What is Shahi Paneer?
Shahi Paneer is a rich and creamy North Indian curry made with paneer (Indian cottage cheese). The word “Shahi” means “royal,” indicating the dish’s luxurious nature. It is typically prepared using a base of tomatoes, onions, and cashew nuts, blended with cream or yogurt, and flavored with aromatic spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. The gravy has a smooth texture and a mildly sweet and spicy taste, often garnished with cream, saffron, or nuts to enhance the richness.
Key Components of Shahi Paneer:
1. Paneer (Cottage Cheese)
- Paneer cubes are the main ingredient, providing a soft and mildly tangy base.
2. Tomato-Onion Gravy
- A rich gravy made from sautéed onions, tomatoes, and sometimes garlic and ginger.
3. Cashew Nuts
- Cashews are blended into the gravy to give it a creamy texture and a slightly sweet flavor.
4. Cream or Yogurt
- Fresh cream or thick yogurt adds richness and smoothness to the dish.
5. Spices
- Aromatic spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, and cumin are used for flavor.
6. Ghee or Butter
- Ghee (clarified butter) or butter is often used to cook the spices and paneer, giving a rich flavor.
7. Garnishes
- Fresh cream, chopped nuts, or coriander leaves are used to garnish and enhance the dish’s presentation.
Serving:
Shahi Paneer is commonly served with naan, roti, or rice, making it a popular choice at special occasions and in Indian restaurants.
Lets Make it: Shahi Paneer!
Link to watch the video: https://www.instagram.com/amateurprochef/
A Royal Treat: Shahi Paneer Made Easy
If you’re a fan of creamy, flavorful curries, then Shahi Paneer should be on your list. This dish, often referred to as “royal paneer,” is rich, decadent, and surprisingly easy to make. Whether you’re hosting a special dinner or just want to treat yourself to something indulgent, Shahi Paneer is the perfect dish to elevate any meal.
To start, you’ll need to roughly chop four Roma tomatoes and two large red onions. These will form the base of the flavorful gravy. In a pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil and 1 teaspoon of butter on medium heat. Once the butter melts, add your whole spices: 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 bay leaf, 3-4 pods of green cardamom, 1 black cardamom pod, 2-3 black peppercorns, 1 cinnamon stick, and 3-4 cloves. Let the spices sizzle for about a minute, releasing their rich aroma.
Next, toss in the chopped onions and sauté for about 4-5 minutes until they’re soft and lightly golden. Once the onions are ready, add the tomatoes, a handful of cilantro stems, a few cashews, green chilies, minced ginger, garlic, and dried red chilies if you want some extra heat. Cook this mixture for another five minutes, letting the tomatoes soften and blend with the other ingredients.
Now, it’s time to add some moisture to the mix. Pour in 1/2 cup of water, cover the pan, and let everything simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Once the vegetables are soft, remove the black cardamom, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf from the pan. Blend the rest of the mixture until smooth, and voilà—you have your creamy shahi gravy ready!
In a separate bowl, prepare the yogurt mix. Combine 1/2 cup of yogurt with 1 tablespoon of garam masala, 1 teaspoon each of cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, and Kashmiri red chili powder. This spice blend will add a burst of flavor to the final dish.
To bring everything together, heat 2 teaspoons of oil and 2 teaspoons of butter in a pan. Add 1 chopped green chili and 1 teaspoon of red chili powder. Then, pour in the yogurt mix and cook until the yogurt begins to separate from the oil. This step is crucial for getting the perfect balance of spices in your gravy. Finally, add the blended shahi gravy, 1/2 cup of cream, 1 tablespoon of sugar, dried fenugreek leaves (also known as kasuri methi), and cubed paneer. Stir everything together and cook for just 2-3 minutes.
And there you have it—your Shahi Paneer is ready to be enjoyed! Serve it with hot naan, roti, or rice, and savor the rich, creamy flavors of this royal dish.
To check out my other recipes, click here!
Shahi Paneer
30
minutesIngredients
300g paneer
4 roma tomatoes
2 red onion
4-5 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
20-25 cashews
handful cilantro stems
1/2 cup cream
1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
2 geen chillies
3-4 tsp oil
3 tsp butter
1 cup water
1 tbsp sugar
- Whole Spices
cumin seeds: 1 tsp
1 bay leaf
3 – 4 pods green cardamom
1 pod black cardamom
2-3 black peppercorns
1 stick cinnamon
3-4 cloves
- OPTIONALLY
2-3 dried red kashmiri chilles
- Yogurt Marinade
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp red chilli powder (kashmiri)
Directions
- Stat by roughly chopping 4 roma tomatoes and 2 large red onions.
- Next heat up 1 tsp oil and 1 tsp butter in a pan on medium heat and add in the list of wholes spices ( cumin seeds: 1 tsp, 1 bay leaf, 3 – 4 pods green cardamom, 1 pod black cardamom, 2 – 3 black peppercorns, 1 stick cinnamon, 3-4 cloves) and let that get fragrant (roughly 1 minute).
- Then add in onions and cook for a few minutes (4-5 minutes).
- Next add tomatoes, cilantro stems, cashews, green chillies, ginger, garlic and optionally dired red chillies.
- Cook for another 5 minutes until tomatoes are soft.
- Add 1/2 cup of water and cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.
- Once everything is soft, take out the black cardamom, cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Bled up the rest and we have the shahi gravy ready.
- In a bowl, let make out yogurt mix. Add 1/2 cup of yogurt and the spices listed above (1 tbsp garam masala, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp red chilli powder (kashmiri)).
- Lastly, in a pan heat up 2 tsp oil and 2 tsp butter, add in 1 chopped green chilli, 1 tsp red chilli powder and the yogurt mix.
- Let the cook until the yogurt starts to separate from the oil, then go in with the shahi gravy, 1/2 cup cream, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves and cubed up paneer.
- Mix it all up and cook for 2 -3 minutes on medium heat.
- NOW ITS TIME TO ENJOY!
