Shahi Paneer, Shahi Paneer Sabzi
by Tarla Dalal
Added to 451 cookbooks
This recipe has been viewed 83579 times
The very word shahi connotes richness – and you will not be disappointed because that is just what this recipe is! Loaded with cashew nuts, poppy seeds, ghee and cream, the shahi gravy has a very luscious mouth-feel that is complemented beautifully by its intense flavour, contributed by ingredients like tomato pulp and spice powders.
Sautéed paneer is just the right match for this rich and luscious gravy, as the succulence of the paneer enriches the gravy further. Indeed, the Shahi Paneer is sure to pamper your palate.
It is essential to serve this dish immediately after preparation as the sautéed paneer gets chewy after a while. However, if you are serving it later, then sauté the paneer just in time, add it to the gravy and serve immediately.
You can also try other luxuriant shahi recipes like the Shahi Pulao and Shahi Dal .
For the sautéed paneer- Combine the paneer, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt in a deep bowl and toss well.
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- Heat the oil in a broad non-stick pan, add the paneer mixture and sauté on a medium flame for 3 minutes. Keep aside.
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For the shahi gravy- Combine the poppy seeds, cashewnuts and milk in a bowl, mix well and keep aside to soak for 30 minutes.
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- Add the ginger and garlic paste and blend in a mixer to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
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- Heat the ghee in a deep non-stick pan, add the onions and sauté on a medium flame for 3 minutes.
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- Add the cinnamon, bayleaves and cloves and sauté on a medium flame for 30 seconds.
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- Add the chilli powder and ¼ cup of water, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute.
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- Add the tomato pulp, gram masala, cumin seeds powder, coriander powder and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Add the prepared paste and ¼ cup of water, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
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How to proceed- Add the green peas, sautéed paneer and fresh cream in the prepared shahi gravy, mix gently and cook on medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
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- Serve immediately garnished with coriander.
Shahi Paneer Sabzi Video by Tarla Dalal
Shahi Paneer, Shahi Paneer Sabzi recipe with step by step photos
- Place the paneer cubes in a deep, clean bowl. For this recipe, it is not advised to use malai paneer because as soon as you toss it, the paneer will crumble and not hold its shape.
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- Now we have to marinate the paneer in spices before sautéing it. First add the chilli powder for a kick.
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- Then add the turmeric powder and salt to the paneer and toss well till the paneer cubes are evenly coated on all sides. This is a very basic marinade only with three things. If you want more depth in flavor, you can set this aside for 15 to 20 minutes before sautéing the paneer.
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- Now heat the oil in a broad non-stick pan, add the paneer to it.
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- Sauté the paneer on a medium flame for 3 minutes till just cooked. Do not overcook the paneer or else it will become chewy and rubbery. Keep aside.
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- For the shahi gravy, we first have to make the paste. For that, put poppy seeds in a bowl.
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- Add the cashewnuts to the bowl as well. Cashews and poppy seeds when soaked and blended give a nice, thick paste that gives a creamy, rich texture to the gravy. Both these ingredients are a must for Mughlai cuisine. Poppy seeds are also used in recipes like Nawabi Aloo.
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- Also add milk to the bowl, mix well and keep aside to soak for 30 minutes till both the ingredients get a little soft and easy to blend.
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- Now put the mixture in a small jar of a mixer.
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- Also add the ginger paste and the garlic paste to the mixer. No shahi paneer subzi recipe is complete without these two ingredients. You can learn to make Ginger-garlic paste here.
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- Close the lid and blend this mixture into a smooth paste. Keep aside.
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- Heat some ghee in a deep non-stick pan and add the onions. We have used grated onions here as we want this to be a smooth gravy but you can even use onion puree by simply blending the onions.
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- Sauté them on a medium flame for 3 minutes or till they turn light brown in color.
- Now we will add the whole spices. Add the cinnamon for a slightly sweet taste.
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- Then add the bay leaves.
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- Finally add the cloves and sauté on a medium flame for 30 seconds. It is always better to use whole, fresh spices instead of the powders you get in the market because the whole spices provide more flavor to the dish.
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- Now add the chilli powder. Also add ¼ cup of water to this so that the spices don’t burn. Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute till the chilli powder is evenly mixed throughout.
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- Add the tomato pulp to the pan. Tomato pulp is extremely simple to make, the detailed recipe of Tomato pulp is given on our website. The reason for adding pulp and not whole tomatoes is that if we add chopped tomatoes, there will be lumps in the gravy instead of being completely smooth, which is what we want.
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- Also add the garam masala powder and the cumin seeds powder to the gravy.
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- Finally add the coriander powder. All these spices are heavily used in Indian cuisine and enhance the taste of any food!
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- Mix well and simmer on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally till all the masalas are incorporated well.
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- Finally add the paste of poppy seeds, cashewnuts and milk that we had prepared earlier.
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- With it, also add salt and ¼ cup of water. Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally till incorporated well. Do not cook this on a high flame, it should be a gentle simmer.
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- Now that the gravy is prepared, add the green peas to it. The peas used here are boiled. If you use raw peas, they will not cook in time and hence it's better to use the boiled ones.
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- Add the sautéed paneer that was kept aside.
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- Finally add the fresh cream to the prepared shahi gravy.
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- Mix gently, taking care that the paneer does not break, and cook on medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally. If the gravy is too thick, you can adjust the consistency by adding a little water. Cook only till the peas and paneer are heated thoroughly.
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- Garnish generously with coriander.
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- Serve hot with Phulka Roti.
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Accompaniments
Nutrient values (Abbrv) per serving
| Energy | 349 cal |
| Protein | 10.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14.3 g |
| Fiber | 3.5 g |
| Fat | 27.5 g |
| Cholesterol | 1.6 mg |
| Sodium | 16.9 mg |
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