North Indian Vegetarian

Shahi Paneer

Name: Shahi Paneer
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: North Indian
Ingredients: 2 medium onions, roughly chopped; 3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped; 15–20 cashews; 1 tbsp chopped ginger; 4 garlic cloves; 1 green chilli (optional); 1 cup water; 2 tbsp ghee or butter; 1 bay leaf; 3 green cardamom pods; 3 cloves; 1 small stick cinnamon; 400 g paneer, cut into cubes; 1½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder; 1 tsp coriander powder; ¼ tsp turmeric; ½ tsp garam masala; 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed between your palms; ¼ cup fresh cream; ½–1 tsp sugar (to balance the tomatoes); A pinch of saffron soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk (optional); Salt to taste

Restaurant-style shahi paneer: soft paneer in a rich, mildly spiced Mughlai gravy of onions, tomatoes, cashews and cream, finished with kasuri methi.

By Dhruv Agrawat

North IndianShahi Paneer

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 50 min
Serves: 4
Effort: Medium

Shahi means royal, and this is the paneer dish of wedding buffets and celebration dinners — a Mughlai-style gravy that's rich and fragrant rather than fiery. The secret is a silky base of onions, tomatoes and cashews simmered with whole spices, then blended smooth and finished with cream, kasuri methi and a few threads of saffron.

Method

Make the gravy base

Cook the masala

Add the paneer and finish

Tips that make the difference

Don't boil the gravy hard after adding cream — it can split.
Soaking paneer in hot water makes even shop-bought paneer soft and spongy.
Kasuri methi is the 'restaurant' flavour most home versions miss. Crush it just before adding.
For a white 'safed' shahi paneer, skip the tomatoes and chilli powder and add more cashews and yogurt.

More North Indian recipes

Loading recipes…

Theme