A very quick Shahi Paneer (or Tofu)

Shahi Paneer (Tofu) on the left

My brother was such a big fan of Shahi Paneer that every time we went out to eat at a North Indian restaurant, we had to order it. I was not always happy with this imposition because it meant one variety less of something else to try. So I have spent many hours at dinner tables persuading him to try some other paneer dish, but he rarely budged. Now he eats everything and I order Shahi Paneer because I miss paneer in Paris. I use tofu these days. Here is the recipe for a very quick Shahi Paneer!

Ingredients

Serves two

• Tomato purée (200 ml)
• One clove of garlic
• About 2 cm thick piece of ginger
• 250 gm soft tofu/paneer
• Cream (fresh cream or soya cream if you are vegan would do)
• 1/2 tsp garam masala (it is an aromatic spice mix, more details on how to make it here and it is also easily available at stores in France)
• 1 tsp haldi (curcuma)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp ketchup (puritans may object, but it is a secret ingredient that my friend Aditi recommends and I like it too)
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing/or kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves) — both have different aroma
• Salt to taste
• Optional — red chilly powder if you like it spicy.

Process

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add chopped ginger and garlic. Let them infuse the oil with their flavour for about 40–50 seconds
2. Add the tomato purée to the hot oil, let it cook for 4–5 minutes. Add ketchup, 1 tsp haldi and salt to taste
3. Stir in the cream and add cubes of tofu or paneer
4. Let the curry cook for another 4–5 minutes, add 1/2 tsp garam masala
5. Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves or kasuri methi and serve hot

Tasting the food at every step is very important to cook intuitively

Options for more complicated versions (not so much, though)

Another version of Shahi Paneer includes onions as well. There are two ways to do this.

First, add chopped onions to the pan after step one and let them cook till translucent i.e. for 4–5 mins. Then add either freshly chopped tomatoes or tomato purée and cook till the onions and tomato have lost their form and form a paste. Then use a hand blender or a mixer to make a purée. Follow the remaining steps.

Second, take freshly chopped onions and tomatoes and make a purée in a mixer. Then add the purée after step one.

It does make a difference in the overall taste whether the purée is made out of raw or cooked onions and tomatoes but that depends on what you like. My go to book for understanding the reason behind my cooking intuition is Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat