Restaurant Style Paneer Pasanda
Stuffed paneer sandwiches with a cashew-raisin filling, shallow-fried or air-fried, served in a smooth fried-onion tomato-cashew gravy.
Equipment
- Blender
- Heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai
- Tongs or two spatulas
- Air fryer (optional)
Ingredients
For the tomato-cashew paste
- 3 tomatoes medium, roughly chopped, about 1 3/4 cups
- 10-12 cashews
- 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 2 cloves
- 2 mace strands thin, optional
- 1 cup water
For the fried onion paste
- 2 onions medium, chopped, about 1 heaping cup
- 2 tablespoons oil
- pinch salt
- 4-5 tablespoons water to blend
For the paneer sandwiches
- 250-300 g paneer 1 thick block
- 2-2 1/2 tablespoons paneer grated or crumbled, for the filling
- 1 tablespoon raisins chopped
- 2 tablespoons cashews finely chopped
- 1-2 green chilies finely chopped, about 1 teaspoon
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon mint leaves chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
For the batter
- 1/2 cup cornstarch cornflour, or use 1/2 cup besan
- 4 tablespoons water
- 2 slices white bread processed to fine crumbs, optional extra coat
For frying
- 3-4 tablespoons oil for shallow-frying, or 1 teaspoon for air-frying
For the pasanda gravy
- 1-1 1/2 tablespoons oil use the frying oil if you have it
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon shahi jeera caraway seeds, or cumin seeds
- 1-1 1/2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 cup water
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon sugar or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed
- 2 tablespoons fresh cream
- salt to taste
To garnish
- 1 tablespoon cream
- fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
Make the tomato-cashew paste
- Add tomatoes, cashews, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, mace if using, and 1 cup water to a pan. Simmer on medium-low until the tomatoes are soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Some liquid will be left. Keep it.
- Blend the tomato mixture with its cooking liquid until completely smooth. No cashew grit. Set aside.
Make the fried onion paste
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the same pan. Add chopped onions and a pinch of salt. Cook on medium-low until light gold, 8 to 10 minutes. Do not let them go dark brown.
- Cool 5 minutes. Blend with 4 to 5 tablespoons water until smooth.
Make the filling and stuff
- Mix grated paneer, raisins, chopped cashews, green chili, cilantro, mint, red chili powder, cumin, and salt. Taste. The mix should be moist, not wet.
- Cut the paneer block into triangles, like slicing a small cake. Split each triangle horizontally into two thin slices. Work slowly. If a piece crumbles, add the bits to the filling.
- Spoon filling onto the bottom slice. Set the top slice on gently. Do not press hard. Repeat.
Fry or air-fry
- Stir cornstarch or besan with 4 tablespoons water into a medium slurry. Stir again right before each sandwich. The starch settles fast.
- Dip each sandwich so every side, including the filling edge, is coated. If using bread crumbs, press them on after the slurry.
- Shallow-fry in 3 to 4 tablespoons medium-hot oil, 2 minutes a side, until pale gold. Drain on a paper towel.
- Air fryer option: spray or brush lightly with oil. Air fry at 375°F / 190°C for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping once, until the crust is pale gold.
Finish the gravy
- Heat 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in the pan. Add bay leaf and shahi jeera. Let the seeds crackle.
- Add ginger-garlic paste. Stir 30 seconds until the raw smell goes.
- Add the tomato-cashew paste. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on medium-low.
- Add the fried onion paste. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more, stirring.
- Add turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, and coriander powder. Stir 30 seconds.
- Add 1 cup water. Simmer 4 to 5 minutes until you see oil specks and the gravy coats a spoon. Add salt and sugar.
- Stir in garam masala, crushed kasuri methi, and cream. Turn off the heat. Do not boil hard after the cream goes in.
Serve
- Spoon gravy onto a warm platter. Set the sandwiches on top, or nestle them in at the table. Coat gently. Do not simmer.
- Garnish with cream and cilantro. Serve hot with naan, tandoori roti, or jeera rice.
Notes
Thick paneer splits cleaner. For thin store slabs, cut portions and slit one side so the piece stays hinged, then stuff the pocket.
Stir the slurry before every dip. Settled batter will not seal the filling.
Stop frying at pale gold. Extra color usually means chewy paneer.
If the gravy is thin, simmer a few more minutes before you add the sandwiches. Thin gravy soaks the crust.
Almonds can replace cashews in the paste and the filling. Soak them if your blender is weak.
Besan fries a little darker and nuttier than cornstarch. Rice flour also works.
Skip the bread crumbs if you need the dish gluten-free.
For a vegan plate, use firm tofu slabs and coconut or cashew cream. Tofu is more fragile. Use the hinged-slit method and air-fry.
Make the two pastes, or the gravy without cream and kasuri methi, up to 2 days ahead. Freeze the pastes or the unfinished gravy for a month. Do not freeze battered sandwiches. The crust turns dense.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days. Keep sandwiches out of the gravy if you can. Reheat gravy on low with a splash of water. Warm sandwiches in a dry pan or air fryer, then sauce.
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