Charcoal-Smoked Paneer Curry
Soft paneer in onion-tomato gravy finished with charcoal dhungar. Home-style paneer angara for roti or rice.
Equipment
- Blender
- Wide pan or kadhai
- Steel katori or small heatproof bowl
Ingredients
For the gravy
- 2 tablespoons oil or ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 green cardamom pods lightly crushed
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste or 1 inch ginger + 4 garlic cloves
- 2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
- 10-12 cashews soaked in hot water 15 minutes, optional for body
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3/4-1 cup water as needed
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh cream or thick yogurt whisked smooth
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed
- 1 green chili slit, optional
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro for garnish
For the paneer
- 250-300 g paneer cut into soft cubes
- 1 teaspoon oil optional, for a light pan sear
For the dhungar (charcoal smoke)
- 1 small piece natural charcoal food-safe lump charcoal
- 1 steel bowl or katori heatproof, for holding the coal
- 1 teaspoon ghee for pouring on the hot coal
Instructions
Blend the gravy base
- Soak cashews in hot water for 15 minutes if using. Drain. Blend onion, tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, and cashews until smooth. Keep ready.
Cook the gravy
- Heat oil or ghee in a wide pan or kadhai on medium. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, and cardamom. Let the cumin crackle.
- Pour in the onion-tomato paste. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the raw smell goes and the paste thickens and looks glossy. Splash a little water if it sticks.
- Add turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder, and salt. Cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add the slit green chili if using.
- Add 3/4 cup water and bring to a gentle simmer. The gravy should look pourable and coat a spoon, not watery.
Finish with paneer
- Optional: Warm paneer cubes in 1 teaspoon oil for 1 to 2 minutes until the edges soften. Do not brown hard. Or add paneer straight to the gravy.
- Add paneer to the gravy. Simmer on low 2 to 3 minutes so the cubes warm through.
- Turn the heat to low. Stir in cream or whisked yogurt and crushed kasuri methi. Warm 1 to 2 minutes. Do not boil hard after adding dairy. Taste for salt and garam masala.
Smoke with dhungar
- Heat the charcoal until the edges glow. Place a steel katori in the center of the curry so it sits steady. Put the hot coal in the katori. Pour 1 teaspoon ghee on the coal. Cover the pan immediately with a tight lid. Smoke 2 to 3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Open the lid away from your face. Remove the katori and coal carefully. Discard the coal once cool enough to handle safely. Stir the curry once. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Notes
Use food-safe natural lump charcoal. Skip lighter fluid briquettes.
Start with 2 to 3 minutes of smoke. Past 5 minutes often tastes ashy on this gravy.
Keep the coal in a steel katori so it never touches the food.
Soft store-bought paneer can go straight into the gravy. A light warm-through is optional.
Make gravy ahead, then do dhungar just before serving for the freshest smoke.
Store leftovers airtight in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat gently with a splash of hot water. Do not re-smoke unless you want much stronger smoke.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!