If you love spicy, tangy Indo-Chinese food, this paneer manchurian is about to become your go-to dinner. It’s everything you want in a takeout-style dish — crispy golden paneer tossed in a glossy, garlicky sauce that’s equal parts sweet, savory, and fiery. Think of it as the perfect mash-up between chilli paneer and classic manchurian — saucy enough to scoop up with rice, but flavorful enough to eat straight from the pan.
The best part? It comes together in about 20 minutes using pantry staples like soy sauce, ketchup, and sriracha. And, if you’re looking for more delicious Indo-Chinese recipes, try my honey chili potatoes, gobi manchurian, and my spicy maggi recipe!
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients to Make Paneer Manchurian
Paneer: The main ingredient that soaks up flavor while staying soft inside and crisp outside once fried or sautéed.
Aromatics (garlic and red onion): Build the base of the dish. Garlic infuses the oil with rich, savory flavor, while red onion adds crunch and sweetness that balance the spice.
Sauce base (ketchup, sriracha, soy sauce, rice vinegar): The heart of the Indo-Chinese flavor. Ketchup adds sweetness and body, sriracha brings heat, soy sauce gives umami depth, and rice vinegar cuts through the richness with tang.
Spices (Kashmiri mirch, smoked paprika, black pepper): Add color, smokiness, and gentle heat for that signature Manchurian flavor and vibrant red finish.
Oil: Used for frying the paneer and sautéing the sauce, helping everything come together with that glossy restaurant-style texture.
FAQ
Not exactly. Chilli paneer leans more toward sweet and spicy flavors with bell peppers, while paneer manchurian has a stronger tang and deeper umami from soy sauce and vinegar.
Serve paneer manchurian with fried rice, noodles, or even plain steamed rice. It also pairs well with garlic naan or roti for a full meal.
Paneer Manchurian
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 red onion
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 1.5 tbsp soy
- 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3/4 tsp Kashmiri mirch
- 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 450 g paneer
Instructions
- Fry the paneer: Cut paneer into cubes and fry in oil over medium heat until golden brown on all sides. Set aside on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Mix the sauce: In a small bowl, combine ketchup, sriracha, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and all the dry spices. Whisk until smooth and evenly blended.
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat a little oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add sliced red onion and minced garlic, and sauté until the onions turn translucent and fragrant.
- Combine everything: Pour the prepared sauce into the skillet with the onions and garlic. Cook for about a minute until it thickens slightly, then toss in the fried paneer.
- Coat and serve: Stir well until every piece of paneer is evenly coated in the glossy sauce. Serve hot with steamed rice, fried rice, or roti.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe and I use tofu as a substitute and it tastes just as great
So yum and easy to make too 🙂
I found the recipie a bit hard to follow as the instructions mention sugar and corn starch which aren’t listen in the ingredients. However, it turned out great and I will definitely be making it again!
it’s 3 AM and I’ve always followed Shreyas kitchen on tiktok so I finallyyy decided to give a recipe a try and I am really glad I did 🙂 It really hit my late night craving