Paneer Bhurji | Scrambled Paneer with Vegetables

Paneer Bhurji – A simple scrambled paneer recipe with fresh homemade paneer, vegetables, and spices. A perfect dry curry for rotis and parathas.

Check out how to make paneer bhurji and different ways to serve it.

I first tried this paneer bhurji recipe at our friend’s place and immediately fell in love with it. Paneer bhurji is a dry curry, and you can pair and serve it with many dishes. 

I love bell peppers with paneer; the bell peppers’ crunchiness and paneer’s soft texture compliments well. Also, I love to add colored bell peppers since it just jazzes up the dish. 

Homemade paneer for the bhurji

I have always made paneer bhurji with freshly homemade paneer. The texture and taste of the bhurji with homemade paneer are fantastic, and I highly recommend the same. Making paneer at home is super easy; please check out my recipe. 

 I have made paratha, biryani, and other paneer gravies with store-bought ones. But I have never tried paneer bhurji with store-bought paneer. If you want to try it with store-bought, instead of grating, try to crumble the paneer and make the bhurji for a similar texture. You can also grate the paneer.

Different ways to serve the scrambled paneer

The recipe is very straightforward, and you can customize it according to your preference. Typically we serve it with rice and dal or roti, paratha. But guess what, you can serve this paneer bhurji in several ways.

Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this bhurji. I know I can share these as individual recipes, but I will list them here for now. 

These are just some of the options. You can create fantastic fusion meals with paneer bhurji. The idea here is to combine it with carbs and make it a complete meal. 

Dietary specifications

It’s a dairy-based, gluten-free, and nut-free dish. You can also make bhurji with tofu which makes it completely vegan. I have shared a tofu bhurji video on my Instagram and linking the same here.

Now without any further ado, let’s get straight into the recipe. 

Paneer bhurji recipe with detailed step-wise pictures

• Heat a pan or kadai and add two tsp of oil. When the oil is hot, add one tsp of panch phoron spice mix. (Refer recipe notes for substitutions). Fry for 30 seconds, and then add ¼ cup of chopped onion. Saute until the onions are soft and translucent. 

• Then add the chopped tomatoes (1 cup, approx 160 grams) and salt. Mix well and let it cook till they are soft and mushy.

• Now add the chopped bell peppers (½ cup, approx 75 grams), ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp red chili powder, and ½ tsp cumin powder. Cook till the bell peppers are soft and tender. It should have that crunch. If required, sprinkle little water. But no need to cover and cook.

• Now add the crumbled paneer and mix well. Make sure the paneer is incorporated well. Let it cook for a couple of minutes.

• Finally, add 1 tsp of crushed dried fenugreek leaves and cilantro. Mix well and turn off the heat. 

• Before serving, add lemon juice (optional) and relish the curry. 

Recipe Notes:

• If you don’t have fresh paneer, you can use the store-bought. Grate or crumble the paneer and make the bhurji.
• You can make fresh masala by dry roasting 1 tbsp of coriander seeds and three dried red chilies and grind them without adding any water. Add this to the bhurji instead of coriander and red chili powder. 
• Cumin powder is optional.
• Adjust the spices and salt according to your taste.
• Instead of panch phoron spice mix, you can add ½ tsp mustard seeds and 1 tsp cumin seeds. If you have fennel seeds, you can add ¼ tsp of fennel too. 

PS:  If you try this paneer bhurji, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it ASAP. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates! You can also sign-up for my newsletter for weekly updates.

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5 from 3 votes

Paneer Bhurji | Scrambled Paneer with Vegetables

A simple scrambled paneer recipe with fresh homemade paneer, vegetables, & spices! Check out how to make paneer bhurji & different ways to serve it.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 6

Calories: 243kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Equipment

• Saucepan or kadai

Ingredients

Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1 tbsp=15ml; 1tsp=5ml;

• ▢ 2 tsp oil
• ▢ 1 tsp panch phoron spice mix
• ▢ ¼ cup onion chopped
• ▢ 1 cup tomato chopped (160 grams)
• ▢ 1.25 tsp salt
• ▢ ½ cup bell peppers chopped (75 grams)
• ▢ 1 tsp coriander powder
• ▢ ½ tsp red chili powder
• ▢ ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ▢ 2 tbsp water optional
• ▢ 2 cups paneer homemade paneer (crumbled)
• ▢ 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves crushed
• ▢ 1 tbsp cilantro chopped
• ▢ 1 tbsp lemon juice optional

Instructions

• Heat a pan or kadai and add two tsp of oil. When the oil is hot, add one tsp of panch phoron spice mix. (Refer recipe notes for substitutions). Fry for 30 seconds, and then add ¼ cup of chopped onion. Saute until the onions are soft and translucent.
  
• Then add the chopped tomatoes(1 cup, approx 160 grams) and salt. Mix well and let it cook till they are soft and mushy.
  
• Now add the chopped bell peppers (½ cup, approx 75 grams), ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp red chili powder, and ½ tsp cumin powder.
  
• Cook till the bell peppers are soft and tender. It should have that crunch. If required, sprinkle little water. But no need to cover and cook. Now add the crumbled paneer and mix well. Make sure the paneer is incorporated well. Let it cook for a couple of minutes.
  
• Finally, add 1 tsp of crushed dried fenugreek leaves and cilantro. Mix well and turn off the heat.
  
• Before serving, add lemon juice (optional) and relish the curry.
  

Notes

• If you don’t have fresh paneer, you can use the store-bought. Grate or crumble the paneer and make the bhurji.
• You can make fresh masala by dry roasting 1 tbsp of coriander seeds and three dried red chilies and grind them without adding any water. Add this to the bhurji instead of coriander and red chili powder. 
• Cumin powder is optional.
• Adjust the spices and salt according to your taste.
• Instead of panch phoron spice mix, you can add ½ tsp mustard seeds and 1 tsp cumin seeds. If you have fennel seeds, you can add ¼ tsp of fennel too. 

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 509mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 657IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 371mg | Iron: 1mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

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Update Notes: Earlier posted in 2016, now updated with a recipe card, images and step-wise pictures. Added the different ways to serve this curry.