A silky smooth tomato and cream based gravy with shredded paneer.
Akbari Paneer is a rich Mughlai inspired recipe that can be served with naan, parathas or rice!
Indian cuisine has so many interesting ingredients. From all of them, paneer is my favorite. It is super versatile and can be prepared in a lot of different ways.
Whether making mains, sides or even appetizers; paneer is always super delicious. I make it quite often for weeknight meals. Making the curries as part of meal prep helps a lot.
This recipe is not so popular at restaurants and we had it as part of a catering we ordered some time ago. Our caterer described what he would make as Akbari Paneer and we TOTALLY loved the idea! Since then, it appears on our dinner menu so often!
Plus, Akbari Paneer is LOVED by my toddler. When served with some roti or naan it is a great meal for him. As the recipe is not very spicy, he does enjoy it a lot.
What is Akbari Paneer?
An easy to make main dish using Paneer, Akbari Paneer is made with shredded paneer and colored peppers in a delicious onion tomato based creamy curry.
The curry can be served with naan, parathas, roti or any kind of rice. It is delicious, creamy and super easy to make.
A variation from other paneer recipes that use fried or cubed paneer, Akbari Paneer is made using shredded paneer. Here the paneer blends well with the sauce and creates a delicious curry that has paneer in every bite!
The signature orange colored sauce base for this recipe comes from a blend of cream and tomato. Together they also give the curry a creamy texture.
Watch full video recipe
Why we love this recipe
- Perfect for weeknight dinner
- It is nut-free and can be made Vegan using non dairy cream and butter
- Tastes amazing with naan, roti or parathas
- Freezes really well and works for meal planning
- This recipe is different from the regular paneer recipes!
I have made this recipe for a few friends and they have loved the recipe as much as we do!
Another thing is that any paneer will work for this recipe; even something that is slightly hard and does not work in the cubed version.
The curry can also be used to make delicious paneer pizza or sandwiches. It has the right consistency to stay put on the bread and not make everything too soggy.
Ingredients
The recipe needs paneer along with some other ingredients. Not all are essential and some can be substituted or removed too.
Akbari Paneer uses pantry staples like onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, salt and sugar. Plus, it needs these ingredients:
Paneer: The key ingredient for the curry, shredded paneer is used here. Shred the paneer just before making the recipe or keep the shredded paneer covered at all times if shredding prior.
From store bought paneer to frozen or freshly made ; any kind of paneer works. If you are unable to shred it, just crumble it and use.
Peppers: Adding a lot of texture to the otherwise smooth gravy are these colorful peppers. Cube them to use.
Oil and Butter: We use both oil and butter here. Butter gives the curry the silky texture and flavor. It can be substituted with oil or non-dairy based butter.
Tomato Paste: A great way to get a bright color and tang of tomatoes in Indian curries is to use Tomato Paste. A teaspoon of this concentrated paste goes a long way!
If you do not have it, add one more tomato to the recipe along with some lime juice.
Cream: Whipping cream is required to blend with the tomato base and get an orange gravy along with some silkiness. I would strongly recommend using it for the recipe.
Whole and Ground Spices: The recipe calls for a mix of whole and ground spices. These are required to get the warm flavors.
Cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom and bay leaves are used whole. Turmeric powder, Garam masala and red chili powder are used ground.
Garam Masala is a flavorful blend of Indian spices and is used in several Indian recipes. Having some store bought blend helps make all these recipes quickly. It can be made at home using this recipe too.
Steps to make Akbari Paneer
1- Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic, ginger and green chili. Sauté till the raw flavor vanishes.
2- Add onions and cook them for 5-6 minutes, till soft.
3- Add diced tomatoes and mix well. Let them soften for a few minutes.
4- Now add red chili powder, ground turmeric and garam masala. Mix well.
5- Cook for 6-7 minutes till the tomatoes become mushy.
6- Add water and season with salt and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil.
7- Remove from heat and transfer to a blender. Blend till smooth.
8- Transfer to a bowl using a fine mesh colander. Discard the seeds and peels.
9- In a pan heat oil. Add mustard seeds and let them pop.
10- Add cumin seeds and the whole spices. Sauté till fragrant.
11- Add some butter and add the colored peppers. Sauté till slightly soft but not mushy.
12- Transfer all the prepared sauce and stir well. Bring to a boil.
13- Add tomato paste and mix it in.
14- Add cream and shredded paneer. Also add kasoori methi and stir everything well.
15- Cook for a couple of minutes and remove from heat. Serve immediately with naan, roti or parathas.
Tips and Notes
- Cook the paneer only for a couple of minutes. Over cooking it will result in chewy paneer.
- The whole spices can be left in the gravy or fished out before serving.
- Other vegetables like beans, carrots, peas and corn can be added along with peppers.
- Akbari Paneer can be refrigerated for 3 days in an airtight container. It can be frozen for upto 3 months. Reheat to serve.
Recipe Card
Akbari Paneer
Ingredients
- Paneer 1 cup shredded
- Onion ½ cup diced
- Tomatoes ¾ cup quartered
- Tricolored peppers 1 cup cubed
- Garlic 2 cloves minced
- Ginger ½ inch piece minced
- Green Chili 1 minced optional
- Tomato Paste 1 tbsp
- Bay Leaves 2-3
- Cloves 3-4
- Green and Black Cardamom 1 each
- Cinnamon Stick 1
- Mustard Seeds ¼ tsp
- Cumin Seeds ¼ tsp
- Red Chili Powder 1 tsp
- Turmeric Powder ½ tsp
- Salt 1 ½ tsp
- Sugar 1 tsp
- Kasoori Methi 1 tsp
- Oil 4 tbsp
- Whipping Cream 2 tbsp
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add garlic, ginger and green chili. Sauté till the raw flavor vanishes.
- Add onions and cook them for 5-6 minutes, till soft.
- Add diced tomatoes and mix well. Let them soften for a few minutes.
- Now add red chili powder, ground turmeric and garam masala. Mix well.
- Cook for 6-7 minutes till the tomatoes become mushy.
- Add water and season with salt and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a blender. Blend till smooth.
- Transfer to a bowl using a fine mesh colander. Discard the seeds and peels.
- In a pan heat the remaining oil. Add mustard seeds and let them pop.
- Add cumin seeds and the whole spices. Sauté till fragrant.
- Add some butter and add the colored peppers. Sauté till slightly soft but not mushy.
- Transfer all the prepared sauce and stir well. Bring to a boil.
- Add tomato paste and mix it in.
- Add cream and shredded paneer. Also add kasoori methi and stir everything well.
- Cook for a couple of minutes and remove from heat. Serve immediately.
Yield: 3
Akbari Paneer
A silky smooth tomato and cream based gravy with shredded paneer.
Akbari Paneer is a rich Mughlai inspired recipe that can be served with naan, parathas or rice!
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min
Ingredients
- Paneer 1 cup, shredded
- Onion ½ cup, diced
- Tomatoes ¾ cup, quartered
- Tricolored peppers 1 cup, cubed
- Garlic 2 cloves, minced
- Ginger ½ inch piece, minced
- Green Chili 1 minced (optional)
- Tomato Paste 1 tbsp
- Bay Leaves 2-3
- Cloves 3-4
- Green and Black Cardamom 1 each
- Cinnamon Stick 1
- Mustard Seeds ¼ tsp
- Cumin Seeds ¼ tsp
- Red Chili Powder 1 tsp
- Turmeric Powder ½ tsp
- Salt 1 ½ tsp
- Sugar 1 tsp
- Kasoori Methi 1 tsp
- Oil 4 tbsp
- Whipping Cream 2 tbsp
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add garlic, ginger and green chili. Sauté till the raw flavor vanishes.
- Add onions and cook them for 5-6 minutes, till soft.
- Add diced tomatoes and mix well. Let them soften for a few minutes.
- Now add red chili powder, ground turmeric and garam masala. Mix well.
- Cook for 6-7 minutes till the tomatoes become mushy.
- Add water and season with salt and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a blender. Blend till smooth.
- Transfer to a bowl using a fine mesh colander. Discard the seeds and peels.
- In a pan heat the remaining oil. Add mustard seeds and let them pop.
- Add cumin seeds and the whole spices. Sauté till fragrant.
- Add some butter and add the colored peppers. Sauté till slightly soft but not mushy.
- Transfer all the prepared sauce and stir well. Bring to a boil.
- Add tomato paste and mix it in.
- Add cream and shredded paneer. Also add kasoori methi and stir everything well.
- Cook for a couple of minutes and remove from heat. Serve immediately.
Notes:
- Cook the paneer only for a couple of minutes. Over cooking it will result in chewy paneer.
- The whole spices can be left in the gravy or fished out before serving.
- Other vegetables like beans, carrots, peas and corn can be added along with peppers.
- Akbari Paneer can be refrigerated for 3 days in an airtight container. It can be frozen for upto 3 months. Reheat to serve.
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