Dhaba Style Chili Paneer Dry

Paneer Chili dry is an extremely popular Indo Chinese dish. The chili paneer recipe includes delicious crispy fried paneer with onions, peppers, and sweet + sour chilli sauces. The chewy panfried paneer pairs well with crisp chunk chopped and lightly cooked capsicum, onions, and spicy peppers. This recipe is simple and quick to make for gathering, an appetizer, or can be served with noodles or rice. Dhaba Style Paneer Chili Dry I had major cravings for this particular dry chilli paneer recipe during my pregnancy days. It was serious enough that I had to learn to perfect the recipe with much trial and error. I like soft paneer that is chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Plus, the level of spice I can tolerate is outrageous and this recipe delivers it!

Paneer Variations

Homemade paneer tastes the best, but I never have time to make and prep it. For that reason, store bought is always a go-to for my family. I love using Gopi Brand paneer because it is soft and easy to cut, but it also fries really well. It is readily available at Indian Grocery Stores.

Prepping the paneer

This is probably the hardest part of this recipe. Do not skip frying the paneer folks. It makes this dish what it is with the texture. Takes me back to the street food days of India. If you are not comfortable frying paneer, then you can air fry it.

How to air fry paneer

Coat the paneer in oil and cooking for about 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees. Be sure to toss a few times during the process. No need to coat the paneer in corn starch or all purpose flour when air frying it for this recipe. However, you will need to add a little corn starch to the gravy when cooking to help thicken the sauce.

Ingredients

Paneer, cubedOilGarlic, freshGinger, freshDark Soy SauceChili SauceOnion, chunk choppedChili Peppers, slicedBell Peppers, chunk choppedGreen OnionsWhite Pepper PowderAll Purpose Flour/Corn StarchWater

Cooking the dish

Gluten Free Options

Dark soy sauce is a must for this recipe but you can find naturally brewed soya sauce variations that are gluten free. Corn starch can be used as a replacement for all purpose flour.