Achari Paneer Recipe

My love for Achaar (Pickle) is probably as old as I can cast my memory. Those were the days when growing up in a middle class house hold, that too in a sleepy city in 80’s, when treating having paneer in a meal used to be an event. To make the daily meal more enticing ‘Pickles’ were the best friend. With time I got exposure to new things, and one such thing was variety of food. But, how could I forget my good old friend pickle? That led me to culinary expedition and I found “Achari Paneer”, which is best of both worlds of Pickle and Paneer.

Achari Paneer is a spicy, tantalising paneer curry liked by many and it got its name owing to the presence of spices which are generally used in making pickles / Achaar.

Prepration time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serving: 4

My Non-Vegetarian friends do not get dis-hearted, you can try out this Achari Gosht.

Ingredients:

1. Paneer – 250 grams You can try out to prepare fresh paneer by this recipe of mine.
2. Onion – 1 (finely chopped)
3. Tomatoes – 2 medium size
4. Fenugreek seeds / Methidana – 1/6 teaspoon
5. Mustard Seeds – 1/3 teaspoon
6. Fennel seeds / Saunf – 1/2 teaspoon
7. Nigella seeds / Kalonji – 1/4 teaspoon
8. Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
9. Asafoetida/Heeng – 1/8 teaspoon
10. Dried Red Chillies – 2-3
11. Coriander Powder – 1teaspoon
12. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 teaspoon
13. Red chilli powder – 1/4 teaspoon
14. Garam Masala – 1/4 teaspoon
15. Yogurt – 4 tablespoon
16. Salt – 1/3 teaspoon
17. Oil – 2.5 tablespoon
18. Kasuri Methi – 1/3 teaspoon

Recipe:

1. First of all, take fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds and cumin seeds and dry roast them for 5 minutes on medium heat.Now transfer them to a pestle-mortar and coarsely grind them. 

2. Cut Paneer into cubes and puree tomatoes by grinding them in a grinder jar.

3. Heat oil in a kadhai / Pan and add asafoetida to it. Add dried red chillies and the grounded spice mix to the oil. Roast for a minute and then add chopped onions. Saute till they are translucent. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder to it and again saute for a minute.

   

   

   

4. Add tomato puree and saute till its cooked and starts leaving oil. Now add yogurt to it and mix. Stir it continuously for 2 minutes so that its cooked well.  Add paneer cubes and salt to it and stir it.

   

   

5. Add Garam masala and kasuri methi and mix it well. Serve Hot and enjoy with bread of your choice. If you wish you can serve it with fresh naan.

   

Key Notes:

1. You can use any oil to make achari paneer, but it tastes best when cooked with mustard oil.
2. Do not exceed the amount of seeds otherwise this can leave bitter taste.