Achari Paneer Recipe (With Gravy)

overhead shot of achari paneer in a white bowl garnished with a mint sprig on a light pink napkin

4.80 from 50 votes

Achari Paneer is a creamy as well as robust flavored cottage cheese curry made with achari masala or pickle spices, yogurt and paneer. If you love pickles, you will surely like this delicious, flavorful, tangy and spiced Achari Paneer gravy.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: North Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 321kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

Pickling spices

1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)

Other ingredients

200 to 250 grams Paneer chopped in cubes or squares (cottage cheese)
1 cup (240 grams) Curd (yogurt), made with whole milk
1.5 teaspoon ginger-green chili paste or 1 inch ginger + 1 or 2 green chilies
2 dry red chilies - seeds removed
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
⅓ cup (75 to 80 grams) tomatoes - tightly packed
10 to 12 cashews or 2 tbsp cashews or 2 tbsp cashew powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper or paprika
½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
¼ teaspoon cumin powder - optional
1 or 2 teaspoon mango pickle masala - optional
1 to 1.5 tablespoon gram flour (besan)
½ teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
3 tablespoon light cream or low fat cream or 1 to 2 tbsp whipping cream
2 tablespoon mustard oil or sunflower oil or ghee
1 tablespoon coriander leaves (cilantro leaves), chopped
1 teaspoon mint leaves - chopped
salt as required

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Roasting Pickle Spices

First take the achari or pickling spices in a pan - fennel seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, nigella seeds and fenugreek seeds.
Heat the pan and on a low flame roast the spices till they are fragrant. Don't brown them.
Once cooled, add the spices in a small dry grinder or spice grinder and grind to a semi fine powder.
Remove the achari masala powder and keep aside in a bowl.

Making Masala Base

In the same grinder, add 10 to 12 cashews.
Grind to a fine powder. If oil releases while grinding then its fine.
In a bowl, take fresh whole milk curd/yogurt and whisk it till smooth. Use fresh curd and not sour curd.
Heat mustard oil or sunflower oil or ghee in a pan.
On a low flame, add 2 dry red chilies and a generous pinch of asafoetida. Saute for some seconds till the red chilies change color.
Then add ginger-green chili paste. Stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger goes away.
Then add the chopped tomatoes and stir.
Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder (optional).
Again stir very well and saute the tomatoes till the tomatoes soften completely and become pulpy. You should also see oil releasing from the sides.
Now add the cashew powder. If using store brough cashew powder, then add 2 tablespoons cashew powder. Do check the shelf life of store brought cashew powder before adding.
On a low to medium flame, stir and saute the mixture for 2 minutes after adding cashew powder.
Reserve 1 teaspoon of the ground achari masala and add the rest. Stir very well.
Add 1 tablespoon besan. We are adding besan so that the curd does not curdle. You can swap besan (gram flour) with chickpea flour.
Stir the besan very well and incorporate it into the rest of the masala.

Making Achari Paneer Gravy

Keep the flame on a low and add the beaten curd.
As soon as you add the curd, begin to stir the mixture quickly and fast. Stirring quickly, incorporate the curd well into the rest of the masala.
Add salt as per taste.
Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame.
Add the paneer cubes. 200 or 250 grams paneer chopped in cubes.
Cook the paneer cubes for about 20 to 30 seconds and switch off the heat. Don't cook for more time as then paneer cubes may lose their softness and will become hard.
Then add light cream or low fat cream. Also add crushed kasuri methi to the gravy. Gently stir very well.
Switch off the flame and add chopped coriander leaves and chopped mint leave. Stir gently again.
While serving sprinkle the reserved achari masala from top and garnish with a coriander or mint sprig. Serve achari paneer masala with tandoori roti, chapati, rumali roti, plain paratha or naan.

Notes

Ensure to use fresh curd or yogurt that is not overly tangy or sour. A highly sour tasting curd will make the gravy taste very sour.
Remember to use the pickle spices that are fresh, in their shelf-life and have not gone rancid.
You could opt to use store-bought cashew powder in this recipe. If doing so, add 2 tablespoons of it and make sure it is fresh, and not rancid.
You can use make this recipe with mustard oil or sunflower oil and even ghee. If using mustard oil, ensure to heat it first until it smokes and then proceed with the recipe.
For the cream, you could use either 3 tablespoons of low-fat or light cream, or 1 to 2 tablespoons of heavy or whipping cream.
To make the recipe, gluten free use a gluten-free asafoetida (hing). However, I would not suggest to skip adding the asafoetida as it is quite a must in all achari recipes.
While this dish is best made with paneer and dairy-based products, you can still turn into a vegan one by using firm tofu in place of paneer. Also, use a dairy free yogurt or skip the cream or use coconut cream instead.
I would suggest making this dish when you plan to serve it hot and fresh. Don’t make this dish ahead, as on refrigeration, the flavors will change and while reheating the paneer cubes will become chewy.
This recipe can’t be scaled easily. Try to follow the recipe as it is without making any changes in the ingredient proportions. Since this is a complexly flavored gravy, any changes may result in an off-balance in the flavors and taste.

Nutrition