Name: Kashmiri Chaman Kaliya
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 150 g Paneer, cut into large, thick rectangular blocks; ¾ cup Milk, full fat, warm; 1½ tbsp Mustard Oil, for frying and gravy base; 2 Green Cardamom, lightly crushed; 1½ Cloves; ½ Cinnamon Sticks, 1-inch stick; ¾ tbsp Fennel Powder, saunf powder, the main flavoring agent; ½ tsp Ground Dried Ginger, saunth; ½ tsp Ground Turmeric; ¼ cup Water; ½ tsp Salt

35 mintotal

Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild

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Method

Heat mustard oil in a pan until it reaches smoking point. Lower the heat and lightly fry the paneer blocks until golden on the edges. Remove and immediately soak in warm water with a pinch of turmeric.
In the same pan containing the remaining hot mustard oil, add the green cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. Let them infuse the oil for a few seconds.
Turn the flame down to the absolute lowest. In a small bowl, make a slurry of fennel powder, dry ginger powder, turmeric, and a little water. Pour this slurry into the oil.
Cook the spice slurry continuously for 1 minute to remove the raw edge of turmeric, ensuring it doesn't burn.
1 min
Slowly pour in the warm milk while stirring continuously. Stirring constantly prevents the milk from splitting in the spices.
Drain the soaked paneer blocks and gently drop them into the simmering yellow milk gravy. Add salt.
Cover the pan and let it simmer on low heat for 10-12 minutes. The gravy will reduce and thicken slightly, and the paneer will absorb the delicate flavors of fennel and milk.
10–12 min
Turn off the heat once a thin layer of yellow oil floats to the top. Serve hot.

How to tell it's done

Extremely soft, spongy blocks of yellow-tinted paneer resting in a fragrant, mildly sweet, pale-yellow milky broth.

Getting it right

Tip

This dish intentionally avoids onions, garlic, tomatoes, and red chilli. Its elegance relies entirely on the sweet aroma of fennel (saunf) and the rich, creamy texture of reduced milk.

What to serve it with

Traditionally served in Kashmiri wazwan feasts alongside steamed white rice.

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