Paneer Kali Mirch (Restaurant Style Black Pepper Curry)
Soft paneer cubes in an ivory onion-yogurt-cashew gravy finished with freshly crushed black pepper.
Equipment
- Blender
- Heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai
- Mortar and pestle or spice grinder
Ingredients
For the onion-cashew paste
- 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced, about 1 cup
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 1 green chilli chopped, use half for mild
- 10 to 12 raw cashews
- 2 green cardamom pods optional
- 2 cloves optional
- 1/3 cup water for blending
For the paneer
- 10 oz paneer about 280 g, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon oil for a light sear, optional
For the gravy
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oil or ghee
- 1/4 cup full-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt whisked, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly crushed black peppercorns plus a pinch to finish
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3/4 cup water plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed, optional
To finish
- fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon cream to swirl
- extra crushed black pepper
Instructions
Prep
- If the paneer is packaged, soak the cubes in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
- Crush the peppercorns coarse. You want flecks, not a fine powder.
- Whisk the yogurt until smooth. Leave it on the counter so it is not cold.
Make the paste
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the pan over medium heat. Add cardamom and cloves if using. Let them smell fragrant, about 20 seconds.
- Add the onion, ginger, green chilli, and cashews. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft and blush-pink to light gold. Do not let it brown.
- Cool 2 minutes. Blend with 1/3 cup water until completely smooth. The paste should look pale, almost ivory.
Optional paneer sear
- Wipe the pan. Heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high. Sear the paneer 1 to 2 minutes until the edges take a little color. Lift out and set aside. Skip this if you want the cubes fully soft.
Cook the gravy
- Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in the same pan over medium-low. Add the onion-cashew paste. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until a few oil specks show at the edges. If it sticks, splash in a tablespoon of water. The paste should stay pale.
- Take the pan off the heat. Add the whisked yogurt and stir fast until it disappears into the paste.
- Return the pan to low heat. Add coriander powder, garam masala, salt, and the crushed pepper. Stir 20 seconds.
- Add 3/4 cup water. Swirl that water in the blender jar first so no paste is wasted. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes until the gravy looks smooth and coats a spoon.
- Stir in the cream. Add the paneer. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes on low, just until the cubes are hot. Do not boil hard or the paneer tightens.
- Crush kasuri methi between your palms if using and stir it in. Taste. Add a pinch more pepper if the gravy tastes shy.
Serve
- Spoon into a warm bowl. Swirl a little cream, scatter cilantro, and finish with extra crushed kali mirch. Serve hot.
Notes
Keep the onions pale. Brown onions make a beige korma, not kali mirch.
Yogurt must be full-fat, whisked, and room temperature. Add it off the heat.
Fresh coarse pepper is the dish. Jarred powder is a backup, not the first choice.
No tomato and no turmeric if you want an ivory gravy.
For a Jain plate, skip onion and ginger. Bloom a pinch of hing in the oil, blend extra cashews (16 to 18) with a splash of yogurt, and carry on. The pepper still leads.
Vegan: extra-firm tofu in place of paneer, unsweetened plain plant yogurt, and cashew cream instead of dairy cream.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze the gravy without paneer for up to 1 month. Add fresh paneer when you reheat.
Leftovers reheat on low with a splash of water. The pepper gets louder the next day.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!