Achari Paneer (Restaurant-Style, Vegetarian)
Tangy North Indian paneer curry with roasted achari spices and curd-safe yogurt gravy. Weeknight-friendly with roti, rice, or thali pairings.
Equipment
- Heavy kadai or skillet
- Spice grinder or mortar and pestle
Ingredients
For the achari masala
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp nigella seeds kalonji
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 dried red chilies broken
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder optional, for color
For the gravy
- 3 tbsp mustard oil or 2 tbsp neutral oil plus 1 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes pureed
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 cup plain yogurt fresh, not sour; whisked smooth
- 2 tbsp besan gram flour
- 1 tsp salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp sugar optional, to balance tang
- 1/4 cup water as needed
- 12 oz paneer cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
Instructions
Prep paneer and masala
- Pat paneer dry. Optionally pan-sear cubes in 1 tsp oil until pale gold on two sides. Set aside.
- Dry-roast mustard, fennel, nigella, fenugreek, cumin, and dried red chilies on medium 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Cool and grind coarsely.
Cook the gravy
- Heat mustard oil until it just begins to smoke. Reduce heat to medium. Cook onion 6 to 8 minutes until soft and light gold.
- Stir in ginger-garlic paste 1 minute. Add tomato puree and cook 8 to 10 minutes until oil separates at the edges.
- Add turmeric, coriander, ground achari masala, Kashmiri chili, and garam masala. Cook 1 minute.
- Whisk besan into yogurt until smooth. On medium-low, add yogurt in a thin stream while whisking. Simmer gently 4 to 5 minutes without a hard boil.
- Add salt, optional sugar, and water as needed. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes until thick and glossy.
Finish
- Fold in paneer gently. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes until heated through. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
Notes
Curd split? Off heat, whisk in 1 tbsp besan mixed with 2 tbsp cold yogurt, then return to low simmer.
Less oil: Use 2 tbsp total oil for a lighter weeknight version.
No onion-garlic: Skip onion; use extra tomato and ginger; add asafoetida in the tempering for Jain-style meals.
Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water.
Bitter gravy often means too much fenugreek or burnt spices. Measure fenugreek carefully.
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