Bang Bang Paneer Appetizer- Simple Paneer Starter

Bang Bang Paneer. Quick paneer appetizer with shallow fried, crispy paneer cubes tossed in a tangy, spicy bang bang sauce. It is an easy, delicious paneer starter recipe which gets ready in 30 minutes or less. Perfect for parties!

One can never have too many paneer recipes in their repertoire, right? You can make this instant paneer snack for kids as well. We love spicy paneer appetizers such as peri peri paneer bites , paneer 65 and schezwan paneer tart and here is this bang bang paneer recipe, I added a ton of kick from jalapeños! However, the spice level in the bang bang sauce can be adjusted as you like.

One of those quick paneer recipes which is yummy to eat and is not deep fried. I shallow fry the paneer which does take a few extra minutes when done in batches but its worth it. You can use air fryer to crisp up the paneer as well, I have added the instructions later in the post.

What is Bang Bang Sauce

Bang Bang sauce is a spicy, creamy, sweet & tangy sauce that got famous from Bonefish Grill's popular shrimp appetizer. However, not just shrimp, this sauce is perfect for chicken, vegetables or meat as well.

Obviously I do not have their recipe but my version is made with thai sweet chilli sauce, mayonnaise, lemon, yogurt and a hot sauce like sriracha. To make it we simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl and done!

I cut down on mayonnaise and add some plain greek yogurt and I feel it makes it taste fresh and brighter. The sauce is really super flavorful! It is also good to toss salads or dip fries into (my little one loves doing that, she is totally a dip loving kid). You can reduce the heat levels when making for kids.

What Makes This Recipe So Amazing?

• Quick to make. No marination is needed. Bang Bang Paneer is ready in less than 30 minutes.
• Super Delicious. Crispy milky paneer chunks coated in a spicy tangy sauce- its a perfect paneer snack or starter!
• Vegetarian Paneer Starter. This is a meat free dish which can be served to anyone (well, almost!)

Ingredients You will Need

For Coating & Shallow Frying the Paneer

Use full fat paneer. I use all purpose soy sauce (not lite or dark).You can adjust the chili powder as per your liking. Use a high smoking point oil like avocado or grape seed for frying.

For Bang Bang Sauce

You also need lemon & salt(not shown in picture).

How To Make

How To Cook Paneer in Air fryer

To air fry paneer, line the air fryer basket or rack with a parchment sheet. I need to preheat my air fryer. So I preheat it to 400F. Using tongs, layer the paneer in a single layer. Spray or drizzle oil. Air Fry for 7 to 10 minutes or until the paneer is nicely browned. Flip once mid way using tongs to make sure there is even crisping.

Tanvi's Tip:- Unless you are using a large air fryer, paneer might not fit all at once in the basket. Please dont overcrowd. Air fry the paneer in batches. To make sure that the previous batch stays warm while the second batch is getting ready, pop the crisped paneer in an oven at warm setting or at the lowest temperature that your oven can be set to.

My Tips When Shallow Frying

1. Select a heavy fry pan or shallow skillet. Heavy stainless Steel fry pans or cast iron pans are the best compared to non stick.
2. Add the oil and let it heat on medium low heat. We don't want oil to be become too hot.
3. Once you see ripples, layer the paneer, it should sizzle but no too much. Fry on a constant heat, not too low or too high without moving around paneer again and again. Else the paneer coating will absorb oil and become soggy. This defeats the purpose of shallow frying since the coating will absorb oil.
4. Flip the paneer only when you start to see brown edges.
5. To maintain the crispiness of shallow fried paneer, drain it in a single layer on paper towel.

Variations You can Try

• Make It Extra Spicy - Add chili pepper flakes to the paneer as well as to the bang bang sauce to make them extra spicy. You can use serrano peppers instead of jalapeños.
• Make It Herby - Add finely chopped herbs like chives, cilantro, parsley, extra scallions while tossing the panner with bang bang sauce.
• Kid friendly - Reduce the quantity or omit the sriracha. The heat from sweet chili sauce will be enough for serving to kids. Also omit the sliced jalapeños.
• Other Vegetarian options - Use blanched cauliflower or or Baby Corn instead of paneer. The recipe remains same.

Make It Vegan

You can easily make bang bang paneer vegan by using tofu or tempeh instead. Use a vegan mayonnaise and/or soy or cashew yogurt. Please make sure that the rest of the ingredients are vegan as well.

How To Serve

Bang Bang Paneer is best served right away while the paneer is crisp and warm. Here are a Few ways you can serve it.

• Bang Bang Paneer- Serve it for parties, game nights, diwali or holi party, new year eve party or super bowl sunday. Pair with your favorite cocktail or chilled beer.
• Make Lettuce Cups Or Wraps. Fill fresh lettuce cups with bang bang paneer for a light veg paneer starter(or salad).
• Make Tacos- Pile bang bang paneer on soft taco tortillas or stuff inside hard taco shells and add pico de gallo or your favorite salsa.
• Serve Inside Rice Paper- You can make soft rice paper wraps for a light summer meal.
• Serve with noodles or steamed jasmine rice for a meal.

Some More Useful Tips

1. Keep the bang bang sauce ready before you start frying the paneer.
2. Drizzle the bang bang sauce just before serving.
3. Cut the paneer in small cubes - bite size pieces.
4. Taste and adjust the ingredient quantities in the bang bang sauce to suit your preference. .
5. The coating on paneer should be thin and not dry.
6. You can coat the paneer in some bread crumbs if you want - especially when air frying.
7. Shallow or air fry in a single layer in the skillet or air fryer basket.
8. Drain the paneer on a paper towel in a single layer to prevent getting soggy.