With its exotic saffron-infused, luxuriously creamy, cashew laden korma sauce, this delectable north-indian main course dish requires about 30-35 minutes to prepare. It pairs exquisitely with naan, poori, or fragrant cumin rice (jeera rice) for a delicious vegetarian meal. My Diwali menu each year consists of a few decadent curries such as malai aloo curry, khoya matar or methi matar malai. When it comes to vegetarian main course, paneer dishes like paneer lababdar, palak paneer, or paneer kali mirch are always a hit whenever I have guests over. This decadent paneer korma stands out from the everyday fare. Whenever I make it, I stick to the traditional and indulgent way.
About Shahi Paneer Korma
In indian cuisine, korma refers to a creamy dish with vegetables or chicken, meat or paneer in a sauce made using yogurt, white poppy seeds, ground nuts (like almonds or cashews) and heavy cream. Originally, in the royal kitchens of the mughals, korma used to be prepared with either meat or chicken. With time, besides mutton korma or murgh korma, many vegetarian variations got popular across the country. In this paneer korma recipe, instead of meat or chicken, paneer is used. Shahi (means royal) so this north indian paneer curry is known for its deliciously comforting taste and aroma. It is a mild & delicately flavored with flavor of sweet smelling spices like mace, saffron, green cardamom and kewra.
What Brings the Royal Taste
I cook paneer korma in ghee for a rich, nutty taste. The taste of korma is mellow and mild. Mughlai dishes aren’t overwhelming in terms of heat or spiciness, they are luxirious, smooth on the palate and comforting! I go generous on heavy cream in this recipe. Use of fragrant ingredients like saffron and kevra water (sweet pandan water) that give a unique, heady aroma to mughlai dishes.
More About My Recipe
Fried onions or browned onions are non negotiable in any kind of korma I make. You could make your own at home (I am writing the instructions), or use pre made from stores. This paneer korma recipe has a mild tanginess and has hint of sweet. You could increase oe decrease the amount the sugar as per your taste. You may make the fried onions and cashew paste a day or two ahead if you are planning to make it for a party. This saves a lot of time since those two are the key steps. The korma comes together in a jiffy once you have the paste ready to go. The spice selection across my korma recipes consists of sweet smelling indian spices. Spices like mace or green cardamom carry forward the delicate taste of this dish. Traditional mughlai korma uses only almonds, however, modern kitchens reinvented the korma to include cashews or a combination of both almonds and cashews. I like using cashews in the korma base, you could use almonds if you wish.
If You Want to Make White Gravy Paneer Korma One of the most popoular korma version is the white korma or white paneer korma. As the name suggests, in the original korma recipe, the sauce has a ivory color. The color of white korma sauce is preserved by not adding red chilli powder. I like to make red korma becauce I feel that it contrasts the milky creaminess of paneer. Since paneer doesn’t have any taste of its own, the korma becomes quite mild and one toned. However, if you enjoy white paneer korma, skip the red chilli powder and instead add a paste made of fresh green chilies for a mild heat in this recipe.
Paneer Korma Ingredients
Paneer - Homemade paneer (indian cottage cheese) is the best. Or you could purchase paneer from indian grocery stores. In the US, it is easily available at retailers like Costco or whole foods. Ghee - A decadent dish like this calls for ghee. However, I also use bit of oil in which I deep fry the onions to carry forward the umami taste of onions in the sauce. Whole Spices - mace, green cardamom, shah jeera(caraway seeds), black pepper (ideally white peppercorns are used in korma, however I was out), cinnamon, and fennel seeds Spice Powders - coriander powder, red chili powder, salt, turmeric powder(can be skipped, it is used to bring out the color of red chilli powder) Garlic Paste and Ginger - If you dont like to bite into ginger julinnes, use ginger garlic paste. Fried Onions - I use homemade. You could use premade ones from the brands you trust. The biggest probem with packaged fried onions is the bad smell of oil. Always check before using it in the recipe. Yogurt - I use indian style dahi which is a slightly sour. However plain, whole miilk greek yogurt works fine too! Don’t use very sour yogurt. Other Ingredients - Saffron, heavy cream, raw cashew nuts, kewra water
How To Make Paneer Korma
Preparation
Make the Crispy Fried Onions (You can do this in advance) Tip - Save the oil in which you deep fry the onions and use it for cooking any kind of savory dish that uses onions. We will also use a little bit in making the sauce. Nut & Spice Paste (You can do this in advance)
Make Paneer Korma
Tip - Place the paneer in hot water and let soak while you make the sauce. This optional step keeps the paneer soft.
Serving
With Indian Flatbreads- Like naan, roti or paratha. Add a fresh crunchy salad like kachumber on the side. Pair with steamed basmati rice or indian cumin rice. Festive Menu - Serve paneer korma with dal bukhara, methi puri, boondi raita, paneer moti pulao and a dessert like gajar halwa or mango burfi.
Recipe Tips
Saffron - I want to highlight that this paneer korma recipe has a distinct taste of saffron. If you or your guests are sensitive to the taste of saffron, please skip. You could use fresh grated nutmeg or a pinch of green cardamom powder instead. Give it a punjabi flair - Instead of saffron and kevra water, add 1 teaspoon of crushed kasuri methi and ½ teaspoon garam masala to finish the korma. Consistency - Avoid adding lot of water water, or add cautiously. Reason being that such creamy sauces taste best on a thickish side. For a dairy free version - Use tofu instead of paneer. Use non-dairy yogurt like cashew yogurt. Skip the heavy cream at the end. You could use coconut cream at the end, however then the korma will have a coconut taste. Smooth gravy - This korma sauce turns out pretty smooth, however for a silkier version you can strain it through a fine mesh sieve before adding the paneer.
Making Ahead, Storing & Reheating
Make Ahead Instructions
If you wish, you could prepare the korma sauce a day ahead. Don’t add paneer and heavy cream. Whenever you want to make it, fry the paneer, add the korma sauce along with heavy cream, raisins (if using), saffron and kevra water.
Storing Leftovers
You may store leftover paneer korma refrigerated for 3-4 days in an air-tight container.
Reheating
Always reheat on a low heat. Such creamy sauces as korma can curdle or become oily (due to fat separation) on high heat. If you are using a microwaver for heating, heat in intervals of 10 seconds and keep a close eye.
Freezing
I don’t recomnend freezing paneer korma. After thawing, such dairy based sauce taste quite flat.
