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Curries and stews

Paneer bhurji

Crumbled paneer scrambled in a pan with onion, tomato, green chilli and spices, eaten with pav or roti.

Paneer bhurji is fresh paneer crumbled and stir-fried with onion, tomato, green chilli, turmeric and other spices until it looks like scrambled egg. It is quick to make and eaten for breakfast, as a filling for rolls and sandwiches, or as a side dish with roti or pav. Bhurji means scrambled.

What goes in

Paneer: 40%40%Onion: 20%20%Tomato: 20%20%Green chilli and ginger: 7%Turmeric and spices: 7%Butter or oil: 7%6parts
  • Paneer640%, Crumbled.
  • Onion320%, Finely chopped.
  • Tomato320%, Chopped.
  • Green chilli and ginger17%, Heat.
  • Turmeric and spices17%, Colour and warmth.
  • Butter or oil17%, For cooking.

Rough parts by weight. The ring shows each ingredient's share of the dish.

Made step by step

Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Quantities and timings differ from house to house; this is one traditional way, in outline.

  1. Step 1: Grate Crumble or grate the paneer.
  2. Step 2: Fry Fry cumin, onion, ginger and green chilli in butter until soft.
  3. Step 3: Fry Add tomato, turmeric and chilli powder and cook until soft.
  4. Step 4: Fry Stir in the paneer and cook briefly, just until heated through.
  5. Step 5: Serve Finish with coriander and serve with pav or roti.
  6. Paneer: 40%40%Onion: 20%20%Tomato: 20%20%Green chilli and ginger: 7%Turmeric and spices: 7%Butter or oil: 7%
    Finished Paneer bhurji, by share.

The vegetarian scramble

Bhurji is a style of cooking rather than a single dish: anda bhurji is scrambled egg, and paneer bhurji is its vegetarian counterpart, popular in households that do not eat eggs. It is a fixture of roadside stalls in Mumbai and Delhi, where it is cooked on a large flat griddle and served with buttered pav, the soft bread rolls of Mumbai.

Soft curds

The paneer is grated or crumbled by hand, and goes in near the end so it stays soft and moist. Overcooking makes it rubbery. A little milk or cream keeps it tender. Some cooks add capsicum, peas or kasuri methi, dried fenugreek leaves. Fresh, homemade paneer gives the best texture, but shop paneer is used everywhere.

Where it is used

BreakfastStreet stall supperRoll filling

The cheeses in it

PaneerCrumbled into a soft scramble.

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Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text and drawings by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are a rough, illustrative ratio, not a recipe: every family and kitchen makes it differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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