Shahi Paneer

Shahi paneer is a very famous delicacy from North India. This is a very rich dish of paneer with cream and cashews. So, normally its a special occassion dish. 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

Paneer ----------------------------------- 250 gms

Onion ------------------------------------ 2 medium chopped

Tomato ---------------------------------- 3 medium chopped

Cream / Malai -------------------------- 2 tbsp

Elaichi /Green Cardamom------------ 1 powdered

Cashew ---------------------------------- 8-10

Ginger ----------------------------------- 1" grated

Garam masala -------------------------- 1/2 tsp

Green Chillies -------------------------- 2

Bay Leaf -------------------------------- 1

Ghee / Oil ------------------------------- 1 1/2 tbsp

Take a pan. Add ghee and heat. Add Onions and saute for a minute. Onion should not turn brown.  Then add cashews and saute for 2 minutes or until cashews turn light brown. Add Tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are pulpy. Now cool the mixture and grind into a fine paste. If required add water.

Heat this ground mixture in the same pan. Add a bay leaf and boil it.

 

 

Cook for 2 minutes on low flame. Add Cream and mix well. Then add paneer and elaichi powder. Cook for 2 more minutes. Add garam masala and mix. Serve hot with Chapati, Paratha, Naan or Jeera Rice.

 

 

 

 

 Some ideas:

1. To make it less creamy/ heavy you can reduce the amount of cream and cashew.

How to make Palak Paneer without tomatoes

Ingredients (Serves 4-5)
Spinach (Palak) ----------- 400 gms
Paneer ------------------- 200 gms (cut to 1” pieces)
Onion -------------------- 2 medium size
Garlic -------------------- 2-3 cloves
Ginger ------------------- ½ inch
Green Chillies ------------ 2 (add more if u want more spicy)
Milk --------------------- ½ cup
Ghee or Oil -------------- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds (Jeera)------ ½ tbsp
Coriander powder ------- ½ tbsp
salt ---------------------- to taste

Method:
1. Boil spinach, garlic, ginger and green chillies in a pan for about 5 minutes.
2. Remove from fire and cool it. Grind to a paste.
3. Prepare the onion paste separately.
4. Take 2-3 pieces of paneer and grate it.
5. Heat oil in a kadhai; add jeera ; add onion paste. Cook till it turns brown.
7. Add grinded spinach paste in the kadhai.
8. Add milk and grated paneer and salt in it. Keep stirring for about a minute.
9. Add the remaining paneer pieces. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the low flame.

Paneer Lababdar

A very simple but tasty dish made of paneer in onion-tomato gravy. My younger daughter loves this dish with pudina paratha and the elder one with rice.

Ingredients (Serves 2-3)
Paneer (cottage cheese)------------ 1cup or 250gms
Cumin seeds (jeera)---------------- 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds(dhania)------------ 1 tsp roasted and crushed
Red/Green Chillies----------------- 3
Fenugreek leaves(kasuri methi)----- 1/2tsp dried
Onions ---------------------------- 2 roughly chopped
Tomatoes -------------------------- 2 roughly chopped
Milk ------------------------------ 1 cup
Oil/ Ghee-------------------------- 2 tbsp
salt ----------------------------- to taste

Method
1. Take Ghee in a pan or kadhai. Heat the oil, add cumin seeds and Kasoori methi.
2. Add onions and fry until it turns golden brown.
3. Add tomatotes and chillies and fry it until the ghee is separated from the mixture.
4. Now add the coriander seeds and mix well.
5. When the onion-tomato mixture is cool. Put it in a blender and make pure.
6. Take this pure in a (same) pan and cook for 2-3 mins.
7. Add milk and salt and cook for 5 minutes.
8. Add Paneer and cover it.
9. Cook for 5-10 minutes.