Gluten Free Paneer and Peppers in Fragrant Gravy is an East Indian side dish or vegetarian main course. Paneer is a fresh cheese that is naturally gluten free. It is often used in saucy recipes and can be found in the dairy section at the grocery store.
Serve paneer as a vegetarian main course or as part of any East Indian dinner. Serve it with homemade Tandoori Chicken, plain or fruited rice with nuts and frozen lemon kulfi for dessert.
Ingredients
Spices from all over the world are readily available and a joy to the adventurous home cook. To explore Indian cuisine you'll need a variety of dried spices so be prepared to expand your spice collection and enjoy the adventure.
- Canned tomatoes - I always have cans of unseasoned diced tomatoes in my pantry
- Cilantro
- Ginger & garlic
- Whole cumin seeds
- Ground almonds - same as almond flour.
- Ground coriander
- Paprika, turmeric & cayenne pepper
- Sour cream - This makes a rich, creamy sauce or gravy.
- Paneer - Paneer is a fresh cheese that is non-melting. It's easy enough to make by curdling warm milk with lemon juice or vinegar, but you can buy it, sometimes with a gluten free symbol on the package. I see packages in the cheese section either plain or fried, cut up or as a block.
See recipe card for complete ingredient list and exact amounts.
Dinner Club: An East Indian Menu
If you're an adventurous cook you need to start a Dinner Club. Use this East Indian Menu with all my favourites, as inspiration to create your own. It's a fun way to learn about dishes from around the world, many that were always gluten free.
Top Tip
Pantry Tip: To minimize the number of spices you need buy whole spices, like cumin seed and coriander seed. Grind enough to fill a spice bottle and keep the rest whole. This way you have ground and whole versions for any recipe you want to try.
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Paneer and Peppers in Fragrant Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 can diced tomatoes with juices (19 oz/540 ml)
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tablespoon finely ground almonds (this is almond flour)
- 4½ teaspoon ground coriander seed
- 1½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 cup water
- 1 package frozen Paneer cubes, thawed* (14 oz/400 g)
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Puree tomatoes, cilantro, ginger and garlic in food processor or blender.
- In a large pot heat oil on medium-high heat. Add cumin and stir until cumin darkens in colour, about 20 seconds. Add onion and cook until golden brown, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.
- Add almonds, coriander, paprika, turmeric and cayenne pepper to onion mixture. Stir until aromatic, about 10 seconds.
- Add tomato mixture to pan and decrease heat to medium. Cook until sauce thickens, about 8 minutes.
- Add sour cream and water. Stir to evenly combine.
- Add paneer, peppers and salt. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 30 minutes, occasionally stirring gently. Serve hot.
missy bell
hi there - I haven't made it this yet but would like to. Can I use Bob's Red Mill (superfine) natural almond flour in lieu of finely ground almonds? Am also planning to make your gluten free vegetable fritters (pakora) recipe. Can these bhajis be cooked with success in an air fryer (say at 400 F in a well oiled basket with avocado oil) and no deep fryer? Thank you.
Cinde Little
Hi Missy! Yes, you can absolutely used any almond flour, or ground almonds from the baking aisle, in this recipe. I have not found a difference between the many packages I have bought. Just don't buy almond meal which will have dark flecks as the skin in not removed. For the pakora, you you can Air fry them. We are modern cooks and if you're used to using an Air Fryer you probably know some tricks. The hot air method gives a lighter and less greasy bhaji. Cooking them in oil creates the classic golden, crunchy exterior and tender interior. Hey, if you're making homemade pakoras everyone will be happy. Best of luck!
steshni
THIS PANEER IS AMAZING!!!😍
Cinde Little
Thanks Steshni. I think so too!