Restaurant Style Shahi Paneer
Restaurant Style Shahi Paneer - Shahi Paneer or Shahi Paneer Masala is a rich and creamy indian cheese recipe that is served with naan but you can serve it with rice if you prefer. Shahi means Royal and as such this is a recipe that is rich, creamy and a little bit luxurious. You can add both fruits and nuts and even rose water/petals if you like but I stick to cashews only because that is how we like it. Traditionally (Mughlai style), it is made without Tomatoes and is white in appearance, but the restaurant version (Punjabi version) is made with Tomatoes.
Ingredients
Prep
- 10 Saffron Strands
- 10 Cashews
- 40 ml Water
Onion and Tomato Base
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Butter Or just add more Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 3 Cloves
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 2 Green Cardamom Pods cracked open
- 1 Black Cardamom
- 1 large Bay Leaf
- 1 large Onion Diced
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Paste 6 cloves Garlic Crushed,
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Paste 1 inch Crushed
- 1 tablespoon Green Chilli Paste 2 Green Chillies, Slit slightly down the middle
- 250 g Plum Tomatoes Blended, or Passata
- 1 heaped tbsp Tomato Puree
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi Dried Fenugreek, crushed between your fingers
- 100 ml Water
Cream and Combining
- 225 g Paneer Cut into traingles
- Pinch Cardamom Powder
- 4 tablespoon Double Cream
Instructions
Prep
- Crush the Saffron between your fingers and dry roast in a pan over medium low heat. Then soak in Ice or Warm Water.
- Soak 10 Cashews in water for 15 - 20 minutes.
Base
- Heat Ghee and Oil in a large pan.
- Add the whole spices - Cumin Seeds, Cloves, Cinnamon, Green Cardamom, Black Cardamom and Bay Leaf. Allow to sizzle for 30 seconds till aromatic.
- Add the Onions and cook till golden brown. About 10 minutes.
- Stir in Garlic, Ginger and Green Chillies and saute for 1 minute.
- Pour in the Tomatoes and Tomato puree. Cover and cook on medium low for 10 minutes.
- Add the Salt, Turmeric powder, Red Chilli powder, Garam Masala Powder and Kasuri Methi. Simmer on medium high for 3-4 minutes.
- Add Water, soaked Saffron and the soaked Cashews in Water. Remove the Cinnamon Stick, Bay Leaf and Cardamom Pods from the Curry. Blend until smooth, then add back to the pan.
Cream and Combining
- Add the Paneer and Cardamom Powder cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Drizzle over the Double Cream and turn off the heat.
Notes
How to serve it
Serve Shahi Paneer with Garlic Butter Naan, Ghee Rice, Cumin Rice or Basmati Rice. Serve it alongside Kachumber and Vegetable Raita.Tips to make the best Shahi Paneer
Roast the Saffron To make the most of Saffron, dry roast it in a pan first. This will make it easy to grind into a powder if you like. If you don't want to grind it to a powder, you can add it into the dish knowing that the flavours have been maximised by the dry roasting beforehand. Once it is added into the recipe it will be in enough warm liquid for the flavours to become even more enhanced. Less is more when it comes to Saffron so use a very small pinch because it can completely overpower the dish. OR Soak the Saffron - Soak the threads in either ice water or warm but not boiling water for 5 - 20 minutes.Then add it with the water into the recipe. Crush Kasuri Methi Crush the Kasuri Methi between your fingers before adding it to the Curry to enhance the flavour. Soak Cashews beforehand Soaking the cashews before hand makes it easier to blend them. Blend Whole Spices You can blend the whole Spices in the Curry but I remove what I can, because it can be overpowering. Especially the Black Cardamom.Variations
Use Ground Almonds instead To save time, you can use ground almonds instead of pre soaking cashews and blending them. Some people prefer to use soaked Almonds in place of Cashews. If you do this, remove the skin from the Almonds before blending. Fry Cashew to add as a garnish You can fry cashews and add them as an additional garnish to the dish. Add Dry Fruits You can add fruits such as Golden Raisins or chopped Apricots in the dish too. Fry the Paneer beforehand You can shallow fry the Paneer beforehand. This creates a slight crust which contrasts with the soft interior of the Paneer. Soaking Paneer Cubes If you have brought a very hard Paneer, soaking it in water for 10 - 15 minutes before using softens it slightly. If you then want to fry the Paneer before using it, dry it thoroughly so it doesn't splutter. Add Rose You can add Rose water and Rose Petals to the dish for a touch of Mughal luxury.Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can freeze the sauce without the Cream and Paneer. Simmer the Curry on the stove and then add the Paneer. Cook for 5 minutes, then add a drizzle of Cream before serving.Nutrition
Calories: 338kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 11gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 687mgPotassium: 275mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 686IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 317mgIron: 2mg
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