Paneer Korma
This spicy Indian curry of Mughlai cuisine is a classic dinner recipe that has its gravy made from curd, coconut and cashew nuts. This easy paneer korma recipe also uses poppy seeds, onion, ginger and other Indian curry spices to give it spicy yet delectable touch. It is one of the best North Indian dishes that can be enjoyed with any Indian bread or various rice preparations.
| Ingredients: |
| 1 cup Paneer (cottage cheese), cubed into 1½-inch pieces |
| 1 medium Onion, finely chopped or grated |
| 1/2 cup Curd (yogurt) (not sour) |
| 1/4 cup fresh or dry grated Coconut |
| 1/2 teaspoon grated Ginger |
| 1 Green Chilli, seeded and chopped |
| 8 Cashew Nuts |
| 1 teaspoon Poppy Seeds (khus khus), optional (or cashew nuts) |
| 1 small piece of Bay Leaf |
| 1 Green Cardamom |
| 2-3 Black Peppercorns |
| 1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder |
| 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder |
| 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder |
| 1 teaspoon Sugar |
| 1½ tablespoons Cooking Oil |
| 2 tablespoons finely chopped Coriander Leaves |
| Salt to taste |
| 3/4 cup Water |
Directions:
- Add yogurt, coconut, ginger, green chilli, cashew nuts and poppy seeds in a small chutney jar of the grinder.
- Grind them to make a thick paste. Transfer it to a small bowl and keep aside until required.
- Heat 1-tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan or heavy based pan (kadai) over medium flame. Add paneer cubes and shallow fry them until light brown. Transfer them to a plate.
- Heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in the same pan over medium flame. Add bay leaf, green cardamom and black peppercorns, sauté them for 10-20 seconds. Add chopped onion and sauté until light brown. It will take approx. 1½-2 minutes.
- Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and mix well.
- Add yogurt-coconut-cashew nut paste (prepared in step-2), sugar and salt.
- Stir well and cook for a minute.
- Add 3/4 cup water and mix well. Cook for approx. 3-minutes, stir in between occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add paneer cubes.
- Mix well and cook until gravy turns thick of for approx. 4-minutes. Turn off the flame and transfer curry to a serving bowl. Garnish Paneer korma with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with paratha or butter kulcha.
Tips and Variations:
- Make sure, yogurt is not sour as it makes the curry sour.
- If poppy seeds are not available, replace it with watermelon seeds or simply add more cashew nuts. Poppy seeds are used for making the gravy thick and creamy.
- Add 1/4 cup more water in step-9 if you like thin gravy in this north Indian dish.
- If you are using frozen paneer cubes, then soak them in hot water for 10 minutes before using.
- Shallow fry paneer cubes (fry until light brown) in butter or ghee (instead of oil) for nice aromatic variation.
Taste: Spicy and creamy
Serving Ideas: Paneer kurma prepared with this Mughlai recipe has a thick gravy base, which makes it suitable to be served with roti, butter naan or phulka for lunch or dinner. If you are a rice lover, you won’t be disappointed when this it is served with steamed rice.