Name: Shahi Paneer
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 150 g Paneer, cut into triangles or cubes; 1 Onion, medium, roughly chopped; 1 Tomato, medium, roughly chopped; 7½ Cashews, soaked in hot water; 4 Almonds, soaked and peeled; ½ tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste; ½ Assorted Whole Spices, bay leaf, green cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves; ½ tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder, for mild color; ⅛ tsp Ground Turmeric; ¼ tsp Garam Masala; ⅛ tsp Ground Cardamom; ½ pinch Saffron, soaked in warm milk; 1½ tbsp Fresh Cream, malai; ½ tsp Sugar, or honey, essential for the 'Shahi' sweet touch; 1 tbsp Butter; ½ tbsp Cooking Oil; ½ tsp Salt, to taste

1 hr 5 mintotal

45 min hands-on20 min hands-off

Prep 15 min · Cook 30 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild

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Method

In a pan, boil the roughly chopped onions, tomatoes, soaked cashews, and almonds in water for 12-15 minutes until everything is completely soft.
12–15 min
Let the mixture cool down. Blend it into an incredibly fine, smooth puree. For a true restaurant texture, strain the puree through a sieve.
Heat butter and oil in a deep kadhai on low-medium heat. Add the whole spices and sauté for 10 seconds until fragrant.
10 sec
Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute.
1 min
Add turmeric and Kashmiri chilli powder. Give it a quick stir for 5 seconds.
5 sec
Immediately incorporate the strained onion-tomato-nut puree. Cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the gravy thickens and butter releases from the edges.
8–10 min
Add salt, garam masala, cardamom powder, and the saffron milk. Mix well.
Add the paneer pieces and simmer gently for 3-4 minutes. Ensure not to overcook the paneer to maintain its delicate texture.
3–4 min
Stir in the fresh cream and sugar or honey. Turn off the heat.
Garnish with a drizzle of cream and serve hot.

How to tell it's done

A luxuriously smooth, buttery, and velvety gravy with a mild, slightly sweet, and highly aromatic profile, perfectly coating tender paneer.

Getting it right

Tip

Shahi Paneer is traditionally yellow or creamy-white, never bright red. Straining the boiled paste and utilizing saffron milk elevates it to authentic royal status.

What to serve it with

Serve alongside hot Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, or fragrant Jeera Rice.

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Ingredients