Shahi Paneer

As the name suggests, shahi paneer is a dish fit for royals. It is a flavorful curry prepared in a rich and creamy base of nuts, onion, yogurt and cream. This mild and delicious paneer gravy curry is quite easy to prepare and makes a perfect party dish. 

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. ghee / oil
1 cup roughly chopped onion
1 inch piece of ginger
1 - 2 garlic cloves (I didn't use any.)
1 tbsp. cashews
1 tbsp. almonds
1 tsp. cumin seeds / caraway seeds
2 cloves
1 cardamom
1 inch cinnamon piece
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1/2 cup full fat yogurt
1/2 cup water
A pinch of saffron, crushed
200 gm paneer cubes (more or less about 1 and 1/2 cups of paneer)
2 - 3 tbsp. cream (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat a tbsp. ghee / oil and add onion, ginger and garlic. Fry until the onion is cooked. Let the mixture cool. Blend it to a fine paste along with almonds and cashews, adding a little water.
2. Heat 2 tbsp. ghee / oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Saute for few seconds, until the spices start to release their aroma.
3. Next add the ground onion - nut paste, turmeric, chili powder garam masala, and salt. Fry for a couple of minutes on low flame.
4. Whisk the yogurt until smooth. Lower the heat and add the whisked yogurt and water. (Add more water if needed. The mixture gets quite thickened after cooking.) Stir and let the mixture simmer until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
5. Add saffron, paneer cubes and whisked cream if using. Simmer for a couple of minutes more and turn off the stove. 
6. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl since the curry tends to cook further and gets quite thickened if left in the same pan.
7. Garnish with roughly chopped cilantro leaves and serve with rotis / rice.

Notes:
* 1 or 2 drops of kewra water can be added finally, if preferred.
* Paneer cubes can be lightly fried before adding to the gravy if preferred.
* Vegans can substitute tofu and non dairy yogurt.  
* Tomatoes can be added to the recipe if preferred. Add them after onions are sauteed and cook until mushy.
* The nuts added to the onion paste alone makes the gravy richer. I therefore avoid using ghee and cream in this recipe if cooking for ourselves. However they enhance the flavor of the dish.


This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon #101 under 'Gravy Curries' theme.

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Tawa Paneer Masala

Today is turn for a quick and delicious paneer based curry made on a tawa. A tawa is a slightly concave griddle that is commonly used in Indian kitchens to prepare flat breads. Apart from flatbreads, there are a few other dishes that are associated with the tawa like a tawa pulao or this paneer masala for example, though the flat griddle seems like an unusual implement to cook them. Of course one can easily opt for a saute pan instead of a flat griddle when cooking at home, if the tawa cooking seems trickier and messier. This tawa paneer masala is entirely cooked on a tawa where paneer cubes are simmered in a spicy, sauteed base of onion, capsicum and tomato.

Ingredients:
1 onion
1 small or 1/2 big sized green capsicum 
2 tomatoes 
1/2 cup paneer cubes
1 to 2 tbsp. butter / oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 small sized green chili
1 tsp. ginger - garlic paste 
2 pinches of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp. pav bhaji powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. coriander powder
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
2 tsp. kasuri methi

Method:
* Finely chop onion, capsicum and green chili. Puree the tomatoes.
* Heat butter / oil on a medium / large sized tawa / griddle and add cumin seeds. When they start to turn brown, add green chillies and onions and saute until the onions turn translucent. Add ginger - garlic paste and capsicum and saute on low flame for about five minutes. 
* Next add turmeric, salt, pav bhaji masala, chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Stir for few seconds and then add the tomato puree. Cook until the raw smell of tomatoes disappear and butter / oil starts to leave the sides of the tawa. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Sprinkle a few tbsp. of water if the mixture appears dry while cooking.
* Stir in the paneer cubes next and cook for a couple of minutes more. Gently crush the kasuri methi between palms and sprinkle over the curry. Stir the curry once more and turn off the stove.
* Serve warm with rotis or bread of your choice.
 
This goes to Blogging marathon #70, under the theme 'Cooking on a Tawa'. Check here to find out what the other marathoners are cooking as part of the BM.

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