Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside Paneer coated with slightly sweet and spicy kung pao sauce and crunchy peanuts are the star of this recipe. Delicious meal ready in under 30 minutes for busy weekday dinners.
3green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces, (spring onion)
1inchminced fresh ginger
3small minced garlic cloves
½cuptoasted peanuts, see note for toasting the raw peanuts
6Szechuan whole red chilies, or chilies like Arbol or Indian whole red
2Szechuan whole red chilies broken into pieces or chopped
⅓cupoil
For Kung Pao Sauce
1tablespooncornstarch
1tablespoondark soy sauce
1tablespoonlight soy sauce
1teaspoonwhite vinegar, optional
½cupbroth or water
1cube Maggie, optional
2tablespoonscoconut palm sugar, use less sugar if using regular or fine cane sugar because coconut sugar is not as sweet compared to regular sugar.
Instructions
Prepare for Kung Pao Sauce
Combine broth(stock), light and dark soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, and in a small bowl and whisk together until well combined. Set the mixture aside.
Stir Fry
Coat cubed paneer with 1 tablespoon cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Set it aside.
Heat ½ cup oil in a large Wok on high heat. Add peanuts and red whole chilies. Stir fry for 30 seconds while stirring continuously. Remove the peanuts and chilies and set them aside.
Fry paneer in the same oil in three small batches. Shake off excess cornstarch and fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove the paneer on a plate and set it aside.
Turn the heat down to medium-high. In the same oil add minced garlic, ginger, and broken dried chiles and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add green onion and bell peppers. Stir for about 1 minute. Move the spatula continuously. Now add peanuts and whole red chilies. Stir for about 20 seconds.
Stir sauce mixture and add to the wok. Cook until sauce thickens up. Add fried paneer to the wok and start to coat it with sauce.
Turn the heat off. Garnish with more green onions, thinly sliced.