Recipe for Spicy Schezwan Chilli Paneer
Indo-Chinese food, a creation unique to the Indian-Chinese community here, is deeply loved across India. It tells the fascinating story of China's deep influence on Indian food culture, regardless of the strained geo-political relations between the countries. Read more on this here.
Replace the paneer with chicken for a non-veg version!
Recipe: Spicy Schezwan Chilli Paneer
(serves 4)
Ingredients
For the Schezwan sauce
20 dried red chillies
1 tbsp brown sugar
1.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 red onion, diced
3 Sichuan peppercorns
2 tbsp chopped celery
1 tbsp soy sauce
4 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp vinegar
For the paneer
400g paneer, cut into bite-sized pieces
2.5 tbsp corn flour
½ tbsp black pepper
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 red capsicum, chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
2tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 cup chicken/ vegetable stock
Vegetable oil for cooking
10g coriander, chopped
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 spring onion, chopped
Method:
Prepare the Schezwan sauce: Dry roast the red chilies in a pan for 3-4 minutes and then transfer to boiling water for another 5 minutes. Drain them and remove the stems.
In some oil, sauté the onions, ginger-garlic and celery until the onion and celery are translucent. Then transfer this mixture to a blender with the red chilies, brown sugar, Sichuan peppercorns and soy sauce. Blend to a smooth consistency and transfer back to the pan. Cook on a low simmer for 8-10 minutes and then turn off the heat and mix in the sesame oil and vinegar.
For the paneer: In a bowl, mix the black pepper, corn flour and paneer pieces. Coat the paneer pieces well. Heat some oil in the wok. Add the pieces of paneer, cooking them for 2-3 minutes on a high heat, till they have nice sear streaks of brown on them. Now add in the ginger-garlic, red capsicum and the onion, sautéing all together for 4-5 minutes.
Now add in Schezwan sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce and stock and cook on a high flame for 3-4 minutes, till the paneer is well coated and the sauce is thick.
Garnish with spring onions, coriander and sesame seeds and serve hot!
Banner image credit: Ruchik Randhap
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