DISH RESEARCH · Main dish

Shahi Paneer

Also known as: शाही पनीर

This selected shahi paneer is paneer in a Mughlai-style onion, cashew and almond sauce enriched with yogurt and optional heavy cream.

About Shahi Paneer

Research draft based on the references below. These notes describe particular recipes and presentations; ingredient connections are still being reviewed.

Shahi paneer is paneer in a rich, creamy sauce. Swasthi Shreekanth’s selected Mughlai-style recipe uses an onion-and-nut paste enriched with yogurt, with paneer added near the end of cooking.

Whole cashews, almonds and green cardamom fry in part of the selected ghee. Yellow onion, ginger and garlic are sautéed with them, softened with deglazing water, cooled and blended with separate water into a smooth paste.

The remaining main ghee heats selected bay leaf, shahi jeera, cinnamon and cloves. The paste joins them with selected Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric, salt and ready garam masala, then cooks until aromatic.

The yogurt is whisked with a little of the same cooked paste before being mixed back into the pan in two additions. Cooking water is added and the sauce simmers covered until thick and creamy, with traces of fat visible on top.

Paneer and ground black pepper finish the simmering sauce. The heat is turned off before the selected optional heavy cream and saffron are added, and the dish rests covered before serving; this presentation uses ready plain basmati rice alongside.

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Dish type: Main dish
Preparation: Read the preparation
Fry whole cashews, almonds and green cardamom in part of the selected ghee. Add the yellow onion, ginger and garlic, sauté until transparent, deglaze with separate water and cook until soft. Cool and blend with the paste water into a smooth puree. Heat the remaining main ghee with selected bay leaf, shahi jeera, cinnamon and cloves, then add the paste, selected chilli powder and turmeric, salt and ready garam masala. Sauté, whisk the yogurt with a little of the same cooked paste, and incorporate that mixture into the pan in two batches on low heat. Cook again, pour the sauce water and simmer covered until thick and creamy. Check the same seasoning, add paneer and black pepper, cook briefly and turn off heat. Stir in selected optional heavy cream, sprinkle selected optional saffron and rest covered. Serve with ready plain basmati rice.

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Ingredients in Shahi Paneer

Recorded ingredient connections, rather than a complete recipe. Explore an ingredient for more detail.

Paneerprotein
Onionbase
Tomatosauce
Whole cashewsauce
Creamsauce
Gingerseasoning
Vegetable Oilcooking medium
Saltseasoning
Sugarsweetener
Cuminseasoning
Garlicseasoning
Cashewsother

Ingredient connections awaiting review. Versions and preparation vary.

Origins & food traditions

Explore the countries and cooking traditions associated with this dish. These connections do not establish a single birthplace or limit where the dish is eaten today.

Countries

India

Cuisines & regions

Punjabi Cuisine

Associations in the cited sources

These describe source-specific cultural or geographic connections. Catalogue links may still need review.

Cooking traditions: Mughlai

Sources & references

Shahi Paneer Recipe (Restaurant Style)