Paneer Lababdar (Cottage Cheese In Creamy Gravy) is truly delicious main course dish. This restaurant style paneer dish can be easily made at home without much effort. This much popular dish can be found on the menu of most of the North Indian restaurants. Unlike other gravy’s which require a lot of time for sautéing the masala on low heat, this curry is made quite quickly.
Paneer Lababdar (Cottage Cheese In Creamy Gravy) is an Punjabi curry where paneer cubes are simmered in tomato and cashew gravy. This aromatic and creamy Cottage Cheese dish, pairs really well with Tandoori Roti, Garlic Naan, Kerala Paratha and other Indian breads.
This is a great party dish that can be prepared in advance. Anybody who likes paneer (cottage cheese) will love this preparation and ask for more. You cannot go wrong with this finger licking curry. People who are calorie conscious can also indulge as there is no cream and not too much of oil and ghee is used.
This exotic gravy made from simple ingredients found in every Indian Pantry. For Lababdar Paneer I have used onions, garlic, tomatoes, cashew nuts and spices. A small amount of kasuri methi is a must as it takes this dish to another level just like we get at good restaurants. The use of good quality of paneer is also very important. I like to make paneer at Home. Here is how to make Paneer Lababdar Recipe in restaurant style.
Right from starters like Paneer Nuggets, Grilled Paneer Submarine till desserts like Mango Paneer Rolls and even extraordinary sabzis like Paneer Kali Mirch in Makhana Gravy turn out to be crowd pleasers by the sheer addition of cubed paneer to an otherwise simple array of ingredients.
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients for Paneer Lababdar
300 grams paneer (cottage cheese) cubed
50 grams paneer grated
1 cup onion chopped
1 tablespoon garlic chopped
1 teaspoon ginger chopped
1 green chilli chopped
1 cup tomato chopped
10 to 12 kaju (cashews) soaked
2 lavang (cloves)
2 elaichi (green cardamoms)
1 javitri (mace)
1” dalchini (cinnamon)
1 tej patta (bay leaf)
½ teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
2 teaspoon dhania powder (coriander)
2 teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoon kasuri methi (fenugreek powder)
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoon lemon juice
100 ml milk
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon ghee
Directions for Paneer Lababdar
- Heat oil in a pan, add cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves, mace and let them crackle for a few seconds.
- Add onion and saute till translucent.
- Add ginger, garlic paste and saute till onions start to change colour.
- Now add green chilli, cashew, tomatoes and saute till tomatoes are mushy.
- Remove the pan from heat and let it cool a bit.
- Transfer the mixture in a blender and blend to make a smooth paste.
- Heat ghee in the same pan, add tej patta, 1 spoon kasuri methi, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and mix.
- Now add the paste and saute for 3-4 minutes.
- Now add panner cubes and grated panner along with milk and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add honey, lemon juice and kasuri methi and cook for a minute.
- Serve hot with Paratha or Naan.