Paneer Ghee Roast (Vegetarian)
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5
22 reviews
Excellent
Paneer Ghee Roast (Vegetarian)
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Paneer Ghee Roast is a vegetarian dish featuring Indian cottage cheese cubes marinated in a paste made from roasted whole spices, red chillies, garlic, tamarind, and yogurt, then cooked in ghee with onions, curry leaves, and jaggery. This preparation creates a richly spiced, aromatic dish with a balance of heat, tang from tamarind, and a subtle sweetness from jaggery, delivering a flavorful and textured experience.
Description
This dish begins with roasting an array of whole spices including coriander, cumin, fennel, peppercorns, fenugreek seeds, and a mix of Kashmiri and guntur red chillies in ghee until fragrant. Garlic and tamarind are added, then the mixture is ground with water into a thick masala paste. Paneer cubes are marinated in this paste combined with fresh curd and lemon juice, absorbing the complex, spicy flavors.
During cooking, the marinated paneer is sautéed in ghee with chopped onions, curry leaves, turmeric, a bit of jaggery for sweetness, and water to create a balanced sauce that clings to the paneer. The dish offers a fragrant, spicy, and slightly sweet flavor profile with the rich mouthfeel of ghee and paneer. Curry leaves contribute a characteristic aroma common in South Indian preparations.
This ghee roast paneer can be served as a side dish with rice or Indian breads. The recipe includes notes for substitutions such as using tofu or mushrooms, adjusting the spice level by controlling chillies, and alternatives for making a vegan version by swapping ghee and dairy ingredients.
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Ingredients
For the ghee roast masala
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper whole
- 20 fenugreek seeds
- 4 Kashmiri red chilli or byadagi red chillies
- 2 guntur red chilli or any variety of spicy and hot red chillies
- 3 garlic medium-sized, cloves
- 1 teaspoon tamarind seeds removed, tightly packed
- 6 tablespoons water for grinding or add as needed
Other ingredients for marination
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons curd (yogurt)
- 200 grams paneer (Indian cottage cheese) - cut into small cubes
- salt as required
For sautéing
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- ⅓ cup onion chopped
- 10 to 12 curry leaves - kept whole or roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon jaggery powder or add as required
- salt as required
Instructions
Preparing ghee roast masala
- Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a thick bottomed pan or kadai or a cast iron skillet. Use a well seasoned pan.
- Once the ghee melts, add all the spices - coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, fenugreek seeds, kashmiri red chillies (or byadagi red chillies) and guntur red chillies (or other Indian varieties of spicy and hot red chillies).
- On a low heat stirring often roast the whole spices till they become fragrant.
- Once the spices are roasted well and fragrant, add the garlic cloves and tamarind. Mix well and switch off the heat. Let this spice mixture cool.
- Take all of the roasted spice mixture in a small grinder jar or chutney grinder.
- Add 6 tablespoons water and grind to a smooth and fine paste. Do not make the ground paste too thin. If you make the paste thin, then skip adding water later.
Marinating paneer
- Take all of the masala paste in a mixing bowl.
- Add fresh curd (dahi or yogurt), 1 teaspoon lemon juice and salt as per taste.
- Add paneer cubes. Mix very well.
- Gently mix the paneer cubes with the masala so that the paneer cubes are well coated with the masala.
- Marinate paneer for 30 to 45 minutes. If keeping for a longer time, then refrigerate.
- In the grinder jar, add ¼ cup water and just swirl the jar, so that the masala paste which is stuck to the sides and bottom of the jar gets mixed with the water. You can also use a spatula or steel spoon to mix. Keep aside.
Making paneer ghee roast
- Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in the same pan.
- Add chopped onions.
- Next add the curry leaves (kadi patta) - kept whole or roughly chopped and teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi).
- Mix very well and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or till the onions turn translucent on a low to medium-low heat. Do not brown the onions.
- Now add all of the marinated paneer mixture. Also add all the masala scraping the bowl.
- Mix gently but very well. Add ½ teaspoon jaggery powder and mix again.
- Add ¼ cup of masala mixed water or plain water. Mix again very well.For a very thick gravy, choose to skip adding water or add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
- Simmer the gravy for about 1 to 2 minutes on a low to medium-low heat. Do not overcook the paneer as then the cubes will become dense and hard.
- Once done, then switch off the heat. The gravy will thicken and you will see specks of ghee on top.
- Serve paneer ghee roast hot garnish with some fried curry leaves or coriander leaves. You can also just serve paneer ghee roast without any garnish. Accompany onion slices and lemon wedges.
Notes
- Vegan options include replacing paneer with pressed tofu and curd with cashew or almond yogurt.
- Mushrooms can be used instead of paneer but should be cooked without marinating long and skip adding water during cooking.
- Adjust red chilli quantity to control spice heat according to preference.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
419kcal
(21%)
Carbohydrates
20g
(7%)
Protein
14g
(28%)
Fat
33g
(51%)
Saturated Fat
20g
(100%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
(6%)
Monounsaturated Fat
5g
(25%)
Cholesterol
84mg
(28%)
Sodium
817mg
(34%)
Potassium
453mg
(10%)
Fiber
4g
(16%)
Sugar
8g
(16%)
Vitamin A
1012IU
(20%)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
0.1mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
0.1mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
40mg
Vitamin B6
1mg
Vitamin B12
0.05µg
(2%)
Vitamin C
200mg
(222%)
Vitamin D
0.01µg
(0%)
Vitamin E
1mg
Vitamin K
13µg
Calcium
407mg
(41%)
Vitamin B9 (Folate)
421µg
Iron
4mg
(22%)
Magnesium
49mg
(12%)
Phosphorus
94mg
Zinc
1mg
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 3Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 419 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 419kcal | 21% |
| Carbohydrates | 20g | 7% |
| Protein | 14g | 28% |
| Fat | 33g | 51% |
| Saturated Fat | 20g | 100% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Cholesterol | 84mg | 28% |
| Sodium | 817mg | 34% |
| Potassium | 453mg | 10% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 8g | 16% |
| Vitamin A | 1012IU | 20% |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) | 0.1mg | |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.1mg | |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 40mg | |
| Vitamin B6 | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.05µg | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 200mg | 222% |
| Vitamin D | 0.01µg | 0% |
| Vitamin E | 1mg | |
| Vitamin K | 13µg | |
| Calcium | 407mg | 41% |
| Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 421µg | |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
| Magnesium | 49mg | 12% |
| Phosphorus | 94mg | |
| Zinc | 1mg |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
22 reviews
Excellent
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