How to make restaurant-style paneer chili at home 🏡 😋

 Here's how you can make restaurant-style Paneer Chili at home — crispy on the outside, soft inside, and packed with Indo-Chinese flavors.

🧀 Restaurant-Style Paneer Chili Recipe

📝 Ingredients

For the Paneer Fry:

Paneer – 250g (cubed)

Cornflour – 3 tbsp

All-purpose flour (maida) – 2 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Black pepper – ½ tsp

Red chili powder – ½ tsp (optional for extra spice)

Water – as needed to make a thick batter

Oil – for deep or shallow frying

For the Sauce:

Oil – 2 tbsp (use sesame oil for extra flavor)

Garlic – 6-8 cloves (finely chopped)

Ginger – 1-inch piece (finely chopped)

Green chilies – 2 (slit or chopped)

Onion – 1 (cubed)

Capsicum – 1 (cubed)

Spring onions – 2 stalks (chopped, green and white separated)

Soy sauce – 1 tbsp

Red chili sauce – 1 tbsp

Green chili sauce – 1 tsp (optional)

Tomato ketchup – 1.5 tbsp

Vinegar – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Black pepper – to taste

Cornflour slurry – 1 tsp cornflour mixed in 2 tbsp water (for a glossy thick sauce)

🔥 Instructions

1. Prepare the Paneer:

In a bowl, mix cornflour, maida, salt, pepper, and a bit of water to make a thick batter.

Coat paneer cubes evenly in the batter.

Deep or shallow fry until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels.

2. Make the Sauce:

Heat oil in a wok or pan.

Sauté garlic, ginger, green chilies, and spring onion whites on high heat for 1–2 minutes.

Add onions and capsicum, stir-fry on high for a couple of minutes (keep them slightly crunchy).

Add soy sauce, chili sauces, ketchup, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

Add cornflour slurry and stir until the sauce thickens and gets glossy.

3. Combine:

Toss in the fried paneer. Mix gently to coat.

Garnish with spring onion greens.

🍽️ Serving Tips

Serve hot as an appetizer or with fried rice/noodles for a full meal.

For a gravy version, add ½ cup water or vegetable stock before the slurry step and adjust seasoning.