Paneer Manchurian actually means cottage cheese in hot and sour gravy. This is a popular fusion recipe in India made using the Chinese cooking method. Healthy food and you won't be sad to eat.
An easy weeknight dinner. Perfect to go with any dish. Can be served as an appetizer or as a side dish. Definitely not a guilty food that has all the goodness of milk.
Have you ever tried a Chinese recipe which is called the influence of India? How you ever tried a Chinese food recipe which is most popular in South Asian countries like India and Pakistan? Then you should definitely try this Paneer Manchurian.
This is one of the most popular vegetarian recipes in India. Made with cottage cheese pepper green pepper and soy sauce. But it is still skinny compared to that of any cheesy dishes.
Ready-made mixes may also available in your local Indian store. But you can make your own Paneer Manchurian have great leverage of adjusting the ingredients according to your own preferences.
I would definitely advise you to make the sauce at home rather than getting it from the stores. It is a simple task that you could make within 5 minutes of time. If all the ingredients are kept ready, you can make this paneer Manchurian within 10 minutes. The best way to surprise guests or lazy dinners.
Not necessary that you need to sweat a lot or to be in the kitchen for a long long time to make it an exotic dish. The main factors required to make exotic dish is to have the right recipe and the correct planning. Planning before cooking makes cooking as a pleasant experience in the kitchen.
Are you interested in looking into other Indo-Chinese recipes?
Chinese wonton with veggies, spicy Szechuan noodles, cabbage manchurian , tofu steak recipe
It is totally irrelevant to suffer yourself to make your family happy for the food. All you need to be smarter and wiser than the hard worker. And still, make your family and guests happy.
And this Paneer Manchurian such a recipe all these introductory lines of perfect matches. I bet you if you make it once you will also accept these words I say here.
Furthermore, you know I'm the person who wants to spend the least time in the kitchen. And this is the most Wanted item in our household. As this is a tasty dish for my son and an effortless dish for myself.
To make this recipe all you need to have handy with the ingredients like the cottage cheese / paneer, soy sauce, sriracha sauce, cornstarch, green peppers, and onion.
The key ingredients for paneer manchurian:
Cottage cheese / paneer: Paneer is the homemade cottage cheese, which is very popular in India. It's easy to make it home with vinegar. Or alternatively, you can also get them in your nearby Indian stores in the Frozen aisle.
If Indian stores are not accessible to you you can make your own cottage cheese at home by curdling the milk with vinegar. Straining them for 2 to 3 hours in a cheesecloth. And cut them into cubes. There are multiple videos available online for how to make paneer at home. I will also, soon come up with the recipe for making.
Soy sauce: It is not an International Ingredient anymore. Nowadays it is available in almost all the leading grocery stores in the United States.
Sriracha Sauce: Same as soy sauce, sriracha sauce may now available in your nearby grocery stores.
The other ingredients for Paneer Manchurian are very generic and may available in most out pantry..
What is Manchurian?
Manchuria is a state of Northeast China where it is known for its spicy dishes. but I did not know the origin or story behind the Manchurian recipe. I also did not even know how this is authentically made or prepared in the Chinese States. But this is how Manchurian is made and served in India. A very popular dish among the vegetarians in the country.
What is Paneer Manchurian?
This is an Indian style Chinese recipe that is famous for more than half a century in India. Now it is gaining popularity slowly around the world. Paneer is a Hindi word that refers to the homemade cottage cheese. This is a fusion recipe between than Indian ingredient ‘Paneer’ made in Chinese style cooking. This is a vegetarian and high protein dish good for all ages.
How does paneer Manchurian taste like?
This dish taste like a cheese ball in a sweet and sour gravy. If you have tried any hibachi food or Chinese food before you could definitely understand how the does taste like. The sauce does have a sharp taste of soy sauce and the sharp taste of sriracha sauce with flavors of green pepper. The sauces taste extremely good with paneer.
What the main course to pair with?
Paneer Manchurian is best to serve with Indian flatbreads like roti, naan, chapati or fried rice or steamed rice or noodles.
Easy variations:
- There are many variations can be made for the paneer Manchurian recipe by adding different ingredients. Each additional ingredient really brings out the whole new flavor in the dish.
- You may add chopped ginger which brings out the wholesome tropical flavor.
- You may also add a combination of green pepper, yellow pepper, and red peppers. These three peppers together make the dish look exotic and vibrant.
- It makes it worth to serve for a party or for a large crowd. In addition, this is so easy recipe that just satisfies the entire crowd.
Few tips for making Paneer Manchurian gravy:
- A small amount of cornstarch will do thicken the gravy than you expect so just add one teaspoon of cornstarch and wait to see the results that how it does turns into. Then you may add more diluted cornstarch to thicken the gravy.
- You may add shallow fried paneer. By this the paneer becomes firm and crisp and which makes it tastier. I always like to add that shallow fried paneer than the fresh ones. The Indian store also carries fried paneer and as well as fresh paneer.
- If you're planning to make it for parties, make the gravy ahead. And add the paneer just before setting the table. This way you may not end up in soggy Paneer.
- You made refrigerate the leftovers for 4 to 5 days.
- I advise you to reheat an over the stovetop and then the microwave. The microwave may cause the paneer to become stiff and rubbery.
How to make Paneer Manchurian:
In a pan add two tablespoons of cooking oil followed by a teaspoon of minced garlic. Saute until it becomes golden brown. Then add diced red pepper, green pepper, and onion. Remove the layers of onion before adding.
Then add soy sauce, sriracha sauce, tomato ketchup, brown sugar and diluted corn starch. Bring it to boil.
Then add paneer cubes and cook until it reaches desired consistency. Serve paneer Manchurian hot with bread, rice or noodles.
Other related food,
- Chili garlic edamame
- Spicy teriyaki sauce recipe
- Hibachi onion soup
- Pan-fried wonton with garlic sauce
- Cabbage Manchurian recipe step by step
- Asian recipes
Paneer Manchurian
Ingredients
For prepping
- 1 tsp corn starch
- ½ cup water
For making
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- ¼ cup green pepper diced
- ¼ cup red pepper optional
- ¼ cup onion diced
- 1 cup paneer
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sriracha sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
For prepping
- Dilute 1 tbsp of cornstarch with ½ cup of water and keep aside.
For making
- Over medium heat, in a pan, add vegetable oil and minced garlic.
- Saute until it becomes golden brown.
- Now add diced green pepper, red pepper, onion and saute in medium heat.
- Then add soy sauce, sriracha sauce, tomato ketchup, brown sugar, and diluted corn starch.
- Switch to low heat, add paneer cubes and bring it to boil.
- Stir for a couple of minutes until it reaches to the desired consistency.
- Transfer to serving bowl and serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
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Ron
What a fascinating fusion. I love paneer dishes, but we don't find it here locally. Do you think halloumi cheese would work? I think I'll cut the soy down as the halloumi is saltier than paneer (I think).
Sujatha Muralidhar
I have not used hallouumi cheese before. That is the great question. After a small research, I found that halloumi cheese is similar to paneer retains its shape even after cooking. Online fellow bloggers also suggest that halloumi cheese is the closest substitute for paneer. Do try substituting and let us know how it turns out. Thanks Ron for asking.