Instant Pot Paneer Pasanda

5 from 3 votes

Instant Pot Paneer Pasanda

This Paneer Pasanda recipe is a luxuriously rich and flavorful dish with stuffed paneer pieces plunged in exquisitely flavored savory gravy prepared with a mélange of spices, onions, and tomatoes. This recipe is great for gatherings, house parties, and special occasions.

Prep: 30

Cook: 30

Total: 1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: SERVINGS

Calories: 209kcal

Author: Ruchi

Ingredients

PANEER PREPARATION

8 squares Paneer pieces each square is 2.25 inch thick square
½ cup Crumbled Paneer
½ teaspoon Kashmiri Red chili powder
½ teaspoon Garam masala powder
½ teaspoon Coriander powder (sukha dhaniya)
½ teaspoon Cumin powder
3 tablespoons Crumbled Khoya/Mawa
1 tablespoon Cashews
1 tablespoon Almonds
1 tablespoon Chopped Cilantro leaves
- - Salt to taste

CORNFLOUR SLURRY

3 tablespoons Cornflour
1½ tablespoon Water

PANEER PASANDA GRAVY

2 tablespoons Ghee
2 - Bay leaves
2 - Whole Black Cardamom
3-4 - Cloves
2 - Green Cardamom
1 medium Onion cubed
2 small Tomatoes chopped
½ inch Ginger peeled and sliced
6-7 cloves Garlic pods
2 small Green chili
1.5 tablespoons Cashews soaked for 30 minutes, drain
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
1½ teaspoons Kashmiri Red chili powder
¾ teaspoon Haldi (Turmeric powder)
1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
1 tablespoon Kasoori methi/ dried fenugreek leaves
Salt to taste

Instructions

PANEER PREPARATION

Cut paneer into 2.5-inch squares.
Make a deep lengthwise slit in the paneer and ensure that you don’t accidentally cut through the paneer.
Repeat the process with the rest of the paneer pieces.
Combine paneer with cilantro, spices, mawa, almonds, and cashews in a food processor.
Pulse and grind the ingredients into a fine powder.
Add milk and mix until the mixture becomes wet.
The paneer stuffing should be moist, not runny; therefore, add milk slowly.
Take a paneer cube. Gently apply the paneer-nut stuffing inside the slit.
After that, press the paneer cubes firmly. Repeat the process with the rest of the paneer squares.
Prepare cornflour slurry - Combine cornflour and water in a bowl. Mix until lump-free.
Heat oil in a pan. Dip each stuffed paneer cube in the cornflour slurry until it is coated well.
Once the oil is moderately hot, slowly add the dipped paneer into the pan. Shallow fry the paneer cubes until lightly golden.
Remove from oil and drain them on a kitchen paper towel.
Repeat the process with the rest of the paneer squares. Perfectly sealed paneer squares are ready. Set them aside.

GRAVY PREPARATION - COOKTOP VERSION

Steps: 1-4 — Melt ghee over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pan. Once the ghee starts to melt, add chopped onions to the pan. Sauté until the onions turn translucent. Add ginger and garlic to the onions. Sauté the ginger and garlic for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
Steps: 5- 8 — Add cashews to this mix. Cook cashews for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring intermittently.
Steps: 9-12 —Now add chopped tomatoes to the pan. Sauté the tomatoes with onions + cashews. Set the flame to the lowest setting and cover the pan. Allow the mixture to simmer over low heat until the tomatoes are soft and tender.
Once the tomatoes are soft, uncover the pan. Take it off the heat and allow the masala to cool.
Once cooled, transfer this mix to a blender. Puree the cooled masala in the blender until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Steps: 13-16 —Heat a heavy-bottomed pan or Kadai over medium heat. Add butter and oil to it. As the butter starts to melt, add bay leaf, cinnamon, green cardamom, black cardamom, and cloves to the pan.
Sauté for a few seconds until the whole spices are fragrant. Now add Kashmiri red chili powder to the whole spices.
Mix until fully combined. Do not cook for long or the chilies will burn. Next, add the butter gravy back to the pan.
Steps: 17-20 —Mix until the sauce is fully blended.
It’s time to season our masala. Add the coriander powder, turmeric, sugar, garam masala powder, and salt to the masala.
Stir around a while until the spices are well blended in the gravy. Cook for another 1-2 minutes on medium heat. Keep stirring.
Now add water to the butter masala gravy. Depending on the consistency you like, add water slowly. If you prefer a thick gravy, add less water than recommended in the recipe.
Add the paneer triangles to the simmering gravy. Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the paneer is soft. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot with jeera rice.

INSTANT POT VERSION

Turn the Instant Pot to ‘Saute mode.’ Once it displays ‘hot,’ add oil to the insert.
Add bay leaves, cumin seeds, green cardamom, cloves, and whole black cardamom. Sauté for a minute or until fragrant.
Add garlic pods and ginger slices to the Instant Pot.
Add cubed onions to the insert. Sauté until the onions turn translucent.
Add soaked cashews and chopped tomatoes to the pot. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Add green chilies to the pot and give the ingredients a good stir. Turn the Instant Pot off. Close the lid and seal the pot. Press the Manual or pressure cook button and cook the masala for 5 minutes on HIGH.
Tip — It will take about 10 minutes for the pressure to build before the actual cooking time.
Once the cooking time has elapsed, turn the steam valve to the venting position to quickly release the pressure. When the pin drops, carefully open the lid. Discard the bay leaves and whole black cardamom pods.
Allow the onion mixture to cool completely.
Once cooled, transfer the onion mixture to a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Turn the Instant Pot to ‘Saute mode.’ Once it displays ‘hot,’ add ghee to the insert. Add Kashmiri red chili powder and turmeric powder to the insert.
Sauté for a few seconds.
Add the ground mix to the insert. Sauté for 4-5 minutes on LOW.
Add spices to the simmering gravy. Give it a good stir.
While the gravy is simmering, slice the fried stuffed paneer into triangles.
Add the paneer triangle to the simmering gravy.
Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the paneer is soft.
Add water to adjust consistency to your liking.
Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot with jeera rice.

Notes

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my paneer chewy?

There are a couple of reasons for the Paneer to become chewy.
The store-bought paneer can become chewy and rubbery after being cooked. So, it is best to soak it in warm water for about 10 minutes and then use it in the recipe.

Paneer can also become chewy on being cooked for a prolonged time, as heat can remove the moisture from the paneer, making it dry and chewy.

Therefore, it is best to cook it for just a sufficient time.

Can I make this recipe in advance?

This recipe can be prepared ahead of time and assembled later into a beautiful dish to serve your loved ones. This is all you need to do -

Prepare the paneer cubes two days in advance.
Shallow fry them, cool them, and store them in an air-tight container and place it in the fridge.
Similarly, prepare the gravy and cool it. Transfer it to an air-tight container and store it in the fridge.
When ready to serve, heat the gravy in a heavy-bottomed wide pan and bring it to a boil. Add the triangle-cut pieces of Paneer to the gravy, cover the pan and let it simmer for about 3- 4 minutes.
Your delicious Paneer Pasanda recipe is ready to be devoured.

Storing Leftovers!

You can store this dish's leftovers for later. Cool it completely and transfer it to an air-tight container. Slide it in the fridge to store for 3- 4 days.

To reheat -

When ready to serve, reheat the recipe in the microwaveable bowl, adding a little water to the thickened gravy. You can also reheat it in a skillet on the stovetop and serve it hot.

Freezer-friendly!

This recipe is entirely freezer-friendly! You can transfer the Paneer Pasanda to a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 2 – 3 months. Thaw it over the countertop before reheating it.

You can reheat it in a skillet, adding water to adjust the consistency. You can also reheat it in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl and serve it hot.

Nutrition