Paneer is one of the simplest form of cheese available and perhaps one of the only cheese of India. It is a popular source of protein for majority of Vegetarian and non vegetarian Indians. It is also poplar because of its versatility, mild, neutral flavor, lending to sweet and savory recipes. The best part is you can cook with it while it still holds its shape without melting or disintegrating. This feature makes it an excellent choice for baking, grilling, frying and like today’s recipe, crumble to make a scramble.
If you’re going to try paneer for the first time, you have a choice of buying it at your supermarket or you’re a bit adventurous try making it at home. Here is my easy method to make at home, but it’s also readily available in supermarkets and Indian grocery stores.
Scramble is also called bhurji in many Indian languages including Hindi. The most popular being anda(egg) bhurji scrambled eggs. Paneer burji is a great choice for packed lunches, on avocado toasts, filled in wraps or vegetarian alternative to chicken sandwich fillings. One of the house favorites is to cut a pita in half pockets, and fill them with the paneer burji, chopped salad, pickled onions and some green chutney. You could also spoon a few tablespoons of bhurji on an avocado toast, simply swap your morning egg with paneer burji and enjoy!
Ingredients
- Paneer
- Peas
- Onion
- Tomato fresh, crushed
- Garlic, Ginger
- green chilli, optional
- Ground cumin, coriander
- Black pepper
- Paprika
- Turmeric
Paneer Bhurji
Ingredients
- 14-16 oz Paneer, crumbled
- 2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 inch ginger minced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large tomato crushed
- 1 hot green chili chopped
- 1 heaped cup peas
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¾ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp paprika, mild or hot as needed
- sea salt and black pepper as needed
- ½ tsp garam masala optional
Instructions
- To a medium pot or wok over medium heat, add the oil. Once the oil is warm, add the cumin. As soon as it starts to sizzle, add the chopped onions and saute, stirring frequently, just until translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add the chopped green chillies, garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the chiles and tomatoes and cook for, 2–3 minutes. Season lightly with salt, stir in the turmeric, paprika, ground cumin and coriander, then add the peas and cook until the tomato juices have reduced slightly, 2–3 minutes more.
- Stir in the crumbled paneer, mix well, turn the heat to low, and cover. Cook until the paneer is warmed through and softened, about 5 minutes. ( I like to cook it a little longer undisturbed(5-7 minutes) so the paneer picks up a little browning, turning the cheese a little crispy and caramelized for an extra yummy flavor.) Remove from the heat and stir in the garam masala and chopped cilantro. Serve with any flatbread, sliced onion, and chutney if desired.Â
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