A delicious Indian dish, Paneer Jalfrezi is a stir-fry of paneer and vegetables. Ready in just 15 minutes, this is best enjoyed with naan or parathas.
Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no extra cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
What is Jalfrezi?
Jalfrezi originates from the word jhalphrize which means spicy food cooked on high flame. Jalfrezi can be made with different ingredients like mixed vegetables, paneer, tofu or meat.
This dish appears in various cookbooks of British India and is a popular dish on the menus of Indian restaurant in various parts of the world.
An easy way to stir fry vegetables for dinner, this dish works perfectly to empty out the refrigerator. A lot of cookbooks describe jalfrezi as a great way to fry leftovers with some onion and chili.
What is Paneer Jalfrezi?
Paneer Jalfrezi is a slightly spicy recipe made with paneer and a handful of vegetables. This restaurant style dish can be easily made at home in hardly any time.
The recipe is quick, totally customizable and needs only a handful of ingredients. Paired with naan or rotis it is perfect for weekday dinner. Plus, it works really well in lunch boxes.
How is Paneer Jalfrezi different from other paneer dishes?
Paneer is the MOST popular items on the menu of Indian restaurants. There are places that have atleast 15-20 paneer items listed.
If you are wondering how the recipes vary from each other, this should help you understand how Paneer Jalfrezi varies from the other paneer dishes.
Paneer Jalfrezi is a dish that has zero cream. Batons of paneer and vegetables are cooked on high flame gives everything a slight char. This is the characteristic of the dish. The dish has a thick gravy of tomatoes and is more like a stir fry than a curry.
Comparing it to other popular paneer dishes, this one is distinct. Paneer tikka masala has tandoor grilled paneer pieces, paneer korma has a coconut based curry, paneer pasanda is made with a sweet white curry and paneer bhurji needs crumbled paneer.
Here the paneer is added raw in the dish. It does not have to be fried, boiled or cooked in any way. It gets cooked with the masalas at high heat giving it a slight char on the outside while remaining super soft inside.
What you need to make Paneer Jalfrezi
As I mentioned above, this dish can be made using whatever vegetables you have at hand. The ONLY vegetables that I would suggest not skipping are onions and peppers.
Paneer is the star of the dish so make your choice wisely. I used Sach Paneer in the recipe and it worked really well for me!
For the vegetables, I used onions, red, green, orange and yellow peppers, carrots, peas and tomatoes. Adding baby corn, broccoli or cauliflower to the recipe works well too.
As the dish does not have any curry, the dry ingredients add a lot of flavor to the dish. Flavoring from garam masala and kasoori methi is used here. Having them to make the dish is a great idea.
The dish uses tomatoes in three forms: sliced, double concentrated tomato paste and some ketchup. YES, I used a few spoons of ketchup here to get the required tang and sweetness.
Don't fancy ketchup in an Indian dish? Replace it with tomato paste and some sugar.
Beside the ingredients you need a thick bottom pan to make the jalfrezi. You want the vegetables to char but not burn.
More Paneer recipes
Are you a paneer lover like me? Then you definitely need to try these paneer recipes:
Paneer Bhurji | Paneer Akuri, Palak Paneer, Paneer Butter Masala, Paneer Makhani, Paneer Matar
Steps to make Paneer Jalfrezi
1- In a pan heat butter and oil together. Once hot, add cumin seeds, green chili and garlic.
2- Once the garlic is aromatic, add onion and peppers. Mix well and sauté for a minute.
3- Next add carrots and peas. Mix well.
4- Add garam masala, red chili powder, turmeric powder, amchoor (if using), salt and sugar. Mix well.
5- Let the masalas cook for a few minute. Then add tomato ketchup and tomato paste. Mix with the rest of the ingredients.
6- Now add tomatoes and paneer. Also add kasoori methi. Mix well till everything is coated with the masalas.
Turn off the flame and serve topped with some cilantro and lime juice.
Ingredients
Paneer 12 oz, cut into batons
Onion ½ medium, sliced lengthwise
Red, yellow, orange and green peppers ¼ each, sliced lengthwise
Carrots 1 medium, sliced thin
Green Peas ½ cup
Tomato 1 sliced lengthwise
Garlic 2 cloves, minced
Green Chili 1, minced
Tomato Paste 2 tsp
Tomato ketchup 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder ½ tsp
Red Chili Powder 1 tsp
Garam Masala 1 tsp
Kasoori Methi 1 tbsp
Amchoor/ dried mango powder ¼ teaspoon (optional)
Oil 2 tbsp
Butter 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds 1 tsp
Salt 1 ½ tsp
Sugar a pinch
Method
In a pan heat butter and oil together. Once hot, add cumin seeds, green chili and garlic.
Once the garlic is aromatic, add onion and peppers. Mix well and sauté for a minute.
Next add carrots and peas. Mix well.
Add garam masala, red chili powder, turmeric powder, amchoor (if using), salt and sugar. Mix well.
Let the masalas cook for a few minute. Then add tomato ketchup and tomato paste. Mix with the rest of the ingredients.
Now add tomatoes and paneer. Also add kasoori methi. Mix well till everything is coated with the masalas.
Turn off the flame and serve topped with some cilantro and lime juice.
This paneer jalfrezi tastes best with naan, parathas or roti.
DISCLOSURE: WE ARE A PARTICIPANT IN THE AMAZON SERVICES LLC ASSOCIATES PROGRAM, AN AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A MEANS FOR US TO EARN FEES BY LINKING TO AMAZON.COM AND AFFILIATED SITES.
Leave a Reply