Paneer 65
Spicy fried cottage cheese
Get directions ↗ · 2 min walk from Grand Mercure
Last orders 30 minutes before closing
Dine-in · takeaway · delivery via GrabFood and LINE MAN
Frequently Asked Questions
How spicy is the Paneer 65?
It is medium-spicy, characterized by a prominent but manageable chili and curry leaf flavor.
Is food coloring used to get the red color?
We rely primarily on natural Kashmiri red chili powder for the bright hue, with minimal artificial coloring.
What makes this dish different from Paneer Chilli?
Paneer 65 uses South Indian spices and curry leaves, while Paneer Chilli is an Indo-Chinese dish with soy sauce and bell peppers.
Is the paneer crispy?
Yes, it has a crisp outer layer from the spiced batter, while remaining soft and moist on the inside.
Can I order it without garlic (Jain-style)?
Yes— tell your server"Jain" or"no onion, no garlic" when ordering and the kitchen will build a fresh batch using only ginger and the dry curry-leaf masala. Please allow a few extra minutes since we are rebuilding from raw.
About Paneer 65
Paneer 65 is the vegetarian take on Chicken 65, the famous fried South Indian dish first served at Buhari Hotel in Chennai in 1965, which gave the dish its number. The original is a fiery, deep-fried chicken starter finished with curry leaves and green chilli; swapping in paneer keeps all of that South Indian character while making it meat-free. It sits apart from the tandoor tikkas as a fried, snacky preparation.
Our paneer is set fresh in-house each morning from full-fat milk curdled with lemon and pressed for about three hours, so it is never frozen or vacuum-packed and stays moist inside when fried. The cubes are marinated in yogurt with curry leaf and red chilli, then dredged in cornflour and fried until the outside crisps. We finish them in a hot tempering of curry leaf and green chilli, using spices ground fresh daily. The bright red colour comes mainly from natural Kashmiri chilli rather than added colouring.
The result is crisp on the outside and soft within, hot and tangy, with the unmistakable aroma of curry leaves. The spice sits at a medium-spicy level, prominent but manageable. This is what sets it apart from paneer chilli, the Indo-Chinese dish made with soy sauce and bell peppers; paneer 65 is South Indian through and through, driven by curry leaf and red chilli rather than sauce.
It is served hot as a starter. It can be made Jain-style with no onion or garlic if you tell your server when ordering, though this needs a few extra minutes as we rebuild it from raw using ginger and the dry curry-leaf masala. The kitchen is vegetarian and halal-friendly with no pork. It pairs well with a squeeze of lemon and a cooling raita.
Vegetarians and meat-eaters share most tables here; the menu has plenty for both. Visit BHARAT →
See also: the Veg Starters menu · best paneer in Bangkok · Indian vegetarian food in Bangkok · paneer tikka from the tandoor.