Shahi Paneer

What it Shahi Paneer?

Paneer = an unaged, soft, non-melty, Indian cheese

“Shahi” literally means “royal”, but in the context of food, it generally refers to something decadent. “Shahi paneer” is a creamy paneer curry.

Timmi’s Tips and Tricks

Where can I get paneer?

You can make your own at home or buy it packaged from an Indian store. If you buy paneer, submerge it in water for half an hour before using it to soften it up.

If you want to make your own paneer, you can follow the instructions from my Paneer from Scratch post. Homemade paneer can easily crumble, so make sure it’s been compressed under a weight overnight to remove all moisture is you’re using it in this recipe.

Do I have to use heavy cream?

Nope. You can omit the cream altogether, but it won’t be as decadent. You can also replace the cream with whole milk if that’s what you’ve got on hand.

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Shahi Paneer

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Servings: 3

Ingredients

3 tbsp oil
2 pods green cardamom
1 small piece cinnamon about 1.5 inches long
1/2 medium red onion sliced
3 tomatoes chopped
8-9 cashews
1/4 tsp red chili powder
3/4 tsp sukha dhaniya (dried coriander powder)
1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
3/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp ginger grated
1/2 tsp garlic minced
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream or milk
6 oz paneer cubed

Instructions

Heat a kadai or wok on medium high heat.
Add oil and allow it to heat up.
Add cardamom and cinnamon and saute for 30 seconds or so.
Add ginger and garlic. Saute for another 30 seconds.
Add onions and saute until translucent.
Add cashews, tomatoes, coriander powder, red chili powder, and kasoori methi. Crush the kasoori methi as you're adding it so it's more powdery and flavorful.
Saute until tomatoes are cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
Blend the mixture to form a smooth gravy. If the gravy is too thick to blend, you can add a little bit of water to help it blend more smoothly.
Transfer the gravy back into the wok and heat on medium high again. Add water to bring gravy to your preferred consistency (about 1/3 cup).
Add salt and sugar, and cook for a few minutes.
Add heavy cream and paneer, and stir to mix.
Eat hot, ideally with your choice of bread!