Low Fat Chilli Paneer : Indo Chinese Recipe

Chilli Paneer. Cubes of paneer coated in spicy indo-Chinese sauce. Indo Chinese is Indian style Chinese food.  This started as a popular street food in India and later on even restaurants started putting it on the menu-such is the taste and popularity of this dish. There are two ways it is made. Dry style, in which paneer chunks are only coated in the sauce.  Other way is with gravy wherein the sauce is kept liquid. Dry chilli paneer is mostly served as snack, starter or appetizer; whereas wet chilli paneer is served as side with fried rice or noodles. 

This is one dish that always pops in my mind when I am in hurry and guests are coming over for lunch or dinner. Because its easy and quick you don’t need much time to prepare it and because it is popular every guest will love it. So, ideal recipe involves frying paneer cubes and then mixing it in the sauce but I don’t like this method as it makes paneer very hard and rubbery. Here is my way to make Low Fat Chilli Paneer.

Ingredients:

225 grams paneer cut in cubes

1 capsicum/bell pepper, cut in cubes

1 onion large, cut in cubes

4-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped

2 green chillies, slitted

Black pepper powder, to taste

Salt, to taste

1 tablespoon soya sauce

½ tablespoon chilli sauce (red/green)

1 tablespoon corn flour

¼ tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1-2 tablespoons chopped green onions (green part only)

Method:

Boil 2 cups of water and add paneer cubes in it. This will make paneer soft. Drain water and keep aside.

Mix 4 tablespoons of water in corn flour and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan or wok. When oil gets very hot add garlic and ginger. Saute for 30 seconds.

Add slit green chillies and chopped onion. Saute for 10 seconds.

Next throw in chopped capsicum. Sauté for 10 seconds.

Add salt, sugar, black pepper, soya sauce, chilli sauce, lemon juice and corn flour mixture. Cook it for 30 seconds.

Throw in paneer cubes. Mix well so that paneer cubes are coated well with spices and sauce. Keep it covered for 1 minute.

Check salt and heat level. Adjust if needed. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve.

Notes:

Never add too much salt, remember soya sauce and chilli sauce also contains salt.

Make sure that you don’t overcook capsicum and onion. They should be bit crunchy.

Chinese food is cooked on high heat, this gives good smokey flavour. Do not leave it unattended.

Egg Noodles- Indo-Chinese, With Vegetables

There are so many cuisines that have become popular all over the globe. One among them is Chinese noodles. We now see momos, chowmein, stir fired vegetables, noodles being sold in every corner of the world. There are so many variations and methods to make noodles.  Some like to add chicken, prawns or even fish to it. There is also a great variety of Chinese noodles, which vary according to their region of production, ingredients, shape or width, and manner of preparation.

What I chose to make was Chinese Egg Noodles with vegetables –my one more stop at Indo-Chinese adventure. I like to add loads of vegetables for nutrition and spicy sauces to bring the Indian twist to the noodles. For me it is the quick answer to “What’s for dinner tonight?” 

Ingredients: Noodles – 1 packet (approx 500 gm), cooked per packet instructions Sesame/til Oil – 1 Tbsp Oil – 2 Tbsp Garlic/lehsun paste – 1 Tbsp Ginger/ adrak paste – 1 Tbsp Onion/pyaz – 1 small, sliced Carrot/gajar – 1 large, cut into strips Cabbage/patta gobi – 1.5 cups packed, shredded Capsicum/shimla mirch– 1/2 large, cut into strips Egg – 1 (optional) Black Pepper/kali mirch – 1/2 tsp or to taste Soy Sauce – 2 Tbsp White Vinegar/sirka – 1 Tbsp Any Chinese Sauce – to taste Red Chilli Sauce – to taste Method 1. Cook noodles per package instructions (usually 3-4 minutes), drain, and rinse with cold water and toss with 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil. Keep aside. 2. Heat 2 Tbsp Oil in a large pan on very high heat. 3. Add ginger garlic paste and cook for 30 seconds. 4. Once the raw smell of garlic fades away mix sliced onions and cook for 30 seconds. 5. After that add carrots and allow them to soften just a little.(do not overcook.) 6. Mix cabbage and capsicum and cook for 1 minute. 7. Push veggies to one side of wok and break an egg in the pan. Scramble the egg until cooked and mix together with the veggies. 8. Add Black Pepper and mix. 9. Finally add noodles, white vinegar, soya sauce, Chinese sauce and red chilli sauce. Toss noodles once before adding them to the pan. Mix well to coat all noodles. 12. Taste and adjust any of the sauces.

Notes: I used egg noodles, but suji, wheat or any other kind of noodles can also be used. Adding eggs is completely optional. But it does bring the flavour of egg noodles we get in the restaurant. Any vegetable can be added or omitted as per your choice. It is very important that you cook this dish on high flame, as it helps to get the authentic taste of Chinese cuisine. If you do not get Chinese sauce in the market, add schezwan sauce mixed with tomatoes sauce. Look for schezwan sauce recipe HERE Taste Spicy and hot noodles with Indian twist also with goodness of vegetables

Schezwan Vegetable Noodles/ Indo Chinese Vegetable Noodles

Schezwan Noodles are spicy, tasty and very popular indo-chinese recipe. Usage of the home made schezwan sauce in the recipe makes it tastier and more colourful. My mom always added lots of vegetables to make it healthy and attractive.This recipe is very special to me. My mom made them when I was low or upset. A twist to Chinese noodles with desi Indian tadka. Ummm...that was some real tasty and spicy yummy noodles...:)

Ingredients :
Noodles - 150 grams.
Olive oil - 4 tbsp

Spring onions - 2 tbsp( White portion finely chopped)
Cabbage - 3 Tbsp (thinly sliced)
Onion - 1 (sliced)

Garlic 4 cloves (grated)
Capsicum - 3 Tbsp (thinly sliced)
Carrots - 2 Tbsp (thinly sliced) 
Soy Sauce - 1 Tsp
Tomato Sauce - 1 Tbsp.
Schezwan sauce - 4 Tbsp
Salt - As per taste.

Method :

1. Boil water in a pan with a teaspoon of oil and salt. Add noodles in to it and cook until firm and soft (make sure that you don't over cook the noodles). Now drain the noodles and wash them with cold running water this help noodles not to stick together.
2. Now heat pan with oil, add onions, garlic , and saute in medium flame, then add all the veggies, and saute in high flame with enough salt, for 2 to 3 minutes or till veggies are cooked to soft to crunchy consistency.
3. Now add schezwan sauce, tomato sauce, soy sauce- give it a quick stir, add the cooked noodles and toss it well.

Notes:-Any kind of noodles- egg, rice, multigrain etc can be used.

-You can omit or add any vegetable of your choice.

-Schezwan sauce is very spicy sauce, thus adjust according to your taste.

Schezwan Sauce/ Indo- Chinese Chutney

Schezwan Sauce is used in all the Indo Chinese food. It gives unique taste and beautiful colour to the Chinese rice, noodles and other dishes. I enjoy having it with nachos, chips, papad...almost everything.

Ingredients :
10 dried red chillies
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp Sesame seeds (optional)
Salt to taste
4 tsp onion chopped
Tomato puree of 1/2 tomato
1 tsp Vinegar

½ tsp soya sauce

Method:
Soak dried red chillies in water overnight. Drain the water, add salt and blend coarsely the next day.
Heat oil in a pan. Once oil is smoky hot add chopped garlic, ginger, sesame seeds and onion. Saute onions till it gets translucent.
Add tomato puree and fry untill oil separates.
Add red chilli paste and fry for 2 minutes
Lastly add soya sauce (it brings nice dark red color to the sauce).

Schezwan Sauce is ready now. Find more chutney recipes HERE

Notes: -You can use tomatoes ketchup instead of tomatoes pure also

-Oil must be very hot for any Chinese recipe you make.

-Adding 1 more tsp oil will make the sauce last longer. Store it in ait tight container for 1 week in the fridge.