Recipe: Soya Paneer Chilli

Recipe by Pritam Kothari

This Indo-Chinese-inspired vegetarian starter combines protein-rich soya chunks and paneer with colourful bell peppers, onion and a spicy mix of sauces. The crispy soya and paneer are tossed with vegetables and sauces to create a flavourful, crunchy starter that works well for both kids and adults.

Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Servings: 3

Ingredients

For the Soya & Paneer:

• Soya chunks — 1 cup
• Paneer — 100 g
• Cornflour — 2 tbsp
• All-purpose flour — 2 tbsp
• Red chilli powder — 1 tsp
• Salt — to taste
• Oil — for frying

For the Stir-Fry:

• Red capsicum — 5–7 diced pieces
• Yellow capsicum — 5–7 dicedpieces
• Green capsicum — 5–7 diced pieces
• Onion — 5–7 diced pieces
• Ginger — 1-inch piece, grated
• Garlic — optional, if desired
• Green chilli — 1, finely chopped
• Cumin seeds — 1 tsp
• Oil — 1 tbsp

For the Sauce:

• Soy sauce — 1 tbsp
• Red chilli sauce — 1 tbsp
• Green chilli sauce — 1 tbsp
• Tomato sauce — 1 tbsp
• Red chilli powder — to taste
• Cornflour — 1 tbsp

Method

1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat, add the soya chunks, cover and let them soak for 5 minutes.
2. Drain the soya chunks well and squeeze out the excess moisture.
3. Mix cornflour, all-purpose flour, salt and red chilli powder with a little water to make a thin batter.
4. Cut the paneer into small cubes and coat them with the prepared batter.
5. Heat oil in a pan and fry the paneer until golden and crisp.
6. Coat the soya chunks in the remaining batter and fry over high heat until crisp. The soya chunks can also be added without frying.
7. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok or pan. Add cumin seeds and grated ginger.
8. Add the red, yellow and green capsicum, along with the onion and green chilli. Stir-fry over high heat for 2–3 minutes, keeping the vegetables slightly crisp.
9. Add the fried paneer and soya chunks.
10. Add soy sauce, red chilli sauce, green chilli sauce, tomato sauce and red chilli powder. Toss everything together for about 1 minute.
11. Mix cornflour with a little water to make a slurry and add it to the pan.
12. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the sauce lightly coats the paneer, soya and vegetables.
13. Serve hot as a starter.