This paneer stir fry is such a quick, easy and DELICIOUS meal to make. Lightly spiced with garam masala, cumin and tandoori masala, you get a healthy dose of veg (tomatoes, pepper and kale) and gorgeous soft chunks of panfried paneer cheese. AND it only takes 15 minutes to make!
This dish was a happy accident, as I was using up some bits and bobs in the fridge one lunchtime. The result was this tasty, speedy meal, so I immediately wrote my recipe down and am very glad I did.
Feel free to play around with the spices (depending on what you have in your spice cupboard). I personally love this combination, but in the paragraphs below I’ve detailed some potential swaps.
Where Can I Buy The Spices?
You can find garam masala and tandoori masala in most supermarkets – check out the world food section if you can’t see them in the jarred spice section. I used the Rajah brand, which I got in my local supermarket, but you can also get it on Amazon.
Can I Make Some Spice Swaps?
The combination I have gone for is beautifully fragrant and tasty, so I would recommend this. However, it’s absolutely fine to switch if you only have other spices to work with.
Keep cumin as the core spice, then you could replace the tandoori masala with half a tsp ground coriander with another half tsp of garlic powder, chilli and ginger. To replace the garam masala, try half cumin and half cinnamon.
The final stir fry will taste different but should still be delicious, so play around and find what is best for your palette.
Where Can I Buy Paneer?
A key ingredient in this speedy paneer stir fry, you’ll find it in the chilled cheese section in most supermarkets. I use this one from Tesco, as it always cooks up nicely.
Paneer is a neutral-tasting Indian cheese, which is tricky to substitute. I think your best bet (if you can’t get paneer), would be to use tofu. You could use halloumi, but the end dish would be very different as halloumi is very salty compared to paneer.
Can I Use Different Veggies?
I would keep the tomatoes, as they break down to create a nice sauce with the spices. You could switch the kale for another leafy green veg like spinach. The pepper could be swapped for courgette.
Speedy Paneer Stir Fry Recipe (GF)
Here’s the recipe, along with some handy photos to guide you through. The final dish will serve two people and is best enjoyed with some naan or bread for scooping. I’ve got a brilliant gluten free naan recipe you might like to try!
For any help along the way or if you have questions, please do message me on social media (@myglutenfreeguide) or email me at laura@mygfguide.com.
If you do enjoy this speedy paneer stir fry recipe, please leave a review on the recipe card below. It makes a world of difference to me :). And you can also share photos in my Cooking Club on Facebook.
Happy cooking!
Laura xxx
Speedy Paneer Stir Fry
A 15 minute, delicious paneer stir fry with tomato, pepper and kale. Flavoured with gently, fragrant spices. Perfect with naan or bread for scooping.
Ingredients
- 200g paneer cheese
- 1 red onion
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red pepper
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp tandoori masala
- 2 handfuls kale (about 50g or 3 stems), stems removed and torn into pieces
- Salt & pepper
- To serve (optional): 2 tbsp plain Greek yoghurt, nigella seeds, gluten free naan or bread.
Instructions
- Slice the red onion and add to the pan with the vegetable oil, cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat, stirring often.
- While the onion is cooking, remove the seeds and stalk from the pepper and chop into chunks. Then chop the cherry tomatoes into quarters. Set aside.
- Chop the paneer into small chunks and add to the pan with the onion, cook for a couple of minutes until it is beggining to colour.
- Add the pepper, tomato, cumin, garam masala and tandoori masala to the pan. Along with a pinch of salt and grinding of black pepper. Cook over a medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Finally add the kale to the pan, cook for a couple of minutes until wilted.
- To serve, split the stir fry between two bowls or plates. Top each portion with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and some nigella seeds (topping is optional). Serve on its own or with naan/bread for scooping.
For more delicious, quick midweek meal ideas, why not try some of my other recipes:
Enjoy! Laura xxx
