Shahi Paneer
Once in a while, on special occasions I like to feast and treat myself with some fancy dishes that are typically made only in restaurants, fairly rich and indulgent. Honestly I don’t feel guilty at all about such indulgence. I think it helps break the monotony of being conscious all the time and bring back to sensible eating without boredom. Shahi Paneer is one such indulgent creamy gravy I enjoy. This super tasty dish is made with cottage cheese (paneer), quite simple to make at home, pairs great with any Indian bread or rice. Here’s the recipe for this awesomely tasty gravy.
Ingredients
Cashew nuts – 10
Fresh paneer (cubed) – 250 g
Onion – 1 large + 2 medium
Cooking oil – as required (for deep frying)
Garam masala powder – 1tsp
Milk – as required (for grinding)
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Unsalted butter – 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Green chilly (slit) – 3 (or to taste)
Ginger (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp
Garlic (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp
Salt – 1 tsp (or to taste)
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Red chilly powder – 2 tsp (or to taste)
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Dry fenugreek leaves – 1 tbsp (optional)
Tomato (finely chopped) – 2 medium sized
Jaggery/brown sugar – 1 tbsp
Green capsicum (cubed) – 1 large
Fresh cream – 3 tbsp
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) – for garnish
Yield
Serves 4
Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
40 mins
Method
1) Soak cashew nuts in hot water for 15 mins. While this is soaking, slice 1 large onion, deep fry until golden, drain and let it cool down.
2) Once the fried onion cools down transfer it to a blender. Add the soaked cashew nuts, 2 paneer cubes and 1/2 tsp garam masala. Blend everything to a fine paste adding milk as required to run the mixer. Set aside.
3) In a heavy bottomed pan (kadai) heat ghee and 1 tbsp butter together. Add the cumin seeds when it is hot enough and let it splutter.
4) Immediately add the slit green chillies, ginger and garlic. Sauté for a minute on low heat. Now add the onion and a pinch of salt. Fry in medium heat until golden.
5) Simmer the heat now, add turmeric, red chilly, coriander and the remaining garam masala powders. Sauté for 30 s. Add the tomatoes, dry fenugreek leaves, jaggery and salt. Mix everything once and add 1/4 cup of water. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat for 5-7 mins or until the fat starts to seperate and float on top of the gravy.
6) Now add the ground cashew mixture and 1/4 cup of water and mix well. Cover the pan again and let it cook for another 3 to 4 mins (stir once in between to avoid the gravy sticking to the bottom of the pan).
7) Now add the capsicum, remaining paneer cubes and fresh cream. Simmer the heat completely and allow it to cook for another 2 mins.
8) Shahi Paneer is ready now. Add handful of finely chopped coriander and a tbsp of butter for garnish. Enjoy this creamy paneer gravy with any kind of Indian bread or rice.
Notes
- I’ve used cashew nuts to thicken this gravy. You can use almonds or walnuts as an alternative.
- Deep frying onions will take a minimum of 10 mins on medium heat. The aroma of perfectly fried onions gives a unique flavour to shahi paneer gravy. So be patient and take time to fry onions until golden for that perfect flavour. If the oil is too hot then onions will get the colour quickly but the flavour will not be good.
If you don’t want to do the frying at home, you can also buy fried onions at your local supermarket. - If you are a paneer lover like me, check out my other paneer based recipes like Paneer Burji and Paneer Kheer.
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