Shahi Paneer

Shahi Paneer

Royal North Indian paneer curry — paneer in a rich onion-tomato gravy with almond-cashew paste, curd, and cream

Prep
10 min
Cook
40 min
Total
50 min
Yield
4 servings
Cuisine
Indian

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

  1. 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.
  2. Heat 3 tbsp ghee in a pan over medium heat. Add chopped onions, ginger, green chillies, and green cardamoms. Cook 4–5 minutes.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Add paneer cubes and milk. Cook 3–5 minutes.
  6. 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.