Paneer is a substitute for chicken among the vegetarians. Commonly known as cottage cheese, paneer is filling and a yummy dairy product. In many households, paneer is prepared by boiling the milk and then curdling it by adding lemon juice or citric acid. However, with the busy schedules and availability of ready-made paneer in supermarkets, people have started buying paneer from outside.

The soft and delicious milky flavour paneer is used in many Indian dishes. However, paneer gravy and masalas are very popular vegetarian Indian main course dishes. If you love paneer gravy then here is a yummy recipe to make badami paneer gravy. This dish is basically prepared with almond gravy and fried paneer cubes. However you can add baby corn and other nuts to make it more delicious and spicy. Check out the badami paneer recipe.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

    Paneer/cottage cheese- 250gms (cut into cubes)
    Onions- 2
    Ginger- 1 inch
    Garlic- 4-5 pods
    Almonds- 10-12 (soaked for 30 minutes)
    Turmeric powder- 1tsp
    Red chilli powder- 1tsp
    Coriander powder- 1tsp
    Kashmiri dry red chillies- 3
    Tomato puree- ½ cup
    Cumin seeds powder- 1tsp
    Milk- 1tbsp
    Garam masala- 1tsp
    Clove- 1
    Sugar- ½ tsp
    Bay leaf- 1
    Salt- as per taste
    Oil- 1 cup

Procedure

    Blend almonds, onion, ginger, garlic and 2 dry red chillies together into a smooth paste. Add little water to increase the consistency and make it thick.

    Heat oil in a frying pan. Cut the paneer into small cubes. Fry them until they turn golden brown (should take 2-4 minutes). Strain and keep aside.

    In a bowl, add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Pour little water and make a semi-liquid paste.
    Heat 1½ tbsp oil in another frying pan. Season with bay leaf, clove and 1 dry red chilli. Pour the semi-liquid spices paste and mix.
    Now add the blended paste and stir for a minute on a high flame. Cook for about 2 minutes and then pour the tomato puree.
   Sprinkle garam masala and cumin powder. Add ½ cup water and bring it to boil. When the water thickens and looks like a gravy, add fried paneer cubes, milk and sugar. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes.

Badami paneer gravy is ready. Garnish with chopped onions and coriander leaves. Serve it hot with rotis or rice.