Tawa Paneer Sabji (Paneer Tawa Masala)

Make delicious Tawa Paneer sabji under 35 minutes with this easy recipe. This dish gets its name from a flat metal griddle known as tawa, on which paneer is cooked with spicy aromatics. It is more popular as a street-food and is also served in Dhabas and restaurants. It is best eaten with roti, Chapati, Parathas or even with flavored rice dishes like Jeera Rice.

Tawa holds a lot of significance in Indian cooking as we use it every day for cooking roti/chapati, dosa and parathas. Though you can use any kind of griddle to cook these foods, traditionally a large thick iron griddle was used. Even in the modern days a lot of restaurants and households use this kind of cookware.

Iron has the ability to retain high heat so an iron tawa makes a great cookware to impart smoky and caramelized flavors to any dish. For the same reason, a lot of restaurant and street food stalls use this kind of cookware. Tawa Paneer is one of the popular Indian street food (side dish) cooked on a iron tawa to impart much deeper flavors. This is the actual secret of a Dhaba & a street-side foods.

About the dish

To make the dish, paneer (Indian Cheese) is sauteed on a tawa (iron griddle) along with onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, spices and herbs. Sauteeing the masala on a high flame, larger burner, & larger tawa impart those smoky and delicious flavors to the dish. This step is what makes a huge difference and sets it apart from a regular Paneer Sabji.

Most of us, (home cooks) do not own or use an iron tawa for various reasons. For a long time I have made this dish on a dosa/paratha pan but I found out this kind of a pan did nothing to the dish. So in recent times I make mine in a steel pan which gives good results.

Like many other dishes, Tawa Paneer too is made in many ways. The key ingredient in every version is a good spice blend and bell peppers. Though a good garam masala is enough to flavor the dish, if you are trying to recreate the street or dhaba version make sure you use either Pav Bhaji Masala or Chole Masala.

This recipe was roughly adapted from the Popular Chef. Sanjeev Kapoor but has been modified after tasting several other versions of this dish.

More Paneer Recipes
Dhaba Paneer
Paneer do Pyaza
Achari Paneer
Paneer Bhurji
Methi Paneer
Paneer Jalfrezi

How to make Tawa Paneer (Stepwise Photos)

1. Pour 2 tablespoons oil to a hot tawa or pan. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon cumin seeds. When they begin to sizzle, add 1 teaspoon grated ginger or ginger garlic paste. Saute till it begins to smell good. Do not burn it.

2. Add 1 cup fine chopped onions and ¼ teaspoon salt. Keep stirring and fry evenly on a moderately medium flame till they turn golden.

3. While the onions are frying, chop 1 cup tomatoes (about 3 medium) to a grinder/blender jar. If you wish to add few cashews to make the dish rich, you may add. Grind to a fine puree.

4. When the onions turn golden, pour the tomato puree. Cook till the raw smell of the tomatoes vanishes. Keep stirring to prevent burning.

5. Add

• ¾ to 1 tsp garam masala or pav bhaji masala or chole masala
• ½ to ¾ tsp red chili powder
• ¼ cup capsicum chopped

6. Mix well and fry on a medium high flame till the mixture smells good. This usually takes 4 to 5 minutes.

7. Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan. Add 200 to 250 grams (2 cups) paneer and 1 teaspoon kasuri methi. Mix well, taste test and add more salt or masala if you want.

8. Cook covered for 2 to 3 minutes, until aromatic.

Garnish tawa paneer masala with coriander leaves. Serve with rice or roti.

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