Shahi Paneer is a North Indian gravy recipe of Paneer (Indian solid fresh cheese), in a thick gravy made up of cream, tomatoes, and other rich Indian spices. How to make Shahi Paneer? It’s simple but involves a set of few intricate processes.
“Shahi” means Royal and “Paneer” means Cottage Cheese – together it represents a rich gravy built around Cheese. Are you interested in knowing how the recipe got its name? Keep reading till the end to find out.
Shahi Paneer Recipe
Shahi Paneer recipe
cheese), in a thick gravy made up of cream, tomatoes and other rich Indian
spices.
Ingredients
- 200 gram Paneer (Indian Non-melting cheese)
- 20 gram Butter (Makkhan)
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Zeera)
- ½ teaspoon Black Peppercorns (Kali Mirch)
- 1 small-bark Cinnamon (Dalchini)
- 2 Green Cardamoms (Choti Elaichi)
- 2 Cloves (Long)
- ½ Black Cardamom (Moti Elaichi)
- 50 gram Cashew (Kaju)
- 1 large Onion (Pyaaz)
- 5 cloves of Garlic (Lehsun)
- 1 inch Ginger (Adrak)
- 2 medium Tomatoes (Tamatar)
- Salt (as per taste)
- ½ cup Milk (Doodh)
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhania powder)
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi powder)
- 1½ teaspoon Red Chili powder (Lal Mirch powder)
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Cream (Malai)
Optional
- 1 teaspoon Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi)
Instructions
Precook
- Cut Paneer into cubes or any shape as desired, slice the Onion, chop the Tomatoes, crush the Black Cardamom in Mortar & Pestle & grate about 1 inch of Ginger
- Place a kadai (wok) & turn on the gas
- Add 30g Butter & grease the inner base of the Kadai
- Once the butter melts, add 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon Black Peppercorns, 1 small bark of Cinnamon, 2 Green Cardamoms, 2 Cloves, ½ Black Cardamom (crushed) & mix them together, ½ cup Cashew (50g) & sauté till it turns Golden brown
- Add the sliced Onions & sauté till they turn light brown
- Add 5 cloves of Garlic, the grated Ginger & sauté a little
- Add the chopped Tomatoes now followed by Salt – as per taste (we used 2 teaspoons) & mix the salt uniformly with all the other ingredients
- Cover the kadai (wok) with a lid & let it cook for 10 minutes
- The vegetables would have softened by now, at this point turn off the gas and keep the kadai (wok) aside to let the contents cool down
- Once they cool down, transfer the contents to a grinder, add ½ cup Milk & grind down to a coarse paste.
- Take a strainer (Channi) & take out a smooth paste leaving the coarse elements on the strainer (This is to make the gravy smooth however it is not critical to do this)
Final preparation
- Place a kadai (wok) & turn on the gas
- Add 15g Butter & grease the inner base of the Kadai
- Add 1 teaspoon Coriander powder, ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon Red Chili powder & mix together in the molten butter
- Add the gravy paste we had prepared earlier and mix together
- Cover the kadai (wok) with a lid & let it cook for 8 to 10 minutes
- After 8 to 10 minutes, add the Paneer cubes (or any other shape of Paneer you may have prepared)
- Coat Paneer uniformly with the gravy mix & cover the kadai (wok) with a lid to cook for 10 minutes
- Add 1 teaspoon Garam Masala powder & mix gently
- Add 1 teaspoon Fresh Cream & mix gently
- (Optional) 1 teaspoon Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi can be added as well)
- Shahi Paneer should now be ready for serving.
Video
Notes
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Shahi Paneer recipe origins
Once in the roster, the dish gained more popularity than the Kofta dish and is believed to be continued henceforth as the most preferred choice, when it came to vegetarian items for the Royal family members. The name of the dish, like most dishes of that era (Shahi Kofta, Shahi Tukda, etc.) was titled to represent the likeness of the royal families in the Mughal era. That is how Shahi Paneer came into existence and continues to please us royally.
Once in the roster, the dish gained more popularity than the Kofta dish and is believed to be continued henceforth as the most preferred choice, when it came to vegetarian items for the Royal family members. The name of the dish, like most dishes of that era (Shahi Kofta, Shahi Tukda, etc.) was titled to represent the likeness of the royal families in the Mughal era. That is how Shahi Paneer came into existence and continues to please us royally.
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