Tawa Paneer Masala | Street Food of India
Tawa Paneer Masala is a spicy, tangy, and richly flavored paneer dish cooked on a flat griddle (tawa) with onions, tomatoes, capsicum, and a blend of Indian spices. A popular street food delight, it’s known for its bold masala taste and smoky aroma. Served hot with pav, naan, or paratha, it’s a favorite at roadside stalls and perfect for quick meals or gatherings.
Ingredients
For Tawa Gravy
- Tomato, Roughly Cut (टमाटर) – 300gm or 5 no
- Onion, Roughly Cut (प्याज़) – 3 no or 150gm
- Black Cardamom (काली इलाइची) – 1nos
- Cloves (लौंग) – 3 nos
- Green Cardamom (हरी इलायची) – 3 to 4 nos
- Cumin (जीरा) – ½ tbsp
- Ginger, Roughly Cut (अदरक) – 1 tbsp
- Garlic (लहसुन) – 4 to 5 cloves
- Kashmiri Chilli Powder (कश्मीरी मिर्च पाउडर) – 1 tbsp
- Turmeric (हल्दी) – 1 tsp
- Water (पानी) – ⅓ cup
For Tawa Masala
- Oil (तेल) – 1 tbsp
- Cumin (जीरा) – 1 tsp
- Ginger, Chopped (अदरक) – 1 tsp
- Green Chilli, Chopped (हरी मिर्च) – 1 tsp
- Garlic, Chopped (लहसुन) – 1 tsp
- Butter (मक्खन) – 1 tbsp
- Onion, Diced (प्याज़) – ¼ cup
- Yellow Capsicum, Chopped (पीली शिमला मिर्च) – ¼ cup
- Green Capsicum, Chopped (हरी शिमला मिर्च) – ¼ cup
- Red Capsicum, Chopped (लाल शिमला मिर्च) – ¼ cup
- Salt (नमक) – To taste
- Kashmiri Chilli Powder (कश्मीरी मिर्च पाउडर) – 1 tbsp
- Turmeric (हल्दी) – ½ tbsp
- Coriander Powder (धनिया पाउडर) – 1 tbsp
- Garam Masala (गरम मसाला) – 1 tsp
- Paneer, Diced (पनीर) – 400gms
- Salt, to marinate (नमक) – 1 tsp
- Butter (मक्खन) – 1 tsp
- Tawa Paneer Gravy (तवा पनीर की ग्रेवी) – ½ cup
- Kasoori Methi (कसूरी मेथी) – ½ tsp
- Coriander, Chopped (धनिया) – Handful
- Lemon (नींबू) – ½ no
- Chaat masala (चाट मसाला) – 1 pinch
- Water (पानी) – A Dash
- Cream (क्रीम) – 2 to 3 tbsp (optional)
- Coriander, Chopped (धनिया) – Handful
Instructions
- To make tawa paneer, we need to make a basic curry first and then the tawa masala. For the curry, put roughly chopped tomatoes and onions in a pressure cooker. Add the whole spices – black cardamom, cloves and cumin.Along with that, add roughly cut ginger and garlic cloves. Now put a spoon full of Kashmiri red chilli along with a little bit of turmeric. Finally add a dash of water and close the lid of the pressure cooker. Cook it on a high flame for 1 whistle and then on a low flame for another 2-3 whistles.
- Till the curry gets ready, chop the vegetables like capsicum and onions. Cut them in medium size, a small sized cut may not be visible in the final dish whereas a medium sized cut will give a good crunch to the dish. Before making the tawa masala, check on the curry.Once the tomatoes and onions are cooked, cool down the curry and grind it to a fine puree. Now, sieve the curry for a smooth and gravy and to remove any skin or seeds.
- Keep the gravy aside and heat some oil on high flame in a tawa (or kadhai or a pan). Add in the cumin and roast till it begins to splutter. Now put in chopped ginger, green chilli and garlic in the oil. Immediately after that add in the butter. The oil will prevent the butter from burning. To the butter add onions and stir well.To make a bigger quantity of tawa paneer, cook it in a pan as a tawa may run short of space. While the onions are still raw, add red, yellow, and green capsicum. Do not cook the capsicum completely. Till it cooks, cut medium dices of paneer and marinate them with a pinch of salt. Also add salt to the tawa masala along with a spoon of Kashmiri red chilli, turmeric and coriander powder. Now add some garam masala. You can also use pav bhaji masala or a meat masala instead of garam masala.
- Now add the diced paneer on a low flame, mix the paneer into the masala, lightly lift and drop the paneer so that it doesn't break and the masala coats the paneer. Now, push the paneer and the masala to the sides of the tava, creating a well in the centre of the pan.In this empty space, put a small spoon of butter along with the gravy that we made before. To finish, put kasoori Methi, freshly chopped coriander and some lemon juice.A very important ingredient, chaat masala, now goes on top. Cook the gravy in the centre and mix it well. Now, mix the paneer masala into the gravy. If it is too dry, add a dash of water for some more gravy. If you’d like, you can add some cream on top and mix it into the tawa paneer. Garnish it with some freshly chopped coriander, turn the gas off and now you can plate the tawa paneer.
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