"Paneer Pasanda Recipe: The Ultimate Indian Vegetarian Delight"

 Paneer Pasanda Recipe 

"Amidst spices' dance, Paneer Pasanda's

 delight,

Velvety layers embrace, a symphony of 

flavors unite"

What is paneer pasanda?

Paneer Pasanda is a delectable and popular North Indian dish that features succulent pieces of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) stuffed with a rich and creamy filling, then simmered in a flavorful gravy. This dish is known for its velvety texture, aromatic spices, and the harmonious blend of ingredients that create a truly delightful culinary experience.

Mughal style curry is famous everywehere be it India or any where else in the world

Shahi panner , Paneer pasanda , Paneer korma all are loved by everyone  And panner pasanda is king of any paneer dish Because it get's special treatment and there is stuffing inside the paneer A great curry is made and then both are served together 

Today we will be making Paneer pasanda And you will know what is Paneer pasanda after all Does it means the one who is liked?

No No No.. There is a meaning of this Pasanda as well Come let's begin making very simple Paneer pasanda

Ingredients:

For the stuffed paneer:

⦁ - 250 grams paneer (Indian cottage cheese), cut into thick slices
⦁ - 2 tablespoons yogurt
⦁ - 1 teaspoon red chili powder
⦁ - 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
⦁ - 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
⦁ - 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
⦁ - Salt to taste
⦁ - 2 tablespoons crumbled paneer
⦁ - 2 tablespoons finely chopped cashews
⦁ - 1 tablespoon raisins (optional)
⦁ - A pinch of garam masala for the filling

For the gravy / Curry:

⦁ - 2 tablespoons oil or ghee
⦁ - 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
⦁ - 1 large onion, finely chopped
⦁ - 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
⦁ - 10-12 cashew nuts
⦁ - 1 teaspoon red chili powder
⦁ - 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
⦁ - 1 teaspoon coriander powder
⦁ - 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
⦁ - Salt to taste
⦁ - 2 tablespoons fresh cream or malai
⦁ - Chopped cilantro leaves for garnish
⦁ - Extra cream for drizzling (optional)

There are two parts of Paneer pasanda

Making paneer & Curry Making

Cutting Paneer

The first one is paneer that we will prepare And the second is it's curry 
⦁ Cut the Paneer in a particular shape As you can see i have remaoved the edges of paneer 

⦁ And now i have divided the paneer in 4 pieces Don't worry the edges won't go in waste, we will use them for the stuffing Make a slit in the paneer by making it stand like   this 

⦁ Look at this the slit is ready

Now let's understand the meaning of Pasanda

Meaning of Pasanda

Pasanda means thin thin slices So Paneer Pasanda came from Pasanda Kebabs Wherein meat was used, thin slices of boneless meat used to come out. In French it is known as escalope Yes, it can be escalopes of chicken or escalopes of mutton And that is where Pasanda came out of from And our Paneer is ready To soften the paneer, it is best to apply salt on top of the raw paneer. What does salt do? Goes deep inside and releases water from the Paneer And once the water is released, paneer becomes soft on it's own Also when paneer soaks up the salt, it gives a very good taste And now keep these Paneer in a warm place for approx 15-20 minutes Now let's move to it's stuffing

Paneer Stuffing

⦁ We have edges of paneer and we are going to mash it 

⦁ Add some fine chopped ginger And green chilli Ginger and green chilli gives a good sharp flavour Some chopped almonds Some chopped pista and cashew. Make sure these are finely chopped , Green coriander , Little bit of cardamom powder , Garam Masala , Cumin powder And little bit of sugar And add some salt to taste And now mix it well

⦁ At this stage if you have Khoa at home Then it's much better You can even use Khoa Just don't add potatoes Many people add potatoes in Paneer pasanda Potatoes don't go in this dish. This is a rich dish. This dish has Paneer and that paneer has Paneer inside it And if you take it in your hand, it will come together just like Kofta. The Paneer had enough rest

Stuffing Paneer

⦁ Simply just Stuff the stuffing inside paneer Open and then stuff Hold the paneer like so..

So that the Paneer doesn't break from behind Press it gentely Paneer is ready now And when you are making this at home If you don't have super soft Malai Paneer Then while stuffing the Paneer it might break So what to do in this situation? Take the marinated Paneer and put it inside oven for 1minute Pre heat it By doing this the Paneer will become soft And it will open by itselft as well as it won't break And if you don't have a microwave. Then put the Paneer on a plate Heat the plate then put the paneer on it by doing this the paneer will heat up And it will become soft and won't break. 

Pasanda Curry

To make Pasanda Curry we will add little bit of oil and some butter. See it should be made only in butter But if you will add just the butter then it will burn. That's why we use little it of oil Add bayleaf in this hot oil.

Black cardamom , Cinnamon , Green cardamom , some cloves & cumin do little bit of Tempering for all these spices. These are simple spices which are generally vailable at home. And if you don't have one or two spice don't panic. Quicly cut the oinions roughly and add them We don't need to do fine chopping here Alongwith ginger. Again we don't need fine chopping. Cut it roughly. There goes Garlic cloves Handful of cashew. If you don't have cashews you can use Char Magaz And if that is also not vailable then you can use almonds. Give it a quick stir Add some green chilli Like so roughly cut the tomatoes 

This is the easiest way to make the curry for Paneer Pasanda And yes it will taste so good While it's cooking add some salt in it . Turmeric Kashmiri , Chilli Powder , Coriander powder And Cumin powder. Once stir it Just like so And now the tomatoes Now that we have added tomato, we will raise the flame of the gas If you don't change the cooking style then Paneer Pasanda, Paneer makhani and Sahi Paneer Are made with almost same ingredients So it will give almost same taste as well And that is why every ingredient gets special and different treatment And all these cooking needs to be done at high flame and stir fry them You don't have to copletely cook the vegetables keep them little raw and it will be perfectly fine Pay attention that we have not added water 

so far There no need as of now As soon as the tomato starts to melt Then we will add water Look carefully, these tomatoes have melted nicely At this stage we are going to add water. 

⦁ Now keep it boiling till the onion and tomatoes are completely melted

 It should take around 10-15 minutes while cooking the onions, tomatoes and even cashew has become soft And this is the stage where we will turn off the gas and let it cool down completely So that we can grind it Now that it has cooled we will grind it.

Grinding Curry

Just remember one thing 

⦁ The bay leaf which we had added And the cinnamon we added Just remove these two things before grinding

⦁ Rest everything will grind

⦁ Ready And now our curry is ready But it is necessary to give it a final tempering

Second Tempering for the curry

⦁ Don't miss this step Because this step is the difference between a good curry and a very good curry.

⦁ Simply melt the butter 

⦁ Add some fine chopped ginger And green chilli And cook it lightly

⦁ And now put the curry in the pan

⦁ Now strain the gravy to get a fine silken curry. Now give it a quick boil And our curry is ready.

⦁ If you thin that the curry is very thick you can add little water no problem. Now we will add some Kasoori Methi Powder , Freshly chopped Coriander

⦁ Turn the gas off And now add some fresh cream Wow it's smelling so good See smooth silky Paneer Pasanda curry is ready now.

 Roasting Paneer

⦁ Now let me give you the most important tip for making Paneer Pasanda Grill the Paneer after the curry is made

Important Tip

Because we are not making Paneer Makhanai where we will add the Paneer in the curry give it a boil and serve it If we do that, then all te stuffing will get mixed in the curry That is why you have to fry the Paneer separately Curry will go first and on top of that we will garnish it with Paneer

Plating Paneer Pasanda

And our easy Paneer Pasanda is ready to be served

"Savor each bite, a culinary grandeur so 
grand,
Paneer Pasanda's allure, a taste of India's

wonderland "

Enjoy the rich and flavorful Paneer Pasanda as a delightful main course dish that will impress your family and guests!

Let me know your favourite dishes in comment section.