shahi paneer recipe, how to make shahi paneer recipe | paneer recipes

By on January 17th, 2015 85 Comments

shahi paneer

shahi paneer recipe with step by step photos – shahi paneer is one of the popular paneer/cottage cheese recipe and also requested by many readers. 

shahi means royal and as the name suggest this is a royal paneer dish. literally translated to royal cottage cheese. dry fruits, yogurt, saffron, whole spices and sometimes cream is added to make this dish royal and rich. few more similar mughlai recipes posted on the blog are paneer do pyaza, kaju khoya, navratan korma and shahi paneer korma recipe.

in this recipe, i have not used cream nor i have used butter or ghee. feel free to use cream or butter if you want them.

the shahi paneer gravy or sauce is onions-almonds-cashew-melon seeds based. so this is very rich with the dry fruits in there. plus there is also yogurt. the result is a creamy, aromatic, semi sweet gravy with soft paneer cubes.

i have not added tomatoes to this dish since i have used yogurt. but you can substitute yogurt with tomato puree in the same proportions as mentioned in the recipe and still make a delicious shahi paneer. if adding tomatoes, then do add cream as both tomatoes and cream really go well with each other.

note: vegans can make the same shahi paneer recipe with tofu and cashew yogurt. i won’t advise using soy or peanut yogurt for this dish as these will ruin the taste. if using cashew yogurt than you don’t need to add cashews while making the paste.

lets start step by step shahi paneer recipe:

1. cook onions, cashews, almonds, magaz/melon seeds, ginger and garlic in 1.5 cups water for 8-10 minutes.

boil onions and dry fruits for making shahi paneer recipe

2. simmer till the onions become soft. strain the stock and keep aside.

making onion paste for shahi paneer recipe

3. make a paste of the cooked onions, ginger, garlic and dry fruits, adding 1 or 2 tsp of the strained water.

onion paste for making shahi paneer

4. fry all the whole garam masala till they release their aroma in the oil.

fry spices for making shahi paneer recipe

5. add the ground onion-dry fruits paste and saute till the oil starts to leave the sides of the paste. add the dry spice powders.

making shahi paneer recipe

6.  stir well.

add yogurt + water - making shahi paneer recipe

7. now add the whisked yogurt, the strained stock+water, salt and sugar.stir well and simmer for 10-12 minutes on a low flame or till the gravy thickens slightly.

shahi paneer gravy

8. add the cardamom powder and crushed saffron.

making shahi paneer gravy recipe

9. stir and add the paneer cubes. if adding cream, you can add the cream with the paneer. simmer for 1-2 minutes till the paneer is cooked. add the kewra (pandan) essence and stir (optional step).

shahi paneer recipe

10. garnish shahi paneer with some coriander leaves and serve the shahi paneer with jeera rice or rotis or naan.

shahi paneer recipe i have made a video of shahi paneer recipe – step by step pics with captions. so the step by step process can also be seen in the video. there is no voice over as its raining so heavily and there will be a strong background noise. hence avoided the voice recording.

shahi paneer recipe video:

if you are looking for more paneer recipes then do check palak paneer, kadai paneer, paneer butter masala, matar paneer, malai paneer and aloo paneer kofta.

shahi paneer recipe details below:

5.0 from 17 reviews
shahi paneer recipe
 
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shahi paneer - rich mughlai dish with cottage cheese.
AUTHOR:
RECIPE TYPE: main
CUISINE: indian, mughlai
SERVES: 4
INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)
main ingredients:
  • 200 gms paneer (cottage cheese)
  • 1.5 cups strained stock (got from boiling the onions with dry fruits) + water or 1.5 cups water
  • ½ cup full fat fresh yogurt/curd/dahi, whisked till smooth
  • 1 or 2 tbsp full fat or 70-80% fat cream (optional) (amul cream which is available in india, can also be used)
  • 1 tsp coriander powder/dhania powder
  • ½ tsp red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
  • ¼ tsp garam masala powder
  • ¼ tsp cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
  • a pinch of saffron/kesar, crushed
  • kewra essence/vetiver, 1 or 2 drops, optional
  • salt and sugar as required
for the paste:
  • 1 medium sized onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped cashews (kaju)
  • 1 tbsp almonds (badam)
  • 1 tbsp magaz or melon seeds without the skin
  • 3-4 garlic/lahsun, chopped
  • 1 inch ginger/adrak, chopped
whole spices or garam masala:
  • 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
  • 2-3 cloves (laung)
  • 2-3 green cardamom (hari elaichi or choti elaichi)
  • 1-2 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
  • 1 inch cinnamon (dal chini)
  • ½ tsp shah jeera/caraway seeds
  • 2-3 tbsp oil or ghee or butter
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. boil onions, cashews, almonds, magaz, ginger and garlic in 1.5 cups water for 8-10 minutes till the onions become soft.
  2. strain the stock and keep aside.
  3. make a paste of the cooked onions, ginger, garlic along with the dry fruits adding 1 or 2 tsp of the strained water.
  4. fry all the whole garam masala or whole spices mentioned in the above list till they release their aroma in the oil.
  5. add the ground onion-dry fruits paste and saute till the oil starts to leave the sides of the paste.
  6. add the dry spice powders and stir.
  7. now add the whisked yogurt, stock+water, salt and sugar.
  8. stir well and simmer for 10-12 minutes or till the gravy thickens slightly on a low flame.
  9. if using cream, then whisk the cream till smooth and keep aside.
  10. add the cardamom powder and crushed saffron.
  11. stir and add the cubed paneer. if adding cream, you can add the cream with the paneer.
  12. simmer for 1-2 minutes till the paneer is cooked.
  13. add the kewra (pandan) essence and stir - optional step
  14. garnish shahi paneer with some coriander leaves and serve the shahi paneer with jeera rice or rotis, naan or phulkas.


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{ 85 Responses }

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  1. says

    Great recipe and nicely explained. I have made shahi paneer earlier but it was very different and everyone in my family liked it very much. Thank you for this one I am up for more from you….

    Reply

  2. Joey says

    Most shahi paneer’s I’ve had have green chilies sliced lengthwise and are very spicy (peppers, hot) — What can I add to this to give it that kick or should I try a different recipe for it?

    Reply

  5. kasturi says

    Your blog is very useful and well put!! I am always refering to your blog for all punjabi recipes i want to try. Thanks a lot for putting the pics along with the recipe. That really helps a looooot!!

    Reply

  12. divya says

    tried this recipe today. husband loved it. ur recipes r tooo good. thanx to u, i hav learnt cooking the kind of food which i thought was only made in hotels… :)

    Reply

  16. diksha says

    I loved it! I made this dish today and I must say this was the first time I have made something like this. and I am so happie my whole family loved it. and so, I think I am turning into a good cook. thanku so much dassana for this wonderfull recipy! thanku so much.

    Reply

  17. Anu says

    Hi Dassana,

    I made this and this one turned out to be excellent, just like the ones they serve in hotels. My son, who is a paneer fan liked it so much, and he wants me to make this often, and am sure I’ll do so..Thanks so much!

    Reply

  18. Rajashri Ghosh says

    Hi Dassana, I’m just looking randomly for recipes and your recipes are just amazing. The way you have described each recipes step by step and with pics, just simply marvelous. I’m in love with your food blog. :-)

    Reply

  19. pooja says

    Hi..ur recipes r just amazing… I refer to ur site more often..be it palak paneer or sum aloo..thx…just want to ask can we add curd available in d mkt in dis recipe instead of homemade…. Thx so much

    Reply

  22. Shubhalakshmi says

    Thank you didi, i know u would be elder than me as i am jst fifteen year old.Thats why calling u di.!!!Ur recipes r amazing.I tried many many of them and was appreciated by all my family members.Specially my papa.So thanks a lot for easy and really decious recepi guidance……

    Reply

    • says

      no issues shubhalakshmi in calling me didi. i am glad that you are finding it easy to cook the recipes. apart from documenting the recipes, i also wanted the recipes to be made easily by everybody, especially novices. i am happy that to some extent the purpose of the blog is achieved. thanks dear.

      Reply

  24. says

    U r already the inspiration to many homemakers….kip up ur gud work…n keep us updated with ur latest innovations and creations in ur kitchen……

    Reply

  25. Sudha says

    Hi
    Thanks for sharing the recipe , just wanted to know after adding the curd to the paste I observed the curd was broken any idea wat I missed?

    Reply

  28. Nimmi says

    Hi , want to try this recipe tomorrow but unfortunately I cannot find magaz anywhere here closeby. Planning to try some mushroom dishes along with this. Will let you know the feedback Thank you

    Reply

  30. Yash Agarwal says

    I tried your recipe it worked out great everybody in the house liked it. Hats off to your work and your website is just awesome.
    BUT I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT IT CAN BE BETTER IF WE ADD 3-4 BLACK PEPPER IN THE SPICES.

    Reply

  33. says

    I really liked the recipe and the method as it is explained stepwise and in very simple manner. I made this recipe and really enjoyed it with my family. Thanks for posting it.

    Reply

  34. Astha says

    Finally I made this shahi paneer with my own homemade paneer :) ..All thanks to your wonderful and detailed recipes .

    Reply

    • says

      if you are referring to this shahi paneer recipe, then stock here is got from boiling the onions with dry fruits. please check the video to know how its done. otherwise stock is made with boiling veggies with water and then straining the water.

      Reply

  37. saba says

    Hi,
    Is it necessary to use melon seeds in shahi paneer? Dassana I really loved ur site n I even tried paneer tikka which really turned very yummy….

    Reply

  38. Dr. Sankara Guha says

    Dear Dassana, I’ve been a regular on your blog and tried quite a few of your recipes. All of them were good. Today I did the shahi paneer and it really came out well and was an instantaneous hit. Please continue your good work.

    Reply

  39. amina shaheer says

    this paneer recipe is very delicious
    my husband and my parents sister,brother impressed in my cooking.
    thankssssssssssss……………………. a lot dasana….

    Reply

  40. Rick smith says

    Ms. Ushagnanarajah, you are an indian and what is the great thing about saying
    ” I like Indian food ” . Everyone likes indian food but it should come from any other country men.

    Reply

  43. Samrudhi says

    Hi dassana,
    I came across ur blog when i was searching for mix veg recipe n i love ur blog! I tried many of recipe such as paneer tikka, kadhai paneer, aaloo pakora, dum aaloo, dal fry, falooda etc. I liked ur how to make paneer at home recipe very much that i dnt buy paneer from shop now n just make it at home as it made out very well. Thanks for ur recipes n keep posting such delicious recipes! :-)

    Reply

    • says

      thanks samrudhi. am so glad that all the recipes you have mentioned worked well for you. i do have many recipes in the drafts, so i post at least one recipe almost everyday. comments like yours keeps me motivated and encouraged. thanks once again.

      Reply

  45. says

    Wow, beautifully colored, perfectly textured, creamy, yummy and what not!!
    Love it.
    It is very nice of you to have come with the video version of the recipe! Kudos!
    Good idea to add saffron.

    Reply

  47. says

    You have nailed it with the perfect pictures again Dassana.. And i like the idea of adding stock with nuts, first time ever I have heard of it. Gotta try soon..

    Reply

  48. says

    Hello Dassana Ji,

    I liked the new looks of your site, very peaceful. I feel like hang around here for more hours ;)
    I like paneer almost in any form, this looks nice and If you don’t mind please do share the recipe of salad that you served along with Paneer…is that Onion & Beetroot???

    Love & Hugs!

    Reply

    • says

      thanks rashida. its onion and beetroot yogurt salad. i call it salad as i have added very little of the yogurt. basically raw onions, boiled beetroots, green chilies, coriander leaves, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala and yogurt all mixed with each other. i have not taken pics, so wont be able to post the recipe.

      Reply

  49. says

    i tried low fat version of shahi paneer with ready made masala it was yummy ! But yours looking outstanding :) quiet heavy gravy :) lovely video presentation !

    Reply