Paneer Jalfrezi is an easy and healthy restaurant-style vegetable stir fry made with cottage cheese, vegetables like bell peppers, and a few Indian spices. You can whip up this spiced paneer stir fry in just 15 minutes. It's keto, low-carb, and gluten-free.
Our family loves paneer, and I learned this Paneer Jalfrezi recipe after coming to the USA. It wasn't commonly made at home back in India, where we typically enjoy dishes like palak paneer, paneer butter masala, and paneer bhurji.
Paneer Jalfrezi is a quick and easy stir-fry made with a mix of paneer and vegetables like bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and spices. This dish can be prepared in less than 20 minutes, making it perfect for a weeknight dinner or lunch. For an authentic restaurant-style paneer veg jalfrezi, be sure to cut all the vegetables and paneer lengthwise and uniformly.
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What is Paneer Jalfrezi?
Paneer Jalfrezi is a popular Indian dish where paneer, and vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes are stir-fried in a pan and seasoned with a blend of spices and herbs.
The word 'jalfrezi' comes from the Bengali language 'jhal' means hot or spicy, and 'frezi' means suitable for a diet.
Paneer Jalfrezi can be found on the menu of many Indian restaurants worldwide. It is typically served with naan, roti, or basmati rice and is a great option for vegetarians.
If you like paneer, check out more Indian Paneer Recipes
If you are looking for easy Indian Dinner ideas, check out our 40+ Best Vegetarian Indian Dinner Recipes post.
Ingredients
- Paneer: Homemade fresh paneer always tastes best. However, you can easily find paneer at nearby Indian grocery stores in the freezer or fridge section. Also, the paneer should be cut lengthwise.
- Vegetables: I used three colored bell peppers cut length-wise. You can also use other vegetables like carrots, beans, and mushrooms.
- Onion: Dice the onion lengthwise.
- Tomato: I have also diced the tomato lengthwise.
- Tomato puree: Used ½ cup of tomato puree prepared from 1 large tomato. Alternatively, You can also use canned tomato sauce.
- Spices: Use a mixture of turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, and garam masala.
How to Make Paneer Jalfrezi
In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee). Once the oil is hot, add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
Then add 1 medium onion (sliced lengthwise), 1 teaspoon minced ginger, and 1 teaspoon minced garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes on medium heat until light brown.
Next, add the spices like ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, salt to taste, and a splash of water, and saute the masala on medium-high heat for another minute.
Note: Make sure to add water; otherwise, spices will burn.
Add the sliced colored bell peppers and sauté for another 2-3 minutes until they are tender and cooked. I used half of each red, green, and yellow bell pepper, sliced lengthwise.
Add 1 medium tomato (sliced lengthwise) and ½ cup tomato puree and saute for a minute until the tomatoes soften.
Finally, add 200 grams of paneer (about 7 oz) and ½ teaspoon garam masala, tossing well to ensure the paneer is coated with all the spices. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
You can also add 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) at this stage.
Lastly, squeeze the juice of half the lime and garnish with 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander leaves. Then, the restaurant style paneer jalfrezi curry is ready to serve with naan or rice.
What to Serve with this Vegetable Paneer Jalfrezi?
Serve Paneer Tikka Jalfrezi with naan, roti, chapati, poori, jeera rice, vegetable pulao.
If you are on Keto Diet, serve it with keto naan, low-carb tortillas, or cauliflower rice.
You can also use paneer jalfrezi as a filling in the wraps or rolls.
Storage Suggestions
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover paneer jalfrezi sabzi in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
- Freeze: You can store the jalfrezi in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to three months in the freezer. But I highly recommend serving this curry fresh as the texture of the paneer changes after freezing.
- Reheat: Reheat the paneer jalfrezi on the stovetop on low heat or in the microwave oven until heated through. If frozen, defrost for a few hours on the kitchen top before reheating.
Expert Tips
- Good quality paneer: Homemade paneer works the best. If you have store-bought paneer, soak it in hot water for 15 minutes to keep it soft.
- Dont overcook: Do not overcook the veggies else, they will turn mushy.
- Restaurant-style: Adding Kasuri methi at the end gives a restaurant-style taste to this paneer dish.
- Leftover Paneer Jalfrezi: If you have leftover paneer jalfrezi, you can use it as a filling to make paneer frankie roll.
Variations
- Add different vegetables: You can add broccoli, carrots, baby corn, mushrooms, or any other vegetable of your choice.
- Make it creamy: Add heavy cream, coconut cream, or cashew paste at the end to add creaminess and richness to the dish.
- Make it saucy: I have shared the dry version of the paneer jalfrezi recipe. For a saucier version, add more tomato puree or tomatoes.
- Vegan: Substitute paneer with extra-firm tofu or vegetables like potatoes for a vegan version.
Recipe FAQs
This Paneer stir fry with bell peppers is a keto and low-carb recipe. You can also add cauliflower or mushrooms for variety. For more ideas, check out my Keto Indian food recipes collection.
To make vegan jalfrezi, replace paneer with tofu. Alternatively, you can skip the paneer altogether and make it a vegetable jalfrezi by adding extra veggies like baby corn, mushrooms, green beans, and cauliflower.
Paneer Jalfrezi Recipe (Paneer with Vegetables Stir-Fry)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil (or ghee)
- 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera seeds)
- 1 medium onion sliced lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ red bell pepper sliced lengthwise
- ½ green bell pepper sliced lengthwise
- ½ yellow bell pepper sliced lengthwise
- 1 medium tomato, de-seeded sliced lengthwise
- ½ cup tomato puree (1 large tomato)
- 200 grams paneer cut lengthwise (7 oz)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried methi leaves) optional
- juice of half lime
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (coriander leaves)
Instructions
- Cut the veggies and paneer length wise and keep aside.
- In a Pan, heat oil. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
- Then add sliced onions, minced ginger, garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes on medium heat until light brown.
- Next, add the spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt, a splash of water, and saute the masala on medium-high heat for another minute.Note: Make sure to add the water else spices will burn.
- Add the bell peppers and continue sautéing them for another 2-3 minutes till they are tender and cooked.Â
- Add sliced tomato and tomato puree and saute for a minute until the tomatoes soften.
- Finally, add the paneer, garam masala, toss well to coat with all the spices. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes. You can also add kasuri methi at this stage.
- Lastly, squeeze from fresh lime juice and sprinkle some freshly chopped coriander leaves. Then, the restaurant style paneer jalfrezi curry is ready to serve with naan or rice.
Video
Notes
Tips to make the Best Paneer Jalfrezi
- Good quality paneer: Homemade Paneer works the best. If you have store-bought paneer, soak it in hot water for 15 minutes to keep them soft.
- Dont overcook: Do not overcook the veggies else, they will turn mushy.
- Restaurant-style: Adding Kasuri methi at the end gives a restaurant-style taste to this paneer dish.
- Leftover Paneer Jalfrezi: If you have leftover paneer jalfrezi, you can use it as a filling for making Paneer Frankie Roll.
Variations
- Add different vegetables: You can add broccoli, carrots, baby corn, mushrooms, or any other vegetable of your choice.
- Make it creamy: You can add heavy cream, coconut cream, or cashew paste at the end to add creaminess and richness to the dish.
- Make it saucy: I have shared the dry version of the paneer jalfrezi recipe. For a saucier version, add more tomato puree or tomatoes.
- Vegan: Substitute paneer with extra-firm tofu or vegetables like potatoes for a vegan version.
Nutrition
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Preeti
Absolutely delicious! Everyone loved the dish and polished it off! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Bhavana Patil
Hi Preeti, I am glad everyone in your family loved it. Thanks for sharing your feedback.
Linda
Made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious! This is my third recipe I have made from your blog. All of them get many compliments! All are absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Margaret
Just like my local Indian restaurant !
Bhavana Patil
Thanks for sharing your feedback...Glad it turned out well 🙂