Kadai Paneer

the wok-seared curry of the Punjabi kitchen: paneer and thick-cut capsicum tossed in a coarse-ground coriander and chilli masala with tomato, the pepper as essential as the cheese

Origin: India

From the journey of Bell Pepper.

The kadai is the round-bottomed Indian wok, and a dish cooked kadai-style is one seared fast over a high flame rather than simmered slowly, so that everything in it keeps its shape and its bite. Kadai paneer is the most beloved of that family, a fixture of Punjabi home cooking and of every North Indian restaurant menu, and it is the dish that shows how completely the capsicum, the shimla mirch, has been absorbed into the Indian kitchen. The pepper here is not a garnish or an afterthought: cut into thick petals and thrown in late so that it stays crisp, sweet, and faintly smoky at the edges, it is as essential to the dish as the paneer, and a kadai made without it is simply not a kadai. What distinguishes the dish further is its masala, which is coarsely pounded rather than finely ground, whole coriander seeds and dried red chillies crushed in a mortar so that the sauce carries a rough, fragrant, almost gritty texture quite unlike the smooth gravies of the Mughlai tradition. Tomato and onion give the body, cream or a little butter rounds it, and crushed kasuri methi is scattered over at the end. Fast, bright, and assertive, it is North Indian cooking at its most direct.

Ingredients

Kadai Masala

  • 2 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 4 whole dried Kashmiri red chillies
  • 0.5 tsp cumin seeds

Curry

  • 400 g paneer, cut into thick fingers or cubes
  • 2 whole green capsicums (bell peppers), cut into thick petals
  • 1 whole red capsicum, cut into thick petals (optional, for colour)
  • 1 whole large onion, cut into thick petals
  • 4 whole tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 3 tbsp ghee or neutral oil
  • 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste

To Finish

  • 3 tbsp double cream, optional
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed
  • 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
  • 20 g fresh ginger, cut into fine julienne

Method

  1. Make the kadai masala: dry-roast the coriander seeds, dried chillies, and cumin in a hot pan for a minute or two until fragrant, then cool and pound in a mortar to a coarse, uneven powder.
  2. Heat 2 tbsp of the ghee in a kadai or wok over a high heat and sear the capsicum and onion petals for 2 to 3 minutes, until they blister and char at the edges but remain crisp. Lift out and set aside.
  3. Add the remaining ghee to the pan, fry the ginger-garlic paste for a minute, then add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric, salt, and two thirds of the kadai masala. Cook over a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, mashing the tomatoes down, until the mixture thickens and the fat separates at the edges.
  4. Add the paneer and turn it gently in the masala for 2 to 3 minutes, just until heated through and coated.
  5. Return the seared peppers and onion to the pan with the remaining masala, add the cream if using, and toss over a high heat for a minute. Crush the kasuri methi between your palms over the pan, scatter with coriander and ginger julienne, and serve at once with naan or roti.

Notes

Kadai chicken, kadai mushroom, and kadai vegetables are all made the same way, and the technique matters more than the protein: coarse masala, fierce heat, and peppers that keep their bite. Using a mixture of green and red capsicum is common in restaurants for colour, though the green alone gives the more traditional, slightly bitter edge. For a drier, more restaurant-style dish, reduce the tomato and skip the cream; for a richer gravy, add a little more cream and a splash of water.

The Gastrographer

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