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Shahi Paneer serve in a copper bowl with some rotis and salad on the side
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Shahi Paneer

Shahi Paneer is a vegetarian Indian curry recipe in which cubes of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) are cooked in a delicious, thick, and creamy sauce made with butter, cream, onion, tomatoes, cashew nuts, and aromatic Indian spices.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian, North Indian
Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 303kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Ingredients for Shahi Paneer paste

Instructions

  • Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a cooking pot. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, green cardamoms, cloves, and black peppercorns. Saute for a few seconds or until the spices become fragrant.
  • Add roughly chopped onion and garlic. Cook until the onion becomes translucent.
  • Add roughly chopped tomatoes, green chilies, ginger, cashew nuts, salt, and ½ a teaspoon of red chili powder. Mix everything. Add around ½ a cup of water and cover the pot. Cook for around 15 minutes or until the tomatoes turn mushy and then switch off the stove.
  • Allow the mixture to reach temperature and then transfer to a blender or food processor and blend to make a paste. If it's too thick, add some water.
  • Strain the mixture with the help of a large strainer to get a smooth, creamy paste.
  • Heat around 1 teaspoon of butter in a pan.
  • Add 1 very finely chopped garlic and saute for a few seconds or until its raw smell goes away.
  • Add turmeric powder. ½ a teaspoon red chili powder, and around ¼ teaspoon kasoori methi. Saute for a few seconds.
  • Add paneer cubes and saute for a minute.
  • Next, add strained onion-tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add cream. Mix and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add garam masala and the remaining kasoori methi. Mix everything and switch off the stove.

Video

Notes

  • Don't overcook paneer otherwise, it will turn chewy.
  • Don't overcook onions too, if they turn brown the color of the gravy will get spoiled.
  • Use Kashmiri red chili powder as it only gives a bright red color to the dish without adding heat.
  • To give the dish a brighter red color, you may also add around 1-2 teaspoons of readymade tomato paste.
  • You may also add a few strands of saffron after cooking cream. It will not only give a nice color to the dish but will also add a very nice royal flavor to this royal dish.
  • Some people also add a few drops of kewra water to shahi paneer. I don't like the aroma and taste of kewra in savory dishes so have skipped it. If you want, you can add 1-2 drops of kewra water once the curry is ready.
  • Powdered spices get burned very fast so don't leave them unattended and saute them for a few seconds only. You can also mix them with 1-2 teaspoons of water before adding them to the pot.
  • Adjust the amount of butter and cream as per your liking.
  • More recipe tips and tricks are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 54mg | Potassium: 372mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 893IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 317mg | Iron: 2mg