Are you bored of your usual paneer curries? Then give them a break and try this easy and flavorful Kashmiri Laal Paneer. It can be served with phulka or rice for everyday meals (vegetarian, can be easily made gluten-free).
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About Kashmiri Laal Paneer
Kashmiri Laal Paneer (also called laal chaman in the Kashmiri language) is a super delicious and quick paneer (Indian cottage cheese) dish from the state of Kashmir.
As the name suggests, this curry is fiery red, and the appealing red color comes with the use of Kashmiri red chili powder.
It is very similar to the other popular Kashmiri dishes but is made without the use of milk or yogurt.
The goodness of aromatic whole spices and fragrant spice powders make this simple dish so flavorful.
Laal Paneer is light, protein-rich, and different from other paneer gravies, which gives you another reason to try this one!
Laal paneer recipe is vegetarian and can be easily made gluten-free. You can easily double or triple it too.
As paneer is one of the vegetarian ingredients that almost everyone loves, I am sharing a few more delicious paneer recipes that you can try at home
- Paneer Butter Masala
- Paneer Ghee Roast
- Matar Paneer
- Paneer Tikka Masala
- Paneer Korma
- Methi Malai Paneer
- Paneer Masala
- Paneer In White Gravy
- Dahi Paneer
Ingredients
Paneer – You can use homemade or get it from any Indian grocery store. Soak the store-bought paneer in warm water for 10 minutes to make it softer.
To make vegan curry, you can use tofu pieces instead of paneer.
Whole Spices – This recipe uses whole spices such as cumin seeds, bay leaves (tejpatta), green cardamom (hair elaichi), cloves (laung), and cinnamon (dalchini). When added to hot oil, they leave a beautiful aroma and flavor to the dish.
Mustard Oil – This recipe is traditionally made in mustard oil, which gives it a beautiful authentic taste. You can use any cooking oil if you do not prefer mustard oil.
Hing – Hing or asafetida adds a beautiful flavor to the curry, so do not miss it. If you want the recipe to be gluten-free, then you can avoid adding it.
Spice Powders – You will need spice powders such as ground fennel (saunf), ground ginger (saunth), Kashmiri red chili powder, and coriander powder to enhance the flavors.
How To Make Kashmiri Laal Paneer
Wash a 7 oz ( 200 g) slab of paneer with water and cut it into 2-inch pieces. Keep them aside.
Stir together
- 2 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon ground fennel
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
in a bowl.
Add ¼ cup of water to the bowl and mix to make a paste. Set aside.
Heat 4 tablespoon mustard oil in a pan over high heat.
Once the mustard oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium.
Add the paneer pieces to the pan and fry them from all sides until nicely browned. Keep flipping them while frying.
Remove the paneer pieces from the pan and add them to a bowl filled with 2 cups of water. Set aside.
Add
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 2 cloves,
- 2 whole green cardamom
- 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
to the oil in the same pan and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
Reduce the heat to low.
Add the spice paste to the pan and mix well.
Cook for 2 minutes on low heat until the oil separates from the pan’s sides.
Now add the water in which we soaked the paneer and 1 teaspoon salt and bring the curry to a boil.
Add the fried paneer and cook for 10 minutes.
Check for salt and add more if needed. Serve hot with rice.
Note – The curry looks orangish at this stage, but once you keep it for some time, the oil will start to float on top, and it will look dark red.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this easy and delicious laal paneer with steamed rice or Kashmiri pulao.
You can also serve it with phulka or tawa paratha with raita or salad on the side for your everyday meals.
Storage Suggestions
This laal paneer curry will last in the fridge for 2 to 3 days when stored in an air-tight container. Reheat it in a pan or microwave until nice and warm.
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Recipe Card
Kashmiri Laal Paneer Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 ounce paneer (200 g)
- 4 tablespoons mustard oil (or any other cooking oil)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing) (skip for gluten-free)
- 2 whole bay leaves (tejpatta)
- 2 cloves (laung)
- 2 green cardamoms (hari elaichi)
- 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick (dalchini)
- 2 tablespoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger (saunth)
- 2 teaspoons ground fennel (saunf)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Instructions
- Wash paneer with water and cut it into 2-inch pieces and keep them aside.
- Stir together Kashmiri red chili powder, ground ginger, ground fennel, and coriander powder in a bowl.
- Add ¼ cup of water to the bowl and mix to make a paste. Set aside.
- Heat mustard oil in a pan over high heat.
- Once the mustard oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the paneer pieces to the pan and fry them from all sides until nicely browned. Keep flipping them while frying.
- Remove the paneer pieces from the pan and add them to a bowl filled with 2 cups of water. Set aside.
- Add cumin seeds, asafoetida, bay leaves, cloves, green cardamoms, and cinnamon stick to the oil in the same pan and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Add the spice paste to the pan and mix well.
- Cook for 2 minutes on low heat until the oil starts to separate from the sides of the pan.
- Now add the water in which we soaked the paneer and salt and bring the curry to a boil.
- Add the fried paneer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Check for salt and add more if needed. Serve hot with rice.
- Note – The curry looks orangish at this stage but once you keep it for sometime, the oil will start to float on top and it will looks dark red.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!