Shahi Paneer

Instructions

1. Soak the paneer in warm water for 15-20 minutes and pat dry. This will help to soften the paneer.
2. For the onion-nut paste: Heat one tablespoon of ghee in a kadai on medium heat.
3. Add the nuts and cardamom and fry for a minute. Be careful not to burn them.
4. Add the cubed onions and 1 slit green chillie. Saute until the onions turn transparent.
5. Add a little water or oil if the mixture sticks to the pan.
6. Remove the onion-nut mixture and cool down completely. Then, transfer the mixture to a blender and grind to a paste. Water can be added to make it a smooth paste. Do not add a lot of water or the paste will become runny.
7. Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil/ghee in the same pan. Add the spices and saute for 1 minute.
8. Now add the ginger garlic paste and sauté it for a minute or two until the raw smell goes off.
9. Next add the onion-nut paste along with the chillie powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and salt. Stir well to combine and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the raw smell of the spices goes away. The mixture turns thick as you cook.
10. In the meantime, beat ½ cup of thick curd in a bowl with a fork. Lower the heat completely and slowly add the beaten curd. To avoid the curd from splitting, you can add a few tablespoons of cooked onion nut masala to the bowl of curd. Mix well to combine and add to the mixture in the pan.
11. Let the mixture cook until thick and it starts to leave the sides of the pan.
12. Add ¾ cup of water and mix evenly.
13. Cook the shahi paneer gravy until it thickess or the gravy releases oil or ghee on the surface. Taste the gravy and add more salt or spices if required.
14. When the gravy is perfect in consistency, then add the cubed paneer and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. If using fried paneer don’t cook any longer. Turn off the heat.
15. Garnish the paneer with cream, some crushed pepper for extra heat and some fresh mint leaves. The fresh mint adds a lot of zest to the flavor of the curry , so don’t miss out on this.