Homemade Paneer 65 Recipe That'll Have You Licking The Bowl Clean

Cubes of paneer marinated in spices and pan-fried in a savoury spiced mixture, paneer 65 is a dish through which flavours ooze out. A beloved South Indian recipe, paneer 65 is full of vibrant spices and is a popular dish in many Indian restaurants. A recipe that is versatile, yet unique, paneer 65 can be prepared in a number of ways. The paneer 65 recipe mainly varies depending on the region. Check out this step-by-step guide to preparing paneer 65 at home with this simple recipe.

About paneer 65

A spicy South Indian appetiser, paneer 65 is the vegetarian version of the popular dish, chicken 65. Very similar to the chicken 65 recipe, paneer 65 is prepared by deep frying paneer cubes, which are marinated and batter-coated until they turn crisp. The deep-fried paneer is then tossed in the paneer 65 masala, which is prepared from yoghurt, curry leaves, garlic and lemon juice. Although the paneer 65 recipe varies a lot of times, some of the basic paneer 65 ingredients remain the same. 
The recipe of chicken 65 is believed to have originated at the Buhari Hotel in Chennai, in the year 1965. Hence, the name of the dish. Since a large number of the population in India are vegetarians, the chicken 65 recipe was altered to suit their tastes to become what is known as paneer 65, which is now an extremely popular dish at most Indian restaurants.

Here’s the best way to prepare paneer 65 at home with a simple recipe

Ingredients for paneer 65

You will require the following paneer 65 ingredients to prepare paneer 65 restaurant style at home: 

1. 200 grams of paneer
2. 3 tbsp cornstarch
3. 2 tbsp rice flour
4. 1-2 sprigs of curry leaves
5. 4-5 green chillies, slit and deseeded
6. 1 and ½- 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
7. 1 tsp chopped garlic
8. ½ tbsp garlic paste or grated garlic
9. ½ tsp cumin powder
10. ¾ tsp garam masala
11. ¾ coriander powder
12. ⅛ turmeric 
13. ½- ¾ tsp red chilli powder
14. 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
15. 1-2 tsp vinegar
16. 1 and ½ tsp lemon juice
17. ¼ tsp sugar
18. Salt
19. Water
20. Oil

Recipe for paneer 65

Follow this step by step guide to make paneer 65 restaurant style: 

1. Dice the paneer into cubes of ¾ inches each, and add them to a mixing bowl.
2. To prepare the paneer 65 masala, marinate the paneer with ginger-garlic paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, turmeric, chopped curry leaves and salt. 
3. Incorporate the paneer 65 masala ingredients with the paneer cubes and mix well. 
4. Sprinkle lemon juice or vinegar, along with 2-3 tbsp of water. Toss again and refrigerate for at least 48 hours. 
5. To prepare the seasoning for paneer 65 recipe, prepare a red chilli paste by mixing the red chilli powder, garlic paste, sugar, salt, vinegar and water in a bowl, and set aside. 
6. Add about 1 and ½ tbsp of oil in a pan or a wok and heat it. Add in the chopped garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Fry these paneer 65 ingredients till an aroma comes out. 
7. Lower the heat, and pour in the red chilli paste that you had prepared. Cook it on medium flame till the oil starts to separate from the paste, and then turn off the heat. 
8. Add flour and salt, along with water in a bowl to prepare a thick batter.
9. Pour this batter over the marinated paneer, and gently mix. 
10. Heat oil in a pan, regulate the heat and gently fry the batter-coated paneer till they turn golden and crisp. 
11. Once all the paneer is fried for the paneer 65 recipe, turn off the heat and add curry leaves. 
12. Garnish with fried green chillies, curry leaves, along with a little bit of lemon juice and serve hot.

Pro tip: You may skip the seasoning for paneer 65 as mentioned in the recipe, however, for a more flavourful dish the seasoning makes a great difference.