Paneer Jalfrezi Recipe
Published May 19, 2025
Add CommentThis 25-minute Paneer Jalfrezi is a quick stir-fry that uses a handful of ingredients to create a restaurant-worthy dish. Bold in flavor, it makes for an easy weeknight dinner and pairs perfectly well with roti or paratha.
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If you looking for a restaurant-style paneer dish that you can make quickly, then look no further than this Paneer Jalfrezi! Made in less than 30 minutes, this quick paneer stir-fry gets its depth of flavors from spices, tomato puree, plenty of ginger juliennes and a tangy kick from the vinegar. It pairs beautifully with rustic tanroori roti or pillowy soft garlic naan.
Paneer Jalfrezi is one of those dishes I turn to when I need something quick on the table. The more elaborate paneer recipes – like creamy paneer makhani or restaurant style kadai paneer – are reserved for days when I have extra time to cook. This dish uses simple ingredients yet results in an extremely flavorful dish. In fact you will be amazed at how bold and deep the flavors are considering it comes together so quickly!
I make a batch of my homemade paneer every week and use it in several ways especially in quick recipes like paneer bhurji, Instant Pot saag paneer and this paneer jalfrezi. The term jalfrezi refers to a quick stir-fry method that originated during British rule in India. It typically involves stir frying the vegetables or meat with spices, onions, peppers, and tomatoes.
For the base, I use ginger, garlic, and onions. The next level of flavor is built by the spices, followed by tomato puree. More onions (this time sliced) and peppers add the much-needed crunch and sweetness to the dish. And Jalfrezi is incomplete without the addition of vinegar, which adds the perfect tang.
Ingredients
Paneer: The Indian cottage cheese is the main ingredient here, you can either make it at home or use store-bought paneer. If using store-bought paneer make sure to soak it in warm water for 20 minutes- this especially applies to the paneer that we get here in the US.
Vegetables: The onions need to be both finely chopped and sliced. The green and red bell peppers should be sliced into long strips.
Ginger-garlic: we need to cut ginger in two ways, finely chopped and into thin juliennes for the finishing touch.
Spices: For this recipe, we need basic Indian spices like coriander powder, Kashmiri red chili powder for that bright red color. Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) is added as a finishing touch, it’s one of those ingredients which is almost always used in paneer dishes.
Tomato puree and paste
This recipe calls for tomato puree (preferably store-bought). If you have tomato paste on hand- which is the more concentrated version- you can simply mix it with water in a 1:1 ratio to make tomato puree. I love using tomato paste in many of my recipes like Kadai paneer or Mixed Veg to deepen the flavor, and I often have keep it in place of tomato puree in my pantry. To make 1/2 cup of tomato puree for this recipe, just mix 1/4 cup of tomato paste with 1/4 cup of water.
How to Make Paneer Jalfrezi
- Cook the aromatics with spices
Sauté the ginger, garlic with chilies and cumin seeds until fragrant and browned. I recommend chopping the garlic and ginger really fine, it makes a difference to the final taste of the dish. Cook the onions and then cook the dry spices for 1 to 2 minutes. Don’t forget to add splash of water when you add the spices to make sure they don’t burn.
- Add store-bought tomato puree and cook
This can be substituted with homemade tomato puree but I strongly recommend using store-bought puree here for the color and flavor. If using homemade tomato puree, add 1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup.
- Add the sliced onion, peppers and paneer
We add onions twice in this recipe, first we use chopped onions with ginger and garlic and sauté it. And then we add some sliced onions along with peppers for the flavor and crunch. Cook the sliced onions and peppers for 2 to 3 minutes only. I cut paneer into rectangular shape for paneer jalfrezi, that’s how it’s usually done in restaurants.
- Finish with ginger juliennes & cilantro
Add garam masala, kasuri methi, ginger juliennes, and cilantro at the end to bring out a pop of flavor.
Manali’s Notes
- I tested this recipe with both vinegar and lemon juice and I think vinegar works better here for that tangy flavor.
- Using sugar is optional but recommended- it helps balance out the other flavors in the dish.
- If you are using homemade tomato puree in this recipe, you can puree 2 medium tomatoes for this recipe. In that case, also add 1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup and skip the sugar.
Paneer Jalfrezi (Restaurant-Style, 25-Minute Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil I used avocado oil
- ½ tablespoon butter I used salted butter
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
- 1-2 green chilies sliced, adjust to taste
- 1 medium onion ½ finely chopped & ½ sliced
- 1 & ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder or use regular chili powder for extra-heat
- ½ cup tomato puree store-bought preferably
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 medium green pepper sliced
- 1 medium red pepper sliced
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 250 – 275 grams paneer cut into rectangles
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ inch ginger cut into juliennes
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi optional
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and ½ tablespoon of butter in a pan on medium to medium-high heat. Once the butter melts and oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add 1 teaspoon chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic and 1 sliced green chili and sauté for 1 minute until the ginger-garlic start changing color.
- Then add ½ of onion which we had finely chopped and cook for around 2 minutes until the onions are lightly browned. Then add the spices: 1 & ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, and, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder along with 1 tablespoon of water so that the spices don't burn. Cook the spices for 30 seconds.
- Add ½ cup tomato puree and stir. Also add ¼ cup of water and ½ teaspoon of salt along with it. Cook for around 1 minute.
- Then add the remaining ½ of the onion which we had sliced along with: 1 medium green pepper (sliced) and 1 medium red pepper (sliced). Stir using a spatula until the sliced onions and peppers are well coated with the masala. Then cover the pan with a lid and cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of sugar and mix to combine.
- Now, add 250 grams of paneer (I cut these into rectangular pieces but you can also cut into simple cubes) and mix until the paneer is well coated with the masala.
- Add ¼ teaspoon of garam masala, ginger juliennes (from ½ inch ginger) and 1 teaspoon of kasuri methi. Stir everything and then cover the pan with a lid and let it cook 1-2 minutes. Garnish with 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and serve hot with naan or roti.
Notes
- If you prefer a spicy jalfrezi, add some regular red chili powder in addition to the Kashmiri red chili powder. You can also add more sliced green chilies in the stir-fry.
- Some people prefer pan frying their paneer first in oil before adding it to the stir-fry. If you do that, soak the pan fried paneer in little warm water for 10 minutes, drain the water and then use the paneer in the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
