Shahi Paneer

Have you ever wondered who 'd named all the food that we eat and reasoning behind those names?! Whoever they are, kudos to them for coming up with the name "Shahi-Paneer" for this royal & festive dish. Paneer pieces cooked in a thick, rich, creamy cashew & heavy-cream based gravy is R-O-Y-A-L in every sense (Shahi in Hindi means royal)! I am sure that no other name can fit this dish any better!

Couple of weeks ago, I made a lesser fat version of shahi paneer (only because I didn 't have heavy cream in stock). I decided to replace heavy cream with whole milk (went with my instincts). Interestingly, the taste was remarkably in par with the heavy-cream version.

Include this recipe in your next party menu and give your family/friends the royal treatment they deserve!

Basic Info
Complexity - Simple
Prep time - 20 mins
Cook time - 20 mins
Serves - 3-4

Ingredients
Paneer - 2 cups (cut into thin triangles)
Onion - 2 nos (medium sized, chopped)
Tomatoes - 2 nos (medium sized, chopped)
Fresh ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 8 cloves
Cilantro - a handful (chopped)
Garam masala - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cashews - a handful (10-15 nos)
Salt - 1 tsp (or) to taste
Whole milk - 1/4 cup (substitute with heavy cream for rich & creamy gravy)
Oil - 1/4 cup

Method

Heat oil in a deep pan and cook onion until slightly browned for about 2 mins. Set it aside. In the same pan, saute tomatoes until softened for about 2 mins. Set it aside. 

After onions and tomatoes are cooled, blend them in a mixer with ginger, garlic, garam masala, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and cashews. Add little water to help it blend into a smooth paste.

Transfer the ground mixture into the same pan and bring it to a small boil. Add milk and cook for 5 mins. Now, add paneer, salt and cover & cook for about 5 mins.

Finally, garnish with chopped cilantro and enjoy this rich (yet, low-fat version) of shahi-paneer with any kind of Indian bread.