← All Breakfasts · Recipe finder
Paneer Bhurji with Capsicum
The Punjabi favourite: crumbled paneer cooked quickly with onion, tomato and capsicum, delivering over 20 g protein in a single bowl.
- Region
- Punjab
- Status
- Traditional
- Diet label
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Time
- Prep 10 min · Cook 12 min · Total 22 min
- Serves
- 2 (about 230 g bhurji each)
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Good for
- Quick breakfast, post-workout, roti roll
- Tags
- High protein · Quick · Lower-carbohydrate · No added sugar · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free*
- Allergens
- Milk
Nutrition (estimated)
- Calories
- 370 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Headline values are per serving, as written.
| kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Total sugars | Protein per 100 kcal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhurji only | 370 | 23 g | 22 g | 21 g | 10 g | 5 g | 16 g | 6.0 g |
| With 1 whole-wheat roti (35 g atta) | 480 | 27 g | 45 g | 21 g | 10 g | 9 g | 17 g | – |
High protein · 6.0 g per 100 kcal. 10 g protein per 100 g. IFCT 2017 lists paneer at 18.9 g protein, 14.8 g fat and 12.4 g carbohydrate per 100 g; branded paneer often has more fat and less carbohydrate. See the low-fat swap. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Ingredients
- 200 g full-fat paneer, crumbled
- 80 g onion, finely chopped · 100 g tomato, chopped · 80 g capsicum, diced · 50 g green peas
- 10 g groundnut oil (2 tsp) · ½ tsp cumin seeds · 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste · 1 green chilli
- ¼ tsp turmeric · ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder · ½ tsp garam masala · ½ tsp kasuri methi · 3 g salt
- 30 ml milk · 2 tbsp coriander
Method
- Heat oil in a kadhai on medium. Add cumin; when it crackles (10 seconds), add onion and cook 4 minutes until translucent.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and chilli; cook 30 seconds until the raw smell goes.
- Add tomato, turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Cook 3–4 minutes until soft and the oil starts to separate at the edges.
- Add capsicum and peas; cook 2 minutes so the capsicum stays crisp.
- Add paneer and milk. Stir gently for 2 minutes only — longer cooking makes paneer rubbery.
- Finish with garam masala, crushed kasuri methi and coriander. Serve hot.
Protein optimisation
- Paneer supplies 18 g per serving; peas 2 g.
- Boost: add 50 g firm tofu, crumbled, at step 5 — about +4 g protein, +40 kcal per serving (adds soy).
- Low-fat swap: low-fat paneer (typically 20–25 g protein and 8–10 g fat per 100 g; check the label) saves about 80 kcal and 10–12 g fat per serving, with similar or slightly higher protein.
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional: Mumbai street-style — add ½ tsp pav bhaji masala and a squeeze of lemon.
- Serve in a whole-wheat roti roll, with toast, or alone for a lower-carbohydrate meal.
- Storage: 2 days refrigerated; reheat in a pan with 1 tbsp water.
- Food safety: use paneer before its date; buy refrigerated paneer and keep it at or below 5 °C.
- Meal prep: good for a day ahead; texture firms slightly.
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com