Paneer bhurji is a classic north Indian dish made with crumbled paneer (Indian cheese) cooked in a spiced onion and tomato masala base. It's super delicious with toast, indian flatbreads and also works great as a filling or sandwiches and wraps. The best part? It's ready in about 30 minutes. I am sharing my dhaba style paneer bhurji recipe in this post, which has a special twist of besan (gram flour) added to the masala.
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Street style paneer dishes such as tawa pulao, chilli paneer are unbeatable!! I learnt about this dhaba style paneer bhurji during road trips in India. Piled generously over toasted bread or buttered pav, it quickly became our indulgence whenever we drove along the Delhi- Amritsar highway.
At most dhabas, paneer bhurji is cooked on a large tawa in a rich, red fiery gravy. And the true magic begins once they serve it. Without wiping the tawa, the cooks add copious amounts of butter and toast the bread right in the leftover masala and oil. Crispy, soaked pieces of bread and soft granules of paneer are unapologetically heavenly!
Bhurji means scrambled. While making bhurji we quickly make a chunky base with onions, tomatoes and few simple spices and then add crumbled paneer (like in this recipe) or crack eggs to make anda bhurji. The cooking time is pretty quick, say about 20-30 minutes is usually bhurji are prepared in a skillet or wide pan instead of cooking pots.
About My Paneer Bhurji Recipe
- Over the years, I've come up with a version that strikes a balance between homestyle simplicity and restaurant-style richness. It combines elements of a light paneer scramble with the bold flavors of dhaba-style bhurji. It's neither too plain nor overly heavy.
- After a lot of recipe testing, I figured that homemade paneer makes the best bhurji.Homemade paneer is made by curdling whole milk at home and it tastes rich, milky and amazing! You don't have to set the curds for into a block. Just let drain and use. But, for all practical purposes, store bought paneer is super convenient and I use it all the time. Soak the paneer block water before crumbling it.
- In several of my recipe testing attempts, I cooked the bhurji in both butter & mustard oil. These two cooking mediums are the flavor pillars of punjabi dhaba style cooking. I brown the spices and gram flour in mustard oil as well as the onion tomato base. Butter is the perfect finish to the cooked bhurji. If you prefer, ghee also works beautifully for a rounded flavor.
Ingredients
I have added details of ingredient substitutes as well as preparation(how to chop or blend) in the recipe card.
How to Make Paneer Bhurji (Step By Step Pictures)
- On low- medium heat, start by browning the besan and powdered spices in mustard oil. Once toasted, transfer to a small bowl.
- In the same pot, melt the butter, add a teaspoon of cumin seeds along with chopped garlic and ginger. Fry for 8-10 seconds.
- Next, add the chopped onions while stirring frequently,brown for about 5-7 minutes.
- Next, add the tomato puree and fry it until you see tiny oil bubbles. Don't let the tomatoes dry out too much.
- Add back the besan mixture we made earlier. Then cook this masala on low heat for 3-4 minutes or until you see oil separating.
- Add the crumbled paneer. Gently break the crumbles, mix and cook in the masala for 8-9 minutes on slow heat till you see tiny oil bubbles.
- Finish with kasuri methi & garam masala. Also add the cilantro.Finish bhurji with a tablespoon or two of heavy cream for a richer taste. You can especially do this for dinner parties.
Variations
- Add Vegetables - Add diced capsicum(green bell pepper), blanched matar (green peas), corn, methi (fenugreek leaves) or spinach to bhurji.
- Vegan Option - Simply replace the paneer with extra firm tofu or soy granules for a vegan friendly version. Use vegan oil or butter to cook the bhurji. .
Recipe Tips
- If you are using homemade paneer, make sure to drain it for good 30-40 minutes to avoid watery bhurji.
- Go for malai paneer if you are using store bought. I like the one from Gopi or Verka. You could also soak the paneer block in warm water before crumbling it.
- Don't chop the onions too fine. Bhurji is supposed to have texture after cooking. We don't want the masala to be pasty.
- Do not stir or cook the a lot after adding paneer. We want the paneer to retain small crumbled texture. The more we stir, bhurji gets soft and mashed.
- Since, this recipe is in between dry and wet gravy bhurji, be a little mindful when adding water. The bhurji will thicken after cooling Avoid adding too much water, the paneer and liquid should not separate.
Dhaba-Style Paneer Bhurji
Paneer bhurji is a north indian dish made with crumbled paneer and spices in a onion & tomato masala base.It is super delicious paired with bread, roti or paratha. Paneer bhurji can also be made into sandwiches and wraps.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon mustard oil substitute with avocado any cooking oil
- 1.5 tablespoon besan gram flour
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup tomatoes pureed in blender (about 3 medium tomatoes)
- 1.25 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ½ cup water or as needed
- 300 g paneer crumbled
- 1 small (~⅓ cup) potato boiled & fine crumbled (optional)
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed between palms
- 3 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 1 green chili chopped (adjust to taste)
Spices
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 2 teaspoon red chili powder adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon garam masala or to taste
Instructions
Preparation
- Home Made Paneer :- If you plan to use homemade paneer, see this post on how to make paneer at home. In the recipe, just skip the step of weighing down the paneer into a block. Once the curds are drained for good 30-40 minutes, they are ready to use for making bhurji. Store Bought Paneer :- If you are using store bought paneer, soak it in boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain, wipe dry with a towel and then crumble the paneer.
- Chop the onions, ginger and garlic.
- Add roughly chopped tomatoes to a blender jar and make a puree.
Cooking Paneer Bhurji (Cook on Medium stove)
- In a wide pan(10 inch or 12 inch) or a large kadai, heat up the mustard oil til its a bit smoky. Add the besan. Let besan roast in oil for 1-2 minutes, keep stirring else it will burn.
- Add coriander, red chilli and turmeric powder and brown them as well on slow heat for 2-3 minutes till you smell a nice aroma. These spices can burn easily so be a little careful. Tranfser the besan slurry to a small bowl once roasted.
- In the same pan without wiping, melt the butter. Add the ginger,garlic and cumin and saute for 25-30 seconds.
- Add the onions next and saute them for a good 6-8 minutes until the start turning light golden brown. Dont brown to a dark shade.
- Add the tomatoes and sprinkle some salt. Cook the tomatoes for 5-6 minutes. Dont dry out too much.
- Add the browned besan and spices and saute everything together for another 2-3 minutes till you see a nice thick masala is formed.
- Next, add ⅓ to ½ cup water. Mix the water well. You will see that the masala will look like a slurry. Dont worry. Its perfect. Note:- Due to besan you will see that the masala will thicken fast. If you want you can add more water but make sure that it becomes part of the masala before adding paneer.
- Once you see that the masala is bubbling again, add the paneer and very gently mix it with the masala. If there are some big chunks of paneer, lightly mash it using back of the spoon. You can add the potato as well right now. Mix everything well with the masala and let cook for a minute or two. Tip:- Dont stir a lot. Also dont cook on high heat. Else the paneer will get hard and rubbery.
- After adding paneer, cook the bhurji for no more than 5-6 minutes.
- Switch off the stove and add kasuri methi, garam masala and chopped cilantro and green chilies(if using). Serve warm with some crisped bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you are using homemade paneer, make sure to drain it for a good 30-40 minutes to avoid watery bhurji.
- Go for malai paneer if you are using store bought. I like the one from Nanak or Gopi.
- Dont chop the onions too fine. Bhurji is supposed to have texture after cooking. We dont want the masala to be pasty.
- You can use milk as well instead of water.
- Do not stir or cook the a lot after adding paneer. We want the paneer to retain small crumbled texture. The more we stir, bhurji gets soft and mashed.
- Since, this recipe is in between dry and wet gravy bhurji, be a little mindful when adding water. The bhurji will thicken a bit after sitting. Avoid adding too much water, the paneer and liquid should not seperate.
- If you like a yellow looking bhurji, add extra turmeric to the recipe.
- You can skip the potato if you wish.
- Finish bhurji with a tablespoon or two of heavy cream for a richer taste.
- Add Vegetables - Add capsicum, matar(green peas), corn, methi(fenugreek leaves) or spinach to bhurji.
- You can use ghee as well instead of butter.
- Make it Vegan - Simply replace the paneer with extra firm tofu or soy granules for a vegan friendly bhurji. Use vegan oil or butter to cook the bhurji.
- Make it cheesy - Add some shredded cheese on warm bhurji before serving.
- Turn it into an appetizer - Serve on lettuce cups, crackers, crostini bread etc and serve as party appetizer.
- Make It Grain free - If you dont want to use gram flour, simply skip it and add the powdered spices to the onion tomato masala and sautè it.
- Add a kick - Add chopped green chillies/serranos for a nice kick and grassy heat.
- Make Wraps & Tortillas - Fill bhurji in parathas and male wraps or kathi rolls, you can also make cheesy quesadilla.
- Make Vegetarian Sloppy Joes - Pile the bhurji on warmed pan or dinner rolls.
Nutrition
Calories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 10gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 656mgPotassium: 191mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 523IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 322mgIron: 1mg
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