Paneer Bhurji in twenty

What you need

• 250g paneer, crumbled coarse by hand
• 2 tbsp ghee or oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• Fresh coriander and a squeeze of lemon
• Salt to taste

How it goes

1. 1

   Crumble the paneer by hand into big, soft curds — not fine grains. Big crumbles stay creamy.

2. 2

   Heat the ghee, crackle the cumin, and cook the onion until soft and just golden, 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Add ginger and green chilies for 30 seconds, then the tomato. Cook until it breaks down, 3–4 minutes.

4. 4

   Bloom the turmeric and Kashmiri chili in the mix for 30 seconds.

5. 5

   Fold in the crumbled paneer with salt and cook just 2–3 minutes — long enough to warm through, short enough to stay soft.

6. 6

   Kill the heat. Garam masala, coriander, a squeeze of lemon. Serve with buttered pav or hot rotis.

Worth knowing

• Overcooking is the only way to ruin bhurji — paneer turns rubbery after a few minutes on heat.
• Made the Paneer School fresh paneer? This is its best possible destiny.