCrispy paneer popcornGarlic paneer

How to Make Chilli Paneer (Stepwise Photos)

Make Batter

  1. Add 3 tablespoons corn flour, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (maida, optional), 1/8 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder and 1/8 teaspoon pepper powder to a mixing bowl.
  2. Pour 5 to 6 tablespoons water and make a batter that is neither too thick nor too thin. If the batter is too runny, it will not coat the paneer. Add more water only if needed. Check video for batter consistency. Restaurant style chilli paneer has a thick coating of batter.
  3. Add 200 grams cubed paneer to the batter. Then coat them well with batter. Alternative way: If you like, you can also marinate paneer with ½ tbsp chilli sauce, ¼ tbsp soya sauce and just add some dry flour to the paneer. It can be grilled, tawa fried, shallow fried or deep fried.

Fry Paneer

  1. Heat a pan with 3 to 4 tablespoons oil. Check if the oil is hot enough by adding a small portion of batter to the hot oil. It must rise up without browning. This is the correct heat.
  2. Gently slide the paneer one by one spacing them apart in the oil. This prevents them from sticking to each other. Fry them on a medium high flame. Important: Spread them in the pan while frying else they stick to each other.
  3. Stir well and fry evenly until golden. You may not get the golden color if you have not used chili sauce or chilli powder.
  4. Drain them on a kitchen tissue or colander.

Season Chilli Paneer

  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the same pan. Or remove the excess oil from the pan and retain 1 tablespoon in it. Add 1 tablespoon garlic and saute until they smell good.
  2. Switch the flame to high. Add cubed onions, spring onions greens, capsicum, sliced and deseeded chilli. Saute on a high flame till they are slightly cooked but still crunchy. While the veggies fry, go ahead to the next step.
  3. For the restaurant style dry chilli paneer with glossy look – Add 1 tsp of corn flour with half cup water to a bowl. Stir well and set aside. For a healthier version, you can even skip using corn flour like the way I did. The smooth feel of sauce and the glaze will be missing. If you want to make the gravy version scroll down to step 15
  4. Once the veggies are fried for a minute, pour 1 tablespoon soya sauce, ½ to 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 to 2 tablespoons red chilli sauce or green chilli sauce, 2 tbsps tomato ketchup and ½ teaspoon chilli powder (optional) or paste.
  5. Stir the corn flour mixture we made earlier with a spoon and pour it to the pan. If you are trying to reduce corn starch in your foods then just add 3 tbsps water here instead of corn flour slurry. Red chilli sauce has some starch in it. So that will be enough to coat the paneer. Then allow the sauces to bubble and thicken as well. Taste the sauce and add more salt & sauces if needed. Turn off the stove and let the sauce cool down a bit.
  6. Next add ¼ teaspoon pepper powder, fried paneer, 2 tablespoons spring onion greens. If you have not used any corn slurry for the sauce then toss on a high flame for 1 to 2 minutes to bring a smoky aroma. Garnish chilli paneer with spring onions. This picture is when I made it without cornstarch for sauce. This one is with 1 tsp corn starch and half cup water. This is from the video.

Make Chilli Paneer Gravy (Extra Sauce)

This gravy version is the same I make for chilli chicken. 15. In a small bowl, mix together 4 tablespoons chilli sauce, 2 tablespoons soya sauce, 3 tablespoons ketchup. Mix together 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 1 cup water to make a slurry. Stir well to break any lumps. 16. After sauteeing the bell peppers and onions for 2 minutes, pour sauces. Turn the flame to low, and then stir the corn slurry in the bowl with a spoon. Pour it slowly to the pan and give a good mix. 17.When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, taste test it and add half teaspoon black pepper. Add more sauces or salt as desired. If the mixture turns too thick, then pour some hot water and stir. When the sauce is ready turn off the heat. Cool down a bit and then add the crisp fried paneer and give a good stir. Garnish with spring onions and serve hot. Here are some tips which will help you make the best chilli paneer at home.

Pro Tips

Tips to limit refined flour

If you are a health nut like me and prefer to limit refined flour, then here are the tips I follow Related Recipes

Recipe Card

Chilli Paneer Recipe was first published in June 2015. Updated & republished in November 2022.

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