Paneer Bhurji
This paneer bhurji keeps the aromatics bright while ensuring the paneer stays tender; the spice profile is mild enough for a solo breakfast or snack.
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Vf-pfrPJCQQ
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/d4T-XLiA98E
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goCgE32T4Vw
Ingredients
- 1.5 L whole milk (for homemade paneer)
- 3 tbsp lemon juice + 3 tbsp water (for curdling the milk)
- 1 teaspoon oil
- ½ green chili, finely chopped
- ½ tomato, chopped
- Salt (½ teaspoon, plus more to taste)
- ½ cup cooked sweet peas (or frozen thawed)
- black pepper
Instructions
1. Make the paneer
- Bring the milk to a gentle boil in a heavy-bottomed pot, stirring every couple of minutes so it doesn't scorch.
- Reduce the heat, whisk together the lemon juice and water, and drizzle it in slowly while stirring gently; the whey should turn pale green and the curds should separate.
- Switch off the heat once the curds finish forming, let it rest for 2–3 minutes, then drain through a strainer lined with a thin cloth or paper towel for 30–60 minutes so the paneer sets to about 270–300 g (roughly 250 g when crumbled).
2. Build the aroma base
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the cumin seeds, and let them sizzle before tossing in the onion, green chili, and ginger.
- Sauté until the onion softens, add the tomato, turmeric, chili powder, and garam masala, and cook until the tomatoes break down and the masala smells toasted.
- Stir in the cooked sweet peas so they warm through and soak in the spices.
3. Finish the bhurji
- Add the crumbled paneer, break up any big chunks, and mix until every piece is coated in the spice base.
- Pour in the beaten egg, keep the heat at medium, and stir constantly so the egg scrambles into the paneer without drying out; season with ½ tsp salt and another pinch if needed.
- Turn off the heat, fold in the chopped cilantro, and serve right away with toasted bread or a spinach sabji.
Chef’s Notes
- The homemade paneer step takes longer but keeps the texture silky; if you are short on time, use store-bought paneer and warm it through gently.
- Keep the heat moderate when adding the egg so it doesn’t seize—creamy strands finished with cilantro are the goal.
Paneer baseline: I aim for ~270–300 g of homemade paneer (≈250 g when crumbled) because the extra fresh cheese delivers roughly 45 g protein plus the chickpeas and egg that push the plate past 50 g.
Calories tracking
| Food | Qty | kcal | Fat (g) | Carb (g) | Prot (g) | Fiber (g) | Sug (g) | Chol (mg) | Sod. (mg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paneer (crumbled) | 250 g | 662 | 50.0 | 5.0 | 45.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 150 | 120 |
| Oil | 1 tsp | 40 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Onion | ½ small | 12 | 0 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 |
| Green chili | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ginger | ½ tsp | 2 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tomato | ½ | 10 | 0 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0 | 2 |
| Sweet peas (cooked) | ½ cup | 67 | 0.4 | 12.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 0 | 40 |
| Egg | 1 large | 70 | 5.0 | 0.5 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 186 | 70 |
| Cumin seeds | ½ tsp | 4 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0 | 1 |
| Spice blend (turmeric, chili, garam) | ⅜ tsp | 3 | 0 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cilantro | 1 tbsp | 1 | 0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Salt | ½ tsp | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1150 |
| Total | 872 | 61.1 | 24.4 | 56.9 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 336 | 1387 |