Paneer Khurchan is a typical dhaba style recipe that is a standard feature in all the Punjabi style dhabas. In the typical Punjabi style, the main feature of this dish is Paneer, sauteed with capsicum and cooked in a tomato based gravy.
“Khurchan“, originates from Hindi, meaning – scraping. In the earlier days, the gravy & milk remains used to be scraped out from the bottom of the vessels and made into a dish. Over time, this technique has evolved into including pieces of tandoori chicken or paneer into a tomato based gravy, where the gravy is cooked for a long time and is almost scanty.
An extremely fragrant dish, courtesy of the various spices like jeera (cumin), Dhania (coriander), Aamchur (dry mango), garam masala and ginger, this dish makes a great accompaniment to phulkas, chapatis, naan and even a mildly flavoured rice like pulao. There are different variants of the dish ranging from gravy to semi gravy and dry. The quantity of the gravy can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of onions and tomatoes.
One of the important things to consider when making this dish is to have a heavy bottomed kadhai or pan. Else, there could be a risk of burning the paneer & base gravy while cooking. You can make it quite colourful by adding the different coloured peppers while cooking.
Punjabi cuisine is not all about chicken or paneer, there are some traditional ones too that are lip smacking. You could try out a few.
Read on to know the recipe of Paneer Khurchan.
Paneer Khurchan
Ingredients
- 400 g Paneer
- 1 nos. Green Capsicum Medium, Sliced
- 1 nos. Red Capsicum Medium, sliced
- 3 nos. Tomatoes Large, Sliced
- 150 g Onions Sliced
- 4 tbsp Ghee
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 2 nos. Green Chillies Slit
- 2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tbsp Cumin powder
- 1 tbsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
- 1 tsp Aamchur Powder (dry mango powder)
- 1 tsp Kasuri Methi
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- Handful Coriander Leaves
- 2 tbsp Fresh Cream
- Salt To taste
- Water As required
Instructions
- Heat Ghee in a deep kadhai
- Temper the cumin seeds and add the sliced onions.
- Cook till the onions turn translucent. Add the slit green chillies and ginger garlic paste.
- Mix well and let the raw smell of the paste disappear.
- Add the sliced capsicum and tomatoes.
- Saute for a minute and add in the other spices (red chilli powder cumin seed powder, coriander powder, garam masala, aamchur powder).
- Combine them well and cook for 10 minutes. Mix in salt as per taste.
- Add required water to get the gravy consistency.
- Add the sliced paneer and gently mix. Ensure all the slices are coated with the masala evenly.
- Cook under low flame to avoid burning and so that the masala seeps into the paneer and vegetables.
- Crush the kasuri methi and lemon juice to the gravy.
- Cook for 5 more minutes and let it boil.
- Garnish with coriander leaves & cream.
- Remove from flame and serve hot with roti, pulka, paratha or any rice.
Notes
- Ensure a deep, heavy bottomed kadhai so that the ingredients don't burn.
- Slice the paneer into strips or cubes, as per your choice
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