Afghani Paneer (Restaurant Style Yogurt Cashew Gravy)
Soft seared paneer in a pale yogurt-cashew gravy, finished with kasuri methi, black pepper, and an optional two-minute coal smoke.
Equipment
- Blender
- Heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai
Ingredients
For the paneer marinade
- 10 oz paneer about 280 g, cut into 3/4-inch cubes or thick fingers
- 2 tablespoons full-fat yogurt whisked
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon oil or ghee for searing
For the gravy paste
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced, about 1 cup
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 2 green chilies use one for mild
- 10-12 raw cashews
- fresh cilantro small handful, about 1/4 cup loosely packed
- 2-3 tablespoons full-fat yogurt for blending
- 1 teaspoon oil for softening the onion
For the gravy
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 1/3 cup full-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt whisked, room temperature
- 1/2-3/4 cup water or whole milk plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream plus 1 tablespoon to swirl
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed
Optional dhungar
- 1 small piece natural lump charcoal optional
- 1/2 teaspoon ghee for the coal
- foil shaped into a cup
To finish
- fresh cilantro chopped
- cream a drizzle
Instructions
Prep
- If the paneer is packaged, soak the cubes in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
- Soak the cashews in hot water for 10 minutes if your blender needs the help. Drain.
- Whisk all of the yogurt you will use until smooth. Leave it on the counter so it is not cold.
Marinate and sear the paneer
- Toss the paneer with 2 tablespoons yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 teaspoon crushed pepper, 1/2 teaspoon kasuri methi, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and lemon juice. Rest 15 to 20 minutes.
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil or ghee in the kadhai over medium-high. Sear the paneer 1 to 2 minutes per side until the edges go gold. Lift out and set aside. Do not cook it through. It finishes in the gravy.
Make the paste
- In the same pan, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium. Add the sliced onion, ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Do not let it brown.
- Cool 2 minutes. Blend with the cashews, cilantro, and 2 to 3 tablespoons yogurt until completely smooth. The paste should look pale, almost cream. If it is gritty, blend another 30 seconds.
Cook the gravy
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon ghee in the same pan over medium. Add cumin, bay leaf, cinnamon, and cardamom. Let them smell fragrant, about 20 seconds.
- Add the yogurt-cashew paste. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until it thickens and a few oil specks show at the edges. If it sticks, splash in a tablespoon of water. The paste should stay pale, not gold.
- Take the pan off the heat. Add the remaining 1/3 cup whisked yogurt and stir fast until it disappears into the paste.
- Return the pan to low heat. Add salt. Stir 20 seconds.
- Add 1/2 cup water or milk. I swirl that liquid in the blender jar first so no paste is wasted. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes until the gravy looks smooth and coats a spoon. Add the extra 1/4 cup if it is too thick.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons cream, 1/2 teaspoon crushed pepper, garam masala, and 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi.
- Add the seared paneer. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes on low, just until the cubes are hot. Do not boil hard or the paneer tightens.
Optional dhungar
- Set a foil cup on top of the curry. Place the hot coal in the cup. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon ghee over the coal, cover the pan at once, and leave it 2 minutes. Uncover and lift the foil out. Do not go longer than 2 minutes.
Serve
- Spoon into a warm bowl. Swirl a little cream and scatter cilantro. Serve hot.
Notes
Soften the onion. Brown onions make a beige korma, not afghani paneer.
Yogurt must be full-fat, whisked, and room temperature. Add the gravy yogurt off the heat.
Cilantro is a small handful. A packed cup turns the gravy green.
No tomato, no turmeric, and no saffron if you want a pale cream gravy.
No cashews: add 2 extra tablespoons cream, or soak 2 tablespoons melon seeds and blend those instead.
For a Jain plate, skip onion, ginger, and garlic. Bloom a pinch of hing in the ghee, blend extra cashews (about 16) with yogurt and a green chili, then carry on.
Vegan: extra-firm tofu in place of paneer, unsweetened plain plant yogurt, and cashew cream instead of dairy cream. Skip the coal smoke if you are using coconut yogurt. The smell fights the coconut.
Some restaurants grind a big bunch of cilantro and mint until the gravy is green. That is a variation, not this plate. Keep it for a second night if you want it.
Afghani paneer tikka is the dry grilled snack. This is the curry. Do not skip the gravy if that is the plate you ordered.
Gravy keeps 2 days in the fridge without paneer. This dairy-heavy gravy does not freeze well. Sear fresh paneer when you reheat.
Dhungar is optional. If you skip it, the yogurt and kasuri methi still read as restaurant Afghani.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!