shahi paneer recipe with step by step photos – shahi paneer is a delicious creamy gravy made with paneer. the creaminess comes from onions, nuts and curd. this is one of the popular and rich paneer recipe.
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.
the shahi paneer gravy or sauce is onions-almonds-cashew-melon seeds based. so this is very rich with the addition of dry fruits and yogurt. the result is a creamy, aromatic, semi sweet gravy with soft paneer cubes which you are going to love. best to make shahi paneer for a festive time or special occasions.
tips and suggestions to make shahi paneer
- 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.
- i have not added tomatoes to this dish since i have used yogurt (curd). 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.
- 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 then you don’t need to add cashews while making the paste.
serve the shahi paneer with jeera rice or rotis or naan.
if you are looking for more paneer recipes then do check:
shahi paneer
INGREDIENTS FOR shahi paneer
main ingredients for shahi paneer
- 200 grams paneer (cottage cheese)
- 1 to 1.5 cups strained stock (got from boiling the onions with dry fruits) + water OR 1.5 cups water
- ½ cup full fat fresh curd (yogurt or dahi) - whisked till smooth
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
- 1 or 2 tablespoon full fat cream OR 70-80% fat cream (amul cream which is available in india can also be used), optional
- a pinch of saffron (kesar) - crushed
- 1 or 2 drops of kewra water (screwpine water) - optional
- salt and sugar as required
for the paste
- 1 medium sized onion - roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped cashews (kaju)
- 1 tablespoon almonds (badam)
- 1 tablespoon magaz or melon seeds without the skin
- 3 to 4 garlic - chopped (lahsun)
- 1 inch ginger - chopped (adrak)
whole spices for shahi paneer
- 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- 2 to 3 cloves (lavang)
- 2 to 3 green cardamom (hari elaichi or choti elaichi)
- 1 to 2 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
- 1 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
- ½ teaspoon shah jeera (caraway seeds)
- 2 to 3 tablespoon oil or ghee or butter
HOW TO MAKE shahi paneer
preparation for shahi paneer
- boil onions, cashews, almonds, magaz, ginger and garlic in 1.5 cups water for 8-10 minutes till the onions become soft.
- strain the stock and keep aside.
- make a paste of the cooked onions, ginger, garlic along with the dry fruits adding 1 or 2 tsp of the strained water.
making shahi paneer
- heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in a pan.
- fry all the "whole spices" mentioned in the above list till they release their aroma in the oil.
- 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 and stir.
- now add the whisked yogurt, stock+water, salt and sugar.
- stir well and simmer for 10-12 minutes or till the gravy thickens slightly on a low flame.
- if using cream, then whisk the cream till smooth and keep aside.
- add the cardamom powder and crushed saffron.
- stir and add the cubed paneer. 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. addition of kewea is optional.
- garnish shahi paneer with some coriander leaves and serve the shahi paneer with jeera rice or rotis, naan or phulkas.
preparation to make shahi paneer
1. cook onions, cashews, almonds, magaz/melon seeds, ginger and garlic in 1.5 cups water for 8-10 minutes.
2. simmer till the onions become soft. strain the stock and keep aside.
3. when cooled, make a paste of the cooked onions, ginger, garlic and dry fruits, adding 1 or 2 tsp of the strained water.
making shahi paneer
4. heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in a pan. fry all the whole garam masala 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. then add the dry spice powders.
6. mix well.
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.
8. add the cardamom powder and crushed saffron.
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 (pandanus) essence and stir (optional step).
10. garnish shahi paneer with some coriander leaves and serve the shahi paneer with jeera rice or rotis or naan.
its very very tasty. the first time i made it, by mistake i added tomato puree and curd together which decreases the taste of this but today i made it second time when i made it [today] , my family licked the fingers of themselves. its such a wonderful dish
everyone must try and eat.:)
thanks mehak for sharing this feedback. either you can add curd or tomato puree. both can make the dish sour. it also depends on the amount that is added. i am glad that you liked this shahi paneer recipe. happy cooking.
This dish is so delicious.Thanks to you for this recipe.I am a keralite and tried this recipe many time I failed in all.But this time I succeeded in making tasty shahi paneer.
This looks amazing – I’m just a little unsure, could I clarify, do you use the strained onions and nuts and then blend them into a paste? X
thanks. yes its the cooked strained onions and nuts blended to a paste with some of the cooked water.
everything perfect except prefer tomato and cream
no yogurt
thanks
As usual I am always ur fan and here in US when mostly we depend on home made food ,ur bolgs is saving our souls…further I made first time shahi paneer and it turned awesome…however I added lil more water seems n then adjusted the consistency by adding 2 tb spoon corn floor….is it ok to add that? any other way to make it lil thicker…
thanks shweta. corn flour can be added, but with corn flour the taste of the gravy will change. if paneer is not added, then the gravy can be simmered for some more minutes till it thickens. another way to thicken is by adding boiled mashed potatoes. another option is to use rice flour. rice flour will give a neutral taste and it won’t overall affect the taste of the gravy. other than that some more cashew paste can be added. a very rich approach would be to add some cream. but with more cream the taste can get affected. hope these suggestions help.
A 5 star recipe. Enjoyed eating it as much as I enjoyed making it. Thanks for posting it.
Regards
Kuldip
Welcome Kuldip. Nice to know this.
I made the way it is mentioned. AWESOME! Better than any restaurant. Making certain changes in the way we cook brings so much of difference in the taste.
Thanks Rashmi. Glad to know that you liked this shahi paneer recipe. I agree with you sometimes even small changes can spoil or make a positive difference to the final dish.
its really amazing
thanks taga
Hv tried for d frst tym at my in laws’ house. Following d exact recipe. Just cudnt blv it turned out to b soooo delucious. Exactly d way get in hotels. My new family luvd it lyk anythng coz its a new dish fr thm being bengali. Thnkuuuu sooo much.
thanks a lot neha and glad to know that your family liked the shahi paneer recipe. most welcome 😀
Great recipe! I have tried it a few times and its been appreciated all the time. Today, my 7 year old asks for seconds. She said that this was the best curry ever!
Thank you!
Welcome AR. Glad to know this.
I loved this shahi paneer recipe very much. I nade it the second time today and it turned out awesome again! Thanks for such an easy and tasty recipe!
Welcome Sampada. Thanks for your positive feedback.
I have tried this recipe twice.. and it was supposed yuummmmy.. exactly like restaurant style . Thnx a ton Amit for all your recipes.. they hardly fail in taste…. Previously I used to check different recipes of same dish I want to cook. But now I only read Ur’s. And follow it as it is. Shahi Paneer is really aussom.
Welcome Dr.Leena. Glad to know that you liked the shahi paneer and other recipes. Thanks for sharing your positive feedback.
can we add kasuri methi in this?
you can add kasuri methi.