This is a savoury North Indian recipe where soft, succulent paneer is cooked with a mix of aromatic spices and saut ed vegetables. "Khurchan" literally means scraping the browned bits of the pan, hence its signature texture and flavour with a mix of lightly caramelized vegetables and paneer.For the recipe of paneer khurchan, start by cutting paneer into long strips or cubes. A delicious base made of saut ed onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers in oil or ghee, laced with cumin seeds, garlic, and ginger, takes the dish to the next level. The sprinkling of coriander powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, and turmeric over the spices used to cook the vegetables lends an excellent warmth and depth to the dish. When the vegetables are soft and well mixed with spices, paneer is added, and it's lightly tossed in masala, which absorbs all flavours. For this dish to be achieved, it must be cooked at extremely high heat, where paneer gets browned slightly with caramelized vegetables and gives the effect of khurchan, or the crunchy bits of the meal that add flavour to the entire meal. This paneer khurchan recipe, however, is excellent to be paired with naan, roti, or even rice. This makes it a versatile and quite satisfactory meal for any occasion; the arrangement of spices and mixed textures accompanied by the creaminess of paneer makes this dish a favourite for all vegetarians and anyone who enjoys hearty Indian dishes. Easy to prepare yet packed full of flavours, paneer khurchan is sure to impress!

• 250 gms paneer
• 1/2 cup onion
• 2/3 cup tomato
• 1 capsicum
• 1 inch ginger
• 1-2 green chillies
• 1 pinch hing
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp kasuri methi
• 1 tbsp cream
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp oil
• Salt

• Start by chopping 250 gms of paneer into batons or strips, approximately 1.5 to 2 inches long. This length facilitates really well in the paneer taking on those flavours and cooking evenly.
• Thereafter, prepare your vegetables: slice onions thinly, chop tomatoes, and dice capsicum (bell peppers). Slit a few green chillies in. Then julienne about an inch of ginger and save a couple of pieces for garnish later.
• Heat oil in a medium to large iron tawa or a thick-bottomed iron or steel kadai. Personally, I would not suggest using non-stick pans because they lose the texture created by this dish.
• When the oil becomes hot enough, add the sliced onions and cook over a medium-low flame.
• Keep stirring often till they turn translucent, which should take about 5-7 minutes.
• Now add the chopped capsicum and tomatoes to this pan. Saut and stir this mixture for almost 7 to 8 minutes over low heat, allowing the tomatoes to soften and the capsicum just enough to remain crunchy.
• Now comes the spice powder, so add turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and garam masala powder. Don't forget to add a generous pinch of asafoetida powder and salt according to your taste buds.
• Mix all the spice powders well with the onion, tomato, and capsicum mixture, which is saut ed at this point. This way each piece of paneer khurchan will have flavours galore in it.
• Add slit green chillies and julienned ginger to the pan after mixing spices. Let it simmer for some time and stir once again so that all the ingredients mix well.
• The main hero now is going to be the strips of paneer.
• Add them to the spice and vegetable mixture, making sure to coat them well.
• The heat needs to be turned up high. It is worth noting that when mixed with masala base, paneer will let out some moisture, which signifies that it's cooking well.
• With a spatula, put the strips of paneer on the tawa so that they are touching the tawa. This way, it would be evenly cooked and the base would turn golden.
• You can scrape off paneer strips gently with the base after about a minute. If the mixture begins browning too quickly, decrease the heat a little.
• Now, flip over the paneer strips so that the other side browns lightly. Keep scraping and stirring gently so that the paneer and the onion-tomato mixture don't get stuck onto the tawa.
• Paneer should not be overcooked, as it becomes very rubbery and chewy. Quick scraping and flipping prevent it from getting chewy.
• Once it is cooked to your preferred level of doneness, remove the pan from the heat. For a creamy finish, add 1 tablespoon low-fat cream, optional, and sprinkle on kasuri methi, crushed or dry fenugreek leaves.
• If you want to exclude the addition of cream, do not worry; the dish will be a knockout even then. Mix everything well so the cream and fenugreek are well distributed throughout the paneer khurchan.
• Finally, add some chopped coriander leaves for that fresh touch. You can also keep the rest to garnish later.Paneer khurchan, hot or just off the stove, and somehow flaked and dramatized with a splash of lime juice and the reserved ginger julienne.
• It goes amazingly well with chapatis or tandoori rotis, naan and even plain old parathas. The flavours, textures and just everything click together in this paneer khurchan of many senses.