Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Tandoori Bharwan Paneer
Tandoori Bharwan Paneer (Grilled Stuffed Paneer)

Tandoori Bharwan Paneer

Grilled Stuffed Paneer
Vegetarian●●●Origin PunjabPrep 35 minutes, plus marinating timeCook 5-7 minutes

Golden-fried paneer slices rolled around a lightly spiced cabbage and carrot filling, coated in an aromatic yoghurt marinade, and grilled until smoky. The exterior is tender and charred, encasing a crisp, savoury vegetable centre.

Tempering spice

6 gBloomed in the hot oil (step 2)
01
6 g1 tablespoon
spice
Keep whole.

Vegetable spice

3 gSautéed with the chopped vegetables (step 3)
01
3 g1 teaspoon
spice
Keep ready as a ground powder.

Marinade spice

8 gWhisked into the yoghurt marinade (step 5)
01
8 g1 tablespoon
spice
Keep ready to stir directly into the marinade.

Everything else

02
Vegetable oil · Telfor shallow-frying
to taste
oil/fat
03
200 g
vegetable
04
50 g
vegetable
05
~1 g1 sprig
herb
06
to taste
dairy
07
to taste
salt
09
5 g1 teaspoon
souring agent
10
14 g1 tablespoon
oil/fat
11
to taste
other
12
Chutneysuch as Tomato Chutney or Sweet Green Mango ChutneyMake it: Karipatta Chutney →
to taste
other

Method

  1. Cut 500 g paneer into 5 x 5 cm (2-inch) squares, then slice each piece into 1 cm (½-inch) thick flat sheets and blot dry using kitchen paper. Warm vegetable oil for shallow-frying in a deep, heavy pan over medium heat. Fry the paneer until golden brown, about 10 minutes, then transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon.
  2. Return the pan and remaining oil to the heat and add the tempering spice, cooking until the seeds begin to crackle.
  3. Add the vegetable spice along with 200 g chopped cabbage and 50 g chopped carrots. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, then season with salt to taste, 1 teaspoon chaat masala, and 1 g chopped coriander. Cook for a further 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender-crisp, then take the pan off the heat.
  4. Spread the fried paneer slices across a flat tray and spoon an even layer of the vegetable mixture over each. Roll each slice tightly into a cylinder and pin both ends with toothpicks to secure the stuffing.
  5. In a broad, shallow dish, whisk together 400 g hung yoghurt, 0.5 tablespoon ginger paste, 0.5 tablespoon garlic paste, the marinade spice, salt to taste, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek, 5.1 g lemon juice, and 13.5 g vegetable oil. Turn the stuffed paneer rolls in the marinade until evenly coated and set aside for 1 hour.
  6. Heat a tandoor, charcoal grill, or overhead oven broiler to medium. Slide the marinated paneer rolls onto metal skewers, leaving 2.5 cm (1 inch) of clearance between them. Grill for 5 to 7 minutes, basting regularly with melted butter, until lightly charred at the edges. Slice each roll into 2 to 3 pieces and serve immediately with salad and chutney.

Don't have something?

Paneer
  • Extra-firm tofu

    Use equal weight, pressed well to remove excess moisture and cut into cubes. Pan-fry lightly before adding; absorbs sauces similarly, though it lacks dairy sweetness.

  • Halloumi

    Use equal weight, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes to leach out excess salt. Holds shape during frying, but has a denser, saltier chew.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Cumin seed
  • Ground cumin

    Use 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.

  • Black cumin seeds

    Use equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Ground turmeric
  • Ground ginger

    Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

  • Saffron

    Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Cabbage
  • Sweetheart cabbage

    Use 100% of the weight. Finely shred; cooks slightly faster than firm white cabbage and gives a sweeter, tender crunch in thorans and sabzis.

  • Savoy cabbage

    Use 100% of the weight. Shred finely; holds its shape well when stir-fried and carries spiced oil effectively.

  • Brussels sprouts

    Use 90% of the weight. Finely shred or halve; offers an identical brassica crunch and slight peppery bite.

Carrot
  • Turnip

    Use the same weight; peel and cut as for carrot. It is less sweet and slightly peppery, so add a pinch of sugar and expect a softer, more earthy result.

  • Potato

    Use the same weight; cut into similar pieces and add 5–10 minutes' extra cooking. It gives bulk but no carrot sweetness or colour.

  • Courgette

    Use the same weight; cut a little larger and add near the end. It releases water, so reduce other liquid slightly and expect a softer texture.

Chaat masala
  • Tandoori snack spice mix

    Use the same weight; taste first as it can be smokier and saltier. Add lime or amchoor if the dish needs more tang.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use about half the weight, mixed with black salt and a pinch of ground cumin. It gives tang and saltiness but lacks the minty, asafoetida notes.

  • Black salt

    Use about half the weight and add lime juice to taste. It gives the salty, sulphurous edge but not the full tangy blend.

Coriander
  • Coriander leaf

    Use equal weight, chopped fresh and stirred in off the heat or used as garnish. Matches the citrus-herbal profile identically.

  • Mint

    Use 40% to 50% of the weight; chop finely and add at the very end. Adds fresh herbal brightness, but shifts the aroma toward cool menthol.

Melted butter
  • Melted ghee

    Use the same weight; nuttier and keeps better. Reduce salt if the butter was salted.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use 80% of the weight; no dairy flavour and less richness. Good for frying, less good for finishing.

  • Melted unsalted butter

    Use the same weight; adjust salt in the dish if your butter was salted.

Hung natural yoghurt
  • Greek yoghurt

    Use the same weight straight from the pot. It is thick and slightly tangier; stir well before use.

  • Full-fat natural yoghurt

    Use about 175% of the weight and strain through muslin for 3–4 hours to yield the same weight of thick yoghurt.

  • Hung yoghurt

    Use the same weight. It is essentially the same ingredient; adjust salt or sugar to taste.

Ginger paste
  • Fresh ginger

    Use equal weight; peel and grate very finely on a microplane or pound to a fine paste in a mortar.

  • Ginger

    Use equal weight; mince finely and crush with the flat of a knife before frying.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 20% of the weight; add directly with the dry spice powders, though it yields an earthier, less pungent profile.

Garlic paste
  • Garlic

    Use equal weight; crush or finely grate to a smooth pulp to replicate the same fresh, pungent moisture in your base gravy.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 20 to 25% of the weight; mix with a teaspoon of water before adding to oil so it does not burn, noting it lacks the fresh bite.

Chilli powder
  • Red chilli powder

    Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.

  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.

  • Cayenne pepper

    Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Garam masala
  • Ground cumin

    Use 50% of the weight mixed with equal parts ground coriander and a pinch of ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground green cardamom. Sprinkle near the end for a warming finish.

  • Lentil stew spice mix

    Use 75% of the weight. Simmer briefly in the gravy; imparts roasted warmth and complexity, though it adds a slight tang and earthy lentil undertone.

Ground dried fenugreek leaves
Lemon juice
  • Lime juice

    Use equal volume or weight; delivers almost identical sharp acidity with a faintly more aromatic, bitter-edged profile.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use 25% of the weight (about 1 g amchoor for 4 g juice); provides clean fruity tartness without thinning the sauce.

  • White vinegar

    Use 75% of the volume; gives direct sourness without any citrus floral fragrance.

Salad
  • Green salad

    Use the same weight. Toss with lemon juice and salt just before serving so it stays crisp.

  • Cucumber

    Use the same weight, sliced. It gives a fresher, wetter side than a mixed salad.

  • Onion ring

    Use the same weight, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes and drained. It adds sharpness rather than leafiness.

Chutney
  • Mint chutney

    Use the same weight for a fresh herby chutney; adjust salt and chilli after tasting.

  • Tamarind chutney or mint chutney

    Use the same weight; it is tangier, so reduce added lemon or tamarind in the dish.

  • Mango chutney

    Use the same weight only if a sweet chutney suits the dish; it is sweeter and less sharp.

Similar dishes

Achari Paneer
Paneer in Pickling Spices
Achari Paneer tastes tart and pungent from amchoor, yogurt, mustard, fennel, and nigella, with green-chilli heat, while this dish tastes smoky and charred with a crisp, savoury vegetable centre and a buttery, chaat-masala tang.
  • Same: Achari Paneer shares paneer, yogurt, turmeric, chilli powder, cumin seed, ginger paste, garlic paste, garam masala, vegetable oil, and salt with this dish.
  • Different: Achari Paneer has mustard seed, fennel, nigella, fenugreek seed, aniseed, amchoor, onion, green chilli, and green bell pepper, but lacks this dish's cabbage-carrot filling, hung-yoghurt coating, melted butter, chaat masala, dried fenugreek leaves, and lemon juice, and it is cooked as a stovetop gravy rather than stuffed and grilled.
Lehsuni Paneer Tikka
Garlic-flavoured Paneer
Lehsuni Paneer Tikka tastes more garlicky, creamy, and tangy from vinegar and ajwain than this dish, which tastes of a crisp vegetable filling with lemon, fenugreek, and butter.
  • Same: Lehsuni Paneer Tikka shares with this dish a grilled paneer core, a yogurt-based spice marinade, and the use of chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, chaat masala, oil or ghee, and salt.
  • Different: Lehsuni Paneer Tikka uses garlic-stuffed paneer cubes rather than cabbage-and-carrot-filled paneer slices, and it adds double cream, chickpea flour, ajwain seeds, green chilli, vinegar, extra garlic paste, and tandoori chaat masala while lacking cabbage, carrot, cumin seed, dried fenugreek leaves, lemon juice, and hung yogurt.
Potoler Dolma
Wax Gourd Curry
Potoler Dolma tastes softer and sauce-based with mustard-oil pungency, tomato tang and raisin sweetness, while this dish tastes smoky and charred with a tangy yoghurt coating and crisp vegetable centre.
  • Same: Potoler Dolma and this dish both use paneer, cumin seed, ginger paste, garlic paste, chilli powder and garam masala in a stuffed or rolled preparation.
  • Different: Potoler Dolma uses wax gourd as the shell and adds raisins, mustard oil, tomato and green chilli in a simmered curry, while this dish uses cabbage and carrot filling, hung yoghurt marinade, lemon juice, dried fenugreek leaves and grilling.
Paneer Bhurji
Stir-Fried Paneer with Chilli, Turmeric and Peppers
Paneer Bhurji tastes soft, juicy, savoury and gently hot with fresh lemon and coriander, while this dish tastes smoky and charred with a crisp vegetable centre and aromatic yoghurt coating.
  • Same: Paneer Bhurji shares paneer, cumin seed, ground turmeric, garam masala, lemon juice, vegetable oil, salt and coriander with this dish.
  • Different: Paneer Bhurji crumbles the paneer and stir-fries it with onion, tomato, red bell pepper and green bird’s eye chilli, while this dish stuffs paneer slices with cabbage and carrot, coats them in a hung-yoghurt marinade and grills them with melted butter.