Shahi Paneer is a thick, creamy and spicy Indian food. It is basically a Punjabi dish which is mostly popular in northern parts of the India.As it is a royal dish, it is enriched with dry fruits, cream and butter.Today, Shahi Paneer is served with any major meal i.e. lunch or dinner.
A most popular way of enjoying Shahi Paneer is to eat it with some home-made garlic naan. The dish can also be served with any other Indian bread like roti, lachha paratha, plain paratha or puri. One can also enjoy Shahi Paneer with a rice dish like Jeera rice or just steamed rice.
Indian traditional Shahi Paneer Recipe (How To Video)
Recipe Ingredients
Cookware Needed For This Recipe
Wok Pan
Spatula To Stir
Vegetable Ingredients
2 Tomatoes
2 Inch Ginger
6 Garlic Cloves
2 Chilies
Coriander For Garnishing
Whole Spices & Herbs
4 Cloves
4 Cardamon
2 Inch Cinnamon
2 Bay Leafs
Cashews (Tbsp)
6 Almonds
Chaat Masala (1/4 Tsp)
Dre Fenugreek Leafs
Turmeric (1/2 Tsp)
Chili Powder (1/2 Tsp)
Salt To Taste
Cooking Oil (2 Tbsp)
Butter (3 Tbsp)
About The Shahi Paneer Dish (History & Origins)
Paneer is a variety of fresh cheese. It is very commonly used in the Indian subcontinent and in some neighboring countries like Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia; in the same form or in a closely related version. The most popular vegetarian ingredient in India is paneer.
You’ll rarely find an Indian buffet without a Paneer dish and there are many Paneer recipes in India. According to experts, the Asian variety of cheese has been in use in the Indian Subcontinent, since the ancient Vedic times.
The meaning of the word “Shahi” is “royal” in Urdu which was the language of Mughal rulers in India.The dish originated from Mughal cuisine which is why it is named as Shahi.
The dish is usually prepared by mixing tomatoes, onions, ground cashews, butter and cream into a curry, with the addition of paneer cubes and a variety of other spices. Origin of Shahi Paneer Shahi Paneer is a very old and one of the most popular foods of India.
Many people believe that the Mughals (who ruled over India for almost 300 years) were very fond of this dish. The tale of the formation of Shahi Paneer is in itself very interesting.
It is believed that, Once a chef who was serving the Mughals, was preparing a different dish named as Malai Kofta, while cutting a big slice of paneer into many smaller pieces, for preparing a different item.
Accidentally one of the paneer cubes fell into the gravy of Malai kofta from his hands. The poor guy got frightened and he immediately decided to remove the cube from the gravy. He kept that gravy separately and did not served it to the Mughals.
Finally, when he was free, he decided to taste that gravy, which he had created. He was surprised by the taste of the dish which he created by mistake. Thus, this is how Shahi Paneer was born.
