Paneer Ghee Roast is a paneer cooked in ghee with jaggery & whole spice gravy. The base of the gravy is again whole spice & tamarind paste. This recipe is a mixed bag of three excellent flavours: khatta, meetha & teekha.


This dish is the vegetarian version of the popular Mangalorean dish chicken ghee roast and egg ghee roast. It may be a veggie version but is equally famous and loved as its non-veg counterparts.

Generally, this dish is in dry form and served as a starter. However, here we are, making this in gravy form. Hence you can have this with rice, veg pulao, chapati, paratha, bread, or dosa. Neer Dosa or Appam is recommended with this.

Making Tamarind Paste

There’s no problem using readymade tamarind paste. However, making the same at home is easier than you think. I prefer homemade rather than ready-to-use ones. Therefore, here’s a quick method to make tamarind paste at home.

  • Take 1 cup of tamarind. Remove seeds & wash.
  • Boil 3 cups of water & soak tamarind in it.
  • Soak for 45 to 60 minutes or until tamarind is soft.
  • Now strain the soft tamarind using a strainer.
  • You will get a thick pulp. That’s your tamarind paste.
  • Store it in a glass jar for future use.

TR’s Extra Shots for Paneer Ghee Roast

The following tips might look obvious, but the result will be excellent if you follow them.

  • Paste – Saute whole spices properly in ghee to integrate their flavours. Add a little extra ghee if necessary.
  • Grind – Make a smooth & thick paste. Hence, grind a little longer to get the required thickness.
  • Onion – It is the base of our gravy. Hence, saute well till soft.
  • Paneer – You can shallow fry paneer in ghee before adding. Shallow frying will add a crispy taste to the paneer.
  • Gravy – The consistency of the gravy must be thick. If there’s water in it, then simmer it on low flame till access water burns.
  • Curd – Some recipes use whisked curd in the gravy. It provides tang and more flavours to the dish. It is optional, but you can add this if you want. Add it in the later stage, just before adding paneer.
  • Jaggery – This ingredient is also optional but recommended if you add curd. This will balance the sharp and overwhelming flavours and mellow them out.

Okay, now we have discussed items & a few tips to make paneer ghee roast. Next, it’s time to solve your queries.

Paneer Ghee Roast FAQs

Before you start cooking, go through the list of faqs below. It will help you.

Which ghee is best for use in Ghee Roast?

There’s no specific brand of ghee I suggest. Any dairy ghee is recommended. However, if cow ghee is available, then use that as well. Just don’t use cooking oil.

Can I swap ghee with butter?

The flavour & aroma of ghee is essential. Hence don’t swap ghee with butter or cooking oil, for that matter.

Will fenugreek seeds, aka methi dana, make my dish bitter?

No, it won’t because the quantity is only 1/4 tsp. Additionally, ghee will turn down the extra bitter taste, if any.

Can I add garam masala powder directly instead of grinding the whole spices?

No. We need to saute the whole spice in ghee & then grind it with tamarind. Adding garam masala or any other curry powder will dramatically change the taste & the cooking process.

Is tamarind paste necessary in paneer ghee roast?

You can skip tamarind paste, but I won’t suggest you do so. Tamarind with jaggery will give you the khatta & meetha flavour.

Can I swap tamarind with lemon juice?

No, don’t do this. Both the items have distinct taste profiles. On the contrary, tamarind is bulky, whereas lemon juice is watery.

Can I use sugar if jaggery is not available?

You can do so but as long as possible, use jaggery only. Use sugar if and only if jaggery is unavailable.

Can I make this in vegan form?

You can make this dish in vegan form. For that, you need to replace the paneer with tofu. You can add mushrooms as well. Moreover, instead of regular curd, use cashew or almond curd. And lastly, replace ghee with oil. You can marinate the paneer but do not marinate the mushrooms, use them directly instead.