Paneer Bhurji is crumbled Indian cheese sauteed in a masala mixture. This dish is perfect for breakfast and dinner.
When I’m in the mood for a quick paneer dish, I love making Paneer Bhurji. This dish comes together in no time and is so simple to make. This is my mom’s recipe and is made with minimal spices, you really want to allow the flavors of the paneer to stand out.
What is Paneer Bhurji?
Paneer Bhurji is a classic Punjabi dish. Paneer is Indian cheese and bhurji means scrambled, so essentially Paneer Bhurji translates to scrambled Indian cheese. This dish is perfect with roti – an Indian whole wheat flatbread, alternatively, you can enjoy this dish for breakfast with toast.
Can I make this recipe vegan or gluten-free?
Well, for a vegan option you can easily substitute extra firm tofu for paneer. The results won’t’ be exactly the same, but it’ll still taste good.
For a gluten-free option, make sure you use gluten-free asafoetida (hing).
Tips on making Paneer Bhurji:
- Soak the store-bought paneer for 20 minutes in boiling hot water.
- Chop all the ingredients in this recipe before beginning.
- Crumble the soaked paneer.
- Using a wooden spoon, break up the paneer further while cooking. Do not cook the paneer for more than 4-5 minutes else it’ll become rubbery.
Paneer Bhurji is:
Delicious
Flavorful
Perfect with Roti
A Great Breakfast
Vegetarian
Gluten-free
How to make Paneer Bhurji recipe step by step?
Prep
1. Soak the store-bought paneer in boiling hot water for 20 minutes. This helps the paneer soften.
2. Chop the green chilies, ginger, garlic, onions, and tomatoes.
3. Also, chop the green bell pepper. I used my Chopper.
4. Once 20 minutes are up, crumble the paneer.
Cook
1. Heat up a dutch castiron skillet on medium heat. Once hot, add oil, followed by cumin seeds and asafoetida (hing). Saute for about 1 minute.
2. Now add the ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add the onions and season with salt to taste. Saute the onions for about 5 minutes until they’re slightly brown.
4. Add tomatoes and ground spices – red chili powder, paprika, coriander powder, turmeric, and salt. Cook the spices for about 1 minute.
5. Now add water to avoid the spices from burning. Stir.
6. This is what you should have. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes on low-medium heat.
7. Add the green bell pepper. Stir.
8. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low-medium heat.
9. This is what you should have.
10. Add the crumbled paneer.
11. Using a wooden spoon, break down the paneer for 3-4 minutes. Don’t overcook the paneer.
12. This is the consistency you want. Turn off the stove.
13. Add fresh cilantro and garam masala. Stir well.
Enjoy!
More Paneer Recipes!
Paneer Bhurji
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/8 tsp hing use gluten-free for gf option
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 2 green chilies chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 plum tomatoes chopped
- 3/4 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder or paprika
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste
- 1/2 green bell pepper chopped
- 400 grams paneer crumbled
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
Prep
- Soak the store-bought paneer in boiling hot water for 20 minutes. This helps the paneer soften.
- Chop the green chilies, ginger, garlic, onions, and tomatoes.
- Also, chop the green bell pepper. I used my Chopper.
- Once 20 minutes are up, crumble the paneer.
Cook
- Heat up a dutch castiron skillet on medium heat. Once hot, add oil, followed by cumin seeds and asafoetida (hing). Saute for about 1 minute.
- Now add the ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Saute for 2 minutes.
- Add the onions and season with salt to taste. Saute the onions for about 5 minutes until they're slightly brown.
- Add tomatoes and ground spices - red chili powder, paprika, coriander powder, turmeric, and salt. Cook the spices for about 1 minute.
- Now add water to avoid the spices from burning. Stir.
- This is what you should have. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes on low-medium heat.
- Add the green bell pepper. Stir.
- Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low-medium heat.
- This is what you should have.
- Add the crumbled paneer.
- Using a wooden spoon, break down the paneer for 3-4 minutes. Don't overcook the paneer.
- This is the consistency you want. Turn off the stove.
- Add fresh cilantro and garam masala. Stir well. Enjoy with roti.
Nutrition
A foodie who is passionate about living a healthy-ish lifestyle, cooking, and traveling. You'll find a mix of everything here and lots of seasonal content. I moved from Jersey City leaving behind my family & friends to beautiful Southern California for love. I'm adjusting to the laid-back SoCal lifestyle and learning a lot about myself along the way. Come join me on a soul searching journey and I'll tell YOU "what's cooking" through my love for food, fashion, and travel.
Will be making this soon can i use vegan paneer as am a vegan can i skip green bell pepper as am not a big fan of it perfect for my snacks sorry i took a break from commenting on your recipes as busy with work will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
HI Ramya. Sure you can use vegan paneer – I didn’t even know it existed. Yes, you can skip bell pepper. Thank you!
Hello Nisha,
Would this work well if you make it one-day ahead prior to serving? Thank you!
Absolutely. Indian subzis hold up well for a couple of days. 🙂
This paneer bhurji looks so delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Thanks. hope you try it.