Paneer Bhurji is a mildly spicy, flavorful, and easy-to-make scrambled cheese in a curry base. This spicy sauce is made from onions, tomatoes, spices, herbs, and yogurt. The recipe is ready in under 30 minutes and makes for a quick breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Pair it with Chapati, Paratha or Naan to mop up this delicious savory sauce.
What is Paneer Bhurji?
Bhurji means scrambled eggs in Hindi, so this dish is basically scrambled cottage cheese. A perfect tangy, spicy spice mix of onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, green chilies, and various spices is mixed with the Paneer Bhurji.
This tasty dish, like most Bhurji recipes, is quick to prepare and ideal for breakfast or as a side dish to a main meal.
You could say this is the vegetarian version of “Indian-style scrambled eggs,” which is called Anda Bhurji in Hindi.
Here I am sharing my mother's recipe, who prepares this Bhurji with sauce or curry (also known in some Indian languages as Tari or Rassa).
What makes this Paneer Bhurji recipe special is that the whole spices are first fried, which gives the dish an aromatic flavor. Fresh yogurt is also included in the curry, adding a touch of creaminess and a slight tang.
I also use Ghee for frying, but you can also use oil. I sometimes add green peas to this recipe as well. Serve this Paneer Bhurji with Chapati or Paratha. This spiced dish also goes very well with bakery bread.
Ingredients for Paneer Bhurji:
Paneer (Indian cottage cheese): Paneer is a fresh cheese in which milk is curdled by adding a food acid (lemon juice or vinegar). Whenever I make a dish that uses Paneer, I prefer to use homemade rather than store-bought Paneer, as it is tastier and fresher.
Paneer from scratch may sound tedious at first, but once you try it, you'll see it's quite easy and tastes so good. Follow my simple step-by-step guide to making Paneer and you'll have a block of homemade Paneer in less than 30 minutes.
Spices: The added spices are the usual Indian ground spices like Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and Garam Masala. Most of these ground Indian spices are available in supermarkets, Asian stores, and even online. For the Garam Masala I always use homemade Garam Masala in all my recipes.
Onions & Tomatoes: Onions and tomatoes are added to many Indian dishes. For the onions, you can use red onions, sweet onions, or white onions. Use ripe red tomatoes as they are not too sour.
For a vegan version:
Swap Paneer for firm tofu
Swap Ghee for any oil with a neutral flavor
Replace yogurt with cashew or almond yogurt. You can also skip adding yogurt and drizzle some lemon juice over the sauce when eating.
Serving suggestions
It is best to eat Paneer Bhurji warm with some bread or Indian breads like Chapati or Paratha. Sometimes I toast slices of bread and top them with Paneer Bhurji, so you can make Paneer Bhurji sandwiches this way.
You can also serve it as a side dish to Indian main courses.
Ingredients for 2 - 3 servings
- 2.5 cm cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 2 green cardamoms
- 5 to 6 whole black peppercorns
- 1 Tej-Patta (Indian bay leaf)
- 2 tbsp Ghee or oil
- 250 g Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) – crumbled
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 green chili, finely chopped
- ½ tsp Ginger paste
- ½ tsp Garlic paste
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp salt
- 45g yogurt
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
- 1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped – optional
- 2.5 cm fresh ginger root – julienned for garnish
Instructions
Ghee or oil in a pan and heat it. Add the whole spices – 2.5 cm cinnamon, 3 cloves, 2 green cardamom pods, 5 to 6 black peppercorns and 2 small Tej-Patta or 1 medium to large Tej-Patta. Fry until the spices release their aroma.
Now add the finely chopped onions and stir everything very well. Sauté the onions over medium heat, stirring frequently, until light golden.
Then add the chopped green chilies and the ginger paste as well as the garlic paste. Roast everything for 10 seconds until the raw aroma of ginger and garlic disappears.
Add the finely chopped tomatoes and mix everything well. Continue to sauté the onion-tomato mixture until the tomatoes become soft and you see oil being released from the sides of the masala.
Stir in the ground spices - coriander powder, cumin powder, Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala powder - and continue to sauté for a minute over low to medium heat.
Keep the heat on the lowest setting and now add the fresh yogurt. As soon as you add the yogurt, stir the onion-tomato-spices-yogurt mixture quickly and vigorously.
Add water and mix well again. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves and mix again.
Bring the curry (the sauce) to a simmer over low to medium heat. Then add the crumbled paneer and salt. Stir very well and let it simmer for about 1 minute until the paneer is soft. Make sure not to cook for too long, as the paneer will become tough.
Turn off the stove and add 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves and Paneer Bhurji mix.
Tips
To have a thicker sauce, add less water.
Remove the seeds and the white part of the green chili to reduce the spiciness.
For a vegan version:
- Swap paneer for firm tofu.
- Swap ghee for any neutral-tasting oil.
- Replace yogurt with cashew or almond yogurt. You can also skip adding yogurt and drizzle some lemon juice over the sauce when eating.
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