Shahi Paneer
Royal North Indian paneer curry — paneer in a rich onion-tomato gravy with almond-cashew paste, curd, and cream
Category: dinner
Tags: indian, vegetarian, paneer, curry, north-indian
Ingredients
- 400 gm paneer, cubed
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger
- 3 green chillies
- 3 green cardamoms
- 1 1/2 cups tomato purée
- 1/2 cup yogurt (curd), whisked
- 6 tablespoons ghee
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- Salt to taste
- Water as needed
- — GARNISH —
- 1 handful coriander leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh cream (optional)
Instructions
- Chop onion, green chillies, ginger, and coriander separately. Whisk the curd in a bowl. Grind cashews and almonds separately with a little water into smooth pastes.
- Heat 3 tbsp ghee in a pan over medium heat. Add chopped onions, ginger, green chillies, and green cardamoms. Cook 4–5 minutes.
- Add tomato purée, cover, and cook 8–10 minutes. Add beaten curd and cook 5 more minutes. Add 1 cup water and cook 1 minute. Let cool, then blend until smooth.
- Heat remaining 3 tbsp ghee in a pan. Add the blended gravy, red chilli powder, garam masala, cashew paste, almond paste, and salt. Bring to a boil until the gravy thickens.
- Add paneer cubes and milk. Cook 3–5 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and grated paneer. Add fresh cream if desired. Serve hot with naan, roomali roti, or rice.
Notes
From Times Food / TNN. Use homemade paneer if possible; if store-bought, soak in warm water for 10 minutes before using. Sour curd gives the best flavor. You can use whole spices for your own garam masala.