4 servings
40 minutes
Mughlai
Introduction
Paneer is a type of fresh cheese that is often used in Indian cooking. Make the best shahi paneer with a restaurant-style flavour, aroma, richness, and creaminess. At home, it will undoubtedly become your new favourite paneer meal! Enjoy the Shahi paneer recipe by following this shahi paneer dhaba style or shahi paneer recipe restaurant-style.
Cuisine
Indian, Mughlai
Course
Main Course
Diet
Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Print
Ingredients
- For Cooking Onions And Nuts
½ cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped cashews
1 tablespoon almonds
1 tablespoon magaz or melon seeds without the skin
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
½ teaspoon chopped ginger
1.5 cups water
- Other Ingredients
3 tablespoons Ghee or oil or butter
1 teaspoon coriander powder
¼ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
½ teaspoon red chilli powder
½ cup Curd (yoghurt), 125 grams – whisked till smooth
1 to 1.5 cups strained stock (got from boiling the onions with nuts) water or 1 to 1.5 cups of water
½ to 1 teaspoon sugar or add as required
salt as required
¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
15 to 20 strands saffron – crushed lightly
200 grams Paneer
1 tablespoon heavy cream or add as needed – optional
1 teaspoon kewra water (screwpine water) or rose water – optional
- Shahi paneer masala ingredients
1 tej patta
2 to 3 cloves
1 black cardamom
2 to 3 green cardamoms
1-inch cinnamon
½ teaspoon shah jeera
method
- Preparation
- In a dish, rinse the seeds and the following nuts several times with water– 2 tablespoons chopped cashews, 1 tablespoon melon seeds or magaz, and 1 tablespoon almonds. Drain and set aside all of the water.
- 1/2 cup chopped onions, almonds, cashews, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, melon seeds or magaz, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic simmer for 8 to 10 minutes in 1.5 cups water over medium-low heat.
- Cook until the onions are tender, then drain the stock and leave it away to be used later.
- Place the softened onions, nuts, seeds, ginger, and garlic in a blender or mixer jar once they have cooled. If you prefer, you can peel the almonds.
- 2 to 4 tablespoons filtered water, or as needed, to make a fine paste of the cooked onion mixture
- 1/2 cup fresh curd (yoghurt) whisked until smooth; set aside.
- Sauteing onion paste
- In a skillet over medium-low to medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons ghee. Allow the ghee to melt. You can even substitute oil or butter for the ghee.
- Fry all of the whole spices in the ghee until they release their perfume. 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf), 2–3 cloves, 2–3 green cardamoms, 1 black cardamom, 1-inch cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds are the whole spices (shah jeera).
- Combine the onion and nut paste in a mixing bowl.
- Mix until the paste is homogenous over low to medium-low heat. Then cook for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the fat separates from the paste’s sides.
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder, and 1 teaspoon coriander powder are now added.
- Stir everything together thoroughly to make the shahi paneer masala.
- Adding curd (yoghurt) and continuing to cook
- Reduce the heat to a low setting or turn it off entirely. Whisk together the yoghurt, 1 to 1.5 cups strained stock, more water, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar, and salt to taste.
- Stir well and cook for 10 to 12 minutes on low heat, or until the gravy thickens. You can always adjust the gravy’s consistency by adding more or less water.
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder and 15 to 20 crushed saffron threads
- Stir in the 200-gram paneer cubes and 1 tablespoon heavy cream. 1 teaspoon kewra water, stirred in (optional step). If you’re adding butter, do it now. Turn off the heat after thoroughly mixing.
- Serve with fresh coriander or mint leaves as a garnish.
Serving Ideas
It’s best served with roti, naan, or paratha. It goes well with rice also.
TinyTips and Variations for Shahi paneer
- If you’re a vegan, you can easily replace the paneer with tofu.
- If you want a richer version, increase the amount of cream or butter in the recipe as indicated.
- After adding the paneer chunks, don’t let it cook any longer. Paneer will become chewy if not prepared properly.
Conclusion
Now you can make shahi paneer restaurant-style at your home. Wow, everyone with this recipe which you can have with lunch or dinner and complement it with rotis or parathas or even rice.
FAQs
1. Does a boiled onion give the shahi paneer gravy a raw onion flavour?
No, it doesn’t work that way. Onions that have been boiled have been cooked. So it doesn’t have a raw taste to it.
2. Is it possible to create a Shahi paneer recipe without onions or garlic?
While the Shahi paneer recipe can be made without alliums, it will alter the flavour of the gravy. To replicate the flavours of both the garlic and the onion, add a sprinkle of hing (asafoetida) to the dish.
