Restaurant Style Shahi Paneer | Shahi Paneer Recipe is a delicious, rich and creamy gravy with cubed cottage cheese and mild spices. The texture of this gravy is made with cashews, butter and cream! It is a rather indulgent recipe from the Mughlai Cuisine. 

Restaurant Style Shahi Paneer | Shahi Paneer Recipe

Restaurant Style Shahi Paneer | Shahi Paneer Recipe literally means royal cottage cheese curry. As the name suggests, it is indeed royal. The base of the curry is made boiled and puréed ingredients like cashews and exotic spices. The curry has a final flourish of cream and some more dry fruits (I do not add fried nuts on top of the curry but some restaurants do add some).  The gravy is very mellow and has a touch of sweetness, not very pronounced though. The hint of sweetness does come from the cashews along with some sugar that is added while simmering the curry. One can choose the level of sweetness as per your preference. This curry is however never too spicy. It has notes of warmth from the exotic spices used but they won’t hit you hard. Although you can add more red chilies while making the curry a tad bit more spicy if you so like.

Restaurant Style Shahi Paneer | Shahi Paneer Recipe

Restaurant Style Shahi Paneer | Shahi Paneer Recipe can be made in different ways, the basics however, remain the same. I follow my own tastebuds when I make it, we prefer it a bit spicy as opposed to the sweeter versions. Also, I rely on cashews more than the cream for the indulgent texture, again, something we have developed a taste for, you can always swing the other way. This curry pairs well with rice preparations as well as Indian breads, like Kulcha or Lachha Paratha.

Restaurant Style Shahi Paneer | Shahi Paneer Recipe

Let us quickly make ourselves a bowlful of royalty!

In a pan, boil 2-3 cups of water. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the ginger, garlic, chopped tomatoes, onions, cashews and the whole chilies. Boil them for 10-12 minutes.

Cool them down once they have boiled. Drain the water. Purée them together until smooth. Strain the purée and set it aside.

Heat oil and butter in a large pan.

Once they are hot, add whole cinnamon stick, black cardamom and bay leaf. Let them crackle around for a minute.

Add the strained purée. Cook it for 7-8 minutes on low heat. Stir it around in between.

Season the curry with salt, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, jeera powder. Mix well and let them cook for about 5 minutes or until the oil and the butter separate from the curry. Add sugar, crushed kasuri methi and cream. Mix well.

Add the paneer cubes. Stir around gently. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. You can add some water if needed, to correct the consistency of the curry.

Turn off the heat, serve it immediately. You can garnish the Shahi Paneer with some more cream and fresh coriander leaves.

Restaurant Style Shahi Paneer | Shahi Paneer Recipe

Restaurant Style Shahi Paneer | Shahi Paneer Recipe is a delicious, rich and creamy gravy with cubed cottage cheese and mild spices. The texture of this gravy is made with cashews, butter and cream! It is a rather indulgent recipe from the Mughlai Cuisine.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian, Mughlai
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 2 persons

Ingredients

  • 200 gms paneer/ cottage cheese , cubed use tofu/ mushrooms/ veggies for a vegan version
  • 3 nos. tomato, roughly chopped
  • 1 nos. large onion, roughly chopped
  • 4-5 nos. whole, dry kashmiri red chilli
  • 7-8 nos. cashewnuts, whole
  • 1 inch piece of ginger
  • 8 large cloves of garlic
  • salt to taste
  • 1.5 tsp. coriander powder dhaniya powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin powder jeera powder
  • 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
  • 1 nos. whole black cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon stick, each
  • 3/4 tsp. Garam masala
  • 4 tsp. cream skip or use almond/ cashew cream for a vegan version
  • 2 tbsp. oil
  • 1 tsp. butter skip for a vegan version
  • 1 tsp. kasuri methi, crushed dried fenugreek leaves
  • 1/4 tsp. sugar, granulated
  • cream and coriander leaves, to garnish skip or use almond/ cashew cream for a vegan version

Instructions

  1. In a pan, boil 2-3 cups of water. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the ginger, garlic, chopped tomatoes, onions, cashews and the whole chilies. Boil them for 10-12 minutes.

  2. Cool them down once they have boiled. Drain the water. Purée them together until smooth. Strain the purée and set it aside.

  3. Heat oil and butter in a large pan.

  4. Once they are hot, add whole cinnamon stick, black cardamom and bay leaf. Let them crackle around for a minute.

  5. Add the strained purée. Cook it for 7-8 minutes on low heat. Stir it around in between.

  6. Season the curry with salt, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, jeera powder. Mix well and let them cook for about 5 minutes or until the oil and the butter separate from the curry. Add sugar, crushed kasuri methi and cream. Mix well.

  7. Add the paneer cubes. Stir around gently. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. You can add some water if needed, to correct the consistency of the curry.

  8. Turn off the heat, serve it immediately. You can garnish the Shahi Paneer with some more cream and fresh coriander leaves.

Love,
Shreya

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Restaurant Style Shahi Paneer | Shahi Paneer Recipe

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