Kung pao Paneer is a spicy Indo-Chinese dish prepared with shallow-fried paneer cubes sauteed in Chinese sauces with crunchy roasted peanuts and red chillies making it sweet, spicy and nutty. Kung Pao Paneer is also known as Gong Bao or Kung Po.
Traditionally, Sichuan peppercorns and Chaotian chillies are used in this classic Sichuan dish for the fiery hot flavours, however other regional versions are often less hot than the Sichuan version. Chaotian chillies, also known as ‘heaven facing chillies’, are hot and fragrant chillies. Unlike other chillies which point down as they grow, the Chaotian chillies points up to the sky – hence the unusual name. Dried Chaotian chillies are a pantry staple in Sichuan cuisine. They are fried in oil to release their fragrance and then paired with cold and numbing Sichuan peppercorns for a classic Kung Pao recipe.
My Indo-Chinese version replaces some of the hard-to-find-ingredients with staples from any supermarket. Kung Pao Paneer has all the same spicy and sour appeal as traditional kung pao and makes it a really nice weeknight dinner with a side of rice or noodles. If you like paneer and Indo- Chinese flavours, then this recipe is definitely worth a try!
It is a healthy recipe which is full of nutrients. Adding roasted peanuts in this dish adds crunch and Chinese sauces adds spice and flavours to this recipe. Other recipes you might like are Kung Pao Rice Bowl, American Chopsuey, Vegetable Fried Rice, Hakka Noodles, Vegetable Manchurian and Indo-Chinese Paneer Chilli.
