There are number of Paneer recipe which can be either in dry form or in gravy form. Both the types of paneer recipe are very common in Indian homes. I have shared a number of gravy as well as dry paneer recipes in my earlier posts. Today I will be sharing one of the most famous and royal dish of paneer, Punjabi Shahi Paneer. The name only suggests the importance of the recipe. This recipe is prepared in the same way as Paneer Butter Masala. The only difference is the addition of few more ingredients such as Cashew Nuts, Almonds, Fresh Cream, etc. which makes it look royal and so the name is Shahi Paneer.
Punjabi Shahi Paneer is prepared with Tomato Onion gravy where the tomato changes the colour to red yellow colour. Shahi Paneer can also be prepared in other way also where tomato gravy is not used. It is called Mughlai Shahi Paneer. The gravy is white in colour and is prepared from Onion and curd along with Fresh Cream. Mughlai Shahi Paneer is less spicy while Punjabi Shahi Paneer is spicier as Punjabis love to have spiciness in their food.
Punjabi Shahi Paneer and Paneer Butter Masala are the two most common ordered foods in almost every North Indian restaurant. Punjabi Shahi Paneer is a delicious and rich North Indian cuisine prepared from paneer, yoghurt, cream, nuts (Cashew and almonds), onion and tomato paste and aromatic spices. The recipe name and addition of cashew and almond give a royal feel of the dish. Here we have used a little more dry fruits and also added curd to give a different taste. The curd should not be sour. You can add sugar to it to reduce the sourness if you desire so.
Shahi Paneer is prepared by Cashewnut based Tomato Onion gravy. Some people do not use tomato to prepare this dish. They just add curd to the onion paste. But the desired flavor and taste doesn’t come out of it. So I would suggest you to add tomatoes to bring a rich texture and flavor to the royal dish. The paneer can be fried if you like it that way or you can add it raw only. I would suggest adding raw paneer to the Tomato Onion gravy.
To give a good taste and creamy texture to the Shahi Paneer recipe, add more Fresh Cream to the gravy. The taste will be somewhat sweet, but the taste will be awesome. Punjabi Shahi Paneer can be served with any Rice Recipes such as Steamed Rice, Pulao, Naan, Jeera Rice or Tandoori Roti.
For other Paneer Recipes, please visit…
Punjabi Shahi Paneer / Restaurant Style Shahi Paneer
Ingredients:
- 200 gms Paneer Cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
- 1 small piece Cinnamon (Dalchini)
- 2 pieces Cloves (Laung)
- 2 pieces Chopped Green Chilli
- 10-12 pieces garlic
- 1 teaspoon Chopped Ginger
- 15 pieces Cashewnut (soaked in water)
- 6-7 pieces Almond (Baadam) (soaked in water)
- 2 medium Chopped Onion
- 2 medium Chopped Tomato
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Lal Mirch
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Cream (Or as required)
- 2 tablespoon Yoghurt (Curd)
- 2 teaspoon Tomato Ketchup (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon Chopped Coriander Leaves
- Salt to Taste
- OilGhee for cooking
Instructions:
Making Cashew based Tomato Onion Paste:
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil or ghee in Kadhai or Pan over medium flame. Add Cumin seeds and fry till the crackling sound stops.
- Add Laung (Cloves) and Dalchini (Cinnamon) to it. Fry it for few seconds.
- Then add chopped ginger, green chilli, garlic and cook for 30 seconds till the raw smell goes off.
- Add the chopped onion, soaked cashew and almond and fry them till the onion becomes translucent.
- Then add the chopped tomatoes and fry them to make the tomatoes soft and mushy.
- Add little water to it. Cover the fry pan with lid and cook for 5 minutes to make the ingredients soft.
- When the mixture becomes soft add Kashmiri Lal Mirch, Turmeric powder and coriander powder to it and sauté it for another 1 minute.
- Then add curd and cook it for 5 minutes. Curd should be beaten to bring smoothness to it.
- Switch off the burner and allow the mixture to cool. Remove the whole spices like Laung and Dalchini from the mixture before making a paste of it.
- Now transfer the mixture to a mixer grinder jar to make a paste of it. Add water if required to make a smooth and consistent paste. After the paste is made take it out in a bowl and keep aside.
Making Punjabi Shahi Paneer Recipe:
- Now heat 1 tablespoon of oil or ghee in the same Kadhai. Add little Kashmiri Lal Mirch. It gives a good colour to the recipe.
- Then add the prepared onion tomato paste and garam masala. Cook it for some time.
- Then add water and mix it. Fry till the gravy thickens or it starts leaving oil in the kadhai.
- Add paneer cubes and cream to it and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add salt as per taste and sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves over it. Add tomato ketchup and stir it (It is optional if you want little sweetness in the recipe).
- After getting the desired colour and texture, switch off the flame.
- Punjabi Shahi Paneer is prepared and ready to be served. Put some cream all around it and garnish it with grated paneer and some chopped coriander leaves. Serve with Steamed Rice, Pulao, Naan, Jeera Rice or Tandoori Roti.
